AP News Digest 6 p.m.

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

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NEW AND DEVELOPING

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Adds: VENICE-FILM-FESTIVAL-CLOSING DAY, BRAZIL-BOLSONARO-MUSK-RALLY, CONGO-MPOX, UNITED-STATES-IRAN-RUSSIA; TENNIS-FASHION

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WEEKEND COVERAGE

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For weekend stories, please click here for the Weekend Lookahead digest.

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TOP STORIES

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ELECTION 2024-DEBATE PREP — Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are veering sharply in how they gear up for Tuesday’s presidential debate. Harris is cloistered in a historic hotel in Pittsburgh where she can focus on honing crisp two-minute answers. Trump publicly dismisses the value of studying for the debate. By Josh Boak and Jill Colvin. By Josh Boak and Jill Colvin. SENT: 900 words, photos.

ELECTION 2024-DEBATE-BIDEN — A look back at Joe Biden’s debate performance, which helped end his campaign, offers important lessons for both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. By Chris Megerian. SENT: 910 words, photos.

ELECTION-2024-CONGRESS — The race for control of Congress is as close as ever, with barely two dozen House seats and a handful in the Senate likely to determine the majority this November and whether a single party sweeps to power with the White House. Many of the highest-profile races are being waged far from the presidential battleground states. By Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 1,290 words, photos.

ELECTION-2024-WALZ-GEORGE-FLOYD — It was the biggest crisis of his political career for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul erupted after a white Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd in 2020. The anger also devolved into looting and rioting that culminated with the burning of a police station. Now that the Democratic governor is Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, his actions — and alleged inactions — are under the microscope again. UPCOMING: 1,700 words, photos by 7 a.m. WITH: ELECTION 2024-WALZ-GEORGE FLOYD-TAKEAWAYS.

GEORGIA-FATHER-CHARGED-EXPLAINER — Murder charges filed against the father of a 14-year-old boy accused of a Georgia school shooting follow the successful prosecution of two parents in Michigan who were held responsible for a similar tragedy at a school north of Detroit. Is it a sign of a crackdown on parents accused of gross negligence when it comes to kids and guns? By Ed White. SENT: 810 words, photos. WITH: GEORGIA-HIGH-SCHOOL-SHOOTING — Georgia school shooting suspect was troubled by a broken family, taunting at school, his father said.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Huge numbers of Israelis have again turned out to protest the government’s failure to secure the return of remaining hostages in Gaza. Israeli air raids in the Gaza Strip have killed more than a dozen people. And health workers have wrapped up the second phase of an urgent polio vaccination campaign. By Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy and Jack Jeffery. SENT: 890 words, photos, video, audio. WITH: ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-SCHOOLS — Palestinian children in Gaza are now entering their second school year with no chance of going to school. (sent).

RARE-COLORFUL-LOBSTERS — A wave of odd-colored lobsters has showed up in fishers’ traps, supermarket seafood tanks and scientists’ laboratories over the last year. The funky-colored crustaceans inspire headlines that trumpet their rarity, with the blue-hued cotton-candy colored critters described as 1 in 100 million. The recent appearances of these rare lobsters have scientists asking themselves just how rare the discolored arthropods really are. As is often the case in science, it’s complicated. By Patrick Whittle. SENT: 640 words, photos, video. Eds: This is the Sunday Spotlight.

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Funeral services were held for victims of one of the deadliest Russian airstrikes since the war in Ukraine began, as Ukraine’s president vowed to increase domestic military production by creating underground weapons factories. SENT: 670 words, photos, audio.

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MORE NEWS

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SALMONELLA-WISCONSIN — Wisconsin health officials have initiated a recall of eggs following an outbreak of salmonella infections among 65 people in nine states that originated on a Wisconsin farm. SENT: 340 words, photo.

NINJA TURTLES TOWN — Cowabunga! New England town celebrates being the birthplace of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. SENT: 1,010 words, photos, video.

LOTTERY-JACKPOT-MEGA-MILLIONS — The Mega Millions jackpot has risen to an estimated $800 million with a cash option of $401.8 million. SENT: 180 words, photo.

RAM-PICKUP-RECALL – Stellantis is recalling nearly 1.5 million Ram pickups worldwide to fix a software problem that can disable the electronic stability control. SENT: 130 words, photo.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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ELECTION-2024 — With just days to go before his first — and likely only — debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump leaned into his familiar grievances about everything from his indictments and to the border as he campaigned in one of the most deeply Republican swaths of battleground Wisconsin. SENT: 1,230 words, photos, video, audio.

