AP News Digest 3 a.m.

APTOPIX Western Wildfires (© Billings Gazette 2020)

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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2020 CENSUS-REDISTRICTING — The U.S. Census Bureau is releasing new population data that will be used to reshape U.S. House seats and state legislative districts for the next decade. The official goal is to redraw districts with roughly the same number of people, but many Republicans and Democrats also will be trying to draw districts that make it more likely for their candidates to win. By David A. Lieb and Nicholas Riccardi. SENT: 980 words, photo.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MASK WARS-GOP — Top Republicans are battling school districts in their own states’ urban, heavily Democratic areas over whether students should be required to mask up as they head back to school. That is reigniting ideological divides over face coverings even as the latest coronavirus surge ravages the reddest, most unvaccinated parts of the nation. By Will Weissert. SENT: 1,210 words, photos.

CUOMO-SEXUAL HARASSMENT-METOO — Would Gov. Andrew Cuomo have been forced to step down had the same allegations emerged five years ago? To prominent figures in the #MeToo movement, the answer is no. "The conversation has changed," says Anita Hill, who introduced the nation to the concept of workplace sexual harassment 30 years ago. "And #MeToo did that." By National Writer Jocelyn Noveck. SENT: 1,190 words, photos, video.

PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN-SUSPICIOUS NEIGHBORS — Some Afghans blame neighboring Pakistan for the successes of the Taliban as the insurgents rapidly sweep up more territory. Pressure is mounting on Pakistan to press the Taliban to stop the onslaught. Islamabad insists it opposes a Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and denies it supports the group. By Kathy Gannon. SENT: 1,160 words, photos, video. Also see AFGHANISTAN and UNITED STATES-AFGHANISTAN below.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-DISTANCE LEARNING — School systems around the country are setting up their own virtual academies in growing numbers to accommodate families who feel remote instruction works best for their children, regardless of the rise or fall of COVID-19 infection rates. A majority of the 38 states that responded to an Associated Press survey this summer of state education departments indicated there will be additional permanent virtual schools and programs in the coming school year. By Carolyn Thompson. UPCOMING: 1,090 words, photos by 8 a.m.

COLORADO RIVER-DROUGHT-FARMERS — Climate change, drought and high demand are expected to force the first-ever mandatory cuts to a water supply that 40 million people across the American West depend on, the Colorado River. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's decision in mid-August will spare cities and tribes but hit Arizona farmers hard. By Felicia Fonseca. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.

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WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT

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VOTING-COMPANY-LAWSUIT — Judge rules Dominion case can proceed against Trump allies. SENT: 450 words, photos.

SPAIN-INSTAGRAM-NUDITY — Instagram apologizes for Almodóvar film’s poster censorship. SENT: 360 words, photo.

INDIA-LANDSLIDE — Search resumes for victims of deadly Indian landslide. SENT: 280 words, photos.

INDIA-SATELLITE FAILURE — Indian launch attempt of earth observation satellite fails. SENT: 240 words, photo.

THWARTED-TERROR-PLOT — Army veteran convicted of plotting to bomb California rally. SENT: 250 words.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-NEW-ZEALAND — New Zealand, which has completely stamped out the coronavirus, plans to cautiously reopen its borders to international travelers early next year, the government says. SENT: 500 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-VACCINE-PREGNANCY — Medical experts say there’s no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, influence your chances of getting pregnant, despite a myth suggesting otherwise. SENT: 280 words, graphic.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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UNITED STATES-AFGHANISTAN — Afghan government forces are collapsing even faster than in the worst-case scenario sketched out by U.S. military leaders when President Joe Biden ordered a full military withdrawal last spring. SENT: 950 words, photos.

BIDEN-CONGRESS — Biden’s belief that bipartisanship is still possible in a deeply divided Washington was validated when the Senate passed his $1 trillion infrastructure bill, but now the president needs to keep his own party in line. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

TRUMP-JUSTICE DEPARTMENT — The Senate Judiciary Committee met privately with a former U.S. attorney in Georgia who resigned in January as then-President Donald Trump waged a pressure campaign on state and federal officials to overturn his presidential defeat — part of a larger probe into Trump’s actions after the November election. SENT: 1,000 words, photo.

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NATIONAL

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PACIFIC NORTHWEST HEATWAVE The Pacific Northwest sees another heatwave just a month after temperatures soared as high as 116 F in a record-shattering weather event that killed scores of the most vulnerable across the region. SENT: 550 words, photos.

WESTERN WILDFIRES — California’s largest single wildfire in recorded history continues to burn across the rural northern part of the state, destroying hundreds of homes. Meanwhile, authorities in Montana ordered evacuations as a wind-driven blaze roared toward several remote communities. SENT: 620 words, photos.

BOY SCOUTS BANKRUPTCY — Attorneys for the Boys Scouts of America are asking a Delaware judge to approve an $850 million agreement that is the foundation of the group’s plan to emerge from bankruptcy. SENT: 290 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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AFGHANISTAN — The Taliban captured a police headquarters in a provincial capital in southern Afghanistan teetering toward being lost to the insurgents as suspected U.S. airstrikes pounded the area, an official says. SENT: 760 words, photos, graphic.

CHINA-CANADA — China dismisses Canada’s protests of harsh sentences handed down by Chinese courts to Canadians whose cases are seen as linked to the arrest in Vancouver of a top executive at Chinese tech giant Huawei. SENT: 640 words, photos.

TROPICAL WEATHER-ATLANTIC — Tropical Storm Fred sweeps into the Dominican Republic, then weakened to a tropical depression after nightfall while dumping heavy rains that forecasters warned could cause dangerous flooding and mudslides there and in neighboring Haiti. SENT: 340 words, photo.

GUATEMALA-US-MEXICO — Central American asylum-seekers being expelled by the U.S. and flown deep into Mexico for deportation to their homelands is drawing criticism from the U.N. refugee agency. SENT: 900 words. With PANAMA-COLOMBIA-MIGRANTS — Panama, Colombia agree to limit of 650 migrants per day.

MEXICO-VENEZUELA-EXPLAINER — The government of Venezuela and its opposition are scheduled to begin a new dialogue this week, marking the third effort in four years. SENT: 630 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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SOUTH-KOREA-SAMSUNG — A day ahead of his release on parole, Samsung scion Lee Jae-yong appeared in a South Korean court for another trial over alleged financial crimes — a reminder of his looming legal risks even as he leaves prison. SENT: 490 words, photos.

FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Asian shares fell as caution set in among investors after banks and industrial companies helped lift stocks mostly higher on Wall Street. By Business Writer Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 890 words, photos.

UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS — The Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. By Economics Writer Paul Wiseman. UPCOMING: 130 words after release of report at 8:30 a.m., photo.

PRODUCTER PRICES — Labor Department releases the Producer Price Index for June. By Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger. UPCOMING: 130 words after 8:30 a.m. release, then updated.

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SPORTS

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TOKYO-WON-OVER-BY-THE-GAMES — When the Tokyo Olympics began during a rising number of coronavirus cases, the majority of the host nation were in opposition. But once the games began and local media switched to covering Japanese athletes’ “medal rush,” many were won over. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Jerome Minerva can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Hiro Komae (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.