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/DEVELOPING

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Adds: GEORGIA-ELECTION-2024-CONGRESS; SEXUAL-MISCONDUCT-DIDDY; HURRICANE-HELENE-FEMA-THREATS; HURRICANE-MILTON; EGYPT-BUS-CRASH; NATIONAL-ZOO-PANDAS; CASH-APP-FOUNDER-KILLED; MIDEAST-WARS-LEBANON-UNICEF; ELECTION 2024-TRUMP-KEMP; ELECTION 2024-WISCONSIN-SENATE MIDEAST WARS-UNITED STATES-ISRAEL

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ONLY ON AP

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ELECTION-2024-AP-POLL-AAPI-IMMIGRATION — According to a new poll, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander adults are more likely than the overall U.S. population to view legal immigration as an asset to the country’s economy and workforce. However, their concerns about risks posed by illegal immigration are nearly on par with those of Americans overall. By Terry Tang and Linley Sanders. SENT: 1,090 words, photos, audio.

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TOP STORIES

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MIDEAST-WARS — An Israeli airstrike has hit an apartment building in northern Lebanon, killing at least 21 people, according to the Lebanese Red Cross. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military and it was not clear what the target was. By Yahya Habchiti, Kareem Chehayeb and Wafaa Shurafa. SENT: 990 words, photos, videos. With MIDEAST-WARS-THE-LATEST — Middle East latest: EU condemns attacks on peacekeepers in Lebanon; MIDEAST-WARS-DRONE-THREAT — Hezbollah’s drones are a fierce and evasive threat to Israel; MIDEAST-WARS-LEBANON-UNICEF —The UN says over 400,000 children in Lebanon have been displaced in 3 weeks by war; MIDEAST WARS-UNITED STATES-ISRAEL — Sending a THAAD air defense system to Israel adds to strain on US Army forces (all sent).

ELECTION-2024-HARRIS — Vice President Kamala Harris is announcing a series of proposals designed to give Black men more economic opportunities as she works to energize a key voting bloc that has Democrats concerned about a lack of enthusiasm. Harris’ plan includes providing forgivable business loans for entrepreneurs, creating more apprenticeships and studying sickle cell and other diseases that disproportionately affect Black men. By Will Weissert. SENT: 780 words, photos. With ELECTION-2024-HARRIS-FOX-NEWS — Kamala Harris will sit down with Bret Baier for her first Fox News interview (sent).

ELECTION-2024-TRUMP-FEDERAL-CASES -- A year that began with the prospect of a federal court reckoning for Donald Trump will conclude without any chance at trial, leaving voters without an up-or-down jury verdict in the two most consequential cases against the Republican presidential nominee. Their potential resurgence makes clear that at stake in November’s vote is not only the presidency but potentially Trump’s liberty as he faces the prospect of years of court fights. By Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer. SENT: 2,460 words, photos. With ELECTION-2024-TRUMP-FEDERAL-CASES-TAKEAWAYS (sent).

HURRICANE-HELENE-FEMA-THREATS — Federal disaster workers have paused and then changed some of their hurricane-recovery efforts in North Carolina, including abandoning door-to-door visits, after receiving threats that they could be targeted by a militia, officials say, as the government response to Helene is targeted by runaway disinformation. By Gary D. Robertson and Sarah Brumfield. SENT: 730 words, photos. With HURRICANE-MILTON — Florida returning to something like normal after Hurricane Milton (sent).

NOBEL-ECONOMICS — The Nobel memorial prize in economics has been awarded to three economists who have studied why some countries are rich and others poor and have documented that freer, open societies are more likely to prosper. By Daniel Niemann, Mike Corder and Paul Wiseman. SENT: 1,060 words, photos, audio.

SCI-NASA-EUROPA-CLIPPER — A NASA spacecraft has rocketed away on a quest to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa and reveal whether its vast hidden ocean might hold the keys to life. By Aerospace Writer Marcia Dunn. SENT: 570 words, photos, video, audio. With SCI-NASA-EUROPA-CLIPPER-EXPLAINER — NASA spacecraft sets sail for Jupiter and its moon Europa, one of the best bets for finding life beyond Earth (sent).

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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES

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BELARUS-CRACKDOWN-KOLESNIKOVA — The last time any of Maria Kolesnikova’s family had contact with the imprisoned Belarusian opposition activist was more than 18 months ago. Fellow inmates reported hearing her plead for medical help from her tiny and dingy cell. Kolesnikova is one of several major opponents of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko to disappear behind bars. By Yuras Karmanau. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

INDIGENOUS-PEOPLES-DAY — As Native Americans across the U.S. come together for Indigenous Peoples Day to celebrate their history and culture, and acknowledge the ongoing challenges they face, many will do so with a focus on the November elections. By Hallie Golden. SENT: 680 words, photos, audio.

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Russia says that it has captured the village of Levadne in southern Ukraine as it probes for weaknesses along the war’s roughly 600-mile front line, including in eastern areas that are the main focus of Moscow’s military effort before winter arrives. SENT: 620 words, photos, audio. With RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-EUROPE — EU targets top Iran officials and airlines, accusing them of supplying drones and missiles to Russia (sent).

