AP News Digest 7 a.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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ONLY ON AP

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AP POLL-ELECTION 2024-ISSUES — A new poll finds neither Kamala Harris nor Donald Trump has a decisive edge with the public on the economy, turning an issue that was once a clear strength for Trump into the equivalent of a political jump ball. The new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds about 4 in 10 registered voters say Trump would do a better job handling the economy, while a similar number say that about Harris. By Josh Boak and Linley Sanders. SENT: 1,130 words, photos.

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TOP STORIES

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ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-DROPPING-DEAD-BODIES — An Associated Press journalist witnessed Israeli soldiers push three apparently lifeless bodies from rooftops during a raid in the occupied West Bank. It was the latest in a series of suspected violations by Israeli forces since the start of the Israel-Hamas war that rights groups say show a pattern of excessive force toward Palestinians. The Israeli military said the actions AP witnessed in the town of Qabatiya on Thursday do not align with its “values” or “expectations” of soldiers. The military said four militants were killed during the raid and the operation was under review. By Julia Frankel and Majdi Mohammed. SENT: 610 words, photos, video.

LEBANON-EXPLODING-DEVICES-MOOD — For millions of Lebanese, this week’s mass explosion of pagers and walkie-talkies, with its bloody aftermath, is painfully similar to the horrific explosion four years ago of haphazardly stored ammonium nitrates that tore through Beirut’s port, killing and maiming thousands. The synchronized explosion of devices used by Hezbollah has compounded years of crises. The latest explosions now risk triggering a potentially devastating all-out war with Israel. By Zeina Karam and Kareem Chehayeb. SENT: 1,060 words, photos. WITH: EXPLODING-DEVICES-PAGER-HOLDOUTS — Electronic pagers that were status symbols in the 1990s are used for communication precisely because they are old school. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.

SOUTH-KOREA-ADOPTION-FRAUD-THE-WEST — Western governments ignored widespread fraud in South Korean adoptions and sometimes pressured the country to keep the kids coming, an investigation led by The Associated Press has found. Many Korean children adopted overseas have realized their adoption paperwork was untrue, and their quest for accountability has spread to Western countries. The consequences are upending the global adoption industry. AP talked to more than 80 adoptees in collaboration with Frontline (PBS). By Kim Tong-Hyung and Claire Galofaro. SENT: 4,070 words, photos. WITH: SOUTH-KOREA-ADOPTION-FRAUD-THE-WEST-TAKEAWAYS — Takeaways from AP’s story on the role of the West in widespread fraud with South Korean adoptions. SENT: 920 words, photos.

MEXICO-MISSING-STUDENTS — The parents of 43 students of a radical teachers college who disappeared in Mexico are still searching for them 10 years later. The students were abducted from buses they had commandeered to drive to the capital for a protest on Sept. 26, 2014. Despite dozens of arrests and the government’s acknowledgment that authorities were involved, the parents still don’t know exactly what happened to their children. On the 26th of every month, they take a long bus ride to Mexico City to demand answers. They will do so again on the 10th anniversary. By Maria Verza. SENT: 1,170 words, photo. WITH: MEXICO-MISSING-STUDENTS-TIMELINE — Timeline of key events on night 43 students disappeared. SENT: 900 words, photos.

BRAZIL-WILDFIRE-COFFEE-CROPS — Brazilian coffee farmers are grappling with above-average temperatures as the country, the world’s largest coffee producer, faces its worst drought in more than seven decades. Vietnam, the second-largest coffee producer, is also experiencing heat and drought, affecting its coffee crops. As a result, potential supply shortages in both countries have driven up global coffee prices. Prices prices haven’t reached the record highs the world saw in the late 1970s, after a severe frost wiped out 70% of Brazil’s coffee plants. But they have been soaring in recent years. By Gabriela Sa Pessoa and Dee-Ann Durbin. SENT: 610 words, photos, video.

