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AP News Digest 6 p.m.

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AP News Digest 6 p.m.
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AP News Digest 6 p.m.

2024-04-24 06:00 Last Updated At:06:11

Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. For up-to-the-minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan in AP Newsroom.

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A person is silhouetted as the sun sets on a spring evening, in Pamplona, northern Spain, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. For up-to-the-minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan in AP Newsroom.

Chinese sailors visit the Chinese People's Liberation Army Naval Museum in Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong province on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Chinese sailors visit the Chinese People's Liberation Army Naval Museum in Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong province on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

The moon rises behind the television tower in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

The moon rises behind the television tower in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

FILE - This Nov. 11, 2013 file photo shows a bedroom built by Mike Spangler using some reclaimed materials, in Belle, W.Va. Nearly one-third of American adults don't get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Some of the major causes: Stress, anxiety and a culture that experts say is about productivity, not rest. (Craig Cunningham/Charleston Daily Mail via AP, file)

FILE - This Nov. 11, 2013 file photo shows a bedroom built by Mike Spangler using some reclaimed materials, in Belle, W.Va. Nearly one-third of American adults don't get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Some of the major causes: Stress, anxiety and a culture that experts say is about productivity, not rest. (Craig Cunningham/Charleston Daily Mail via AP, file)

Local residents walk past debris at the Boychuk art academy that was heavily damaged during a Russian bombing at the end of March, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Local residents walk past debris at the Boychuk art academy that was heavily damaged during a Russian bombing at the end of March, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Former President Donald Trump waits for the start of proceedings in Manhattan criminal court, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. Before testimony resumes Tuesday, the judge will hold a hearing on prosecutors' request to sanction and fine Trump over social media posts they say violate a gag order prohibiting him from attacking key witnesses. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)

Former President Donald Trump waits for the start of proceedings in Manhattan criminal court, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. Before testimony resumes Tuesday, the judge will hold a hearing on prosecutors' request to sanction and fine Trump over social media posts they say violate a gag order prohibiting him from attacking key witnesses. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)

Police advance on protesters though smoke from a fire extinguisher and fireworks used by teachers protesting against forced retirement in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, April 22, 2024. The government of President Luis Arce is proposing a new pension bill to the Plurinational Legislative Assembly that includes forced retirement at age 65. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Police advance on protesters though smoke from a fire extinguisher and fireworks used by teachers protesting against forced retirement in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, April 22, 2024. The government of President Luis Arce is proposing a new pension bill to the Plurinational Legislative Assembly that includes forced retirement at age 65. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

A worker carries a bag of rice at a warehouse in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. Vietnam is the world's third largest rice exporter, and the staple importance to Vietnamese culture is palpable in the Mekong Delta. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A worker carries a bag of rice at a warehouse in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. Vietnam is the world's third largest rice exporter, and the staple importance to Vietnamese culture is palpable in the Mekong Delta. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Former president Donald Trump, center, awaits the start of proceedings at Manhattan criminal court, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. Opening statements in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial are set to begin. Trump is accused of falsifying internal business records as part of an alleged scheme to bury stories he thought might hurt his presidential campaign in 2016. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)

Former president Donald Trump, center, awaits the start of proceedings at Manhattan criminal court, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. Opening statements in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial are set to begin. Trump is accused of falsifying internal business records as part of an alleged scheme to bury stories he thought might hurt his presidential campaign in 2016. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology student Isa Liggans, of Odenton, Md., front left, takes part in Muslim prayer with others Monday, April 22, 2024, at an encampment of tents at MIT, in Cambridge, Mass. Students at MIT set up the encampment of tents on campus to protest what they said was MIT's failure to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and to cut ties to Israel's military. U.S. colleges and universities are preparing for end-of-year commencement ceremonies with a unique challenge: providing safety for graduates while honoring the free speech rights of students involved in protests over the Israel-Hamas war. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology student Isa Liggans, of Odenton, Md., front left, takes part in Muslim prayer with others Monday, April 22, 2024, at an encampment of tents at MIT, in Cambridge, Mass. Students at MIT set up the encampment of tents on campus to protest what they said was MIT's failure to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and to cut ties to Israel's military. U.S. colleges and universities are preparing for end-of-year commencement ceremonies with a unique challenge: providing safety for graduates while honoring the free speech rights of students involved in protests over the Israel-Hamas war. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