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MORE NEWS

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SEXUAL-MISCONDUCT-DIDDY — A new wave of lawsuits accuses Sean “Diddy” Combs of raping women, sexually assaulting men and molesting a 16-year-old boy. SENT: 770 words, photos.

INDIA-CANADA — Canada and India have expelled six of each other’s diplomats in an escalating dispute over the June 2023 assassination of a Sikh activist in Canada. SENT: 860 words, photos, video, audio.

EGYPT-BUS-CRASH — A bus carrying university students crashes, killing 12 and injuring 33 in Egypt’s northeast, SENT: 160 words, photo.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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ELECTION-2024— Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will take their fight for Pennsylvania to opposite ends of the state with Harris speaking in the northwest corner of Erie and Trump in the southeastern suburbs of Philadelphia. SENT: 750 words, photo. With ELECTION-2024-THE-LATEST (sent). Trump speech at 6 p.m., Harris at 8 p.m.

ELECTION 2024-TRUMP-KEMP — Republican megadonor Miriam Adelson has contributed $1 million to Gov. Brian Kemp’s super PAC, a development that appears to be helping Donald Trump in battleground Georgia. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.

ELECTION 2024-WISCONSIN-SENATE — Sensing an opportunity in swing-state Wisconsin, Republicans are pouring money into a bid to unseat incumbent Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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NATIONAL ZOO-PANDAS — The National Zoo’s long dark panda drought seems to be coming to an end. A pair of three-year old giant pandas have left a research facility in the southwestern Chinese city of Dujiangyan and will soon be flown to Washington. SENT: 670 words, photos.

OBIT-LEDBETTER — Lilly Ledbetter, a former Alabama factory manager whose lawsuit against her employer made her an icon of the equal pay movement and led to landmark wage discrimination legislation, has died at 86. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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FRANCE-RUSSIA-TRIAL — A Russian court has convicted a French citizen of collecting military information and sentenced him to three years in prison. SENT: 480 words, photos.

LITHUANIA-ELECTION — The opposition Social Democratic Party has emerged as the leader after Sunday’s first round of national elections in Lithuania and says it will start negotiations to form a new government with left-leaning parties, which would oust the center-right coalition that has ruled for the past four years. SENT: 430 words, photos.

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BUSINESS

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BRITAIN-INVESTMENT — Britain’s new Labour Party government announces billions of pounds in investment in U.K. artificial intelligence, life sciences and infrastructure on Monday at a business summit attended by executives from major international companies — though it was the absence of Elon Musk that made headlines. SENT: 620 words, photos.

CASH-APP-FOUNDER-KILLED — San Francisco prosecutors have made opening statements in the murder trial of a tech consultant charged in the stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee, previewing a timeline of events before the death and attempts afterward by the defendant to hide what he did. SENT: 670 photos, audio.

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HEALTH/SCIENCE

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MED-BE-WELL-FAILURE-TRAINING — Just how much pain do you have to endure to benefit from weight training? Fitness experts say that depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. For years, some trainers have instructed gym-goers that to get the best results, they need to train “until failure,” meaning until you physically cannot do one more repetition or exercise. Some recent studies, however, suggest this extreme regimen may only benefit certain people. SENT: 590 words, photo.

DENMARK-VIKINGS — In a village in central Denmark, archeologists made a landmark discovery that could hold important clues to the Viking era: a burial ground, containing some 50 “exceptionally well-preserved” skeletons. SENT: 530 words, photos, video.

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SPORTS

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T25-COLLEGE BKB POLL —Kansas was picked first in the AP Top 25 preseason men’s basketball poll, getting the No. 1 nod on half of the 60 ballots from a national media panel to start the season ahead of Alabama and two-time defending national champion UConn. SENT: 800 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, 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 couple drops their mail-in ballots into a collection box held by Sumter County Supervisor of Elections Bill Keen, during a golf cart parade to deliver mail-in votes organized by the Villages Democratic Club, in The Villages, Fla., Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

A TV reporter puts on make up while Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump delivers a speech during a campaign rally at the Findlay Toyota Arena, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Prescott Valley, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Police officers detain a demonstrator protesting Israel's war against Hamas as they occupy an area outside the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

The Peugeot Hypersquare is presented at the Paris Auto Show, in Paris, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Kenya Wildlife Service rangers and capture team cool down a sedated elephant at Mwea National Park, east of the capital Nairobi, Kenya Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

French President Emmanuel Macron, center right, his wife Brigitte, Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde attend a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Louis Delmotte)

Former U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, wears a pin featuring American and Ukraine flags as she speaks at Chatham House to discuss challenges to American democracy and the importance of leadership in an election year in London, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

University of Chicago professor James A. Robinson, one of three winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics, responds to a standing ovation during a news conference celebrating Robinson at university Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Palestinians look at the damage after an Israeli strike hit a tent area in the courtyard of Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Mourners carry a picture of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during the funeral procession of their relatives, in Maisara near the northern coastal town of Byblos, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A white former Kansas City police officer who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a Black man was released from prison Friday after Missouri’s governor commuted his sentence to parole.

