AP News Digest 6 p.m.

Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. For up-to-the-minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan in AP Newsroom.

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NEW/DEVELOPING

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BKC--UCONN-HURLEY CONTRACT; JAMAICA-BERYL-FOOD; SOC--EURO 2024-SPAIN-FRANCE PREVIEW; ALEC-BALDWIN-SET-SHOOTING-THINGS-TO-KNOW; NUCLEAR WEAPON-COST; NATO SUMMIT-THINGS TO WATCH; CAPITOL-RIOT-ACTOR-CHARGED; ALICE-MUNRO-DAUGHTER; ELECTION 2024-BIDEN-HEALTH

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ONLY ON AP

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ELECTION 2024-TRUMP-PATEL — Kash Patel is a trusted aide to Donald Trump and a swaggering campaign surrogate who mythologizes the former president while promoting conspiracy theories and his own brand. Patel is poised to take on an influential role in the federal government if Trump wins a second term. By Alan Suderman and Juliet Linderman. SENT: 2,310 words, photos. With ELECTION 2024-TRUMP-PATEL-TAKEAWAYS (sent).

AP POLL-TRUMP-CONVICTION — Americans are about evenly split on whether former President Donald Trump should face prison time for his recent felony conviction on hush money charges, according to a new poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Among U.S. adults, 48% say the former president and presumptive Republican nominee should serve time behind bars, and 50% say he should not. By Bill Barrow and Linley Sanders. SENT: 700 words, photos, audio.

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TOP STORIES

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ELECTION 2024-BIDEN — President Joe Biden, in a letter to congressional Democrats, stands firm against calls for him to drop his candidacy and calls for an end to the intraparty drama that has torn apart Democrats since his dismal public debate performance. By Lisa Mascaro, Zeke Miller and Seung Min Kim. SENT: 1,310 words, photos, video, audio. With ELECTION 2024-BIDEN LETTER-DEMOCRATS — Read the letter Biden sent to House Democrats; ELECTION 2024-BIDEN-HEALTH — Answers to some of the questions about Biden’s health; ELECTION 2024-BIDEN-WHAT’S NEXT — Biden’s focus shifts to this week’s NATO summit, but questions about his campaign may only intensify (all sent).

FRANCE-ELECTION — French President Emmanuel Macron has refused the resignation of the country’s prime minister, asking him on Monday to remain temporarily as the head of the government after chaotic election results left the government in limbo. By John Leicester, Lori Hinnant and Sylvie Corbet. SENT: 850 words, photos, videos. With FRANCE-ELECTION-LE-PEN — The far right seemed to have a lock on France’s legislative elections. Here’s why it didn’t it win; FRANCE-ELECTION-WHAT’S-NEXT; FRANCE-ELECTION-REACTION; FRANCE-ELECTION-THE-LATEST; FRANE-ELECTION-PHOTO-GALLERY (all sent).

TROPICAL-WEATHER — Tropical Storm Beryl has sped across the Texas coast, leaving more than 2 million people and businesses without power in the Houston area and unleashing heavy rains that prompted dozens of high-water rescues. The fast-moving tempest threatened to carve a harsh path over several more states in coming days. By Mark Vancleave and Valerie Gonzalez. SENT: 1,190 words, photos, videos, audio. With CLIMATE-EXTREME-WEATHER-TERMS — Is it a hurricane or a tropical storm? Here’s a breakdown of extreme weather terms; JAMAICA-BERYL-FOOD — Hurricane Beryl destroys crops in Jamaica, leaves islanders facing food shortages (both sent).

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Russian missiles have blasted cities across Ukraine, damaging the country’s largest children’s hospital and other buildings in a fierce assault that interrupted heart surgeries and forced young cancer patients to take their treatments outdoors. At least 31 people were killed, officials say. By Hannah Arhirova and Illia Novikov. SENT: 1,050 words, photos, video, audio.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-HAMAS MESSAGES — Several officials in the Middle East and the U.S. believe the level of devastation in the Gaza Strip caused by a nine-month Israeli offensive likely has helped push Hamas to soften its demands for a cease-fire agreement. Hamas over the weekend appeared to drop its longstanding demand that Israel promise to end the war as part of any cease-fire deal. By Jon Gambrell. SENT: 990 words, photos. With ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Israeli forces push deeper into Gaza City as Hamas warns that escalation threatens cease-fire talks; MIDEAST-TENSIONS-THE-LATEST (both sent).

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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES

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HEAT-WAVE-RACE-REDLINING-ENVIRONMENT — Millions of Americans are facing major heat waves with temperatures consistently exceeding 90 degrees. In big cities, the heat hits hardest for people of color and low-income residents. In New York, Black residents die from heat stress at double the rate of white residents. Advocates and experts trace the phenomenon back to decades of discriminatory housing policy, especially redlining. By Ryan Doan-Nguyen. SENT: 1,240 words, photos. With HEAT-WAVE — Officials in Multnomah County, home to Portland, Oregon, report 4 suspected heat-related deaths; CLIMATE-GLIMPSE — Indonesian landslide triggered by heavy rain leaves 12 dead and dozens missing at illegal gold mine (both sent).