A Palestinian reacts to seeing the young victim of an Israeli airstrike, at Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A Palestinian reacts to seeing the young victim of an Israeli airstrike, at Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

NEW/DEVELOPING

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TRANSGENDER-LEGISLATION-LOUISIANA; BKN--PACERS-BUCKS; SUPREME COURT-ABORTION; TUPAC-INVESTIGATION-LAS-VEGAS; HAITI-NEW-LEADERSHIP; NASA-VOYAGER; ELECTION-2024-BIDEN-MOOREHOUSE; ALASKA-PLANE-CRASH; EMHOFF-ASHELEY-JUDD-SUICIDE-PREVENTION; FTC-NONCOMPETE-AGREEMENTS

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ONLY ON AP

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ELECTION 2024-TRUMP-VISAS — The social media company founded by Donald Trump applied for a business visa program that he sought to restrict during his administration and which many of his allies want him to curtail in a potential second term. Trump Media & Technology Group filed an application in June 2022 for an H-1B visa. Federal immigration data shows the visa was approved, but the company says it did not hire the worker. By Adriana Gomez Licon. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.

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TOP STORIES

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TRUMP-HUSH MONEY — A veteran tabloid publisher has testified that he pledged to be Donald Trump’s “eyes and ears” during his 2016 presidential campaign, recounting how he promised the then-candidate that he would help suppress harmful stories and even arranged to purchase the silence of a doorman. The testimony from David Pecker was designed to bolster the prosecution’s premise of a decades-long friendship between Trump and the former publisher of the National Enquirer that culminated in an agreement to give the candidate’s lawyer a heads-up on negative tips and stories so they could be quashed. By Michael R. Sisak, Jennifer Peltz, Eric Tucker and Jake Offenhartz. SENT: 1,220 words, photos, video, audio. WITH: TRUMP-HUSH MONEY-THE LATEST (sent).

CONGRESS-UKRAINE —The Senate has voted overwhelmingly to move ahead with $95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, bringing the bill to the brink of passage after months of delays and contentious internal debate over how involved the United States should be abroad. The vote to end a filibuster drew the support of 80 senators — 10 more than supported the bill when the Senate first passed it in February -- virtually guaranteeing that the bill will soon reach President Biden’s desk. A final vote could come as soon as Tuesday evening. By Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 900 words, photo. WITH: RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-MILITARY-AID — Pentagon set to send $1 billion in new military aid to Ukraine once bill clears Senate and Biden (sent).

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-CAMPUS-PROTESTS — The turmoil sweeping universities across the United States continued as dozens of student protesters faced charges, new encampments arose and some colleges allowed students to stay home and learn online. Student protests against Israel’s war with Hamas had been bubbling for months but kicked into a higher gear after more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had camped out on Columbia University’s upper Manhattan campus were arrested last week. With tensions at Columbia continuing to run high and some students afraid to set foot on the campus, officials said the university will switch to hybrid learning for the rest of the semester. Protests have been spreading nationwide. By Karen Matthews and Nick Perry. SENT: 990 words, photos, video, audio.

GYM-DOCTOR-SEXUAL-ABUSE — The U.S. Justice Department is paying $138.7 million to settle more than 100 claims that it badly mishandled allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016. It was a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue preying on victims before his arrest. Nassar worked at Michigan State University and at USA Gymnastics. He’s serving decades in prison for assaulting female athletes, including Olympians. For more than a year, FBI agents in Indianapolis and Los Angeles had knowledge of allegations against Nassar but apparently took no action. By Ed White. SENT: 590 words, video photos.

