AP News Digest 7 a.m.

APTOPIX Tropical Weather Atlantic (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom.ap.org.

——————————————

ONLY ON AP

——————————————

CAPITOL BREACH=PROTESTS PROSECUTION - Some people charged in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and their Republican allies claim the Justice Department is treating them harshly because of their political views. They also say those arrested during last year’s protests over racial injustice were given leniency. Court records tell a different story. An Associated Press review of court documents in more than 300 federal cases stemming from the protests sparked by George Floyd’s death last year shows that dozens of people charged have been convicted of serious crimes and sent to prison. By Alanna Durkin Richer, Michael Kunzelman and Jacques Billeaud. SENT: 1,920 words, photos. With an Abridged version.

—————————————

TOP STORIES

——————————————

TROPICAL-WEATHER-ATLANTIC - Hurricane Ida became a tropical storm as its top winds slowed over Mississippi on Monday, 16 hours after blowing ashore in Louisiana as one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to strike the U.S. mainland. Ida pushed so much water into the mouth of the Mississippi that it reversed the flow of the mighty river and blacked out New Orleans, taking down backup electricity for the city’s crucial pumping system. Torrential rain kept falling Monday as the storm slowly moved north, with up to two feet (60 cms) expected in places, and reports of flooded roads and homes multiplied. Destructive winds and water already had a catastrophic impact along the southeast coast of Louisiana, and life-threatening river flooding continued well inland, the National Hurricane Center said. By Rebecca Santana, Kevin McGill and Janet McConnaughey. SENT: 930 words, photos, videos. With TROPICAL WEATHER-EXPLAINER - Sure, Hurricane Ida looks an awful lot like Hurricane Katrina, bearing down on the same part of Louisiana on the same calendar date. But hurricane experts say there are differences in the two storms 16 years apart that may prove key and may make Ida nastier in some ways but less dangerous in others. By Science Writer Seth Borenstein. SENT: 1,210 words, photos. (sent).

TROPICAL WEATHER-LEFT BEHIND — Robert Owens was feeling defeated and helpless as he waited for one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the U.S. to approach Louisiana’s capital city The 27-year-old had spent days anxiously watching long lines of cars flee Baton Rouge away from oncoming Hurricane Ida. He hoped he and his wife, his mother-in-law, roommate and four pets would be among them. But they lacked gas and money for a hotel room — like others in their low-income neighborhood. By Sunday night, Owens said his neighborhood had lost power, the sky lighting green from transformers blowing up. He called it a terrifying feeling being hunkered down in a storm. By Leah Willingham. SENT: 770 words, photos, videos.

AFGHANISTAN - Rocket fire has apparently targeted Kabul’s international airport amid the U.S. military’s evacuation. The rockets hit a nearby neighborhood. Monday’s attack came on the eve of the deadline for American troops to withdraw from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover. No one claimed responsibility for the attack and it wasn’t immediately clear if anyone was hurt. The rockets didn’t halt the steady stream of U.S. military C-17 cargo jets taking off and landing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in the Afghan capital. The Islamic State group launched a devastating suicide bombing last week at one of the airport gates, killing 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members. By Kathy Gannon. SENT: 940 words, photos, video. With AFGHANISTAN-THE-LATEST,

UNITED STATES-AFGHANISTAN -- The Biden administration is within reach of achieving one of its goals in Afghanistan. Biden administration officials say the United States has the capacity to evacuate the approximately 300 U.S. citizens remaining in Afghanistan who want to leave before President Joe Biden’s Tuesday deadline. That commitment comes as rocket fire in Kabul and another U.S. drone strike against suspected Islamic State militants Sunday highlighted the grave threat in the war’s final days. By Lolita C. Baldor. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.

WESTERN WILDFIRES - Fire officials have ordered more evacuations around the Tahoe Basin as crews deal with a two-week old blaze. Officials said Sunday evening the fire was “more aggressive than anticipated” as it continues to edge toward Lake Tahoe. People throughout an area known as Desolation Wilderness were ordered to leave, while others were faced with warnings. SENT: 720 words, photos.

————————————————————————————

MORE ON AFGHANISTAN

————————————————————————————

AFGHANISTAN-BIDEN TROOPS — At a military base in Delaware, President Joe Biden stood witness with grieving families under a gray sky as, one by one, the remains of 13 U.S. troops killed in the Kabul suicide bombing were removed from a military aircraft that brought them home. The only sounds that could be heard during the mournful ritual of the “dignified transfer” were the quiet commands of the honor guards in battle dress who carried the flag-draped cases, the hum of the C-17 aircraft that had transported the fallen and the periodic sob of the sorrowful. Biden is the fourth commander in chief over two decades of war to make this visit to Dover. SENT: 800 words, photos.

AFGHANISTAN-AIRPORT VICTIMS — Several young people who dreamed of a better life outside of Afghanistan are among the 169 Afghans killed in Thursday’s devastating attack outside Kabul airport. Some feared the Taliban would bring a harsh version of Islamic rule in which women would largely be confined to their homes. Afghans who had worked with the U.S. and its allies feared revenge attacks despite assurances from top Taliban leaders. Others simply dreamed of a better life. They thought if they waited long enough, endured the crowds and the warning shots, the summer heat and the stench of the canal, they would eventually get a seat on a flight to America or somewhere else. SENT: 650 words, photos.