JAPAN-ELECTION-WOMEN-IN-POLITICS — Eight years ago Yuriko Koike became the first woman to lead Tokyo, beating her male predecessor. She won her third term Sunday and one of her closest rivals was a woman. Multiple women competing for a top political office is still rare in Japan. The country has a terrible global gender-equality ranking. But Koike’s win highlights a gradual rise in powerful female officials and a society more open to gender balance in politics. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR

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POLAND-UKRAINE — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he expects the upcoming NATO summit to provide specific steps to strengthen his country’s air defenses against Russia, hours after a Russian missile attack killed at least 31 people and wounded 154 others in various locations, including a children’s hospital in Kyiv. SENT: 410 words, photos.

PARIS-2024-HURDLES-FOR-UKRAINE — For Ukrainian athletes, the Paris Olympics are more than just sports. They’re a way to draw attention to their country’s fight for survival against Russia — a sort of war on another battlefield. SENT: 1,110 words, photos, graphic. With OLY--PARIS-WAR TRAUMA — Ukrainian high jumper keeps her eye on the raised bar, but her mind is fixed on the war (sent).

RUSSIA-INDIA — India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Moscow for a two-day visit, his first since Russia sent troops into Ukraine, complicating the relationship between the longtime partners and pushing Russia closer to India’s rival, China. SENT: 920 words, photos, video, audio.

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MORE NEWS

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CAPITOL-RIOT-ACTOR-CHARGED — ‘Bob’s Burgers’ actor pleads guilty to interfering with police during Capitol riot. SENT: 620 words, photos.

MENENDEZ-BRIBERY — Prosecutor tells New York City jury at bribery trial that Sen. Bob Menendez put power ‘up for sale’. SENT: 660 words, photos.

BALDWIN-SET-SHOOTING — Judge rules Alec Baldwin’s role as co-producer not relevant in fatal set shooting of cinematographer. SENT: 840 words, photos. With BALDWIN-SET-SHOOTING-TIMELINE; ALEC-BALDWIN-SET-SHOOTING-THINGS-TO-KNOW (both sent).

BKC--UCONN-HURLEY CONTRACT — UConn, coach Dan Hurley agree to 6-year, $50 million deal a month after he spurned offer from Lakers SENT: 310 words, photos, audio.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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NATO SUMMIT-THINGS TO WATCH — NATO leaders meet this week for a summit commemorating the 75th anniversary of the military alliance, which has never been larger and more focused. But NATO also is facing potentially existential threats from outside and within. By Matthew Lee. SENT: 1,250 words, photos, video.

NUCLEAR WEAPON-COST — The new Sentinel nuclear warhead program is 81% over budget and is now estimated to cost nearly $141 billion, but Pentagon officials are moving forward. SENT: 410 words, photo.

ELECTION 2024-REPUBLICANS-PLATFORM — The Republican National Committee moves to adopt a party platform that reflects Donald Trump’s position opposing a federal abortion ban and ceding limits to states, omitting the explicit basis for a national ban for the first time in 40 years. SENT: 860 words, photo.

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NATIONAL

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ALICE-MUNRO-DAUGHTER — The daughter of the late Nobel laureate Alice Munro has accused the author’s second husband, Gerard Fremlin, of sexual abuse, writing that her mother remained with him because she “loved him too much” to leave. SENT: 1,010 words, photo.

HIGHER-EDUCATION-SURVEY — Americans are increasingly skeptical about the value and cost of college, with most saying they feel the U.S. higher education system is headed in the “wrong direction,” according to a new poll. SENT: 740 words, photos.

PRESCRIBED-FIRES-REFORMS — Two years after the U.S. Forest Service sparked what would become the largest and most destructive wildfire in New Mexico’s recorded history, independent investigators say there are gaps that need to be addressed if the agency is to be successful at using prescribed fire as a tool to reduce risk amid climate change. SENT: 660 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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REL-VATICAN-TRIAL — The Vatican’s chief prosecutor has strongly defended the integrity and fairness of the city state’s justice system following criticism that Pope Francis’ absolute power and his interventions in the so-called “trial of the century” last year violated the defendants’ fundamental rights. SENT: 900 words, photo.

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BUSINESS

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BOEING-JUSTICE-DEPARTMENT — Boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from two crashes of 737 Max jetliners that killed 346 people, the Justice Department has said, after the government determined the company violated an agreement that had protected it from prosecution for more than three years. SENT: 1,180 words, photos, audio. With BOEING-737-MAX-TIMELINE — Key events in the troubled history of the Boeing 737 Max (sent).

