AP News Digest 2 p.m.

APTOPIX Tokyo Olympics Athletics (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

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TOP STORIES

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VIRUS OUTBREAK — Employers are increasingly losing patience with unvaccinated workers. A growing number of businesses are requiring their employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, alarmed by the rise of the more contagious delta variant and frustrated that vaccination rates in the U.S. have plateaued. By Alexandra Olson. SENT: 920 words, photos.

CONGRESS-INFRASTRUCTURE — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sought to speed up consideration of a nearly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package on Monday, promising that Democrats would work with Republicans to put together amendments. By Kevin Freking and Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 800 words, photos. UPCOMING: 1,000 words by 6 p.m. With CONGRESS-INFRASTRUCTURE-EXPLAINER — Details of items in the infrastructure bill and how they would be paid for. UPCOMING: 930 words by 5 p.m.

OLY-ATH-BELARUS ATHLETE — Poland granted a visa to a Belarusian Olympic sprinter who said she feared for her safety and that her team’s officials tried to force her to fly home, where the autocratic government was accused of diverting a flight to arrest a dissident journalist. By Graham Dunbar. SENT: 1, 060 words, photos.

OLY-GYM-BILES RETURNS — Simone Biles is returning to competition in Tokyo. The 2016 Olympic champion will compete in the balance beam finals on Tuesday. That’s a little over a week after the American superstar stepped away from the meet to focus on her mental health. By Will Graves. SENT: 520 words, photos.

EVICTIONS-MORATORIUM — The eviction system, which saw a dramatic drop in cases before a federal moratorium expired over the weekend, rumbled back into action, with activists girding for the first of what could be millions of affected tenants to be tossed onto the street. By Michael Casey. SENT: 890 words, photos. WITH: CONGRESS-EVICTIONS-MORATORIUM -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it’s “unfathomable” that Americans will be ousted from their homes during the COVID-19 crisis, and backed by the Congressional Black Caucus intensified pressure on the Biden administration to immediately extend the nation’s eviction moratorium. By Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 790 words, photos.

LEBANON BLAST-ONE YEAR — It’s been a year since one of the largest non-nuclear explosions erupted at a port warehouse in Beirut. The blast destroyed entire neighborhoods and killed 214 people, including 22 at the nearby St. George Hospital. Every moment of that day remains engrained in the minds of those who lived through it. Many still struggle with the physical and psychological trauma. By Bassem Mroue and Fay Abuelgasim. SENT: 1,770 words, photos, video. An abridged version is available.

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MORE ON THE OLYMPICS

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OLY-KINDNESS: The world’s most competitive athletes at the Olympics are showing a gentleness and kindness to each other, forced by circumstance to see their rivals as coronavirus battle buddies after a turbulent year. By Sally Ho. SENT: 650 words, photos.

OLY-GYM-EXPLAINER-GYMNASTICS HISTORY — The word gymnastics is derived from the ancient Greek “gymnazein,” meaning “to exercise naked.” The sport, now among the Olympics’ most beloved events, was born millennia ago, as young men trained for war in the buff. Throughout human history, people have flipped and twisted to explore the limits of the human body. SENT: 700 words, photos.

OLY-SOC-US-CANADA — Jessie Fleming scored a penalty in the 74th minute and Canada knocked the United States out of the Olympic women’s soccer competition with a 1-0 semifinal victory. Canada goes on to face the winner of the late semifinal in Yokohama between Sweden and Australia. The gold medal match is set for Friday at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo. SENT: 530 words, photos.

OLY-BOX-EXPLAINER-BOXING DRAMA — For as long as boxing has been in the modern Olympics, fighters and fans have complained about it. Every good-faith attempt to improve the judging and officiating has been undone by more missteps. The sport now is essentially defined by images of outraged boxers protesting their perceived injustices. SENT: 970 words, photos.

OLY-ATH-TRACK-AND-FIELD — Marcell Jacobs won the men’s Olympic 100-meter race Sunday night, crossing the line in 9.8 seconds to bring the sprint gold to Italy for the first time. Jacobs topped America’s Fred Kerley and Canada’s Andre DeGrasse to take the spot held for the past 13 years by the now-retired Usain Bolt. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.