EDUCATION-CHILD-CARE-DISRUPTIONS — The high costs and limited availability of quality child care are holding back American moms without college degrees. Women’s participation in the workforce has recovered from the pandemic, reaching historic highs in December. But that masks a lingering employment crisis among moms who lack a college degree. By Moriah Balingit and Sharon Lurye, and The Seattle Times’s Daniel Beekman. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.

TESLA’S-FUTURE — Faced with falling global sales and a diving stock price, Tesla has slashed prices again on some of its electric vehicles and its “Full Self Driving” system in an apparent effort to boost the company’s earnings growth. But Wall Street was unimpressed and will be looking for other answers from CEO Elon Musk when Tesla releases a report on its first-quarter finances after the U.S. stock market’s closing bell. By Tom Krisher. SENT: 830 words, photos.

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says a Russian missile strike that smashed a television tower in Kharkiv was part of the Kremlin’s ongoing effort to intimidate Ukraine’s second-largest city. Kharkiv has come under increasingly frequent attack. Zelenskyy said the strike sought to “make the terror visible to the whole city and to try to limit Kharkiv’s connection and access to information.” SENT: 720 words, photos, video.

POLAND-BRITAIN-UKRAINE — U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that the country is to increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by the end of the decade. Sunak made the announcement during a visit to Warsaw Tuesday, where he also described a new pledge to send arms to Ukraine. The U.K. has pledged an additional $620 million in new military supplies for Ukraine, including long-range missiles and four million rounds of ammunition. SENT: 560 words, photos.

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MORE NEWS

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TUPAC-INVESTIGATION-LAS-VEGAS — The defense attorney representing a former Los Angeles-area gang leader accused of killing hip-hop music icon Tupac Shakur in 1996 in Las Vegas says his client’s accounts of the killing are fiction. SENT: 480 words, photos, audio.

ALASKA-PLANE-CRASH — Douglas DC-4 plane crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska; not clear how many people on board. SENT: 150 words.

UNITED-HEALTH-CHANGE-CYBERATTACK -- UnitedHealth says files with personal information that could cover a “substantial portion of people in America” may have been taken in the cyberattack on its Change Healthcare business. SENT: 370 words, photo.

BIRTHDAY-PARTY-CRASH — Second-degree murder charges have been filed against a Michigan woman who smashed her SUV into a boat club that was hosting a birthday party and killed two young siblings. SENT: 550 words, photo, video.

EMHOFF-ASHELEY-JUDD-SUICIDE-PREVENTION — Actor Ashley Judd and singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc, who both lost loved ones to suicide, has helped the Biden administration promote its new national strategy to prevent suicide. SENT: 300 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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SUPREME COURT-TRUMP-CAPITOL RIOT-THINGS TO KNOW — The core issue being debated before the Supreme Court on Thursday boils down to this: Whether a former president is immune from prosecution for actions taken while in office — and, if so, what is the extent of the immunity? SENT: 1,080 words, photo.

SUPREME COURT-ABORTION — Nearly two years after overturning the constitutional right to abortion, the Supreme Court will consider how far state bans can extend to women in medical emergencies. The justices are weighing a case from Idaho, where a strict abortion ban went into effect shortly after the high court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade. The case marks the first time the Supreme Court has considered a state ban since then, and comes as the justices consider another case — still pending — seeking to restrict access to abortion medication. SENT: 980 words, photo.

UNITED STATES-CHINA — Secretary of State Antony Blinken is starting three days of talks with senior Chinese officials in Shanghai and Beijing this week. The trip comes as U.S.-China ties are at a critical point over numerous global disputes. By Matthew Lee. SENT: 980 words, photo, audio.

ELECTION-2024-BIDEN-ABORTION — President Joe Biden has blamed Donald Trump for Florida’s upcoming abortion ban and other restrictions across the country that have imperiled access to care for pregnant women, arguing Trump has created a “healthcare crisis for women all over this country.” Biden’s campaign events at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa placed the president in the epicenter of the latest battle over abortion restrictions. SENT: 990 words, photos.

