AP News Digest 6 p.m.

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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NEW/DEVELOPING

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SEVERE-WEATHER-GUSTNADO; HAITI-MISSIONARIES-SLAIN; ELECTION-2024-BIDEN-OHIO; SEVERE-WEATHER-KENTUCY; BIDEN-ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS; MANHATTANHENGE-EXPLAINER; WU-TANG-CLAN-ALBUM

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TOP STORIES

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TRUMP-HUSH MONEY — Donald Trump engaged in “a conspiracy and a cover-up,” a prosecutor told jurors during closing arguments in the former president’s hush money trial, while a defense lawyer branded the star witness as the “greatest liar of all time” and pressed the panel for an across-the-board acquittal. The lawyers’ dueling accounts, wildly divergent in their assessments of witness credibility and the strength of evidence, offered both sides one final chance to score points with the jury before it starts deliberating the first felony case against a former American president. By Michael R. Sisak, Jennifer Peltz, Eric Tucker and Jill Colvin. SENT: 1,270 words, photos audio. With TRUMP-HUSH MONEY-THE LATEST; ELECTION-2024-BIDEN-TRUMP-TRIAL — Biden campaign sends allies De Niro and first responders to Trump’s NY trial to put focus on Jan. 6 (sent).

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Israeli shelling and airstrikes have killed at least 37 people, most of them sheltering in tents, outside the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight and on Tuesday — pummeling the same area where strikes triggered a deadly fire days earlier in a camp for displaced Palestinians — according to witnesses, emergency workers and hospital officials. By Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy. SENT: 1,180 words, photos, video, audio. With UNITED-STATES-GAZA-AID — Aid deliveries suspended after rough seas damage US-built temporary pier in Gaza, US officials say; BIDEN-ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — US condemns loss of life, but says no policy changes after civilian deaths in Israeli strike (both sent).

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-LIFE-IN-THE-TENTS — Over the past three weeks, Israel’s offensive in Rafah has sent nearly a million Palestinians fleeing the southern Gaza city and scattering across a wide area. Their tent camps stretch for 10 miles along Gaza’s coast where families scrounge for food and wood. A schoolteacher living with his wife, children and extended family in a tent says they have nothing and it’s destroying them mentally. By Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy and Lee Keath. SENT: 1,330 words, photos, video.

VATICAN-GAYS — Pope Francis has apologized after he was quoted using a vulgar and derogatory term about gay men to reaffirm the Catholic Church’s ban on gay priests. Italian media on Monday had quoted unnamed Italian bishops in reporting that Francis jokingly used the term “faggotness” while speaking in Italian during the encounter. SENT: 1,010 words, photo. With VATICAN-LGBTQ-GLANCE — A look at Pope Francis’ comments about LGBTQ+ people (sent).

PAPUA-NEW-GUINEA-LANDSLIDE — Authorities fear a second landslide and a disease outbreak are looming at the scene of a disaster in Papua New Guinea that authorities say has killed between 670 and 2,000 people. A U.N. official said the mass of debris that devastated Yambali village when a limestone mountainside sheared away is becoming more unstable with recent rain, and that decaying corpses could contaminate the water supply for thousands more. SENT: 1,060 words, photos, video, audio. With PAPUA-NEW-GUINEA-LANDSLIDE-EXPLAINER.

DEADLY-HEAT-WAVE-THE-VICTIMS — The victims of last summer’s staggering 31-day streak of daily temperatures reaching 110 degrees Fahrenheit and over were old and young, male and female, homeless and well-to-do, Black, white, Hispanic, Asian American and Native American. More than 400 of the 645 heat-related deaths Maricopa County public health officials have confirmed for 2023 were during that wave stretching from the last day in June through all of July. By Anita Snow. SENT: 1,270 words, photos. With DEADLY-HEAT-WAVE-LESSONS-LEARNED — After a deadly heat wave last summer, metro Phoenix is changing tactics (sent).

