AP Top News at 2:26 a.m. EDT

Israel begins ground offensive against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli ground forces crossed into southern Lebanon early Tuesday, marking a significant escalation of an offensive against Hezbollah militants and opening a new front in a yearlong war against its Iranian-backed adversaries. The incursion follows weeks of heavy blows by Israel against Hezbollah — including an airstrike that killed its longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah — and seeks to step up the pressure on the group, which began firing rockets into northern Israel after the start of the war in Gaza. The last time Israel and Hezbollah engaged in ground combat was a monthlong war in 2006. The Israeli military said in a brief statement that it began "limited, localized and targeted ground raids" against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

A former hostage fought for her own life in Gaza. A year on, she fights for her husband's freedom

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — As a hostage in Gaza, Aviva Siegel found herself begging for food and water. Since her release, she has found herself begging for her husband to be set free from his own ongoing captivity. Siegel has come to embody the disaster that befell Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Armed Hamas militants snatched her from her home and thrust her into Gaza's web of tunnels. Released during a brief cease-fire in November, she returned to find her community destroyed and became one of tens of thousands of Israelis displaced by conflict. She has emerged as a prominent voice in the struggle to free the remaining hostages, fighting tirelessly for her husband's release.

Dockworkers at ports from Maine to Texas go on strike, a standoff risking new shortages

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Dockworkers at ports from Maine to Texas began walking picket lines early Tuesday in a strike over wages and automation that could reignite inflation and cause shortages of goods if it goes on more than a few weeks. The contract between the ports and about 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen's Association expired at midnight, and even though progress was reported in talks on Monday, the workers went on strike. The strike affecting 36 ports is the first by the union since 1977. Workers began picketing at the Port of Philadelphia shortly after midnight, walking in a circle at a rail crossing outside the port and chanting "No work without a fair contract." The union had message boards on the side of a truck reading: "Automation Hurts Families: ILA Stands For Job Protection." Local ILA president Boise Butler said workers want a fair contract that doesn't allow automation of their jobs.

Biden plans survey of devastation in North Carolina as Helene's death toll tops 130

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden was set to survey the devastation in the mountains of Western North Carolina on Wednesday, where exhausted emergency workers continued to work around-the-clock to clear roads, restore power and cellphone service, and reach people left stranded by Hurricane Helene. The storm killed at least 133 people and hundreds more were still unaccounted for on Monday night, four days after Helene initially made landfall. Meanwhile, election officials across the South were making emergency preparations to ensure displaced residents would be able to vote in the upcoming presidential election. Officials in the hard-hit tourism hub of Asheville said their water system suffered "catastrophic" damage that could take weeks to fully repair.

Japan's parliament elects Shigeru Ishiba, newly elected governing party leader, as prime minister

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's parliament on Tuesday formally elected Shigeru Ishiba, head of the governing Liberal Democratic Party, as the country's new prime minister. Ishiba was chosen as the party's leader on Friday to replace Fumio Kishida, who then stepped down earlier on Tuesday to pave the way. Ishiba will announce his new Cabinet later on Tuesday. Kishida took office in 2021 but left so his party could have a fresh leader after his government was dogged by scandals. Ishiba plans to call a parliamentary election for Oct. 27. "I believe it is important to have the new administration get the public's judgment as soon as possible," Ishiba said Monday in announcing his plan to call a snap election.

Trump heads to Wisconsin's critical Democratic stronghold ahead of vice presidential debate

WAUNAKEE, Wis. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump plans to spend the hours ahead of Tuesday night's vice-presidential debate campaigning in Wisconsin, stopping in a critical Democratic county that is crucial to Democrat Kamala Harris ' hopes for winning the key battleground state. Trump is scheduled to appear at a manufacturing facility in Waunakee, a suburb of Wisconsin's capital city of Madison in the Democratic stronghold of Dane County. Trump has never campaigned in Dane County before and didn't visit as president. Later on Tuesday, Trump is expected to hold an event at a museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin's largest city and home to the largest number of Democratic voters and second-largest number of Republicans.

Walz and Vance will meet in their first and possibly only vice presidential debate

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tim Walz and JD Vance will meet for their first and possibly only vice presidential debate Tuesday, in what could be the last debate for both campaigns to argue their case before the election. The debate in New York hosted by CBS News will give Vance, a Republican freshman senator from Ohio, and Walz, a two-term Democratic governor of Minnesota, the chance to introduce themselves, make the case for their running mates, and go on the attack against the opposing ticket. Tuesday's matchup could have an outsized impact. Polls have shown Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump locked in a close contest, giving added weight to anything that can sway voters on the margins, including the impression left by the vice presidential candidates.

China marks 75 years of Communist Party rule as economic challenges and security threats linger

BEIJING (AP) — China is marking the 75th year of Communist Party rule as economic challenges and security threats linger over the massive state. No festivities have been announced for the occasion Tuesday, save for a flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square, with an honor guard marching from the entrance of the sprawling palace that in past centuries was the home of Chinese emperors. The entirely state-controlled media ran constant reports on China's economic progress and social stability, with no mention of challenges ranging from a declining birth rate to the disruption in supply chains that has harmed the largely export-driven economy.

Pete Rose, baseball's banned hits leader, has died at age 83

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Rose, baseball's career hits leader and fallen idol who undermined his historic achievements and Hall of Fame dreams by gambling on the game he loved and once embodied, has died. He was 83. Stephanie Wheatley, a spokesperson for Clark County in Nevada, confirmed on behalf of the medical examiner that Rose died Monday. Wheatley said his cause and manner of death had not yet been determined. Over the weekend, he had appeared at an autograph show in Nashville with former teammates Tony Perez, George Foster and Dave Concepcion. For fans who came of age in the 1960s and '70s, no player was more exciting than the Cincinnati Reds' No.

AP PHOTOS: A blind pianist from Nagaland says music is 'one thing that has kept me alive'

KOHIMA, India (AP) — Takosangba Jamir had his vision for 14 years. He has been blind for the past 13. But in front of a piano, nobody can tell. "Playing the piano transports me to another dimension. After losing my vision, music has been one thing that has kept me alive. It opened a window to see the world. It gives me energy and hope to go forward," he said. On Sunday night, he performed for a crowd at the Brillante Piano Festival in Bengaluru, the capital of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. Jamir, 27, plays by ear. He is self taught, with help from YouTube tutorials that he began in 2020.