AP News Summary at 3:54 p.m. EDT

By The Associated Press

Islamic State group claims responsibility for knife attack in Solingen, Germany that killed 3

SOLINGEN, Germany (AP) — The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a knife attack in Solingen, Germany that killed three people, according to its Amaq news site. The group said Saturday the attacker targeted Christians and is a “soldier of the Islamic State” who carried out the attack “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.” Police began raiding a home for asylum seekers in the city center of Solingen, including with special forces, the German news agency DPA reported.

Harris isn’t backing away from Biden’s democracy focus. But she’s putting her own spin on it

CHICAGO (AP) — Before dropping his bid for reelection, President Joe Biden framed voters’ choice in November in dark and ominous terms, painting Republican nominee Donald Trump as a menace to American democracy and questioning whether the country could survive if he won. The Democratic Party’s new nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, isn’t shrinking from that message, but is putting her own spin on it. She is focusing less on the existential threat a second Trump term could pose to the country’s foundational institutions and traditions. Instead, she is expanding Democrats’ definition of what’s at stake in this election: It’s about preserving personal freedoms.

Israeli airstrikes kill dozens in Gaza on the eve of high-level cease-fire talks in Egypt

CAIRO (AP) — Health workers say multiple Israeli airstrikes have killed at least three dozen Palestinians in southern Gaza while officials including a Hamas delegation gather for high-level cease-fire talks in neighboring Egypt. The U.S. delegation led by CIA Director William Burns and White House Middle East adviser Brett McGurk has held talks with senior Egyptian officials and then with Egyptian and Qatari mediators. The war has killed over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza and forced many into a shrinking “humanitarian zone.” One displaced woman says a “mercy bullet” would be better than the life they face now.

Israeli evacuation orders cram Palestinians into shrinking ‘humanitarian zone’ where food is scarce

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military is issuing evacuation orders for southern Gaza at an unprecedented pace. Over the last month, the orders have sent hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fleeing into already crowded tent camps. The evacuations are pressing Palestinians into an ever-smaller “humanitarian zone” along the territory’s southern beachfront. Even before the recent orders, the camps were crowded and lacking in food, water and medical supplies. Thirteen evacuation orders have been issued since July 22, according to an Associated Press count. The crowding is visible in satellite images analyzed by the AP.

Moscow and Kyiv swap prisoners of war as Ukraine marks independence anniversary

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and Ukraine have exchanged over 100 prisoners of war as Kyiv marked its third Independence Day since Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Ukraine said the 115 servicemen who were freed were conscripts, many of whom were taken prisoner in the first months of Russia’s invasion. Among them are nearly 50 soldiers captured by Russian forces from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol. The Russian Defense Ministry said the 115 Russian soldiers had been captured in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched their surprise offensive into Russia two weeks ago. The ministry said the soldiers were currently in Belarus, but would be taken to Russia for medical treatment and rehabilitation.

Portrait of a protester: Outside the Democratic convention, a young man talks of passion and plans

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago has a longstanding tradition of protest — and college student YM Masood has been immersed in it in recent months, including at the Democratic National Convention. Masood was among thousands of protesters outside the DNC. Their main messages to the Democratic Party and their nominee, Kamala Harris, were clear: End the war in the Middle East. Stop sending aid to Israel. Though the cameras often focused on scraps with police and arrests, the overwhelming majority marched peacefully, with few issues. Masood, a 20-year-old political science major at the University of Illinois Chicago, was often among them — and served as a volunteer marshal for several March on DNC rallies and protests to help keep things orderly and minimize conflict.

NASA decides to keep 2 astronauts in space until February, nixes return on troubled Boeing capsule

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA has decided it’s too risky to bring two astronauts back to Earth in Boeing’s troubled new capsule. They’ll have to wait until February for a ride home with SpaceX. What should have been a weeklong test flight for the pair will now last more than eight months. Their trip to the International Space Station in June was marred by a cascade of thruster failures and helium leaks, The astronauts ended up in a holding pattern as engineers conducted tests and debated what to do about the trip back. The decision finally came down from NASA officials on Saturday.

Conflicting federal policies may cost residents more on flood insurance, and leave them at risk

An Associated Press review has found that thousands of people may be paying more for flood insurance or remain unaware of the dangers of dam failures because of conflicting federal policies. The Federal Emergency Management Agency offers a way for communities to earn discounts on flood insurance by taking steps to reduce risks. One option is to share information about places that could get inundated if a dam were to fail. But some federal agencies, such as the Bureau of Reclamation, have restricted the release of inundation maps for their dams. The bureau told the AP it plans to relax restrictions over the next eight years.

Nikki Haley in Taiwan says an isolationist policy is not healthy while expressing support for Trump

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley says an isolationist policy isn’t “healthy” as she called on the Republican party to stand with her country’s allies during a visit to Taiwan. Haley ran against Trump for the party’s presidential nomination and told reporters Saturday that supporting U.S. allies is vital. She underscored the importance of self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory. Although the U.S. doesn’t formally recognize Taiwan, it is the island’s strongest backer and main arms provider. However, Trump’s attempt to reclaim the presidency has fueled worries after he said Taiwan should pay for U.S. protection.

A rare orchid survives on a few tracts of prairie. Researchers want to learn its secrets

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The western prairie fringed orchid is a rare flowering plant that has declined due to loss of its native prairie habitat. Researchers in North Dakota are hoping to learn more about its reproduction and role in its ecosystem. The striking orchid has bright white, fringed blooms that delight those who find it. The orchid is classified as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. Hawkmoths are the flowering plant’s only known pollinator, flying into the orchid only at night. Orchids can be an initial indicator of unnoticed decline in their environments, a “canary in the coal mine for the rest of our ecosystems,” an orchid expert said.