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ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

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EUROPE-ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Spain, Norway and Ireland have formally recognized a Palestinian state in a coordinated effort by the three Western European nations to add international pressure on Israel to soften its response to last year’s Hamas-led attack. Israel condemned the diplomatic move, which will have no immediate impact on the war in Gaza. SENT: 1,230 words, photos, video, audio. With EUROPE-PALESTINIANS-EXPLAINER — Spain, Ireland and Norway will recognize a Palestinian state. Why does that matter? (sent).

MIDEAST-TENSIONS — A missile attack has damaged a ship in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, with a private security firm saying radio traffic suggested the vessel took on water after being struck. No group immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion immediately fell on Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have launched a number of attacks targeting ships over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. SENT: 510 words, photos. With MIDEAST-TENSIONS-THE-LATEST.

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RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR

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EUROPE-RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has received a second $1 billion promise of military aid in as many days during a whirlwind tour of three European Union countries, while President Vladimir Putin warned that hitting Russian soil with Western-supplied weapons could set the war on a dangerous new path. SENT: 890 words, photos, video, audio.

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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES

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MEXICO-ELECTION-CARTELS-MURDERED-PRIESTS — Since the murder of two Jesuit priests in 2022, Catholic Church leaders have echoed the voices of victims still hurting from extortion, forced displacement and the killings of their loved ones. Now, ahead of the June 2 election, religious leaders and families alike yearn for peace and the government’s acknowledgement of their grief. By María Teresa Hernández. SENT: 1,190 words, photos. With MEXICO-ELECTION-EXPLAINER — What to know about Mexico’s historic elections that will likely put a woman in power (sent).

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MORE NEWS

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WU-TANG-CLAN-ALBUM — The sole physical copy of Wu-Tang Clan’s unreleased “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” is headed to Australia’s Museum of Old and New Art. SENT: 320 words, photo.

MANHATTANHENGE-EXPLAINER — What is Manhattanhenge and when can you see it? SENT: 510 words, photo.

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WASHINGTON

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TRUMP-CLASSIFIED-DOCUMENTS — The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s classified documents case in Florida has denied prosecutors’ request to bar the former president from making public statements that could endanger law enforcement agents participating in the prosecution. SENT: 860 words, photo.

ELECTION-2024-VOTING-RIGHTS — Laws passed in several Republican-controlled states after the 2020 presidential election have criminalized much of the work done by voter outreach groups. Advocates are finding it difficult to adapt as they try to register and educate potential voters with just months to go before this year’s presidential election. By Ayanna Alexander. SENT: 940 words, photos.

ELECTION-2024-BIDEN-OHIO — President Joe Biden will be formally nominated as the Democratic presidential nominee through a virtual roll call ahead of the party’s official convention in Chicago in August — a maneuver that will allow Biden to appear on the November ballot in Ohio. SENT: 620 words, photos, audio.

Find the AP’s latest Election 2024 coverage plans, including live video and text plans, our explanatory journalism and highlights from previous cycles and candidate schedules in The Daily Rundown, which publishes around 8 a.m. Monday through Friday.

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NATIONAL

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SEVERE WEATHER — Strong storms with damaging winds and baseball-sized hail have pummeled Texas, leaving more than 1 million businesses and homes without power as much of the U.S. recovered from severe weather, including tornadoes, that killed at least 25 people during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. SENT: 670 words, photos, videos, audio. With SEVERE-WEATHER-GUSTNADO — A `gustnado’ churns across a Michigan lake. Experts say these small whirlwinds rarely cause damage; SEVERE-WEATHER-KENTUCY — A Kentucky family is left homeless for a second time by a tornado that hit the same location (both sent).

WISCONSIN-UNIONS-LAWSUIT — Public worker and teachers unions have argued that their lawsuit seeking to strike down a Wisconsin law that drew massive protests and made the state the center of a national fight over union rights should be allowed to proceed, even as the Republican-controlled Legislature sought to have it dismissed. SENT: 680 words, photos.

