AP News Digest 6:15 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/DEVELOPING

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Adds: ELECTION-2024-TRUMP-THE-LATEST; SENATE-REPRODUCTIVE-CARE; TYRE-NICHOLS; KENTUCKY-INTERSTATE-SHOOTING; HAITIAN-IMMIGRANTS-SPRINGFIELD-PHOTO-ESSAY; ELECTION-2024-SUSPICIOUS-PACKAGES; ISRAEL-LEBANON-REMOTE-OPERATIONS; ELECTION 2024-RUSSIA; FBN-DOLPHINS-TAGOVAILOA; BRIDGE-COLLAPSE; COLORADO-SUPERMARKET-SHOOTING

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TOP STORIES

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LEBANON-ISRAEL-EXPLODING-PAGERS — Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah have exploded near simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday, killing at least nine people – including an 8-year-old girl -- and wounding several thousand, officials said. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack. Among those wounded was Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon. By Bassem Mroue. SENT: 990 words, photos, videos, audio. With EXPLODING-PAGERS-WHAT-T0-KNOW; MIDEAST-TENSIONS-THE-LATEST; ISRAEL-LEBANON-REMOTE-OPERATIONS — Israel has a long history of pulling off complex attacks like the exploding pagers (sent).

ELECTION 2024-TRUMP — Florida law enforcement officials will launch their own criminal investigation into the apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump that will run parallel to the federal probe, Gov. Ron DeSantis announces. The governor said Florida prosecutors will pursue the most serious charges available under state law, including attempted murder, in the state-level investigation into Ryan Wesley Routh, who was charged Monday with federal firearms offenses. By Alanna Durkin Richer and Stephany Matat. SENT: 640 words, photos, videos, audio. With ELECTION-2024-TRUMP-THE-LATEST (sent).

ELECTION-2024 — Vice President Kamala Harris has struck a measured tone, even steering clear of mentioning Donald Trump by name in an interview with Black journalists that starkly contrasted with the former president’s own, highly contentious, recent appearance before the same group. By Will Weissert. SENT: 820 words, photos, audio. Trump event at 7 p.m.

ELECTION 2024-ELON MUSK — Social media posts by X owner Elon Musk are raising concerns that he will use his immense platform to question the legitimacy of the vote in the U.S. presidential election and perhaps call for resistance if Republican nominee Donald Trump loses. By Ali Swenson. SENT: 1,330 words, photo.

FRANCE-RAPE-TRIAL — A 71-year-old French man admitted in court that for nearly a decade, he repeatedly drugged his unwitting wife and invited dozens of men to rape her while she lay unconscious in their bed. His wife of 50 years, who has divorced him since his arrest, also got to speak, telling the court that she feels completely betrayed. By Diane Jeantet. SENT: 1,060 words, photos, videos, audio.

SEXUAL-MISCONDUCT-DIDDY — Sean “Diddy” Combs is headed to jail to await trial in his federal sex trafficking case, after a judge ordered him to be held without bail in a case that accuses him of presiding over a sordid empire of sexual crimes. The music mogul pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. The indictment against him also refers obliquely to an attack on his former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, that was captured on video. By Andrew Dalton, Michael R. Sisak and Larry Neumeister. SENT: 1,240 words, photos, videos, audio. With DIDDY-THINGS-TO-KNOW; SEXUAL-MISCONDUCT-SEAN-COMBS-TIMELINE; SEXUAL-MISCONDUCT-DIDDY-THE-LATEST.

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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES

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LITHIUM-DRILLING-ARIZONA-TRIBE — Members of an Arizona tribe are trying to persuade a federal judge to extend a temporary ban on exploratory drilling for a lithium project near lands they have used for religious and cultural ceremonies for centuries. The case is among the latest legal fights pitting Native American tribes and environmentalists against President Joe Biden’s administration as green energy projects encroach on lands that are culturally significant. By Scott Sonner and Gabriel Sandoval. SENT: 720 words, photos.

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MORE NEWS

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TYRE-NICHOLS — A former Memphis police officer has testified that he punched a “helpless” Tyre Nichols at least five times while two colleagues held his arms and said “hit him,” then lied to his supervisor about their use of force in a beating that proved fatal. SENT: 730 words, photos.