ELECTION 2024-DEMOCRATS-PROJECT 2025 — Democrats have denounced the conservative Project 2025 blueprint in hundreds of ads and billboards, printed it in oversized book form as a convention prop and mentioned it frequently. On Saturday, they took their campaign against the blueprint from allies of Donald Trump to the sky above college football stadiums in key swing states. SENT: 650 words, photos.

UNITED-STATES-IRAN-RUSSIA — The United States has informed allies that it believes Iran has transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine. That word comes from two people familiar with the matter. They’re not offering any details about how many weapons have been delivered or when the transfers may have occurred, but they’re confirming the U.S. intelligence finding. SENT: 640 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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HAWAII-WILDFIRE-DEBRIS — The debris and ash that remained after a deadly wildfire last year decimated a historic Maui town now sits in a temporary dump site. It’s enough refuse to cover five football fields five stories high, including soil contaminated with lead and arsenic. A controversy over whether that site is truly temporary — and over where the debris might finally wind up — has sparked a legal fight. Some residents fear an ecological catastrophe if pollution from the debris reaches the ocean downhill from the site. SENT: 1,180 words, photos.

REL-ENT-COUNTRY-MUSIC-MOTHER-CHURCH — Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium is known as the Mother Church of Country Music. And, indeed, it began as a house of worship. The Union Gospel Tabernacle was built by steamboat captain Tom Ryman, who was converted to religion after attending a revival by evangelist Samuel Jones. The building took Ryman’s name and became one of America’s leading music venues. SENT: 780 words, photos.

BE-WELL-EDUCATION-PRESCHOOL-QUALITY — Preschool options are growing as states expand early learning programs. That means parents face a dizzying array of choices. To find a high-quality preschool, parents should take a tour. Teachers should be engaged with children, down at their level and asking questions. The preschool should be able to share a curriculum that relies on play-based learning and emphasizes the whole child, not just academics. Red flags include chaotic learning spaces and heavy use of worksheets. SENT: 910 words, photo.

EDUCATION-CAMPUS PROTESTS-ACTIVISM — The stakes have gone up for students protesting the war in Gaza as U.S. colleges roll out new security measures and protest guidelines this fall in hopes of avoiding disruptions like last spring’s pro-Palestinian demonstrations, which led to some 3,200 arrests. Activism has put their degrees and careers at risk, but many say they feel a moral responsibility to continue the movement. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.

EDUCATION-HISPANIC-SERVING-SCHOOLS — Federal education advocates say colleges and universities that serve higher than average Hispanic student populations are vital to the goals of educational equality and economic opportunities. That is the impetus behind President Joe Biden’s executive order, signed on July 17, establishing a White House initiative meant to increase funding to HSIs and creating a board of advisors on HSIs. SENT: 1,020 words, photos

BUILDING IMPLOSION-LOUISIANA — An abandoned, 22-story building in Lake Charles, Louisiana — once an icon in the city that became a symbol of destruction from hurricanes Laura and Delta — was imploded Saturday after sitting vacant for nearly four years. SENT: 480 words, photos, video.

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INTERNATIONAL

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ASIA-TYPHOON —Vietnamese authorities say Typhoon Yagi has killed at least four people and injured 78 others after making landfall in the north of the country. SENT: 680 words, photos, video.

BALKANS-SUMMER-HEAT — Balkan countries are reporting that the summer of 2024 was the hottest since the measurements started more than 130 years ago. There were long periods with temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius or 86 degrees Fahrenheit. And the mercury often didn’t fall below 20 degrees Celsius or 68 Fahrenheit overnight. That all has pushed average temperatures to new highs. SENT: 810 words, photos.

VENEZUELA-BRAZIL-DIPLOMATIC-MISSION — Venezuela’s government has revoked permission for Brazil to serve as custodian of Argentina’s diplomatic missions in the country, alleging several anti-government opponents holed up for months in the Argentine ambassador’s residence had been plotting terrorist acts from the compound. SENT: 220 words, photos, developing.

ALGERIA-ELECTION — Polls have closed in Algeria, where voters are deciding whether to grant army-backed President Abdelmadjid Tebboune another term — five years after pro-democracy protests prompted the military to oust the previous president after two decades in power. SENT; developing. With photo.

BRAZIL-BOLSONARO-MUSK-RALLY — A few thousand supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have begun flooding Sao Paulo’s main boulevard for an Independence Day rally. They’re buoyed by the government’s blocking of tech billionaire Elon Musk’s X platform. SENT: 810 words, photos.