ELECTION 2024-TEXAS RUNOFFS — U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas is out to save his job in a GOP primary runoff that has put rifts within the party on display. Gonzales, who has clashed with some of his hard-right colleagues in Washington and drawn a rebuke from the state party, is in a race against Brandon Herrera, a gun-rights YouTube creator with more than 3 million followers. SENT: 780 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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HAITI-MISSIONARIES-SLAIN — Hundreds of people have packed into a sweltering church in Haiti’s capital to mourn Judes Montis, a mission director killed by gang members who also fatally shot an American couple that worked with him. SENT: 850 words, photos.

SOUTH-AFRICA-ELECTION-FINAL-PREPARATIONS — South African opposition parties have made a final appeal to voters as the country faces the possibility of a landmark change in its young democracy. SENT: 650 words, photos. With SOUTH-AFRICA-ELECTION-EXPLAINER; SOUTH-AFRICA-PRESIDENT-EXPLAINER — South Africa’s president faces his party’s worst election ever. He’ll still likely be reelected (sent).

GEORGIA-DIVISIVE-LAW — The Georgian parliament has overridden a presidential veto of the “foreign agents” bill that has prompted weeks of massive protests by critics who say it will restrict media freedom and obstruct Georgia’s chances of joining the European Union. SENT: 800 words, photos, video, audio.

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CLIMATE

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CLIMATE-BRAZIL-SPIX'S-MACAW — In Brazil’s Northeast, a South African couple is reintroducing the Spix’s macaw to nature through breeding and reintroduction efforts. Despite challenges such as habitat loss, climate change and government disagreements, they’re striving to save these iconic blue parrots from disappearing forever. SENT: 1,270 words, photos, video.

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BUSINESS

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FINANCIAL-WELLNESS-NO-BUY-YEAR — The self-imposed rules of a no-buy challenge are simple: participants pledge to stop buying non-essential items, be they unneeded shoes, additional beauty products or other impulse buys for a set amount of time, usually 12 months. What started several years ago as a blogged-about experiment in budgeting and mindful spending has become a popular trend on social media. SENT: 1,230 words, photos, video, audio. With FINANCIAL-WELLNESS-NO-BUY-YEAR-EXPLAINER — Tempted to try a no-buy year? Here are tips from people doing it (sent).

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ENTERTAINMENT

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OBIT-ALBERT-RUDDY — Albert S. Ruddy, a colorful, Canadian-born producer and writer who won Oscars for “The Godfather” and “Million Dollar Baby,” developed the raucous prison-sports comedy “The Longest Yard” and helped create the hit sitcom “Hogan’s Heroes,” has died at age 94. SENT: 910 words, photos, audio.

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SPORTS

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NCAA-COMPENSATING ATHLETES-SCHOLARSHIPS — Scholarships are not going away in college athletics. But how many there are and which sports they will apply to in coming years are among the many questions stemming from a mammoth antitrust settlement and athlete revenue-sharing plan proposed by the NCAA and its five largest conferences. By Pete Iacobelli. SENT: 850 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.

Children run to school in the rain in Gardi Sugdub Island, part of the San Blas archipelago off Panama's Caribbean coast, Monday, May 27, 2024. Due to rising sea levels, about 300 Guna Indigenous families will relocate to new homes, built by the government, on the mainland. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A Pakistani youth, right, cools off under a hand pump at sunset during hot weather in Lahore, Pakistan, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

A demonstrator argues with police officers during an opposition protest against the foreign influence bill at the Parliamentary building in Tbilisi, Georgia, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. The Georgian parliament has overridden a presidential veto of the "foreign agents" legislation that has fueled Western concerns and sparked massive protests for weeks. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Eunide Majeur Montis, the wife of slain mission director Judes Montis, cries after attending his funeral service in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. The service also honored the lives of married couple Davy and Natalie Lloyd who were with Montis when gunmen ambushed them on Thursday night, May 23, as they left a youth group activity held at a local church. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Haley Loukota, left, and her fiance Devin Johnson collect their belongings from storm debris after their home was demolished along Barnsley Loop, Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Madisonville, Ky. A series of powerful storms hit the central and southern U.S. over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court before closing arguments in his hush money trial in New York, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Spencer Platt/Pool Photo via AP)

