AP Information Abstract at 8:52 a.m. EDT | Nationwide

Tropical Storm Ophelia moving inland over North Carolina as coastal areas lashed with wind and rain

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Ophelia has made landfall on the North Carolina coast, lashing coastal areas with damaging winds and dangerous surges of water. The center of the tropical storm came ashore at around 6:15 a.m. near Emerald Isle with maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour. Life-threatening flooding caused by the weather system is forecast for parts of eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. The storm promises a weekend of windy conditions and heavy rain in the mid-Atlantic region through Sunday, but is forecast to weaken after landfall.

The federal government is headed into a shutdown. What does it mean, who’s hit and what’s next?

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government is heading toward a shutdown that will disrupt many services, squeeze workers and roil politics. It comes as Republicans in the House, fueled by hard-right demands for deep cuts, force a confrontation over federal spending. While some government entities will be exempt, others will be severely curtailed. Social Security checks, for example, will still go out. But federal agencies will stop all actions deemed non-essential. And millions of federal employees, including members of the military, won’t receive paychecks. The shutdown will begin Oct. 1 if Congress is not able to enact a funding plan.

White House preparing for government shutdown as House Republicans lack a viable endgame for funding

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House has direct federal agencies to get ready for a shutdown after House Republicans left town for the weekend with no viable plan to keep the government funded. Speaker Kevin McCarthy says the House will return next week to start voting on the latest plan. He has just five days until the Sept. 30 deadline. A hard-right flank of Republicans has essentially seized control and is demanding spending cuts. McCarthy was unable to persuade his rebellious flank to approve a temporary funding measure to prevent closures. Instead, House Republicans will try Tuesday to pass some of the individual spending bills in a typically lengthy process.

Bribery case against Sen. Menendez shines light on powerful NJ developer accused of corruption

NEW YORK (AP) — The sweeping bribery case brought against U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez includes allegations that he took cash and gold in exchange for interfering in a criminal case against a New Jersey real estate developer. The indictment says Menendez pestered the U.S. attorney for New Jersey and another top federal prosecutor about a bank fraud case involving his friend, developer Fred Daibes. In his home base of Edgewater, Daibes is widely credited with building out a “gold coast” of luxury high rises. An attorney for Daibes says he is confident his client will be “completely exonerated.” Menendez has denied any wrongdoing.

Many states are expanding their Medicaid programs to provide dental care to their poorest residents

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A growing number of states are offering dental care to low-income adults who once had to rely on charity or the emergency room to treat their tooth problems. From Tennessee to Maine, lawmakers have agreed to spend hundreds of millions of dollars so adults on Medicaid, the federal health program, can get dental care. The federal government doesn’t require that states provide such care. But state lawmakers have come to embrace the idea that expanded oral care saves money and has other health benefits. Nearly 30 states have begun offering or expanded care in the past three years.

A month after Prigozhin’s suspicious death, the Kremlin is silent on his plane crash and legacy

A month after Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a suspicious plane crash, the Kremlin seems to be succeeding in keeping the demise of the profane and outspoken Wagner chief as low-key as possible. What caused Prigozhin’s private jet to plummet into a field northwest of Moscow is still a mystery. The Russian military leaders he tried to oust with his armed rebellion remain in power. His mercenary army is under new management. And President Vladimir Putin, whose authority was badly dented by the short-lived mutiny, seems as strong as ever, with Prigozhin’s fiery death sending a chilling message to anyone who dares to challenge him.

Cracks in Western wall of support for Ukraine emerge as Eastern Europe and US head toward elections

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Once rock-solid, the support Ukraine has received from its biggest backers for its defense against Russia is showing cracks. Political posturing in places like Poland and Slovakia, where a trade dispute with Ukraine has exacerbated tensions, and Republican reticence in the United States about Washington’s big spending to prop up Ukraine’s military have raised new uncertainties about the West’s commitment to its efforts to expel Russian invaders more than 18 months into the war. U.S. and Polish officials have sought to play down any tiff that some say plays into the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

With temporary status for Venezuelans, the Biden administration turns to a familiar tool

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Biden administration’s grant of temporary legal status to nearly 500,000 Venezuelans already in the United States may complicate its messaging abroad. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned in May that anyone contemplating a journey to the U.S. would be swiftly deported if found to be in the country illegally. But his expansion of Temporary Protected Status this week applies to Venezuelans who arrived by July 31. Critics say it encourages others to come, figuring that warnings against illegal entry ring hollow. But others say Venezuelans will come with or without prospects for temporary status.

Meet Lachlan Murdoch, soon to be the new power behind Fox News and the Murdoch empire

For Lachlan Murdoch, this has been a long time coming — assuming, that is, his moment has actually arrived. On Thursday, his father Rupert Murdoch announced that in November he’s stepping down as the head of his two media companies: News Corp. and Fox Corp. That will finally put Lachlan Murdoch in the top job for a chairman of News Corp. while remaining the chief executive at Fox Corp., the parent of Fox News Channel. But in Murdoch World, nothing is ever written in stone. Rupert, now 92, has long had a penchant for building up his oldest children in order to set them against one another, often flipping the table without notice.

Ronald Acuña Jr. joins exclusive 40-40 club with 40th home run of the season for Braves

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. has joined baseball’s exclusive 40-40 club by hitting his 40th home run of the season for the Atlanta Braves to go along with his 68 stolen bases. The only other players to have at least 40 homers and 40 steals in the same year were Alfonso Soriano for Washington in 2006, Alex Rodríguez for Seattle in 1998, Barry Bonds for San Francisco in 1996, and Jose Canseco for Oakland in 1988. Acuña connected off Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin leading off the top of the first inning. It was his 34th career leadoff homer and eighth this season. The 25-year-old Acuña was already the only player in major league history with 30 homers and 60 stolen bases in one season.

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