CONGO-MPOX — Authorities say a vaccination campaign against mpox in Congo will begin Oct. 2, with workers focusing on the three most affected provinces first. Adults in Equateur, South Kivu and Sankuru provinces will be vaccinated first, the coordinator of Congo’s Monkeypox Response Committee tells The Associated Press. SENT: 350 words, photos.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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ENT-FILM-FALL-PREVIEW-WICKED — “Musical” has been a dirty word in marketing some recent song-and-dance studio films, but there’s no avoiding it in bringing “Wicked” to the big screen. “Wicked” is one of the fall’s biggest gambles not just because it’s been split in two, but because it’s going all-out for a big-screen, song-and-dance spectacular at a time when other films have sought to shroud their musical underpinnings. SENT: 800 words, photos.

VENICE-FILM-FESTIVAL-CLOSING DAY — Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Room Next Door” won the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion award Saturday. The film, which is Almodóvar’s English-language debut and stars Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, took home the top honor. SENT: 780 words, photos, video.

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SPORTS

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TEN-US-OPEN — Aryna Sabalenka has taken the first set of the U.S. Open women’s final 7-5 against Jessica Pegula. Both players are trying to win the title at Flushing Meadows for the first time. SENT; developing. With photos. With TENNIS-FASHION — While tennis fans savor the last matches of the U.S. Open, a subset of viewers have watched the tournament as a source of fashion inspiration. (sent)

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HOW TO REACH US

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The Nerve Center can be reached at 800-845-8450, ext. 1600. For photos, Donald E. King 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.

Pope Francis attends a traditional dance performed by the Caritas Technical Secondary School pupils in Port Moresby on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. As a second leg of his 11-day trip to Asia and Oceania Pope Francis's visit to Papua New Guinea will take him to a remote part of the South Pacific island nation where Christianity is a recent addition to traditional spiritual beliefs developed over millennia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

A fisherman is seen in his boat during low water levels at the Chibaish marshes in Nasiriyah, Iraq, Friday, Sept. 6. 2024. Deep within Iraq's celebrated marsh lands, conservationists are sounding alarm bells and issuing a stark warning: Without quick action, the UNESCO protected site could all but wither away. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Relatives cry over the coffin of a Ukrainian serviceman killed in a Russian rocket attack at a Ukrainian military academy, during his funeral ceremony in Poltava, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A man collects mud that is used in medical therapy from the Rusanda salty lake that has dried out completely, near Melenci, Serbia, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. Experts say the summer of 2024 in the Balkans was the hottest since measurements started more than 130 years ago. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Japan's Tokito Oda celebrates after winning the men's singles gold medal match of wheelchair tennis at the 2024 Paralympics, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

FILE - Tourists admire the Trevi Fountain in Rome, June 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)

A voter poses for a photo with her inked finger after casting her ballot inside a polling station during the presidential elections, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy leaves after meeting Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni at the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, northern Italy, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) gets hurt during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, at the Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Taylor Fritz, of the United States, reacts after defeating Frances Tiafoe, of the United States, during the men's singles semifinal of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Sandra Russo meets Pope Francis at APEC Haus in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

An image of Dr. Edward Jenner, who discovered a vaccine for smallpox, is part of a metal mosaic mural created in 1960 by Greek-born artist Nikos Bel-Jon titled "Medical Research Through the Ages," seen in the lobby of the old Pfizer headquarters in New York on Thursday, August 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

FILE - Debris surrounds damaged buildings, including the Hertz Building, in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, Aug. 27, 2020, near Lake Charles, La. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

A calico lobster is seen in a marine sciences lab at the University of New England, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Biddeford, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle arcade video game and painting by a local artist are displayed as part of the permanent collection at the Woodman Museum, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Dover, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Ti leaf and pineapples are among the plans that grow on Eddy Garcia's farm in Lahaina, Hawaii on Thursday, July 18 2024. (AP Photo/Jennifer Sinco Kelleher)

In this photo provided by the Dnipropetrovsk Military Administration on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, local women walks near residential building which was damaged by a Russian strike in Pavlohrad, Ukraine. (Dnipropetrovsk Military Administration via AP)

Alia Amanpour Trapp, center, reacts to car horns as she leads the crowd during a pro-Palestine rally and march on Temple University campus in Philadelphia, Aug. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Displaced kids sort through trash at a street in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A poster with images of victims Christian Angulo, top left, Richard Aspinwall, top right, Mason Schermerhorn, bottom left, and Cristina Irimie is displayed at a memorial outside Apalachee High School, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in Winder, Ga., following a shooting at the school earlier in the week. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