DODGERS-OHTANI — Shohei Ohtani became the first major league player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season. He did it by going deep three times and swiping two bags on Thursday against the Miami Marlins. Ohtani hit is 49th homer in the sixth inning, his 50th in the seventh and his 51st in the ninth. He finished 6 for 6 with 10 RBIs while becoming the first player in big league history to hit three homers and steal two bases in a game. By Alanis Thames. SENT: 1,190 words, photos, audio. WITH: JAPAN-OHTANI-REACTION — Japan celebrates as Ohtani becomes the first major leaguer to reach 50-50 milestone. SENT: 280 words, photos; DODGERS-OHTANI-50-50:-PHOTO-COLLECTION (sent).

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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EUROPE-UKRAINE-ENERGY — The European Union is ready to lend Ukraine up to $39 billion as part of a loan package organized by the Group of Seven major industrial nations. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the pledge Friday in Ukraine. Part of the money will be used to help the country repair and reconnect its war-damaged electricity grid and boost its heating capacity as winter approaches. SENT: 530 words, photos. WITH: UKRAINE-AIR POLLUTION — Residents in Kyiv told to stay indoors Friday as air pollution blankets the Ukrainian capital. SENT: 390 words, photos.

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MORE NEWS

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SRI-LANKA-ELECTION-FORMER-PROTESTERS — Two years ago, tens of thousands of Sri Lankans rose up against their president and forced him to flee the country. As the country prepares for its first election since then on Saturday, many say the current government is largely made up of the same politicians who have ruled the island nation for decades. Former protesters are having a hard time coming together behind a candidate. SENT: 870 words, photos, video.

CLIMATE-PROTESTS — Activists are gearing up for protests around the world to demand action on climate change just as a pair of major weeklong climate events were getting underway in New York City. The planned actions in Berlin, Brussels, Rio de Janeiro, New Delhi and elsewhere were being organized by the youth-led group Fridays for Future. SENT: 500 words, photos.

COURTHOUSE-SHOOTING-KENTUCKY — Authorities say a judge in a rural Kentucky county was shot and killed at the local courthouse on Thursday. The local sheriff was charged with murder in the slaying. The governor says the judge was fatally shot in his chambers. SENT: 470 words, photo.

AUSTRALIA-PESTO-THE-PENGUIN — A huge king penguin chick named Pesto, who weighs as much as both his parents combined, has become a social media celebrity and a star attraction at an Australian aquarium. SENT: 340 words, photos, video.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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US-BIDEN-EV-BATTERIES — The Biden administration announced Friday it is awarding $3 billion to U.S. companies to boost domestic production of advanced batteries and other materials used for electric vehicles, part of a continuing push to reduce China’s global dominance in battery production. SENT: 610 words, photos.

ELECTION 2024-CONGRESS-BORDER DISTRICTS — The politics of immigration look different from communities on the Southwest border. In Sunland Park, New Mexico, both Democrats and Republicans in Congress seeking reelection are feeling the urgency of finding solutions to the nation’s border crisis. SENT: 1,780 words, photos, video. Abridged version available: 1,080 words.

ELECTION 2024-VOTING BEGINS — In-person voting for the 2024 U.S. presidential election begins in three states: Virginia, South Dakota and Minnesota, the home state of Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz. SENT: 790 words, photos, video.

CONGRESS-SECRET SERVICE — Lawmakers are scrambling to ensure that the U.S. Secret Service has enough money and resources to keep the nation’s presidential candidates safe amid repeated threats of political violence. But it’s unclear how much they can do with only weeks before the election. SENT: 980 words, photo.

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NATIONAL

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US-SOUTH CAROLINA EXECUTION — South Carolina is set to execute its first inmate in 13 years on Friday evening after an unintended pause because the state could not obtain the drugs needed for lethal injections. SENT: 800 words, photos.

US-COLORADO-SUPERMARKET-SHOOTING — Lawyers are set to deliver closing arguments Friday in the trial of a mentally ill man who shot and killed 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in 2021. SENT: 460 words, photo.

US-COLLEGE-CHANCELLOR-PORN — In a closely watched First Amendment rights case in Wisconsin, a former campus chancellor who was fired after making pornographic videos with his wife is prepared to argue Friday for keeping his tenured teaching position. SENT: 590 words, photo.