ELECTION-2024-BIDEN-MOOREHOUSE — President Joe Biden will be the commencement speaker at Morehouse College in Georgia, giving the Democrat a key spotlight on one of the nation’s preeminent historically Black campuses but potentially exposing him to uncomfortable protests as he seeks reelection against former President Donald Trump. SENT: 1,130 words, photo.

FTC-NONCOMPETE-AGREEMENTS — U.S. companies would no longer be able to bar employees from taking jobs with competitors under a rule approved by a federal agency, though the rule is sure to be challenged in court. The Federal Trade Commission voted to ban measures known as noncompete agreements, which bar workers from jumping to or starting competing companies for a prescribed period of time. SENT: 600 words, photo.

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NATIONAL

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TRANSGENDER-LEGISLATION-LOUISIANA — Unlike recent years when there was an LGBTQ+ ally in the Louisiana governor’s office, nothing stands in the way this year of legislation hostile to transgender people. Democratic former Gov. John Bel Edwards was able to block most such legislation in previous years through vetoes. Now conservative Republican Jeff Landry is in the governor’s chair, and the legislation is advancing rapidly. Transgender advocates in Louisiana are organizing their fight, looking to the courts, educating their communities, seeking sanctuary city policies, and recruiting residents to their cause. One advocate says “we are going to continue to fight.” SENT: 920 words, photos, video.

REL--DISUNITED METHODISTS-EXPLAINER -- Thousands of United Methodists are gathering in Charlotte, North Carolina, to begin an 11-day denominational General Conference. Typically it is held every four years, but church leaders delayed the 2020 gathering until now due to the pandemic. It’s the first gathering since thousands of conservative U.S. congregations left the denomination over its failure to enforce bans on LGBTQ clergy and on same-sex marriages. Progressive delegates will attempt to overturn these bans. SENT: 980 words, photos.

JAIL-BOOK-CLUB — A book club for college students and inmates at one of the nation’s largest jails tackles issues from racial discrimination to the death penalty. The unique club led Monday to a high-profile visit by Sister Helen Prejean for discussion about her best-selling book “Dead Man Walking.” The student-led volunteer effort grew out of a DePaul University program offering college credit classes for students and detainees at Cook County Jail. SENT: 930 words, photos, video.

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INTERNATIONAL

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HAITI-HEALTH CRISIS — Life-saving medication and equipment is dwindling or altogether absent at hospitals and clinics across Haiti’s capital as brutal gangs tighten their grip on Port-au-Prince and beyond. Haiti’s health system has long been fragile, but it’s now nearing total collapse after gangs launched coordinated attacks on Feb. 29, targeting critical state infrastructure in the capital and beyond. SENT: 820 words, photos. WITH: HAITI-NEW-LEADERSHIP — Haiti’s government scrambles to impose tight security measures as council inauguration imminent (sent).

RUSSIA-US-JOURNALIST — Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will remain jailed on espionage charges until at least late June. A Moscow court rejected his appeal that sought to end his pretrial detention. The 32-year-old U.S. citizen was detained in late March 2023 while on a reporting trip and has spent over a year behind bars. Last month, his arrest was extended until June 30 in a ruling he and his defense lawyers later appealed. SENT: 440 words, photos.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE

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MED-WELLNESS-SLEEP-TIPS — Nearly a third of American adults don’t get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Stress and anxiety are keep people from snoozing, as can a culture that experts say is about productivity, not rest. Experts say that you should create a buffer zone and watch watch what you eat before bed. They also say it’s important to limit screen time before sleep. SENT: 600 words, photo.

NASA-VOYAGER — NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth stopped sending back understandable data last November. Flight controllers in California traced the blank communication to a bad computer chip and rearranged the spacecraft’s coding to work around the problem. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California declared success after receiving good engineering updates late last week. SENT: 200 words, photo.

