MOSQUITOES can carry the deadly Zika virus, which could be a political issue in Florida.

With the summer games dominating the news coverage in print and on TV, the presidential election campaigns of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton aren’t getting as much attention as they otherwise might. Still, they press on. Trump, the Republican nominee, said he supported reducing the cost of child care by allowing parents to deduct that cost from their taxes. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, campaigned in Florida and called for Congress to come back from recess and authorize funding to fight the Zika virus, which is spread in part by mosquito bites. The first U.S. outbreak of the virus has been reported in the Miami area.

USA, CHINA DUEL FOR OLYMPIC EDGE

The U.S.A and China continue to duel for the spotlight in the 2016 Summer Olympics being held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As of midday Tuesday, the American team led in overall medals with 20, five of them gold. But China, with six golds, has the most first place finishes and 14 medals overall. In third is Japan with 11 medals (three gold), in fourth is Russian with 10 medals (two gold) and Italy is in fifth with nine medals (three gold).

RUSSIA AND TURKEY MOVE TOGETHER

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Edrogan met with Russian president Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg Tuesday in an effort to improve relations between the two neighboring nations. According to the Associated Press, Edrogan is seeking to rebuke the Western nations such as the United States for what he feels is a lack of support during the recent failed military coup. One major point of contention: the ongoing civil war in Syria in which Russia supports the regime of Bashar Assad and Turkey backs opposing forces.

SOUTHWEST HIT BY HEAVY RAINS

Arizona and areas of the Southwest are being lashed by heavy rains as Tropical Storm Javier pushes wild weather across the area. According to the Associated Press, the storm flooded area of Tucson before moving north. A dust storm hit parts of the Phoenix downtown area while the eastern suburbs of the city were hit by heavy rain. The storms are expected to continue through Thursday. Affected could be not just Arizona, but also New Mexico and parts of Utah and Colorado.

The Midday report is posted Monday through Friday as staff time permits. Want more national and international news? Go to http://bigstory.ap.org .