US-TITANIC-TOURIST SUB — Another mission specialist who worked with the company that owned the Titan submersible that imploded last year on its way to the Titanic wreckage is scheduled to testify before a U.S. Coast Guard panel Friday. SENT: 600 words, photos, video, audio.

CALIFORNIA-UCLA-POLICE — The University of California board of regents voted Thursday to approve a request for additional non-lethal weapons by the UCLA police, which handled some of the nation’s largest student protests against the Israel-Hamas war. SENT: 480 words, photos. WITH: MASK-BAN-LONG-ISLAND — A pro-Palestinian protester was charged Sunday with violating a suburban New York City county’s new law banning face masks in public. SENT: 660 words.

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INTERNATIONAL

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WEST-AFRICA-FLOODS — Floods have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands across Central and West Africa. The extreme weather has worsened existing humanitarian crises in the countries which have been impacted the most: Chad, Nigeria, Mali and Niger. SENT: 980 words, photos, video.

MEXICO-CARTEL-VIOLENCE — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador blamed the United States in part on Thursday for the surge in cartel violence terrorizing the northern state of Sinaloa which has left at least 30 people dead in the past week. SENT: 680 words, photos, audio.

BRITAIN-AL-FAYED-SEX-ABUSE — Lawyers representing dozens of women who say they were raped and sexually abused by Mohamed Al Fayed, the former boss of the famous London department store Harrods, said Friday that the case was akin to the crimes of sex offenders Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein. SENT: 460 words, photos.

INDONESIA-NEW-ZEALAND-KIDNAPPED-PILOT — Separatist rebels in Indonesia’s restive Papua region have warned that military attacks in recent days to rescue a New Zealand pilot who was taken hostage over a year ago could instead threaten his safety. SENT: 600 words.

GERMANY-TURKEY-DÖNER-KEBAB — The döner kebab is beloved in Berlin. But the snack’s status could be in jeopardy if the European Commission approves Turkey’s bid to regulate what can legally take the döner kebab name. SENT: 940 words, photos, video.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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FRANCE-LA HAINE-MUSICAL — The critically acclaimed French film “La Haine” is being adapted into a musical show nearly three decades after becoming a classic. SENT: 800 words, photos, video.

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SPORTS

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PATRIOTS-JETS — Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes in a superb homecoming performance, New York’s defense was dominant and the Jets rolled to a 24-3 victory over the New England Patriots. SENT: 600 words, photos.

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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, 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.

New York Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood (44) sacks New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Doner chef Hvesley Silva cuts doner kebab in a doner kebab restaurant in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

FILE - Ian Cramer listens to state District Judge Bobbi Weiler during his court appearance, April 17, 2024, at the McLean County Courthouse in Washburn, N.D. (AP Photo/Jack Dura, file)

FILE - Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, accused of killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in March 2021, is led into a courtroom for a hearing, Sept. 7, 2021, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, Pool, File)

FILE - Environmental activist Greta Thunberg shouts slogans during the Oily Money Out protest outside the Intercontinental Hotel, in London, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

Canadian Cultural Heritage Deputy Minister, Isabelle Mondou, left, and Andrea Clark-Grignon, Head of Public Affairs, unveil a photographic portrait known as 'The Roaring Lion', taken by photographer Yousuf Karsh in 1941 of Britain's Prime Minister Winston Churchill, stolen in Canada in 2022, and returned during a ceremony at the Canada's embassy in Rome, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pathum Kerner, a 42-year-old physician who was among the first Sri Lankans to join the public uprising that ended President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's regime and a key figure in starting the "Go home, Gota" poses for a photograph in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

This undated photo provided by Kentucky Court of Justice shows slain District Judge Kevin Mullins. (Kentucky Court of Justice via AP)

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, left, is greeted as she arrives at the railway station in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (Christoph Soeder, Pool via AP)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (17) reacts after hitting his 50th home run of the season during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Coffee producer Silvio Elias de Almeida tosses a handful of damaged coffee beans during an inspection of his plantation consumed by wildfires in a rural area of Caconde, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Murals and the number 43 decorate the dormitory area at the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School, the teachers' college from where 43 students went missing 10 years ago, in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, Mexico, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Choi Young-ja holds a photo of her son, who went missing in 1975, in her motel room in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

FILE - A survivor is taken out of the rubble after a massive explosion in Beirut, on Aug. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - An explosion is seen as three bodies lie motionless on rooftops in the West Bank town of Qabatiya during a raid, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at the Israeli American Council National Summit, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris listens to a parent's survivor story as she joins Oprah Winfrey at Oprah's Unite for America Live Streaming event Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024 in Farmington Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

AP News Digest 3:05 a.m.