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BUSINESS

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GENERAL-MOTORS-RESULTS — Despite a small dip in U.S. vehicle sales, General Motors’ first-quarter net income rose more than 25% on strong deliveries of pickup trucks and other higher-profit vehicles. The Detroit automaker said that while its average sales price per vehicle was down slightly from last year at just under $50,000, pickup sales remained strong. GM said it’s not seeing the price erosion across its lineup that other companies have experienced. SENT: 640 words, photos.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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FILM-REVIEW CHALLENGERS — Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor are tennis players in and out of love in “Challengers.” Directed by Luca Guadagnino and told in present day and flashback, it’s about friendships, love, competition and sport set to a synthy score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr writes that it’s a fun and deliriously over-the-top psychodrama that announces the arrival of three next generation movie stars. SENT: 740 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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BKN--PACERS-BUCKS — Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks attempt to take a 2-0 lead over the Indiana Pacers in their first-round playoff series. Lillard scored all 35 of his points in the first half as the Bucks won the opener 109-94 without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is doubtful for Game 2 as he recovers from a left calf strain. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos. Game starts at 8:30 p.m.

HKN--CAPITALS-RANGERS — Artemi Panarin and the Presidents’ Trophy-winning New York Rangers look to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals. The Rangers, seeking their first Stanley Cup championship since 1994, won 4-1 in Game 1. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos. Game starts at 7 p.m.

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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 person is silhouetted as the sun sets on a spring evening, in Pamplona, northern Spain, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

A person is silhouetted as the sun sets on a spring evening, in Pamplona, northern Spain, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

Chinese sailors visit the Chinese People's Liberation Army Naval Museum in Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong province on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Chinese sailors visit the Chinese People's Liberation Army Naval Museum in Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong province on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

The moon rises behind the television tower in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

The moon rises behind the television tower in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

FILE - This Nov. 11, 2013 file photo shows a bedroom built by Mike Spangler using some reclaimed materials, in Belle, W.Va. Nearly one-third of American adults don't get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Some of the major causes: Stress, anxiety and a culture that experts say is about productivity, not rest. (Craig Cunningham/Charleston Daily Mail via AP, file)

FILE - This Nov. 11, 2013 file photo shows a bedroom built by Mike Spangler using some reclaimed materials, in Belle, W.Va. Nearly one-third of American adults don't get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Some of the major causes: Stress, anxiety and a culture that experts say is about productivity, not rest. (Craig Cunningham/Charleston Daily Mail via AP, file)

Local residents walk past debris at the Boychuk art academy that was heavily damaged during a Russian bombing at the end of March, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Local residents walk past debris at the Boychuk art academy that was heavily damaged during a Russian bombing at the end of March, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Former President Donald Trump waits for the start of proceedings in Manhattan criminal court, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. Before testimony resumes Tuesday, the judge will hold a hearing on prosecutors' request to sanction and fine Trump over social media posts they say violate a gag order prohibiting him from attacking key witnesses. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)

Former President Donald Trump waits for the start of proceedings in Manhattan criminal court, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. Before testimony resumes Tuesday, the judge will hold a hearing on prosecutors' request to sanction and fine Trump over social media posts they say violate a gag order prohibiting him from attacking key witnesses. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)

Police advance on protesters though smoke from a fire extinguisher and fireworks used by teachers protesting against forced retirement in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, April 22, 2024. The government of President Luis Arce is proposing a new pension bill to the Plurinational Legislative Assembly that includes forced retirement at age 65. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Police advance on protesters though smoke from a fire extinguisher and fireworks used by teachers protesting against forced retirement in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, April 22, 2024. The government of President Luis Arce is proposing a new pension bill to the Plurinational Legislative Assembly that includes forced retirement at age 65. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

A worker carries a bag of rice at a warehouse in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. Vietnam is the world's third largest rice exporter, and the staple importance to Vietnamese culture is palpable in the Mekong Delta. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A worker carries a bag of rice at a warehouse in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. Vietnam is the world's third largest rice exporter, and the staple importance to Vietnamese culture is palpable in the Mekong Delta. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Former president Donald Trump, center, awaits the start of proceedings at Manhattan criminal court, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. Opening statements in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial are set to begin. Trump is accused of falsifying internal business records as part of an alleged scheme to bury stories he thought might hurt his presidential campaign in 2016. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)

