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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WEEKEND COVERAGE

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

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NEW & DEVELOPING

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Adds: ELECTION 2024-HARRIS-EVANGELICALS; BOEING STRIKE; BIDEN-DIPLOMACY; LAWS OF WAR-EXPLODING DEVICES; EXPLODING PAGERS-THE TRAIL; ISRAEL-LEBANON-WHAT TO KNOW; MEDIA-NEW YORK-NUZZI; THREE MILE ISLAND-MICROSOFT; DIDDY-FEDERAL JAIL

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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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MIDEAST-TENSIONS — Israel says it has carried out an airstrike that killed a senior Hezbollah military official in a densely populated southern neighborhood of the Lebanese capital. It was the deadliest such attack on Beirut in years. By Bassem Mroue and Julia Frankel. SENT: 1,100 words, photos, audio. With LAWS OF WAR-EXPLODING DEVICES — Human rights advocates are calling for an independent investigation into the deadly explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon and Syria; EXPLODING PAGERS-THE TRAIL — The mother of the woman whose company was linked to thousands of pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria says her daughter has received threats and been advised by the Hungarian secret services not to talk to media; ISRAEL-LEBANON-WHAT TO KNOW (all sent)

ELECTION-2024-TRUMP-SHOOTING — Communication breakdowns with local law enforcement hampered the Secret Service’s performance ahead of a July assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, according to a new report that lays out a litany of missed opportunities to stop a gunman who opened fire from an unsecured roof. By Rebecca Santana, Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer. SENT: 970 words, photos. WITH: 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. (sent).

ELECTION-2024 —For the first time since she ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket, Vice President Kamala Harris has given a speech focused squarely on abortion rights. She did so Friday in Georgia, where she highlighted the death of a woman who developed sepsis while waiting for a routine procedure. By Colleen Long, Amanda Seitz and Josh Boak. SENT: 1,000 words, photos, audio.

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. By Steve Karnowski. SENT: 1,060 words, photos, video.

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. 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.

MED-ADDICTION-TREATMENT-METHADONE — The first big update to U.S. methadone regulations in 20 years is poised to expand access to the life-saving drug starting next month, but experts say the addiction treatment changes could fall flat if state governments and methadone clinics fail to act. By Carla K. Johnson. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.

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MORE NEWS

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MEDIA-NEW YORK-NUZZI — New York magazine’s star Washington correspondent, Olivia Nuzzi, is on leave after disclosing she had a personal relationship with a former reporting subject. SENT: 570 words, photos.

RUSSIA-SPACE-RECORD — Russia’s space agency says two Russians have set a record for the longest continuous stay on the International Space Station. SENT: 160 words, photos.

THREE MILE ISLAND-MICROSOFT — The owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant says it plans to restart the reactor under a 20-year agreement that calls for tech giant Microsoft to buy the power to supply its data centers. SENT: 850 words, photos.

BOEING STRIKE — Boeing has started rolling furloughs of nonunion employees as a week-old labor strike by 33,000 union machinists shows no signs of ending. SENT: 710 words, photos, video.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

ELECTION 2024-NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR — North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson will not appear at former President Donald Trump’s rally in the eastern part of his state after a CNN report about his alleged posts on a pornography website’s message board. That’s according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning. SENT: 930 words, photo.

ELECTION 2024-HARRIS-EVANGELICALS — Donald Trump has received strong support from white evangelical Protestants in his presidential bids. About 8 in 10 white evangelical voters supported him in 2020, according to AP VoteCast. But a small, diverse coalition of evangelicals is looking to pull their fellow believers away from Trump’s fold and into Kamala Harris’ corner. SENT: 1,440 words, photos, video.

ELECTION-2024-VANCE-CONSPIRACY-THEORIES — JD Vance once dismissed conspiracy theories as the product of “fringe lunatics” but he’s come to embrace them as his star rises in Republican politics. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.

BIDEN-DIPLOMACY — President Joe Biden is opening a busy stretch tending to international allies anxious about where U.S. foreign policy may be headed when he leaves office in four months. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.

ELECTION-2024-GEORGIA-ELECTION-RULES — Georgia election officials are requiring poll workers to tally the number of ballots by hand. The State Election Board voted 3-2 to approve the new rule. SENT: 710 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. An abridged version of 1,080 words is also available.

