AP News Digest 2 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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ONLY ON AP

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ELECTION-2024-INFLUENCERS-RUSSIA — Ben Swann, a self-described independent journalist who promotes conspiracy theories, owns a company that’s been paid millions of dollars in recent years by Russian state media. Through a separate company, he’s produced a series of online videos critical of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that have been heavily promoted by conservative influencers. The creation of “Zelenskyy Unmasked” and its spread reveal how widely Russia-backed talking points are traveling on social media. By Alan Suderman and Garance Burke. SENT: 2,260 words, photos.

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TOP STORIES

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MIDEAST-WARS — Hamas has confirmed that its leader, Yahya Sinwar, was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza and reiterated its stance that hostages the militant group took from Israel a year ago will not be released until there is a cease-fire in Gaza and a withdrawal of Israeli troops. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin said a day earlier that his country’s military will keep fighting until the hostages are released and will remain in Gaza to prevent a severely weakened Hamas from rearming. By Julia Frankel and Abby Sewell. SENT: 1,170 words, photos. WITH: MIDEAST-WARS-THE-LATEST

OBIT-YAHYA SINWAR — Yahya Sinwar has been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. He was 61. He was Hamas’ top leader and a mastermind of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the longest, deadliest and most destructive war in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In Gaza, no figure loomed larger in determining the war’s trajectory than Sinwar. He was a rarely seen veteran militant who learned Hebrew over years spent in Israeli prisons and who carefully studied his enemy. By Bassem Mroue. SENT: 1,050 words, photos. WITH: MIDEAST-WARS-SINWAR-WHAT-TO-KNOW — (sent).

ISRAEL-HOSTAGE FAMILIES-GLIMMER OF OPPORTUNITY — The families of hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza say time is of the essence to rescue their loved ones following the killing of Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas, by Israeli troops in Gaza. They are extremely worried that Sinwar’s death might endanger their loved ones even more by prompting retaliation from the hostages’ captors. By Julia Frankel. SENT: 650 words, photos.

RUSSIA-NUCLEAR-ARSENAL — This year has seen President Vladimir Putin repeatedly brandish the nuclear sword, reminding everyone that Russia has the world’s largest atomic arsenal to try to deter the West from ramping up support for Ukraine. SENT: 1,230 words, photos.

ELECTION-2024 — Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will both be scouring for votes in Michigan as they try to lock down support in this key political battleground. Harris is scheduled to begin her day in Grand Rapids before holding events in Lansing and Oakland County, which is northwest of Detroit. Trump has his own event in Oakland County in the afternoon before holding a rally in Detroit in the evening. By Chris Megerian. SENT: 300 words, photos.

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RUSSIA UKRAINE-WAR

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NORTH-KOREA-RUSSIA — South Korea’s spy agency said that North Korea has dispatched troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. If confirmed, the move would bring a third country into the war and intensify a standoff between North Korea and the West. SENT: 980 words, photos, audio.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Russia returned to Ukraine the bodies of 501 soldiers, Ukrainian authorities said, in what appeared to be the biggest repatriation of war dead since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. SENT: 380 words, photos.

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MORE NEWS

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GERMANY-FIRE-STATION-BLAZE — Local reports say a brand-new fire station that burned down in a blaze that caused millions of euros in damage did not have a fire alarm system. SENT: 240 words, photos.

CVS-HEALTH-CEO — CVS Health CEO Karen Lynch has stepped down with company shares sinking 19% this year and the health care giant struggling on several fronts. SENT: 680 words, photos.

HONG-KONG-MONKEY-DEATHS — Nine monkeys who died in Hong Kong’s oldest zoo in two days this week had been infected with an endemic disease. SENT: 380 words, photos.

METS-TEMPTATIONS — Mets fans will get a little help when they sing “My Girl” at Game 5 of the National League Championship Series on Friday: The Temptations will be in the ballpark. SENT: 130 words, photo.

FBN-CUTLER-ARREST — Former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler was charged with driving under the influence and possession of a handgun after a traffic accident in Franklin, Tennessee. SENT: 190 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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ELECTION-2024-JEZEBEL-SPIRIT — Christian nationalist leaders are telling followers that Vice President Kamala Harris is under the influence of a “Jezebel spirit.” The term has deeply racist and misogynistic roots that is setting off alarm bells for religious and political scholars. It is inspired by the biblical story of the evil Queen Jezebel, who persecuted prophets and was punished with a horrible death. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.