Former president Donald Trump, center, awaits the start of proceedings at Manhattan criminal court, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. Opening statements in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial are set to begin. Trump is accused of falsifying internal business records as part of an alleged scheme to bury stories he thought might hurt his presidential campaign in 2016. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology student Isa Liggans, of Odenton, Md., front left, takes part in Muslim prayer with others Monday, April 22, 2024, at an encampment of tents at MIT, in Cambridge, Mass. Students at MIT set up the encampment of tents on campus to protest what they said was MIT's failure to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and to cut ties to Israel's military. U.S. colleges and universities are preparing for end-of-year commencement ceremonies with a unique challenge: providing safety for graduates while honoring the free speech rights of students involved in protests over the Israel-Hamas war. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology student Isa Liggans, of Odenton, Md., front left, takes part in Muslim prayer with others Monday, April 22, 2024, at an encampment of tents at MIT, in Cambridge, Mass. Students at MIT set up the encampment of tents on campus to protest what they said was MIT's failure to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and to cut ties to Israel's military. U.S. colleges and universities are preparing for end-of-year commencement ceremonies with a unique challenge: providing safety for graduates while honoring the free speech rights of students involved in protests over the Israel-Hamas war. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

A Palestinian reacts to seeing the young victim of an Israeli airstrike, at Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A Palestinian reacts to seeing the young victim of an Israeli airstrike, at Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu worked to mend ties with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Friday and offered measured optimism about progress toward a cease-fire deal for Gaza as he neared the end of a contentious U.S. visit that put on display the growing American divisions over support for the Israeli-Hamas war.

At Trump's Florida Mar-a-Lago estate, where the two men met face-to-face for the first time in nearly four years, Netanyahu told journalists he wanted to see U.S.-mediated talks succeed for a cease-fire and release of hostages.

“I hope so,” Netanyahu said, when reporters asked if his U.S. trip had made progress. While Netanyahu at home is increasingly accused of resisting a deal to end the 9-month-old war to stave off the potential collapse of his far-right government when it ends, he said Friday he was "certainly eager to have one. And we’re working on it.”

As president, Trump went well beyond his predecessors in fulfilling Netanyahu’s top wishes from the United States. Yet relations soured after Netanyahu became one of the first world leaders to congratulate Joe Biden for his 2020 presidential victory, which Trump continues to deny.

The two men now have a strong interest in restoring their relationship, both for the political support their alliance brings and for the luster it gives each with their conservative supporters.

A beaming Trump was waiting for Netanyahu on the stone steps outside his private club and residence in Palm Beach, Florida. He warmly clasped the hands of the Israeli leader.

“We’ve always had a great relationship,” Trump insisted before journalists. Asked as the two sat down in a muraled room for talks if Netanyahu’s trip to Mar-a-Lago was repairing their bond, Trump responded, “It was never bad.”

For both men, Friday’s meeting was aimed at highlighting for their home audiences their depiction of themselves as strong leaders who have gotten big things done on the world stage, and can again.

Netanyahu’s Florida trip followed a fiery address to a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday that defended his government’s conduct of the war and condemned American protesters galvanized by the killing of more than 39,000 Palestinians in the conflict.

On Thursday, Netanyahu had met in Washington with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who appears on track to becoming the new Democratic presidential nominee after Biden decided to step out of the race. Both pressed the Israeli leader to work quickly to wrap up a deal to bring a cease-fire and release hostages held by Hamas.

Trump’s campaign said he pledged in Friday's meeting to “make every effort to bring peace to the Middle East” and combat antisemitism on college campuses if American voters elect him to the presidency in November.

Netanyahu handed Trump a framed photo that the Israeli leader said showed a child who has been held hostage by Hamas-led militants since the first hours of the war. “We’ll get it taken care of,” Trump assured him.