ALBANIA-AFGHAN ACTIVIST — Ghazaal Habibyar, an Afghan evacuee, is now housed in a tourist resort in Albania. But she can hardly rest when remembering the difficulties she and her family faced getting onto the plane and leaving her homeland. SENT: 530 words, photos.

————————————————————————————

MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

————————————————————————————

VIRUS OUTBREAK-EUROPE-US TRAVELERS - The European Union plans to recommend that its member states reinstate restrictions on tourists from the U.S. because of rising coronavirus infection levels in the country, EU diplomats said Monday. SENT: 230 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDONESIA — School bells in some parts of Indonesia’s capital have rung for the first time in more than a year as some school were allowed to reopen now that the number of new coronavirus infections is on the decline. SENT: 580 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MALAYSIA — Malaysia’s new prime minister has missed the swearing-in ceremony of his Cabinet after coming into contact with someone infected with COVID-19. The prime minister’s office says Ismail Sabri Yaakob has begun self-isolating and will virtually attend Tuesday’s official National Day celebrations. SENT: 330 words, photo.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-JAPAN MURAKAMI — Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami has criticized the country’s prime minister over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. In his monthly radio show Sunday, Murakami said Yoshihide Suga has ignored a growing COVID-19 surge and public concerns about the outbreak. SENT: 440 words, photos.

—————————————————————

WASHINGTON/POLITICS

—————————————————————

GUANTANAMO-WAR CRIMES-BALI BOMBING -- Three prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention center are expected to get their first day in court after being held for 18 years in connection with the deadly 2002 Bali nightclub bombings and other plots in Southeast Asia. By Ben Fox. SENT: 710 words, photos. Hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. EDT.

——————————————

NATIONAL

——————————————

SHOOTINGS-POLICE STATION-LYFT DRIVER — Authorities are trying to determine if there is a connection between a confrontation at a Dallas suburb in which police officers wounded a man after he had opened fire inside a police station and the death of a Lyft driver at another Dallas suburb. SENT: 280 words.

——————————————

INTERNATIONAL

——————————————

NORTH KOREA-NUCLEAR — The U.N. atomic agency says North Korea appears to have restarted the operation of its main nuclear reactor used to produce weapons fuels. The annual report by the the International Atomic Energy Agency comes as North Korea openly threatens to enlarge its nuclear arsenal amid long-dormant nuclear diplomacy with the United States. SENT: 560 words, photos.

ISRAEL-ABBAS — Israel’s defense minister has held talks late with the Palestinian president in the first high-level meeting between the two sides in years. The meeting between Benny Gantz and Mahmoud Abbas signaled a possible shift of direction after after the near-complete breakdown in communication between Abbas and Israeli leaders in recent years. SENT: 290 words.

ITALY HIGH RISE FIRE — Italian firefighters have worked through the night to extinguish a blaze that destroyed a 20-story apartment building in Milan. They say there is no indication that any one is missing in the blaze. SENT: 270 words, photos.

TROPICAL WEATHER -PACIFIC - Hurricane Nora has weakened to a tropical storm as it causes floods and landslides along Mexico’s Pacific coast. At midday Sunday, it passed just inland of the Mazatlan resort area as a Category 1 hurricane, then veered into the Gulf of California and weakened into a tropical storm. SENT: 350 words, photos.

——————————————

SCIENCE

——————————————

SPACE-STATION - A SpaceX shipment of ants, avocados and a human-sized robotic arm rocketed toward the International Space Station. The delivery - due to arrive Monday - is the company’s 23rd for NASA in just under a decade. By Aerospace Writer Marcia Dunn. SENT: 360 words.

——————————————

BUSINESS

——————————————

TROPICAL WEATHER-ECONOMIC IMPACT — Hurricane Ida is sure to take a toll on the energy, chemical and shipping industries that have major hubs along the Gulf Coast. But the impact on the overall U.S. economy should be modest so long as damage estimates don’t rise sharply and refinery shutdowns are not prolonged, economists suggested. SENT: 500 words, photo.

FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian shares are higher as investors interpreted comments from the head of the U.S. Federal Reserve as signaling low interest rates were here to stay for some time. Benchmarks in Japan, Australia, South Korea and China all rose in afternoon trading. Regional investors are also looking ahead to data on China’s manufacturing sector. SENT: 480 words, photos.

—————————

SPORTS

—————————

TOKYO-2020-PARALYMPICS PHOTO GALLERY — The Paralympic Games have been under way for almost a week in Tokyo and will continue until the closing ceremony on Sept. 5. SENT: 180 words, photos.

TEN-US OPEN-VACCINES - Novak Djokovic calls it a personal decision; Andy Murray says vaccinations can help society get through the pandemic. The issue is a big one leading to the year’s last Grand Slam tournament, where fans entering Flushing Meadows will be required to show proof of a jab. SENT: 950 words, photos.

——————————————

HOW TO REACH US

——————————————

At the Nerve Center, Shameka Dudley-Lowe can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, (ext. 7636). Expanded AP content can be obtained from http://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.