The decision by Republican Gov. Mike Parson to free Eric DeValkenaere came after months of public debate about the case, which had fueled both racial justice protests and impassioned pleas for mercy from DeValkenaere's supporters who asserted he had been unjustly convicted.

DeValkenaere was serving a six-year prison sentence. He was convicted in 2021 of killing 26-year-old Cameron Lamb as he backed into his garage. Lamb’s name was invoked frequently during racial injustice protests in Kansas City in 2020 following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Lamb’s family even met with then-President Donald Trump that year.

Parson did not pardon DeValkenaere but rather shortened his sentence to parole, subject to normal restrictions against possessing firearms, traveling out of state without permission and other items. He granted a similar commutation of parole to Patty Prewitt, another high-profile prisoner who had spent 40 years behind bars for her husband’s killing.

The Department of Corrections confirmed both were freed Friday afternoon, before Parson publicly announced his decisions. DeValkenaere had been held in an out-of-state prison for his own safety, said Department of Corrections spokesperson Karen Pojmann.

Jason Johnson, president of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, which supports DeValkenaere, said they “will continue to fight to completely clear” his name. Johnson said in a statement that DeValkenaere had an outstanding record of service, adding: "While we strongly maintain that Eric is completely innocent, even those who do not must recognize that the ends of justice are not served by his incarceration.”

The clemency announcements came just weeks before Parson is to end his term, capping a historic string of such actions. Parson, a former rural sheriff, has pardoned or commuted the sentences of more than 800 people while clearing a backlog of more than 3,500 clemency requests he inherited upon taking office in June 2018. That's the most granted clemency cases of any Missouri governor since the 1940s. Most granted clemency had been convicted of lower-level crimes involving drugs or theft. But Parson also denied more than 3,000 clemency petitions.

Gwendolyn Grant, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, said the DeValkenaere clemency decision will tarnish Parson's legacy and “will fuel deeper divisions and ignite justified outrage."

Grant called Parson's decision “nothing short of a flagrant endorsement of systemic racism and a betrayal of justice. By freeing a convicted officer who unlawfully killed Cameron Lamb, a young Black man, the governor has made it crystal clear that Black lives do not matter in the state of Missouri under his leadership.”

At trial, DeValkenaere testified that he fired his weapon on Dec. 3, 2019, after Lamb pointed a gun at another detective, Troy Schwalm, and that he believed his actions saved his partner’s life.

Prosecutors, however, argued that police shouldn’t have been on the property and staged the shooting scene to support their claims that Lamb was armed.

“DeValkenaere was convicted for killing an unarmed man. Period," Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said in a social media post Friday. “He was shown incredible mercy by the Governor. No such mercy was shown to the victims. Today we will focus our time caring for Cameron’s family rather than commenting further.”

Messages left with attorneys for the Lamb family were not immediately returned Friday.

Evidence presented during the trial, which was held without a jury at DeValkenaere’s request, showed that DeValkenaere kicked over a barricade to get into Lamb's backyard.

The trial judge, Dale Youngs, said the officers had no warrant for Lamb’s arrest and had no search warrant or consent to be on the property. He called it a tragic case with troubling facts and said DeValkenaere and the officer with him escalated a situation that had been calmed. He didn’t address allegations that evidence had been planted.

DeValkenaere left the police force after his conviction but remained free on bond until he lost his appeal in October 2023. The Missouri Supreme Court subsequently declined to hear an appeal.

DeValkenaere’s wife, Sarah DeValkenaere, took to social media earlier this week — as she had done often — urging followers to request a pardon.

“I miss him so much,” she said in a message on X in November. “So sad that an officer who dedicated his life to serving our city is now in prison for doing his job.”

Parson did not not offer an explanation for his clemency decisions while announcing them Friday. But he had previously acknowledged the pressure in an interview in August on KCMO Talk Radio.

“There’s not a week that goes by that somebody’s not reaching out to me about that issue, and we’re going to see what happens here before long. I’ll leave it at that. But you know, I don’t like where he’s at. I’ll just say that,” Parson said.

Prewitt, now 75, had filed multiple clemency requests over the years. She was serving a life sentence after being convicted of fatally shooting her husband, Bill Prewitt, in 1984 as he slept in their home in the rural east-central Missouri town of Holden.

Prewitt, a mother of five, said a stranger broke into the house. She declined a plea deal that would have given her the chance for parole after five to seven years. Prosecutors said Prewitt cheated on her husband and her ex-lovers testified at trial in 1985 that she had talked about killing Bill Prewitt.

But Patty Prewitt’s backers argued that her relationship with her husband was improving and that the evidence of her infidelity would not be allowed in court today. In addition, Georgetown University law students examining the case found prosecutors failed to tell defense attorneys that two days after Prewitt’s husband was killed, a neighbor told investigators she had seen a man parked at the end of a nearby dirt road in heavy rain on the night of the murder.

Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas. Associated Press writer Steve Karnowski contributed from Minneapolis.

FILE - Former Kansas City police detective Eric DeValkenaere listens to witness statements during his sentencing hearing, March 4, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. (Jill Toyoshiba/The Kansas City Star via AP, File)