AP News Digest 3 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 APNewsroom.

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ONLY ON AP

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ELECTION 2024-OVERLOOKED AMERICA — The Electoral College system for electing a president, which replaces the popular vote, puts disproportionate voting power in the hands of a relative few states. The lack of attention elsewhere leaves voters in much of the country feeling as if they and the issues they care about have been sidelined. By Christine Fernando. SENT: 1,590 words, photos, video. With ELECTION 2024-OVERLOOKED AMERICA-THINGS TO KNOW — SENT.

ELECTION 2024-TRUMP BIBLES-CHINA — Thousands of copies of Donald Trump’s “God Bless the USA” Bible were printed in China, a country the former president has repeatedly accused of stealing American jobs and engaging in unfair trade practices. Global trade records reviewed by The Associated Press show a publisher in China’s eastern city of Hangzhou shipped close to 120,000 of the Bibles to the United States between early February and late March. By Richard Lardner and Dake Kang. SENT: 1,510 words, photos. An abridged version will also be available by 11 a.m.

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TOP STORIES

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HURRICANE-MILTON — Hurricane Milton churned Wednesday toward a potentially catastrophic collision along the west coast of Florida, where some residents insisted they would stay after millions were ordered to evacuate and officials warned that stragglers would face grim odds of surviving. The Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3.3 million people, faced the possibility of widespread destruction after avoiding direct hits from major hurricanes for more than a century. The National Hurricane Center predicted Milton, a monstrous Category 5 hurricane during much of its approach, would likely weaken but remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall late Wednesday. By Terry Spencer and Haven Daley. SENT: 700 words, photos, videos, audio. With HURRICANE-MILTON-MEDICAL-CENTERS — Florida hospitals and health care facilities in Hurricane Milton’s path prepare for the worst; MILTON-GASOLINE — The hunt for gasoline is adding to Floridians’ anxiety as Milton nears ; AIRLINES-PRICE-GOUGING — Airlines say they’re capping fares in the hurricane’s path as Biden warns against price gouging; WAFFLE-HOUSE-INDEX — How Waffle House helps Southerners — and FEMA — judge a storm’s severity; TROPICAL-WEATHER-WORST-HURRICANES — How will Hurricane Milton stack up against other major recent storms?; HURRICANE-MILTON-THINGS-TO-KNOW — SENT.

HURRICANE-HELENE-CLIMATE — Scientists say human-caused climate change boosted the rainfall of deadly Hurricane Helene by about 10% and intensified its winds by about 11%. The rapid analysis by World Weather Attribution said the warming climate boosted Helene’s wind speeds by about 13 miles per hour and made the high sea temperatures that fueled the hurricane 200 to 500 times more likely. By Alexa St. John. SENT: 810 words, photos, video. With TROPICAL-WEATHER-HURRICANE-EXPLAINER — What makes a storm a hurricane? The dangers across five categories — SENT.

FEMA-MISINFORMATION — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been fighting misinformation since Helene slammed into Florida nearly two weeks ago. The false claims are being fueled by former President Donald Trump and others just ahead of the presidential election, and are coming as the agency is gearing up to respond to a second major disaster. By Rebecca Santana. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.

Find a selection of related photos in the Climate Extreme Weather Hurricane Milton photo collection on APNewsroom. For more stories on Hurricane Milton, click here.

MIDEAST-WARS — Hezbollah has fired another barrage of rockets into Israel, and the militant group’s acting leader vows to keep up pressure that has forced thousands of Israelis from their homes near the Lebanese border. The Israeli military says it sent more ground troops into southern Lebanon, and that a senior Hezbollah commander was killed in an airstrike. By Bassem Mroue and Tia Goldenberg. SENT: 1,150 words, photos, videos, audio. With ISRAEL-STRIKING-IRAN — As Israel plots to strike Iran, its choices range from symbolic to severe (sent). Find a selection of related photos in the Mideast Tensions Photo Collection on APNewsroom.

EXTREME-HEAT-METHAMPHETAMINE — Increasingly hot summers and methamphetamine are a deadly mix. The stimulant is playing an outsize role in heat-related deaths across the United States. An Associated Press analysis of data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that methamphetamine is showing up more often on the death certificates of people who die of heat-related causes. By Anita Snow and Mary Katherine Wildeman. SENT: 1,020 words, photo.

MEXICO-TRANSGENDER-KITCHEN — At Casa Lleca, an LGBTQ+ shelter in Mexico City, a community kitchen has emerged to provide employment opportunities to trans women and serve surrounding residents in the area. Founded during the COVID-19 pandemic, Casa Lleca was created for LGBTQ+ folks or sex workers who were unhoused or at risk of losing their homes. Founder and human rights activist Victoria Sámano said many of the shelters opened by the government at this time didn’t know how to address the needs of their community, often making them vulnerable to hate crimes and discrimination. By Mariana Martínez Barba. SENT: 1,060 words, photos, video.