This combo of booking images provided by the Barrow County, Ga., Sheriff's Office shows Colin Gray, left, and his son Colt Gray, who have been charged in relation to the Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, shootings at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga. (Barrow County Sheriff's Office via AP)

FILE - Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a presidential debate hosted by CNN with President Joe Biden, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

This combination of photos taken at campaign rallies in Atlanta shows Vice President Kamala Harris on July 30, 2024, left, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump on Aug. 3. (AP Photo)

In this photo provided by NASA, Boeing and NASA teams work around NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test Starliner spacecraft after it landed uncrewed, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at White Sands, New Mexico, after undocking from the International Space Station. (Aubrey Gemignani/NASA via AP)

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A union leader freed from prison Monday after serving time for her part in a strike against Cambodia’s biggest casino has vowed to continue the labor action until justice is done.

Chhim Sithar was sentenced in May 2023 to two years' imprisonment for incitement to commit a felony, including time served before her conviction, in connection with the strike against the NagaWorld casino, the longest such labor action in the country's history.

She had been leading a strike of hundreds of workers that began in December 2021 to protest mass layoffs and alleged union-busting at the casino in the capital, Phnom Penh, and was arrested and charged after a January 2022 demonstration of dismissed employees who were demanding to be rehired.

NagaWorld in late 2021 had fired 373 employees during financial struggles related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking to The Associated Press at her home shortly after her release, Chhim Sithar vowed to continue leading the strike.

"About our advocacy fighting for union rights at NagaWorld, we will continue holding strike action until we get a solution. That’s the position we have determined since the first strike,” Chhim Sithar said, sitting on the floor surrounded by relatives.

“Unfortunately, as of today, after nearly three years, our workers have still not gotten justice. Therefore, as long as there’s no justice, our struggle continues,” she said.

After Chhim Sithar’s arrest, some dismissed workers continued to hold regular protests, appealing for her release and to get their jobs back. However, the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training announced in December 2022 that more than 200 others had accepted compensation under the labor law and dropped their demands.

“Despite relentless efforts by authorities to suppress the strike — including sexual harassment, physical assaults, and judicial harassment — the LRSU strike continues in Phnom Penh,” the Cambodian human rights organization LICADHO noted Monday.

NagaWorld is owned by a company controlled by the family of late Malaysian billionaire Chen Lip Keong. The company received its casino license in 1994 and the property is a huge integrated hotel-casino entertainment complex.

Previous labor union actions in Cambodia were usually at factories in outlying areas or in industrial estates in other provinces. The protest by the NagaWorld workers in the capital was unusually high-profile and drew police action that was sometimes violent.

Last year, the U.S. State Department named Chhim Sithar among 10 recipients of its annual Human Rights Defender Award. She was described by the then-U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia W. Patrick Murphy as “a courageous and tenacious labor union leader who peacefully advocates for the rights of Cambodian workers.”

Cambodia’s government has long been accused of using the judicial system to persecute critics and political opponents. Prime Minister Hun Manet succeeded his father last year after Hun Sen ruled for four decades, but there have been few signs of political liberalization.

Chhim Sithar, right, a union leader being freed from prison after serving time for her part in a strike against the country’s biggest casino, speaks to her supporters at a club on the outskirts of Phnom Penh Cambodia, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Chhim Sithar, a union leader being freed from prison after serving time for her part in a strike against the country’s biggest casino, speaks to her supporters at a club on the outskirts of Phnom Penh Cambodia, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Chhim Sithar, president of the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld, gestures as she meets her supporters in a club at the outskirts of Phnom Penh Cambodia, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, after the union leader was freed from prison on Monday after serving time for her part in a strike against the country's biggest casino. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Chhim Sithar, second from right, president of the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld, sits near her mother, center, as she meets her staff members in her sister's home at the outskirts of Phnom Penh Cambodia, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, after the prominent union leader freed from prison on Monday after serving time for her part in a strike against the country’s biggest casino. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Chhim Sithar, second from right, president of the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld, meets with her mother, center, and her staff members in her sister's home at the outskirts of Phnom Penh Cambodia, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, after the prominent union leader freed from prison on Monday after serving time for her part in a strike against the country’s biggest casino. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Chhim Sithar, president of the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld, smiles as she meets her staff members in her sister's home at the outskirts of Phnom Penh Cambodia, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, after the prominent union leader freed from prison on Monday after serving time for her part in a strike against the country’s biggest casino. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)