BIDEN-EV-BATTERIES — The Biden administration announced it is awarding $3 billion to U.S. companies to boost domestic production of advanced batteries and other materials used for electric vehicles. SENT: 610 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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COURTHOUSE-SHOOTING-KENTUCKY — Residents of a tiny Appalachian town struggled to cope with a shooting involving two of its most prominent citizens: a judge who was gunned down in his courthouse chambers and a local sheriff charged with his murder. SENT: 810 words, photos, video.

REL-EDUCATION-NEW-CHRISTIAN-SCHOOLS — Some churches are launching new Christian schools on their campuses. State school voucher programs are not the driving reason, but they are making the start-up process easier, pastors and Christian education experts say. SENT: 1,370 words, photos. WITH: REL-EDUCATION-NEW-CHRISTIAN-SCHOOLS-TAKEAWAYS. (sent).

DIDDY-FEDERAL JAIL — The Bureau of Prisons has increased staffing at the federal jail in New York City where Sean “Diddy” Combs is incarcerated amid criticism of poor conditions and violence. SENT: 890 words, photos.

TITANIC-TOURIST SUB — A paid passenger on an expedition to the Titanic with the company that owned the Titan submersible testified before a U.S. Coast Guard investigatory panel that the mission he took part in was aborted due to an apparent mechanical failure. SENT: 990 words, photos, video, audio. WITH: TITANIC-TOURIST-SUB-THINGS-TO-KNOW. (sent).

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INTERNATIONAL

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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. SENT: 610 words, photos, video.

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, the parents still don’t know exactly what happened to their children. SENT: 1,170 words, photo. WITH: MEXICO-MISSING-STUDENTS-TIMELINE.

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 countries which have been impacted the most: Chad, Nigeria, Mali and Niger. SENT: 980 words, photos, video.

BRITAIN-AL-FAYED-SEX-ABUSE — Lawyers in Britain representing dozens of alleged victims say that their clients are asserting that Mohamed Al Fayed — the former boss of Harrods — was a “monster” who raped and sexually abused young women throughout his time at the London department store. SENT: 900 words, photos.

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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ENT-TV-KELLY-CLARKSON -- Kelly Clarkson says she’s learned a thing or two about interviewing after being in the spotlight herself as a recording artist since 2002. So, she’s created a safe space for guests on season six of The Kelly Clarkson Show, which launches Monday. SENT: 890 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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BBO-PANDEMIC-DEBUTS — Nearly half of the 212 players who made their MLB debuts during the pandemic-altered 2020 season are still playing or have been in the big leagues this year. There have been 17 players from that class that became All-Stars, six for the first time this season. SENT: 780 words, photos. WITH: BBO-PANDEMIC-DEBUTS-GLANCE.

BBN-OHTANI'S-HISTORIC-SEASON — Shohei Ohtani keeps showing a flair for the dramatic during his historic first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Japanese superstar is now the only player in Major League history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases. SENT: 580 words, photos.

CLIMATE-HEAT-FOOTBALL-DEATHS — The beginning of high school football season has seen a string of deaths. Players are most at risk in the late summer months of August and September of suffering heat-related illnesses due to searing temperatures and high humidity. Fifty-eight players have died from exertional heat stroke between 1992 and 2024. SENT: 2,000 words, photos. WITH: CLIMATE-HEAT-FOOTBALL-DEATHS-TAKEAWAYS.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Richard A. Somma 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.

Yooree Kim sits for a portrait with a computer tablet displaying a picture of her taken before she was sent from South Korea to be adopted by a family in France when she was 11 years old, in her apartment in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A police officer stands guard outside a polling material distribution center for the upcoming presidential election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Kick Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu of China steers his car during the first practice session of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, in Singapore, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Police inspect a body lying on the ground in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

People gather near a damaged building at the scene of an Israeli missile strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

In this photograph provided by SEA LIFE Melbourne, Pesto, a huge king penguin chick who weighs as much as both his parents combined, mingles in his enclosure at Australia's Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium, Sept. 3, 2024, and has become a social media celebrity and a star attraction at the aquarium. (SEA LIFE Melbourne via AP)

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.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rocket fired from Yemen hit an area of Tel Aviv overnight, leaving 16 people injured by shattered glass, the Israeli military said Saturday, days after Israeli airstrikes hit Houthi rebels who have been launching missiles in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Another 14 people sustained minor injuries as they rushed to shelters when air raid sirens sounded before dawn Saturday, the military said.