PARAMOUNT-SKYDANCE-MERGER — The entertainment giant Paramount will merge with Skydance, closing out a decades-long run by the Redstone family in Hollywood and injecting desperately needed cash into a legacy studio that has struggled to adapt to a shifting entertainment landscape. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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SOC--EURO 2024-SPAIN-FRANCE PREVIEW — Spain and France meet in the semifinals of the European Championship on Tuesday. The match pits one of the highest-scoring teams at the tournament against one of the lowest as France’s star forward Kylian Mbappé has struggled to get to grips with his mask. By Daniella Matar. SENT: 700 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Vincent K. Willis can be reached at 800-845-8450, ext. 1600. For photos, ext. 1900. For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates after defeating Holger Rune of Denmark in their fourth round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Monday, July 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Kateryna Tabashnyk, a high jumper, sits for a portrait Sunday, June 9, 2024, at the athletics arena of the "Polytechnic" sports complex, which was destroyed by a Russian rocket attack, in Kharkiv, Ukraine. On the eve of the war, which started Feb. 24, 2022, Ukraine cancelled its athletics championship and Tabashnyk was in Kharkiv. The threat posed by thousands of Russian troops at the border, just 20 kilometers (12 miles) from her hometown, was real. But Tabashnyk said, “I was 100% sure that this could not happen.” (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

An image of late President Hugo Chavez looks out from a mural on a wall in Barinas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Venezuela is set to hold a presidential election on July 28. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

An upended tree rests on Bethel Church after Hurricane Beryl moved through the area, Monday, July 8, 2024, in Van Vleck, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Relatives mourn over the body of a Palestinian man killed in an Israeli airstrike on a U.N.-run school-turned-shelter that killed at least 16 people in the Nusseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, Saturday, July 6, 2024, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel’s military said it struck several “terrorists” operating in the area of the school and had tried to lessen the risk to civilians. (AP Photo/Saher Alghorra)

Polina, 10, looks after her sister Marina, 3, at the site of Okhmatdyt children's hospital hit by Russian missiles, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, July 8, 2024. A major Russian missile attack across Ukraine on Monday killed at least 31 people and injured 154, officials said, with one striking a large children’s hospital in the capital of Kyiv, where emergency crews searched the rubble for victims. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)(AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

Clyde George, left, and his son Chris George board up their home ahead of the arrival of Tropical Storm Beryl on Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Port O'Connor, Texas. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP)

People cool off in misters along the Las Vegas Strip, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Las Vegas. A heat wave is spreading across the Western U.S., the National Weather Service said, sending many residents in search of a cool haven from the dangerously high temperatures. (AP Photo/John Locher)

President Joe Biden, right, and pastor Dr. J. Louis Felton pray at a church service at Mt. Airy Church of God in Christ, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

People stand in a square as they react to projected results after the second round of the legislative elections, in Lyon, central France, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Polls have closed in France, and polling projections say a coalition on the left that came together unexpectedly has won the most parliamentary seats in the pivotal runoff elections after a high turnout among voters. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

A demonstrator holds a sign during a protest marking nine months since the start of the war and calling for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

MIAMI (AP) — A storm system that was brewing in the Gulf of Mexico strengthened into Tropical Storm Milton on Saturday and forecasters warned it could intensify into a hurricane and slam into the west coast of Florida later this week.

Tropical Storm Milton was about 355 miles (565 kilometers) west-northwest of Progreso, Mexico, and about 845 miles (1,360 kilometers) west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 kph) while heading east at 5 mph (8 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said early Sunday.

“Milton moving slowly but expected to strengthen rapidly,” the center said, noting a “risk of life-threatening impacts increasing for portions of the Florida west coast.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 35 counties ahead of the storm's potential landfall. Since many of those counties are still recovering from Hurricane Helene, DeSantis asked the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Transportation to coordinate all available resources and personnel to supplement local communities as they expedite debris removal.

Though no coastal watches or warnings were in effect, the hurricane center said the Florida Peninsula, the Florida Keys, Mexico's Yucatan peninsula and the northwestern Bahamas should monitor the system’s progress.

The storm is forecast to strengthen and bring the risk of life-threatening impacts to parts of Florida, with hurricane and storm-surge watches likely in effect from Sunday. Parts of the state are expected to have heavy rainfall beginning that day, threatening flash, urban, and areal flooding, along with some river flooding.

“There is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and wind impacts for portions of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula beginning late Tuesday or Wednesday. Residents in these areas should ensure they have their hurricane plan in place, follow any advice given by local officials, and check back for updates to the forecast,” the center said.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Kirk remained a Category 4 major hurricane about 1,345 miles (2,165 kilometers) west-southwest of the Azores with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph) late Saturday night, the center said.

Large swells from the storm causing “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions” were affecting the Leeward Islands, Bermuda, the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas and the U.S. East Coast. The swells were expected to move north along the U.S. East Coast and Canada's Atlantic Coast on Sunday and to the Azores on Monday, the center said.

Hurricane Leslie was moving northwest over the open Atlantic without posing a threat to land, forecasters said late Saturday.

The storm was located about 855 miles (1,375 kilometers) west of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (128 kph). There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

The storms churned as rescuers in the U.S. Southeast searched for people unaccounted for after Hurricane Helene struck last week, leaving behind a trail of death and catastrophic damage.

This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken at 4:50 p.m. EDT and provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Tropical Storm Milton, center, off the coast of Mexico in the Gulf of Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (NOAA via AP)

This Satellite image provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Leslie, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024 in the Atlantic Ocean. (NOAA via AP)