In a speech later Friday before a group of young Christian conservatives, Trump said he also asked Netanyahu during their meeting how “a Jewish person, or a person that loves Israel” can vote for Democrats.

He also laced into Harris for missing Netanyahu's speech and claimed she “doesn’t like Jewish people” and “doesn’t like Israel." Harris has been married to a Jewish man for a decade.

For Trump, the meeting was a chance to be cast as an ally and statesman, as well as to sharpen efforts by Republicans to portray themselves as the party most loyal to Israel.

Divisions among Americans over U.S. support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza have opened cracks in years of strong bipartisan backing for Israel, the biggest recipient of U.S. aid.

For Netanyahu, repairing relations with Trump is imperative given the prospect that Trump may once again become president of the United States, which is Israel’s vital arms supplier and protector.

One gamble for Netanyahu is whether he could get more of the terms he wants in any deal on a Gaza cease-fire and hostage release, and in his much hoped-for closing of a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia, if he waits out the Biden administration in hopes that Trump wins.

“Benjamin Netanyahu has spent much of his career in the last two decades in tethering himself to the Republican Party,” said Aaron David Miller, a former U.S. diplomat for Arab-Israeli negotiations, now a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

For the next six months, that means “mending ties with an irascible, angry president," Miller said, meaning Trump.

Netanyahu and Trump last met at a September 2020 White House signing ceremony for the signature diplomatic achievement of both men’s political careers. It was an accord brokered by the Trump administration in which the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain agreed to establish normal diplomatic relations with Israel.

For Israel, it amounted to the two countries formally recognizing it for the first time. It was a major step in what Israel hoped would be an easing of tensions and a broadening of economic ties with its Arab neighbors.

In public postings and statements after his break with Netanyahu, Trump portrayed himself as having stuck his neck out for Israel as president, and Netanyahu paying him back with disloyalty.

He also has criticized Netanyahu on other points, faulting him as “not prepared” for the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks that started the war in Gaza, for example.

In his high-profile speech to Congress on Wednesday and again Friday at Mar-a-Lago, Netanyahu poured praise on Trump, calling the regional accords Trump helped broker historic and thanking him “for all the things he did for Israel.”

Netanyahu listed actions by the Trump administration long-sought by Israeli governments — the U.S. officially saying Israel had sovereignty over the Golan Heights, captured from Syria during a 1967 war; a tougher U.S. policy toward Iran; and Trump declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel, breaking with longstanding U.S. policy that Jerusalem's status should be decided in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

“I appreciated that,” Trump told “Fox & Friends” on Thursday, referring to Netanyahu's praise.

Trump has repeatedly urged that Israel with U.S. support “finish the job” in Gaza and destroy Hamas, but he hasn’t elaborated on how.

Natalie Melzer in Tel Aviv, Israel, Adriana Gomez Licon in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Jill Colvin in New York contributed. Knickmeyer reported from Washington. Price reported from New York.

Follow the AP's coverage of the 2024 election at https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at the Turning Point Believers' Summit, Friday, July 26, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at the Turning Point Believers' Summit, Friday, July 26, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump listens as he meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump listens as he meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks while meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks while meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks while meeting with Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks while meeting with Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

FILE - President Donald Trump, right, meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office, Sept. 15, 2020, at the White House in Washington. Trump is due to talk face-to-face with Netanyahu for the first time in nearly four years. The meeting Friday, July 26, 2024, at Mar-a-Lago will mend a break that has lasted since 2021. Trump at the time blasted Netanyahu for being one of the first leaders to congratulate President Joe Biden for his election victory. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump, right, meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office, Sept. 15, 2020, at the White House in Washington. Trump is due to talk face-to-face with Netanyahu for the first time in nearly four years. The meeting Friday, July 26, 2024, at Mar-a-Lago will mend a break that has lasted since 2021. Trump at the time blasted Netanyahu for being one of the first leaders to congratulate President Joe Biden for his election victory. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

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