KENTUCKY-INTERSTATE-SHOOTING — Authorities shift their strategy while trying to track down an interstate highway shooter in Kentucky, pulling searchers from the woods to bolster patrols in communities near where the gunman opened fire, hitting a dozen vehicles and wounding five people. SENT: 890 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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ELECTION-2024-VANCE — Tensions flared last fall in western Wisconsin’s Chippewa Valley with news that several dozen refugees would be resettled in and around the city of Eau Claire, one of several midsize cities across the U.S. that has grappled with refugee resettlement. The city serves as a backdrop to a campaign rally Tuesday with Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, who has heavily focused on immigration and anti-immigrant rhetoric as he and former President Donald Trump campaign for the White House. SENT: 1,230 words, photos.

HAITIAN-IMMIGRANTS-SPRINGFIELD — Ohio have stationed state police at Springfield schools in response to a rash of bomb threats — the vast majority that officials said came from overseas —- after former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance falsely said legal Haitian immigrants in the small city were eating dogs and cats. SENT: 680 words, photos. With HAITIAN-IMMIGRANTS-SPRINGFIELD-PHOTO-ESSAY — Life continues for Ohio community after Trump falsely accused Haitians of eating pets (sent).

ELECTION-2024-HARRIS — Vice President Kamala Harris has decried Republican Donald Trump for inflammatory rhetoric about migrants in Springfield, Ohio, and on other topics, saying voters should make sure he “can’t have that microphone again.” SENT: 1,140 words, photos, video. With ELECTION-2024-HARRIS-ABORTION -- Vice President Kamala Harris says Donald Trump’s role in undoing national abortion rights is to blame for the death of Amber Thurman. (sent).

SENATE-REPRODUCTIVE-CARE — Republicans have blocked for a second time this year legislation to establish a nationwide right to in vitro fertilization, arguing that the vote is an election-year stunt after Democrats forced a vote on the issue. SENT: 680 words, photo, audio.

ELECTION 2024-RUSSIA — A new Microsoft report details how Russia-linked actors are now going full throttle in their covert influence efforts against Kamala Harris. SENT: 930 words, photo.

ELECTION-2024-SUSPICIOUS-PACKAGES — The FBI and U.S. Postal Service are investigating suspicious packages that have been sent to or received by elections officials in more than 10 states, but there were no immediate reports that any of the packages contained hazardous material. SENT: 810 words, photos.

CONGRESS-BUDGET — House Speaker Mike Johnson will move ahead with a temporary spending bill that would prevent a partial government shutdown when the new budget year begins on Oct. 1, despite the headwinds that prompted him to pull the bill from consideration last week. SENT: 610 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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BRIDGE-COLLAPSE — The families of the six construction workers killed in the collapse of Maryland’s Francis Scott Key Bridge plan to file legal claims against the owner and manager of the container ship that lost power and struck the bridge. SENT: 870 words, photos.

COLORADO-SUPERMARKET-SHOOTING — The father of a mentally ill man who killed 10 people at a Colorado supermarket has testified at his murder trial that he thought his son may have been possessed by an evil spirit before the attack. SENT: 510 word, photo.

TITANIC-TOURIST-SUB — A key employee who labeled a doomed experimental submersible unsafe prior to its last, fatal voyage testified Tuesday that the tragedy could have been prevented if a federal safety agency had investigated his complaint. SENT: 1,060 words, photos, video, audio.

JEFFREY-EPSTEIN-MAXWELL-TRIAL — A U.S. court upheld disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell’s conviction on sex trafficking charges for helping the late financier Jeffrey Epstein abuse underage girls. SENT: 500 words, photo.

TROPICAL-WEATHER -- The Carolinas brace for a storm that forecasters warned could bring heavy rain — as much as 6 to 8 inches in some spots. But one narrow band got a “firehose” that dumped as much as 20 inches in a so-called 1,000-year flood that shocked many with its intensity. SENT: 850 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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KASHMIR-INDIA-ELECTION — In Indian-controlled Kashmir, many people boycotted elections for decades in protest against Indian rule. But in the run-up to the local election beginning Wednesday, many are willing to buck that trend and use their vote to deny Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party the power to form a local government in the disputed region. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.