OLY-WEI-WEIGHTLIFTING — Transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard finally got to compete at the Tokyo Olympics. It didn’t last long, but it was significant. Hubbard couldn’t complete any of her first three lifts, ruling her out of medal contention in the women’s over-87-kilogram division that ultimately was won by China’s Li Wenwen. SENT: 730 words, photos.

OLY-BEIJING GAMES-FORIEGN JOURNALISTS — The IOC says the Olympics are only about the sports, and that no politics are allowed. This will be the mantra when the Beijing Winter Games open in six months. Covering ski races or figure-skating finals should be painless. Just stay in the sports bubble and out of trouble. But reporters from other countries who puncture the PR skin to explore other aspects of life in China — as they have in Japan during the Tokyo Olympics — could draw more than criticism. By Stephen Wade. SENT: 1,330 words, photos.

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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

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PEOPLE-KATHY GRIFFIN — Kathy Griffin says she is undergoing surgery for lung cancer. SENT: 190 words, photos.

BELARUS-JOURNALIST— Belarus sends reporter to prison over deleted chat messages. SENT: 320 words, photo.

IDAHO-LAWMAKER-RAPE-COMPLAINT — Hearing begins for lawmaker who shared rape accuser’s name. SENT: 350 words.

FRANCE-CHINA PANDAS — A French zoo has announced that a giant panda on loan to France from China has given birth to two female twin cubs. SENT: 330 words, photos, video.

HONG KONG — A prominent Hong Kong singer and pro-democracy activist has been arrested by the city’s anti-corruption watchdog over accusations that he broke the law by singing at a political rally three years ago. SENT: 380 words, photos.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VACCINES-REFUGEES — Millions of refugees living in crowded camps are waiting for their COVID-19 vaccines. For months, the World Health Organization urged countries to prioritize immunizing refugees, placing them in the second priority group for at-risk people, alongside those with serious health conditions. But those plans have been upended by vaccine shortages. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK — Gov. Andrew Cuomo said workers in New York City’s airports and public transit system will have to get coronavirus vaccinations or face weekly testing, but he stopped short Monday of mandating either masks or inoculations for the general public, saying he lacks the legal authority to do so. SENT: 450 words, photos.f

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — Britain opened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers from the U.S. and European Union as travel industry leaders urged the government to further ease restrictions and allow people to enjoy the benefits of a successful COVID-19 inoculation program. SENT: 490 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-IRAN — Iran reported more than 37,000 new coronavirus infections, the country’s single-day record so far in the pandemic, state media reported. SENT: 300 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-GERMANY-VACCINATIONS— Germany will start offering coronavirus vaccinations for all children and teenagers aged 12 and older. SENT: 490 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BONUSES — An official has resigned as chairman of a county board in Michigan in the latest fallout from his decision to give himself a $25,000 bonus with federal COVID-19 relief money and reward others in the community. Jeremy Root will remain one of seven Shiawassee County commissioners but will no longer lead the board. SENT: 200 words.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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UNITED STATES-AFGHANISTAN — The Biden administration expanded its efforts to assist at-risk Afghan citizens flee Taliban violence as fighting intensifies ahead of the U.S. military pullout at the end of the month. SENT: 430 words, photos. UPCOMING: 600 words following Blinken remarks at 2 p.m. briefing.

CONGRESS-PELOSI-MCCARTHY — Several House Democrats have called on House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy to apologize to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi or resign after he joked at a fundraiser over the weekend that it would be “hard not to hit her” with a gavel if he’s sworn in as speaker after the 2022 midterm elections. The comment is emblematic of the rising tension between the two leaders since the Jan. 6 insurrection. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 5 p.m.

BIDEN-AUGUST PUSH -- An array of progressive and pro-White House groups plans to spend nearly $100 million to promote President Joe Biden’s agenda over the next month to pressure Congress while lawmakers are on their August recess. By Jonathan Lemire. SENT: 610 words, photos.

