AP News Summary at 1:27 am EDT

Russia unleashes biggest attacks in Ukraine in months

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia has retaliated for an attack on a critical bridge it claimed was carried out by Ukraine, unleashing its most widespread attacks against Ukraine in months. The lethal barrage Monday against multiple cities smashed civilian targets. It killed at least 14 people, knocked out power and water, and shattered cars and buildings. Ukraine’s Emergency Service said nearly 100 people were wounded in the morning attacks — the biggest and broadest since the war’s early days. One Russian missile hit a playground in downtown Kyiv and another struck a university building. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attacks aimed to inflict the most damage on civilians.

Poll: Majority in US see relations with adversaries souring

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans’ international outlook has undergone a major shift in recent years. That’s according to a new poll from the Pearson Institute and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A majority now expect that US relations with allies will stay the same or improve but that US dealings with traditional adversaries like Russia and North Korea will only grow more hostile. In general, 39% expect the country’s global standing to worsen, compared with 48% who said that in 2018. The United States’ own sharply divided domestic politics influences views of the country’s standing abroad.

Tourists flock to Japan after COVID restrictions lifted

TOKYO (AP) — Eager to admire colorful foliage, eat sushi and go shopping, droves of tourists from abroad started arriving in Japan. The government lifted border restrictions Tuesday, which had been in place for more than two years to curb the coronavirus pandemic. The daily cap of 50,000 arrivals is gone. Airlines have added flights. Visa-free travel is back for short-term business and tourism. Travelers are expected to deliver a sorely needed $35 billion boost to the world’s third-largest economy. And the flood of visitors is expected to keep growing.

Fight for Black voters intensifies in close Pa. Senate race

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Pennsylvania Senate candidates Dr. Mehmet Oz and John Fetterman are fighting hard for Black voters who might make the difference in their close race. It’s a voting bloc that traditionally lines up solidly behind Democrats. But some community activists worry that the party hasn’t come up with a unified message for candidates and hasn’t done enough to ensure turnout. Fetterman is touting his past work to free people who may have been imprisoned unjustly. Oz and Republicans are seeking to tie Fetterman to increases in crime and violence. In a close race, peeling off just a few black voters—or an absence of enthusiasm—could make the difference.

28 dead as Julia drenches Central America with rainfall

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Former hurricane Julia has dissipated, but is drenching Guatemala and El Salvador with rain after reemerging in the Pacific. Julia is believed to have directly or indirectly caused the deaths of 28 people. Julia hit Nicaragua’s central Caribbean coast as a hurricane on Sunday and survived the passage over Nicaragua’s mountainous terrain, becoming a tropical storm before it dissipated Monday. Its winds had dipped to 35 mph by Monday morning, according to the US National Hurricane Center. Fourteen people died in Guatemala, four in Honduras, nine in El Salvador and one in Nicaragua.

Florida shrimps race to get battered fleet back to sea

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The seafood industry in southwest Florida is racing against time and the elements to save what’s left of both a major shrimping fleet and a lifestyle battered by Hurricane Ian. The ferocious wind and powerful storm surge from Ian threw a couple dozen shrimp boats atop wharves and homes along a harbor at Fort Myers Beach, and such vessels don’t fare well out of the water. So workers are trying to get boats back in the water and resume fishing with the few that are left. Fleet manager Jesse Clapham says the industry already operates on tight profit margins and needs help.

Supreme Court to hear case that could raise price of pork

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday over a California animal cruelty law that could raise the cost of bacon and other pork products nationwide. The case’s outcome is important to the nation’s $26-billion-a-year pork industry. But the outcome could also help define the limits of states’ ability to pass laws with impact outside their borders, including laws aimed at combating climate change or improving drug prices. The case before the court involves a California law that says pork sold in the state needs to come from pigs whose mothers were raised with at least 24 square feet of space, including the ability to lie down and turn around.

Demand soars for kids’ books addressing violence, trauma

CHICAGO (AP) — As the new school year swings into gear, some students carry heavier worries than keeping up with homework: Demand has been growing steadily for children’s books that address traumatic events such as school shootings. Sales of books for young people on violence, grief, and emotions have increased for nine straight years, with nearly six million copies sold in 2021 — more than double the amount in 2012, according to NPD BookScan, which tracks US retail sales of print books . As rates of anxiety and depression have soared among young Americans, educators and advocates say children’s books can play a role in helping them cope.

New Zealand proposes taxing cow burps, angering farmers

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s government is proposing a tax on the greenhouse alleys that farm animals make from burping and peeing as part of a plan to tackle climate change. The government says the farm levy would be a world first and that farmers should be able to recoup the cost by charging more for climate-friendly products. But farmers quickly condemned the plan. The liberal Labor government’s proposal Tuesday harks back to a similar but unsuccessful proposal made by a previous Labor government in 2003, when it proposed taxing farm animals for their methane emissions.

Roughing-the-passer call prompts officiating scrutiny

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A controversial roughing-the-passer penalty just before halftime of the Las Vegas Raiders’ game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night delivered another blow to the NFL and its beleaguered officiating crew. The Chiefs had just scored to trim their deficit to 17-7 just before halftime when Chris Jones stripped Derek Carr from behind. The Pro Bowl defensive tackle landed on the Raiders quarterback while also coming away with the ball, and replays showed it was clearly loose and that Jones clearly recovered, but referee Carl Cheffers threw a flag for roughing the passer. The call came one day after referee Jerome Boger was panned for a roughing call on Tom Brady that helped the Buccaneers seal their win over Atlanta.

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