MALI-EXPLOSIONS — Islamic militants have attacked a military training camp and other locations in Mali’s capital Tuesday, sparking deadly gunbattles and the temporary closure of a nearby airport before troops were able to subdue the assailants, officials said. No details of casualties were immediately released. SENT: 620 words, photos, audio.

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BUSINESS/ TECH

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INSTAGRAM-TEEN-ACCOUNTS -- Instagram is introducing separate teen accounts for those under 18 as it tries to make the platform safer for children amid a growing backlash against how social media affects young people’s lives. SENT: 1,010 words, photos. With SOCIAL MEDIA-PARENT TIPS -- Keeping children safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids. (sent-story originally moved on 6/17/24).

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ENTERTAINMENT

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ENT-MUSIC-WHITNEY-HOUSTON-CONCERT-FILM — Whitney Houston’s epic concert in South Africa staged after President Nelson Mandela’s landmark election will be hitting theater screens this fall. Houston’s performance in 1994 has been turned into a fully-remastered theatrical release called “The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban).” SENT: 500 words, photo.

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SPORTS

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FBN-DOLPHINS-TAGOVAILOA — The Miami Dolphins have placed Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve after the quarterback was diagnosed with his third concussion in two years. Tagovailoa will be sidelined for at least four games. He will be eligible to return in Week 8 when the Dolphins host Arizona, but has to complete a series of tests and assessments required by the NFL’s concussion protocol before he can return to the field. SENT: 620 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Jerome Minerva 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.

A man carries a fire extinguisher and seeks on the phone while a metalworking warehouse burns in Sever do Vouga, a town in northern Portugal that has been surrounded by forest fires, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruno Fonseca)

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London (5) celebrates his touchdown with teammate Chris Lindstrom (63) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Smoke rises from fire in the environmentally protected area of Brasilia National Park during the dry season in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. The head of the agency that manages protected areas, Mauro Pires, told the local press that the fire is man-made and appears to have started near the edge of the presidency's official countryside residence. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

A firefighter attempts to put out a forest fire spreading in the environmentally protected area of Brasilia National Park during the dry season in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. Mauro Pires, the head of the agency that manages protected areas, told the local press that the fire is man-made and appears to have started near the edge of the presidency's official countryside residence. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

A pipeline with a giant plume of fire burns Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in La Porte, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A firefighter directs a line of water around a fire on a pipeline carrying liquified natural gas near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in La Porte, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

FILE - Israeli soldiers move next to destroyed buildings following Israeli strikes during a ground operation in the Gaza Strip, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)

Law enforcement officials work outside of the Trump International Golf Club after the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The FBI is investigating an early Wednesday attack in which a U.S. Army veteran drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers in New Orleans, killing 15 people. The driver had posted videos on social media hours before the carnage saying he was inspired by the Islamic State group and expressing a desire to kill, President Joe Biden said.

The FBI identified the driver as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar.

Officials have not yet released the names of the people killed in the attack, but their families and friends have started sharing their stories. About 30 people were injured.

Here is the latest:

U.S. President Joe Biden said Wednesday evening the FBI was looking into whether an explosion outside a Las Vegas hotel owned by President-elect Donald Trump was connected to the New Orleans attack.

Fireworks and camp fuel canisters were found in a Tesla Cybertruck that blew up outside the Trump International Hotel early Wednesday, killing a suspect inside the vehicle.

The person who died in the explosion was an active-duty U.S. Army soldier who spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Thursday. The officials also spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose details of his service.

The truck explosion came hours after a driver, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans. Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran, also spent time at Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to Army special forces command. An official told the AP that there is no apparent overlap in their assignments there.

The investigation so far has not shown the incidents are related, and authorities don’t think the men knew each other, two law enforcement officials said. The officials were not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

▶ Read more about the Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion

The FBI says it recovered the black banner of the Islamic State group from the truck that smashed into New Year’s partygoers. The investigation is expected to look in part at any support or inspiration that driver Shamsud-Din Jabbar may have drawn from that violent Middle East-based group or from any of at least 19 affiliated groups around the world.

Routed from its self-proclaimed caliphate in Syria and Iraq by a U.S. military-led coalition more than five years ago, IS has focused on seizing territory in the Middle East more than on staging massive al-Qaida-style attacks on the West.