ELECTION-2024-NORTH-CAROLINA-EARLY-VOTING — The number of people casting ballots on the first day of early in-person voting in presidential battleground North Carolina exceeded the first-day total four years ago — even as Hurricane Helene recovery continued in the mountains. The State Board of Elections said Friday that a record 353,166 people cast ballots statewide on Thursday. SENT: 490 words, photos.

TRUMP-CAPITOL-RIOT — The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case made public a heavily redacted trove of documents that provide a small glimpse into the evidence prosecutors will present if the case ever goes to trial. SENT: 370 words, photos.

ELECTION-2024-HARRIS-OBAMAS — Vice President Kamala Harris is getting ready for her first campaign appearances with Barack and Michelle Obama this month in Georgia and Michigan. A Harris campaign official says the vice president will appear with the former president in Georgia on Oct. 24, and with the former first lady in Michigan on Oct. 26. SENT: 360 words, photos.

BIDEN — President Biden has said as he meets with European partners that it’s important for Ukraine’s Western allies to “sustain our resolve” in supporting the country. The upcoming U.S. presidential election is casting a long shadow over Biden’s visit to Germany. He met Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Ukraine’s second-biggest military supplier after the U.S., and they were joined by the French and British leaders for discussions that also were addressing the conflict in the Middle East. SENT: 800 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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PHILANTHROPY-INFLUENCERS-CONTROVERSY — A wave of influencers on TikTok and other social media platforms have started specializing in a trend they call “kindness content,” which usually entails recording a charitable act like giving money or goods to strangers in need. Creators like Jimmy Darts have millions of followers they encourage to crowdfund to raise money for their video subjects. But some critics find the content to be problematic. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.

CALIFORNIA-DIABLO-WIND — A California utility shut off power in 12 counties in the northern part of the state as a major “diablo wind” — notorious in autumn for its hot, dry gusts — spiked the risk of power lines sparking a wildfire. SENT: 540 words, photos.

TEENS-KILLED-INDIANA — A murder trial is beginning in Indiana in the killings of two teenage girls. Fifty-two-year-old Richard Allen is charged in the killings of 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty German. SENT: 690 words, photos.

SOUTH-CAROLINA-EXECUTION — A condemned South Carolina inmate has chosen to be executed by injection for killing a store clerk in 1999. Richard Moore had until Friday to decide between injection, firing squad or the electric chair for his Nov. 1 execution. It would mark the second execution in South Carolina after a 13-year pause that began because the state could not obtain a drug needed for lethal injection. SENT: 790 words, photo.

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INTERNATIONAL

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INDONESIA-PRABOWO-SUBIANTO — A wealthy former general with ties to both Indonesia’s popular outgoing president and the country’s dictatorial past will be inaugurated Sunday as the nation’s new leader. Prabowo Subianto has promised to continue his predecessor’s popular policies, but his human rights record has some concerned. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ TECH

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TESLA-INVESTIGATION – The U.S. government’s road safety agency is investigating Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” system after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian. SENT: 760 words, photo.

ECONOMY-AFFLUENT-CUSTOMERS — It’s a trend that has surprised many: Why, despite being squeezed by high prices, have Americans kept spending at retail stores and restaurants at a robust pace? One key reason is a relatively simple one: Wealthier consumers, boosted by strong gains in income, home equity and stock market wealth, have increasingly driven the spending. SENT: 1,060 words, photos, audio.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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ENT-TV-REBA-MCENTIRE — Reba McEntire finds herself behind the bar in her latest return to network TV, making a series that’s a nicely calibrated cocktail of drama and comedy. NBC’s “Happy’s Place” — premiering Friday — finds McEntire’s character, Bobbie, inheriting a Tennessee tavern from her recently-passed father and finding out in the first episode that he had a second family. By AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT: 770 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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NLCS-DODGERS-METS — Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers try to finish off the New York Mets and advance to the World Series in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. Jack Flaherty is scheduled to start for his hometown Dodgers. UPCOMING: 700 words, with photos. Game starts 5:08 p.m.

ALCS-YANKEES-GUARDIANS — Following a drama-filled Game 3 that had one big moment after the next in the final three innings, New York and Cleveland go at it again in the AL Championship Series with the Yankees holding a 2-1 lead over the Guardians. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos. Game starts at 8:08 p.m.

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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.

Relatives pause at the grave of Israel Defense Forces Captain Elad Siman Tov, who was killed in action in Lebanon, during his funeral in Petah Tikva, Israel, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., listens at the 79th annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Joe Biden arrives at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

A man walks in a flooded street in Rive-de-Gier, central France, after torrential rains and flooding submerged roads and railways, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

A model wears a creation from the As Marias collection at the Oficina Theater during Sao Paulo Fashion Week in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government's road safety agency is investigating Tesla's “Full Self-Driving” system after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents that it opened the probe on Thursday after the company reported four crashes when Teslas encountered sun glare, fog and airborne dust.

