AP News Digest 2:15 p.m.

Sunday 19 September 2021 19:19 BST

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.

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TOP STORIES

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BORDER-MIGRANT CAMP — Hoping to stop the flow of migrants, the United States on Sunday tried to block the Mexican border at an isolated Texas town where thousands of Haitian refugees have set up a camp, but the migrants quickly found other ways to cross nearby. The attempted border closure happened as officials also began flying some of the migrants back to their homeland. By Juan A. Lozano, Eric Gay and Elliot Spagat. SENT: 1,000 words, photos, video.

CONGRESS-BUDGET-HEALTH CARE — Dental work for seniors on Medicare. No more sky’s-the-limit pricing on prescription drugs. New options for long-term care. Those are just some of the changes to health care that Democrats want to achieve with President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan. For the nearly 145 million Americans covered by government health programs, and countless others in their households and communities, it could make a difference in the quality of life for decades. But Democrats can only succeed if they bridge divisions among themselves. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.

UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY — Despite the still raging COVID-19 pandemic, more than 100 world leaders are heading to New York for the annual high-level U.N. gathering. The challenges on the global agenda are daunting, from an escalating climate crisis and vaccine inequities to Afghanistan’s uncertain future under its new Taliban rulers and worsening conflicts in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and Myanmar. SENT: 1,270 words, photo. With UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY-THINGS TO WATCH (sent).

BIDEN-UNITED NATIONS — President Joe Biden goes before the United Nations this week eager to make the case for the world to act with haste against the coronavirus, climate change and human rights abuses. His pitch for greater global partnership comes at a moment when allies are becoming increasingly skeptical about how much U.S. foreign policy really has changed since Donald Trump left the White House. By Aamer Madhani. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.

AFGHANISTAN — Female employees in the Kabul city government have been told to stay home, with work only allowed for those who cannot be replaced by men, the interim mayor of Afghanistan’s capital said, detailing the latest restrictions on women by the new Taliban rulers. By Kathy Gannon. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK — Officials in both the U.S. and the European Union are struggling with the same question. That is how to boost vaccination rates to the max and end a pandemic that has repeatedly thwarted efforts to control it. President Joe Biden has issued sweeping vaccine mandates in the United States. EU officials in many places are requiring people to show proof of vaccination, a negative test or recent recovery from COVID-19 to participate in everyday activities. By Raf Casert. SENT: 1,130 words, photos.

EMMY AWARDS — Cedric the Entertainer hosts the 2021 Emmy Awards, where top nominees "The Crown" and "The Mandalorian" are each hoping to win best drama honors. By Television Writer Lynn Elber. SENT: 460 words, photos, video. UPCOMING: Will be UPDATED, show begins at 8 p.m. With EMMY AWARDS-THE LATEST; EMMY AWARDS-LIST; EMMY AWARDS-FASHION.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEPAL FESTIVAL — Tens of thousands of devotees packed the old palace courtyard in the heart of Nepal’s capital to celebrate the feast of Indra Jatra, marking the return of the festival season in the Himalayan nation after it was scaled down because of the pandemic. SENT: 500 words, photos.

HOST ATTACKED-VACCINE PROOF — New details have emerged on a brawl outside a popular New York restaurant between several out-of-town visitors and an employee over the restaurant’s requirement that the guests show proof of vaccination. SENT: 290 words.

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WASHINGTON

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FRANCE-US-SUBMARINES — France’s government spokesman says President Emmanuel Macron will speak in the coming days with President Joe Biden in their first contact since a major crisis erupted between France and the United States over a submarine deal with Australia. SENT: 390 words, photo. With AUSTRALIA-SUBMARINES — Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says France would have known Australia had “deep and grave concerns” that a submarine fleet the French were building would not meet Australia’s needs. SENT: 520 words, photo.

CALIFORNIA RECALL-DIVIDED STATE — The California recall election was a blowout win for Gov. Gavin Newsom that reinforced the state’s political divisions: The Democratic governor won big support in coastal areas and urban centers, while the rural north and agricultural inland, with far fewer voters, largely wanted him gone. “It’s almost like two states,” Menlo College political scientist Melissa Michelson said. SENT: 850 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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MISSING-TRAVELER — More than 50 law enforcement officers started a second day of searching in a vast wildlife area near Florida’s Gulf Coast for a 23-year-old man that authorities consider a person of interest in the disappearance of his girlfriend who went missing while on a cross-country trek. SENT: 410 words, photos.

REL-SOUTHERN BAPTISTS-SEX ABUSE — A new Southern Baptist Convention task force is overseeing a third-party investigation into how the denomination handled allegations of sexual abuse. SENT: 870 words, photos.

WESTERN WILDFIRES — Hot, dry weather added to the challenges facing California firefighters who are battling to keep flames from driving further into a grove of ancient sequoias. SENT: 590 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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RUSSIA ELECTIONS — From the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, Russians across eleven time zones voted Sunday on the third and final day of a national election for a new parliament, a ballot in which the pro-Kremlin ruling party is largely expected to retain its majority after months of relentless crackdown on the opposition. SENT: 600 words, photos.

CANADA-ELECTION — On the final campaign day of a tight election battle, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned that his Conservative opponents would weaken the nation’s battle against the pandemic. Polls indicate Trudeau’s Liberal Party is in a close race with the rival Conservatives and that it is unlikely on Monday to get the outright majority needed to govern without relying on an opposition party to remain in power. SENT: 420 words, photos.

AFGHANISTAN-MIGRATION-LESSONS LEARNED — Two men in their early 30s who were part of a mass migration wave to Europe in 2015 have hard-won advice for fellow Afghans arriving now after the Taliban’s takeover of their homeland. SENT: 1,250 words, photos.

INDONESIA MILITANTS KILLED — The bodies of Indonesia’s most wanted militant with ties to the Islamic State group and a follower, who were killed in a jungle shootout with security forces, were evacuated early Sunday to a police hospital for further investigation, police said. SENT: 530 words, photos.

BRITAIN-US-CLIMATE — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is travelling to the United States with senior Cabinet officials to urge world leaders attending the U.N. General Assembly to take urgent action on climate change ahead of this fall’s COP26 climate summit in Scotland. SENT: 390 words, photos.

NETHERLANDS HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL — King Willem-Alexander officially unveiled a new memorial in the heart of Amsterdam’s historic Jewish Quarter honoring more than 102,000 Dutch victims of the Holocaust, and the Dutch prime minister vowed that it would remind citizens today to be vigilant against antisemitism. SENT: 440 words, photos.

BRAZIL FAVELA 100TH ANNIVERSARY — One of Sao Paulo’s biggest favelas is celebrating its centennial — a sign of the permanence and resilience of poor communities that were once thought of as temporary. SENT: 790 words, photos.

YEMEN — The United Nations, the United States and the United Kingdom have condemned the executions of nine Yemenis by the country’s Houthi rebels. SENT: 500 words, photos.

ALGERIA-BOUTEFLIKA'S FUNERAL — Former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been laid to rest, quietly honored despite being forced from office in 2019 after two decades in power. SENT: 330 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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FBC--T25-COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL — Clemson and Ohio State have slipped to the back of the top 10 in The Associated Press college football poll and Penn State has jumped four spots to No. 6. Defending national champion Alabama remained an overwhelming No. 1 after holding on to win at Florida. SENT: 720 words, photos.

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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

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FILM-BOX OFFICE — “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is the top film at the box office for the third straight weekend, but the muted reception for Clint Eastwood’s “Cry Macho” suggests older moviegoers still aren’t as eager to return to theaters. SENT: 410 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Dave Clark 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.

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