But in its home territory, IS has welcomed any chance to behead Americans and other foreigners who come within its reach. The main group at peak strength claimed a handful of coordinated operations targeting the West, including a 2015 Paris plot that killed 130 people. It has had success, although abated in recent years, in inspiring people around the world who are drawn to its ideology to carry out ghastly attacks on innocent civilians.

▶ Read more about IS and what attacks it has inspired

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry will be joined at the news conference by officials from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Louisiana State Police and the New Orleans Police Department.

The conference is scheduled to begin around 10:15 a.m. CST.

“The Superdome is completely secure,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said on Fox News. “Again, the FBI continues to pour resources into the state.”

Landry said he plans to attend Thursday afternoon’s college football playoff game between the University of Georgia and the University of Notre Dame.

“We need not let fear paralyze us,” Landry added. “That’s the problem in this country. When we do that, the terrorists win.”

ROME — A telegram of condolences, addressed to Archbishop Gregory Aymond, said Francis was saddened to learn of the attack in New Orleans and was spiritually close to the city.

Francis “prays for healing and consolation of the injured and bereaved,” said the telegram, which was signed by the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Separately, Italian President Sergio Mattarella also sent condolences to President Joe Biden, whom he will see during Biden’s visit to Rome next week, saying all of Italy was mourning the loss of life.

“At this time of sorrow for the American people, I would like to reaffirm the firm resolve of the Italian Republic to oppose in the strongest terms all forms of terrorism, on the basis of those values of civilization, democracy and respect for human life that have always been shared with the United States,” he said in a statement.

The College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame was postponed by a day because of the truck attack, which unfolded about a mile away.

The game, originally scheduled for 7:45 p.m. CST at the 70,000-seat Superdome on Wednesday, was pushed back to 3 p.m. Thursday. The winner advances to the Jan. 9 Orange Bowl against Penn State.

“Public safety is paramount,” Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said at a media briefing alongside federal, state and local officials, including Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “All parties all agree that it’s in the best interest of everybody and public safety that we postpone the game.”

The decision to postpone the game meant numerous traveling fans with tickets would not be able to attend. Ticket prices online plummeted in some cases to less than $25 as fans with plans to depart on Thursday tried to unload them.

The Superdome was on lockdown for security sweeps on Wednesday morning. Both teams spent most of the day in their hotels, holding meetings in ballrooms.

▶ Read more about the decision to postpone the Sugar Bowl

Officials have not yet released the names of the 15 people killed in the New Orleans New Year’s Day truck attack, but their families and friends have started sharing their stories.

Here’s a look at some of what we know:

▶ Read more about the victims of the New Orleans truck attack

Authorities say the driver of a pickup truck sped through a crowd of pedestrians gathered in New Orleans’ bustling French Quarter district early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 15 people and injuring about 30 others. The suspect was killed in a shootout with police.

The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism and said it does not believe the driver acted alone.

Wednesday’s attack unfolded on Bourbon Street, known worldwide as one of the largest destinations for New Year’s Eve parties. Large crowds had also gathered in the city ahead of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl, which had been scheduled for later Wednesday at the nearby Superdome. The game was postponed until Thursday afternoon following the attack.

▶ Catch up on what we know about the New Orleans truck attack

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Emergency personnel work the scene on Bourbon Street after a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon Street, Wednesday Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

The FBI investigates the area on Orleans St and Bourbon Street by St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter where a suspicious package was detonated after a person drove a truck into a crowd earlier on Bourbon Street on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

Matthias Hauswirth of New Orleans prays on the street near the scene where a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon streets, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A bouquet of flowers stands at the intersection of Bourbon Street and Canal Street during the investigation after a pickup truck rammed into a crowd of revelers early on New Year's Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

An officer walks along Conti Street after a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon streets, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Law enforcement officers stand behind a SWAT vehicle near a location in Houston, Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, where police personnel investigate the place suspected to be associated with an attacker in a deadly rampage in New Orleans. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Investigators work the scene after a person drove a vehicle into a crowd earlier on Canal and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Neighbors stand and watch outside the police lines surrounding a location in Houston, Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, where police personnel investigate the place suspected to be associated with an attacker in a deadly rampage in New Orleans. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Police officers stand near the scene where a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon streets, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Neighbors embrace as they stand outside the police lines surrounding a location in Houston, Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, where police personnel investigate the place suspected to be associated with an attacker in a deadly rampage in New Orleans. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)