Palestinians fleeing from the southern Gaza city of Rafah during an Israeli ground and air offensive in the city on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

In this photo released by UNDP Papua New Guinea, villagers react as they search through a landslide in Yambali village, in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, Monday, May 27, 2024. Authorities fear a second landslide and a disease outbreak are looming at the scene of Papua New Guinea's recent mass-casualty disaster because of water streams trapped beneath tons of debris and decaying corpses seeping downhill following the May 24 landslide. (Juho Valta/UNDP Papua New Guinea via AP)

In this photo released by UNDP Papua New Guinea, villagers search through a landslide in Yambali village, in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, Monday, May 27, 2024. Authorities fear a second landslide and a disease outbreak are looming at the scene of Papua New Guinea's recent mass-casualty disaster because of water streams trapped beneath tons of debris and decaying corpses seeping downhill following the May 24 landslide. (Juho Valta/UNDP Papua New Guinea via AP)

Spain's Rafael Nadal, center, leaves the court after losing against Germany's Alexander Zverev during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, May 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak poses with supporters for pictures after a Tory party rally at the Amersham and Chiltern Rugby club in Amersham, England, Monday, May 27, 2024.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)

People gather for the 157th Brooklyn Memorial Day Parade, Monday, May 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Bill Harvey kneels at the grave of his oldest son, U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Harvey, on Memorial Day at the Houston National Cemetery, Monday, May 27, 2024, in Houston. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Protesters clash with troops and riot police during a demonstration near the Egyptian embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, May 27, 2024, in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza and demanding the Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Palestinians mourn the bodies of their relatives killed in an Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, at the Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Monday, May 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians mourn over the bodies of relatives killed in an Israeli airstrike, at a morgue in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Monday, May 27, 2024. Palestinian health workers said Israeli airstrikes Sunday killed at least 35 people sheltering in a tent camp for displaced people. Israel's army confirmed the strike and said it hit a Hamas installation and killed two senior Hamas militants. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan has again rejected South Africa’s demand that it move its representative office in the country from the capital, Pretoria, to the commercial center of Johannesburg.

Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jeff Liu said at a news conference on Tuesday that the demand to move or shut the office entirely violated a 1997 agreement between the sides on the location of their mutual representative offices following the severing of formal diplomatic relations.

“Facing this kind of unreasonable demand, our side cannot grant our acceptance,” Liu said.

South Africa maintains a liaison office in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, and the sides have a strong commercial relationship. Liu repeated Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung’s avowal at the legislature on Monday that Taiwan “was prepared for all eventualities” over the issue. The office is Taiwanese property and Taipei retains the right to determine its location and status, Lin and Liu said.

China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory that must be annexed by force if necessary, relentlessly seeks to minimize Taiwan's international representation, although the self-governing island republic maintains robust unofficial relations with the U.S. and other major nations.

South Africa confirmed last week that it had asked Taiwan to move its liaison office, in a demand seen purely as a concession to China, which has used its influence to keep Taiwan out of the United Nations and affiliated branches such as the World Health Organization, and limit its formal diplomatic partners to just 11 countries and the Vatican.

In addition to diplomatic and economic pressure, China has stepped up its military threats against Taiwan, most recently holding large-scale live-fire drills just off the Chinese coastal province of Fujian, which faces Taiwan.

South Africa's demand that Taiwan move its office has also drawn attention in the U.S. Congress, with Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn posting on the social platform X that “the United States should not tolerate this behavior from South Africa.”

“I am calling on ... the Biden administration to make it clear that there will be consequences if South Africa works with the (Chinese Communist Party) to bully Taiwan,” including removing South Africa from a key trade program, Blackburn said.

“The United States must not provide trade benefits to countries that prioritize China’s influence over democratic partnerships,” she added.

FILE- A rainbow forms over the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)