AP News Digest 3:05 a.m.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The European Union pledged on Friday to lend Ukraine up to 35 billion euros ($39 billion) as part of a loan package organized by the Group of Seven major industrial nations, as it seeks to help the country repair and reconnect its war-shattered power grid.

“You will decide how best to use your funds,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told President Vlodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. The Ukrainian leader said that his priorities are to rebuild the energy network, build more bomb shelters, improve schools and buy more weapons.

G7 leaders agreed in June to engineer a $50 billion loan to help Ukraine in its fight for survival. Interest earned on profits from Russia’s frozen central bank assets would be used as collateral, but progress has been slow in distributing the money.

Von der Leyen arrived in Ukraine on Friday focused on helping the country to restore its electricity grid and boost its heating capacity as winter approaches.

Around half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed during the war with Russia, and rolling electricity blackouts leave parts of the east in darkness for four hours at a time. Von der Leyden said it was the equivalent of all of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia losing electricity.

Meanwhile, winter is approaching.

“Heating season starts in two weeks and Russia’s relentless attacks on Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure aims to inflict maximum damage,” von der Leyen said as she arrived in Kyiv for talks with Zelenskyy. “We will help Ukraine in its brave efforts to overcome this.”

The main aim is to help Ukraine decentralize its power grid, and to become less reliant on the big power stations that make easier targets for Russian forces. Around 260 missiles rained down in a major attack on energy infrastructure late last month.

The Europeans have already sent more 10,000 generators and transformers, and they're supplying small and more mobile gas turbines too. These types of electricity-providing equipment are harder to hit and easier to repair.

Ukraine’s winter runs from late October through March, with January and February the toughest months. The Europeans hope to help supply around 25% of the 17 gigawatts of power that the country is likely to need this winter.

One aim of the EU assistance is to provide an incentive for people to stay in Ukraine. About 4 million people have fled since the war began on Feb. 24, 2022, often to Poland and other neighboring countries.

The EU is providing assistance, such as short-term help to find a place to stay, jobs or education. But recently the number of people leaving has climbed. The European Commission, the EU’s powerful executive branch, estimates that 10,000 more people are applying for help each week.

On Thursday, the commission announced that it would provide an extra 160 million euros ($180 million) to help fortify Ukraine’s energy network. Of that, 100 million euros ($112 million) come from the windfall profits the EU has earned from interest on frozen Russian assets.

Von der Leyen said the plan is to make “Russia pay for it through the revenue generated by their frozen assets.” Denmark is also leading the charge on using the money to place orders for weapons and military equipment directly with Ukraine’s defense industry.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, center, visits a wall commemorating the fallen Ukrainian soldiers in the war with Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (Christoph Soeder, Pool via AP)

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen places a bouquet of flowers at a wall commemorating the fallen Ukrainian soldiers in the war with Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (Christoph Soeder, Pool via AP)

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, left, walks past St. Michael's Monastery on her way to visit a memorial wall commemorating the fallen Ukrainian soldiers in the war with Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (Christoph Soeder, Pool via AP)

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen gets into a car after visiting a memorial wall commemorating the fallen Ukrainian soldiers in the war with Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (Christoph Soeder, Pool via AP)

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, left, holds a bouquet of flowers to place at a wall commemorating the fallen Ukrainian soldiers in the war with Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (Christoph Soeder, Pool via AP)

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen arrives at the railway station in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (Christoph Soeder, Pool via AP)

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, center, is greeted as she arrives at the railway station in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (Christoph Soeder, Pool via AP)

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, left, is greeted as she arrives at the railway station in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (Christoph Soeder, Pool via AP)

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, left, is greeted as she arrives at the railway station in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (Christoph Soeder, Pool via AP)