In addition to the pedestrian's death, another crash involved an injury, the agency said.

Investigators will look into the ability of “Full Self-Driving” to “detect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions, and if so, the contributing circumstances for these crashes.”

The investigation covers roughly 2.4 million Teslas from the 2016 through 2024 model years.

A message was left early Friday seeking comment from Tesla, which has repeatedly said the system cannot drive itself and human drivers must be ready to intervene at all times.

Last week Tesla held an event at a Hollywood studio to unveil a fully autonomous robotaxi without a steering wheel or pedals. Musk, who has promised autonomous vehicles before, said the company plans to have autonomous Models Y and 3 running without human drivers next year. Robotaxis without steering wheels would be available in 2026 starting in California and Texas, he said.

The investigation's impact on Tesla's self-driving ambitions isn't clear. NHTSA would have to approve any robotaxi without pedals or a steering wheel, and it's unlikely that would happen while the investigation is in progress. But if the company tries to deploy autonomous vehicles in its existing models, that likely would fall to state regulations. There are no federal regulations specifically focused on autonomous vehicles, although they must meet broader safety rules.

NHTSA also said it would look into whether any other similar crashes involving “Full Self-Driving” have happened in low visibility conditions, and it will seek information from the company on whether any updates affected the system’s performance in those conditions.

“In particular, this review will assess the timing, purpose and capabilities of any such updates, as well as Telsa’s assessment of their safety impact,” the documents said.

Tesla reported the four crashes to NHTSA under an order from the agency covering all automakers. An agency database says the pedestrian was killed in Rimrock, Arizona, in November of 2023 after being hit by a 2021 Tesla Model Y. Rimrock is about 100 miles (161 kilometers) north of Phoenix.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety said in a statement that the crash happened just after 5 p.m. Nov. 27 on Interstate 17. Two vehicles collided on the freeway, blocking the left lane. A Toyota 4Runner stopped, and two people got out to help with traffic control. A red Tesla Model Y then hit the 4Runner and one of the people who exited from it. A 71-year-old woman from Mesa, Arizona was pronounced dead at the scene. Further details weren't immediately available.

Tesla has twice recalled “Full Self-Driving” under pressure from NHTSA, which in July sought information from law enforcement and the company after a Tesla using the system struck and killed a motorcyclist near Seattle.

The recalls were issued because the system was programmed to run stop signs at slow speeds and because the system disobeyed other traffic laws. Both problems were to be fixed with online software updates.

Critics have said that Tesla’s system, which uses only cameras to spot hazards, doesn’t have proper sensors to be fully self driving. Nearly all other companies working on autonomous vehicles use radar and laser sensors in addition to cameras to see better in the dark or poor visibility conditions.

The “Full Self-Driving” recalls arrived after a three-year investigation into Tesla's less-sophisticated Autopilot system crashing into emergency and other vehicles parked on highways, many with warning lights flashing.

That investigation was closed last April after the agency pressured Tesla into recalling its vehicles to bolster a weak system that made sure drivers are paying attention. A few weeks after the recall, NHTSA began investigating whether the recall was working.

NHTSA began its Autopilot crash investigation in 2021, after receiving 11 reports that Teslas that were using Autopilot struck parked emergency vehicles. In documents explaining why the investigation was ended, NHTSA said it ultimately found 467 crashes involving Autopilot resulting in 54 injuries and 14 deaths. Autopilot is a fancy version of cruise control, while “Full Self-Driving” has been billed by Musk as capable of driving without human intervention.

The investigation that was opened Thursday enters new territory for NHTSA, which previously had viewed Tesla's systems as assisting drivers rather than driving themselves. With the new probe, the agency is focusing on the capabilities of “Full Self-Driving" rather than simply making sure drivers are paying attention.

Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said the previous investigation of Autopilot didn't look at why the Teslas weren't seeing and stopping for emergency vehicles.

“Before they were kind of putting the onus on the driver rather than the car,” he said. “Here they're saying these systems are not capable of appropriately detecting safety hazards whether the drivers are paying attention or not.”

US to probe Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving' system after pedestrian killed in low visibility conditions

The logo of Tesla car is pictured at the Paris Auto Show, in Paris, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

US to probe Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving' system after pedestrian killed in low visibility conditions