AP National News

The Latest: Biden sending 1,000 more troops to Afghanistan

By The Associated Press
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by Rayos Syndication User

A defense official says President Joe Biden has authorized an additional 1,000 U.S. troops for deployment to Afghanistan. That raises to roughly 5,000 the number of U.S. troops to ensure what Biden calls an “orderly and safe drawdown” of American and allied personnel. U.S. troops will also help evacuate Afghans who worked with the military during the nearly two-decade war. The Pentagon said earlier that 3,000 troops are being sent to Kabul to join the nearly 1,000 already there. In a statement Saturday, Biden didn’t explain the breakdown of the 5,000 troops he said have been deployed. 

Census data puts target on rural, Rust Belt House districts

By DAVID A. LIEB - Associated Press
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by Rayos Syndication User

New census data shows declining populations in rural areas and some Rust Belt cities, which could make them targets during redistricting for the U.S. House. State politicians and commissions must redraw U.S. House districts before the 2022 elections to account for population shifts toward big cities and suburbs. That means that some districts that lost residents will need to be eliminated or expanded geographically to take in more people. Rural areas in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania showed population losses, as did some of their cities. Republicans and Democrats will be battling over which districts must be eliminated. 

AP Week in Pictures: Global

AP
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by Rayos Syndication User

AUG. 7 – 13, 2021 From Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, to a hermit in New Hampshire, to preparations for India’s Independence Day celebrations, this photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images from around the world made or published by The Associated Press in the past week. The selection was curated by AP photo editor Patrick Sison. Follow AP…

Multiracial boom reflects US racial, ethnic complexity

By ASTRID GALVAN and MIKE SCHNEIDER - Associated Press
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by Rayos Syndication User

Growth in the number of people who identified as multiracial on 2020 census responses soared over the last decade, rising from under 3% to more than 10% of the U.S. population. Experts say the multiracial boom is a reflection of the complex racial and ethnic diversity of the U.S. It also may be the result of changes the U.S. Census Bureau made in processing responses that better capture diversity and how it asked about race and ethnicity in order to better reflect the nation’s changing mosaic. The number of people who identify as multiracial went from 9 million in 2010 to 33.8 million in 2020.

The Latest: Alabama gov issues state of emergency amid surge

By The Associated Press
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by Rayos Syndication User

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday issued a state of emergency as state hospitals face a surge in COVID-19 cases, an order that came the same day the state tied a record low for available intensive care unit beds. Ivey issued a limited state of emergency aimed at giving medical providers flexibility on staffing and capacity decisions…

The Latest: UN statement would urge end to Taliban offensive

By The Associated Press
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by Rayos Syndication User

Security Council members are considering a proposed statement that would urge an immediate end to the Taliban offensive and warn that the U.N.’s most powerful body will not support any government in Afghanistan imposed by military force or restoration of the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate that ruled the country from 1996 to 2001. The proposed presidential statement, a step below a resolution, would also condemn the Taliban’s attacks on cities across Afghanistan “in the strongest terms” and reaffirm that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. The draft statement, obtained Friday by the AP, urges the Afghan government and the Taliban “to engage without delay.”

Huntsville now Alabama’s largest city, overtakes Birmingham

By KIM CHANDLER - Associated Press
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by Rayos Syndication User

Huntsville has overtaken Birmingham as Alabama’s largest city.  U.S. Census numbers released Thursday show that Huntsville is now slightly more populous than Birmingham. Huntsville has a population of 215,006. Birmingham has a population of 200,733. Huntsville has seen rapid growth over the past decade. The population of the city has jumped by 19% since 2010. However, the Birmingham metro area remains the largest in the state. The Birmingham-Hoover Metro Statistical Area has 1.1 million people, while the Huntsville Metro Area has more than 490,000 people. 

Lawsuit challenges Wisconsin districts after census release

By SCOTT BAUER - Associated Press
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by Rayos Syndication User

Democrats have filed a lawsuit asking a  federal court to throw out Wisconsin’s current congressional and legislative district boundaries, arguing the 10-year-old maps are unconstitutional and shouldn’t be used as the starting point for new districts set to be drawn in the coming months. The lawsuit filed Friday comes less than 24 hours after the census released the data to used in the redistricting process. Democratic elections attorney Marc Elias filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Madison on behalf of six Wisconsin voters. The current maps were drawn and enacted by Republicans.