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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES

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FESTIVALS-ACADIENS-ET-CREOLES-50-YEARS — Louisiana’s Cajun and Creole heritage will take center stage when the Festivals Acadiens et Creoles marks a half-century of honoring and celebrating the culture through music, arts, food and community. Organizers say what started as a one day concert in 1974 has grown into a three-day event and possibly one of the largest Cajun and Zydeco festivals held globally. And it’s free. This weekend’s festival brings together multi-generations of musicians and artists who annually fight to keep a culture from dying. By Chevel Johson Rodrigue. SENT: 790 words, photos.

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MORE NEWS

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HURRICANE-HELENE-KIDS-CAMP — This camp provides a safe space for kids to learn and play after Hurricane Helene. SENT: 690 words, photos.

FAT-BEAR-WEEK — Grazer beats the behemoth that killed her cub to win Alaska’s Fat Bear Contest. SENT: 490 words, photos, audio.

TROPICANA-IMPLOSION-LAS-VEGAS — Las Vegas will blow a kiss goodbye — literally — to the Tropicana with a flashy casino implosion. SENT: 590 words, photos.

COLORADO-BAKER-TRANSGENDER-CAKE — Colorado’s Supreme Court dismisses suit against baker who wouldn’t make a cake for transgender woman. SENT: 540 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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ELECTION-2024-MAINE-TRUMP-CALL — Republican Donald Trump mixed up Democratic Gov. Janet Mills’ gender on a phone call with supporters in Maine. The Bangor Daily News obtained a recording of the call in which Trump referred to the state’s first female governor as “he” several times while attacking Mills on immigration. SENT: 330 words, photos.

ELECTION 2024-HOUSE-IMMIGRATION — In some of the closest House races in the country, Democratic candidates are leaning into an issue that Republicans have made a centerpiece of their pitch to voters — immigration. SENT: 1,020 words, photo.

ELECTION-DAY-PLOT — The FBI has arrested an Afghan man who officials say was inspired by the Islamic State militant organization and was plotting an Election Day attack targeting large crowds in the U.S., the Justice Department said. SENT: 820 words, photo, audio.

ELECTION 2024-ABORTION — Two court rulings this week have delivered major blows to reproductive rights in Texas and Georgia but, during a crucial time in the election cycle, Democrats have attempted to seize on them to energize voters to turn out in support of abortion access. SENT: 990 words, photo. WITH ABORTION-THINGS-TO-KNOW — SENT: 800 words, photos.

SUPREME COURT-OKLAHOMA EXECUTION — The Supreme Court is returning to the case of Richard Glossip, who has spent most of the past quarter century on Oklahoma’s death row for a murder he says he did not commit. SENT: 500 words, photo. Arguments at 10 a.m.

To help make sense of the way America picks a president, The Associated Press is offering this package of stories.

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NATIONAL

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DEATH-PENALTY-ALABAMA — A federal judge heard testimony about what happened during the nation’s first two nitrogen gas executions, weighing whether to allow Alabama to use that method again next month to put an inmate to death. SENT: 600 words. With SOUTH-CAROLINA-EXECUTION — South Carolina death row inmate told to choose between execution methods — SENT.

WISCONSIN-400-YEAR-VETO — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ creative use of his expansive veto power in an attempt to lock in a school funding increase for 400 years comes before the state Supreme Court. SENT: 630 words, photo.

ILLINOIS-EX-HOUSE-SPEAKER — Jury selection begins in the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, once the longest-serving legislative leader in U.S. history. Madigan is charged in a multimillion-dollar racketeering and bribery scheme that included the state’s largest utility, ComEd. SENT: 370 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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MOZAMBIQUE-ELECTION — Mozambique is voting for a new president in an election that could extend the ruling party’s 49 years in power since the southern African nation gained independence from Portugal in 1975. SENT: 790 words, photos.

LAOS-ASEAN — Southeast Asian leaders gathered in the capital of Laos for an annual regional forum that will focus on tackling the prolonged civil war in Myanmar and territorial tensions in the South China Sea. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit will also be followed by meetings with global powers including China, the United States and Russia, which are contending for influence in the region. SENT: 930 words, photos, video.

KOREAS-TENSIONS — North Korea says it will permanently block its border with South Korea and boost its front-line defense posture to cope with “confrontational hysteria” by South Korean and U.S. forces, while not announcing an expected constitutional revision to designate South Korea its principal enemy and codify national borders. It’s unclear how the moves will affect ties with South Korea since cross-border travel and exchanges have been halted for years. SENT: 580 words, photos, video.