BIDEN-JUDGES — With no Supreme Court opening to slow them, President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats are putting judges on federal trial and appellate courts at a much faster clip than any of Biden’s recent predecessors, including former President Donald Trump. By Mark Sherman and Darlene Superville. SENT: 900 words, photos.

ELECTION 2021-TRUMP-OHIO -- The midsummer race for Ohio’s traditionally Republican 15th Congressional District wouldn’t typically get much national attention. But it’s suddenly becoming a high-stakes test of former President Donald Trump’s endorsement power, which he has wielded as a cudgel to silence opposition in the GOP. By Jill Colvin, Thomas Beaumont and Julie Carr Smyth. SENT: 1,290 words, photos.

TEXAS-ELECTION DISCREPANCIES -- A group of researchers reports a series of minor errors in Texas’ election results across the states. The discrepancies concern only a few hundred votes and would not have made a difference in races. But they show how new partisan demands for election audits overlook actual weaknesses in election systems. By Nicholas Riccardi and Paul Weber. SENT: 980 words, photos.

RACIAL INJUSTICE-POLICE CANDIDATES — About a half-dozen police chiefs and high-ranking law enforcement officers are running for higher office more than a year after George Floyd’s murder prompted debate over police reform and whether to slash law enforcement funding. As violence rises in cities nationwide, the outcome of these elections could send a strong signal about evolving attitudes on policing and crime in America. SENT: 1,350 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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TURKEY WILDFIRES — For the sixth straight day, Turkish firefighters battled to control the blazes that are tearing through forests near Turkey’s beach destinations. Fed by strong winds and scorching temperatures, the fires that began Wednesday have left eight people dead. Overall, some 10,000 people have been evacuated in Mugla province alone, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said. SENT: 760 words, photos.

CHINA FLOODING — More than 300 people died in recent flooding in central China, authorities said, three times the previously announced toll. SENT: 350 words, photos.

SOUTHEAST-EUROPE-HEAT WAVE — Turkey is seeking international help to fight wildfires, and neighbor Greece is using old power stations to cope with demand for air conditioning as a heat wave intensifies in southeast Europe. With temperatures reaching 45 C (113 F) in some areas, the extreme weather is fueling wildfires as well storms in Italy and Croatia. SENT: 450 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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ARIZONA UNKNOWNS — Some families of USS Arizona sailors and Marines whose remains were never found after the bombing of Pearl Harbor are concerned the U.S. military doesn’t plan to take advantage of advances in DNA technology to identify unknowns from the battleship. Eighty-five individuals from the Arizona were buried as unknowns in a Honolulu cemetery after the war. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.

SUBMARINE-DISASTER-DOCUMENTS — A retired Navy skipper who successfully petitioned for documents delving into the deadliest submarine disaster in U.S. history says he’s satisfied there was no coverup. But retired Capt. James Bryant said the documents show technology evolved faster than policies and procedures during the Cold War. Bryant believes the “War War II mindset” during the nuclear age contributed to failures that led to the sinking of the USS Thresher on April 10, 1963. SENT: 760 words, photos.

SEATTLE-MAYOR'S RACE — A year after racial justice and anti-police demonstrators took over part of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, the same issues of policing, equity, disorder and homelessness are animating Seattle’s mayoral primary. It's a contest that highlights a political divide between activist-left voters and more moderate progressives. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

CALIFORNIA-RECALL-VOTER-ENTHUSIASM — California Gov. Gavin Newsom should survive the recall election against him if he can convince Democrats to come out to vote. But that may not be as easy as it sounds. SENT: 990 words, photos.

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HEALTH/SCIENCE

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OXYGEN-ORIGINS — Scientists have a new idea for how Earth got its oxygen: It’s because the planet slowed down and days got longer. A study published Monday proposes and puts to the test the theory that longer, continuous daylight kick-started weird bacteria into producing lots of oxygen, making most of life as we know it possible. SENT: 550 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Mike Stewart 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(at)ap.org or call 844-777-2006.