The Houthis issued a statement on Telegram saying they had aimed a hypersonic ballistic missile at a military target, which they did not identify.

“A flash of light, a blow and we fell to the ground. Big mess, broken glasses all over the place,” said Bar Katz, a resident of a damaged building.

The attack came after Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, and port city of Hodeida killed at least nine people Thursday. The Israeli strikes were in response to a Houthi long-range missile that hit an Israeli school building. The Houthis also claimed a drone strike targeting an unspecified military target in central Israel on Thursday.

Israel's military says the Iran-backed Houthis have launched more than 200 missiles and drones during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The Houthis have also attacked shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and say they won’t stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Israeli strikes Thursday caused “considerable damage” to the Houthi-controlled Red Sea ports that will lead to the "immediate and significant reduction in port capacity,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The Hodeida port has been key for food shipments into Yemen in its decade-long civil war.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said both sides’ attacks risk further escalation in the region.

Mourners in Gaza held funerals for 19 people — 12 of them children — killed in Israeli strikes on Friday and overnight.

One strike hit a residential building in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least seven Palestinians, including five children and one woman, and injuring 16 others, health officials said.

In Gaza City, a strike on a house killed 12 people, including seven children and two women, according to Al-Ahli Hospital where the bodies were taken.

One man cradled a tiny shroud-wrapped body as mourners gathered at the hospital in Gaza City. Women comforted each other as they wept.

Overall, Gaza's Health Ministry said 21 people had been killed over the past 24 hours.

More than 45,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, when a Hamas attack in Israel killed about 1,200 people and triggered the 14-month war. The health ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but has said more than half of fatalities are women and children.

Israel faces heavy international criticism over the unprecedented levels of civilian deaths in Gaza. It says it only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because its fighters operate in residential areas.

Gaza's Health Ministry issued an urgent appeal for medical and food supplies to be delivered to Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya in largely isolated northern Gaza, while the hospital director described conditions as dire, as Israel's military presses its latest offensive.

The ministry reported continuous gunfire and Israeli shelling near the hospital, saying “shells have struck the third floor and the hospital’s entrances, creating a state of panic.”

Hospital director Dr. Husam Abu Safiyeh said the facility faced “severe shortages” and asserted that requests for essential medical supplies and ways to maintain oxygen, water and electricity systems "have largely gone unmet.”

He said 72 wounded people were being treated at the hospital.

“Food is very scarce, and we cannot provide meals for the wounded," Safiyeh added. “We are urgently calling on anyone who can provide supplies to help us.”

Aid groups have said Israeli military operations and armed gangs have hindered their ability to distribute aid.

The Israeli military organization dealing with humanitarian affairs for Gaza said Saturday it had led an operation delivering thousands of food packages, flour and water to the Beit Hanoun area in the north. It said trucks with the U.N. World Food Program transported them to distribution centers in the area Friday.

Iran on Saturday said unknown gunmen had killed a local staffer of the Iranian embassy in Syria, the official IRNA news agency said.

Its report quoted foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei as saying “terrorists” opened fire on Davood Bitaraf’s car last Sunday. It did not say what he did with the embassy.

Baghaei said Iran considers Syria’s interim government responsible for finding and prosecuting those behind the killing. Iran had been a key ally of recently ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad.

Shurafa reported from Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writers Elena Becatoros in Majdal Shams, Golan Heights, contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Bodies of victims of an Israeli airstrike at the Nuseirat refugee camp are prepared for the funeral prayer outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Men pray over the bodies of victims of an Israeli airstrike at the Nuseirat refugee camp during a funeral prayer outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Bodies of victims of an Israeli airstrike at the Nuseirat arrive at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital before their funeral in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

An Israeli soldier observes the site where the missile launched from Yemen landed Jaffa district, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Tomer Appelbaum)