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World Cup semifinal, NATO summit: 5 things you need to know Wednesday

Tense start to NATO summit: Trump says Germany 'captive to Russia'

President Donald Trump unleashed his strongest rhetoric to date against a European ally on Wednesday, accusing Germany of being "totally controlled by Russia" and of not meeting its obligations to the NATO alliance. "Germany, as far I'm concerned, is captive to Russia," Trump said. He was referring to Germany's support of a pipeline that would bring Russian natural gas through the Baltic Sea to central Europe, while Germany spends just 1.24 percent toward the collective defense of NATO allies. Trump's verbal attack on Germany set a combative tone for the two-day summit of the alliance in Brussels.

Who will face France in the World Cup final?

England and Croatia will square off Wednesday to determine who gets to go toe-to-toe against France in the 2018 FIFA World Cup final. Les Bleus earned a spot in Sunday's championship showdown with a 1-0 win over Belgium Tuesday. While England fans are busy singing "Football's coming home" as their national team carries on with its quest for its first World Cup final in 52 years, a potential distraction entered Croatia's camp. Wednesday's semifinal kicks off at 2 p.m ET (Fox, Telemundo) at the same stadium that will host the final — Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

London Breed to make history as San Francisco's first black female mayor

History will be made in San Francisco Wednesday as the city's first black female mayor is prepared to be sworn into office. London Breed, 43, will take the oath as she succeeds Mayor Ed Lee, whose unexpected death in December prompted a special June election to serve the remainder of his term.  A San Francisco native, Breed has pledged to address the city's most pressing problems, including homeless tent camps, open drug use and unbearably high housing prices. Breed will become the second woman to be elected mayor of San Francisco — the other was Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Nevada execution in doubt after drug company sues to stop it

A final-hour lawsuit by a drug company could halt a scheduled execution in Nevada Wednesday of a twice-convicted killer who is steadfast in his desire to be put to death. Citing both legal and ethical concerns, New Jersey-based Alvogen became the latest pharmaceutical company to object the use of its product in executions and claimed that Nevada prison officials illegally obtained the sedative midazolam. For the past decade, Scott Raymond Dozier has lived on death row at Ely State Prison.He was sentenced to death in 2007 for the murder of Jeremiah Miller, 22, whose decapitated and dismembered torso was found in a suitcase inside a dumpster at a Las Vegas motel.

World Population Day to highlight 50-year anniversary of family planning

In honor of the 50-year anniversary of the Teheran Proclamation signed in 1968, the theme of World Population Day on Wednesday will celebrate how family planning was affirmed as a human right. Globally, there are more than 200 million women who still lack access to contraceptives or reproductive health care, according to the United Nations Population Fund. The organization is hoping to shine a light on this by observing, at an international level, what communities need to successfully family plan. Commemorated annually on July 11 by the United Nations, last year's theme was also about family planning with an emphasis on developing nations.

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Contributing: Associated Press