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BUSINESS/TECH

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GOOGLE-ANTITRUST — The U.S. Department of Justice is considering asking a federal judge to force Google to sell parts of its business in order to eliminate its online search monopoly. In a court filing, federal prosecutors also said the judge could ask the court to open the underlying data Google uses to power its ubiquitous search engine and artificial intelligence products to competitors. SENT: 330 words, photo.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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BOOKS-RILEY-KEOUGH-LISA-MARIE-PRESLEY — Riley Keough, the daughter of Lisa Marie Presley, has faithfully completed her mother’s memoir after her sudden death in 2023. She tells The Associated Press she felt a “duty” to finish the book, which touches on her father’s death, her relationship with her mother, her marriage to Michael Jackson, her struggles with addiction, and more. SENT: 880 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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TRANSGENDER SPORTS-GEORGIA — The regents who govern Georgia’s public universities and colleges want the NCAA to ban transgender women from participating in women’s sports. The unanimous vote came after Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones vowed in August to pass legislation banning transgender women from athletic events at public colleges. Opponents say those seeking bans on transgender participation in women’s and girls’ sports are pursuing political gain. SENT: 750 words, photo.

NEW-HAMPSHIRE-TRANSGENDER-SPORTS — A federal judge has declined to grant an immediate order sought by some New Hampshire parents to allow them to wear pink wristbands with “XX” on them at girls high school soccer games to protest transgender girls playing. SENT: 570 words.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Lorian Bélanger 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.

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani breaks his bat as he singles during the third inning in Game 3 of a baseball NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A neighbor cries during the funeral of Jean Louis Jeune Gracien, who was killed during an attack by armed gangs, in Pont-Sonde, Haiti, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

A person rides his bike through a flooded street in the rain as Hurricane Milton passes off the coast of Progreso, Yucatan state, Mexico, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Zetina)

Ted Carlson puts his best friend Evan Purcell's cat McKenzie into a pick-up truck as the pair recover her along with other important items from Purcell's home ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton, as debris from Hurricane Helene damage to Purcell's garage level still sits alongside the driveway, in Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island, Fla., Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. "This place couldn't handle Helene," said Carlson, predicting. "It's all going to be gone." (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Duke Energy project manager Tiger Yates, bottom center, walks among the hundreds of lineman trucks staged, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. at The Villages, Fla. in preparation for Hurricane Milton. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

Smoke and fire rise from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Palestinians mourn a relative killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese prosecutors said Tuesday they will not appeal the acquittal of the world’s longest-serving death-row inmate in a retrial last month, bringing closure to the 1966 murder case after more than a half-century of legal battles.

Prosecutor-general Naomi Unemoto said the prosecution decided not to appeal the Shizuoka District Court decision that found Iwao Hakamada not guilty in a retrial 58 years after his arrest, saying: “We feel sorry for putting him in a legally unstable situation for an extremely long time.”

Hakamada, an 88-year-old former boxer, was found not guilty on Oct. 26 by the Shizuoka court, which concluded that police and prosecutors collaborated in fabricating and planting evidence against him. The court said he was forced into confession by violent, hourslong interrogations.

The top prosecutors’ decision to not appeal two days before the Oct. 10 deadline finalizes Hakamada’s acquittal by the district court.

”I’m delighted that we finally resolved this. Case closed,” his 91-year-old sister Hideko Hakamada told reporters after getting a phone call from her lawyer about the prosecutors’ decision.

“I kind of knew this was going to happen,” Hakamada said, with a laugh.

Unemoto, in a statement on the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office website, also apologized for Hakamada's decades-long unstable legal situation amid a lengthy court process and pledged to investigate why the retrial took so long. She expressed dissatisfaction over the court decision that investigators had fabricated evidence.

Hakamada was convicted of murder in the 1966 killing of an executive and three of his family members and setting fire to their home in central Japan. He was sentenced to death in 1968 but was not executed, due to the lengthy appeal and retrial process in Japan’s notoriously slow-paced justice system.

His acquittal became official on Wednesday when the Shizuoka prosecutors office submitted the paper waving the right to appeal.

The Shizuoka prefectural police chief, Takayoshi Tsuda, told reporters he hoped to directly apologize to Hakamada. He expressed regret for the victims' families that the case ended without finding the culprit.

Hakamada became the fifth death row inmate to be found not guilty in a retrial in postwar Japan, where prosecutors have a more than 99% conviction rate and retrials are extremely rare.

He spent more than 45 years on death row, making him the world’s longest-serving death-row inmate, according to Amnesty International.

With Tuesday’s settlement of the retrial ruling, Hakamada is now entitled to receive government compensation of up to about 200 million yen ($1.4 million).

His lawyer Hideyo Ogawa has said his defense team is considering filing a damage suit against the government and the Shizuoka prefecture over the collaboration of prosecutors and police in fabricating evidence, despite knowing it could send Hakamada to the gallows.

FILE - Iwao Hakamada, 88-year-old former boxer who has been on death row for nearly six decades after his murder conviction that his lawyers said was based on forced confession and fabricated evidence, goes for a walk in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka prefecture, central Japan, on Sept. 26, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP, File)