AP Top News at 2:25 a.m. EDT

Israeli strike on Gaza mosque kills 19 and bombardment of southern Beirut intensifies

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli strike on a mosque in the Gaza Strip early Sunday killed at least 19 people, Palestinian officials said, as Israel intensified its bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Beirut in its widening war on Iran-allied militant groups across the region. Israel is still battling Hamas in Gaza nearly a year after its Oct. 7 attack, and has opened a new front against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has been trading fire with Israel along the border since the war in Gaza began. Israel has also vowed to strike Iran itself after it launched a ballistic missile attack on the country last week.

A displaced family's year of fleeing across the devastated Gaza Strip

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Ne'man Abu Jarad sat on a tarp on the ground. Around him, canvas sheets hung from cords, forming the walls of his tent. For the past year, Ne'man; his wife, Majida; and their six daughters have trekked the length of the Gaza Strip, trying to survive as Israeli forceswreaked destruction around them. It's a far cry from their house in northern Gaza — a place of comforting routine, of love, affection and safety. A place where loved ones gathered around the kitchen table or on the roof on summer evenings amid the scent of roses and jasmine flowers.

Death toll from Hurricane Helene rises to 227 as grim task of recovering bodies continues

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The death toll from Hurricane Helene inched up to 227 on Saturday as the grim task of recovering bodies continued more than a week after the monster storm ravaged the Southeast and killed people in six states. Helene came ashore Sept. 26 as a Category 4 hurricane and carved a wide swath of destruction as it moved northward from Florida, washing away homes, destroying roads and knocking out electricity and cellphone service for millions. The number of deaths stood at 225 on Friday; two more were recorded in South Carolina the following day. It was still unclear how many people were unaccounted for or missing, and the toll could rise even higher.

Mexican immigrant families plagued by grief, questions after plant workers swept away by Helene

ERWIN, Tenn. (AP) — With shaking hands, Daniel Delgado kissed a photo of his wife, Monica Hernandez, before lighting a candle in a supermarket parking lot. Family members hugged pictures printed on poster board, some collapsing into them in tears as search helicopters flew overhead in the direction of the hills. Days after six workers at a plastics factory disappeared under surging floodwaters caused by Hurricane Helene, loved ones and supporters have been gathering for vigils in front of churches, a high school and a grocery store to honor them. Most nights, prayers in Spanish are spoken over rosary beads: "Mary, mother of Jesus, intercede and help us find them." The storm, which claimed the lives of at least 227 people across six states, quickly overwhelmed Erwin, an Appalachian town of around 6,000, on Sept.

Trump urges his supporters to deliver victory in his return to scene of first assassination attempt

BUTLER, Pa. (AP) — Donald Trump returned on Saturday to the Pennsylvania fairgrounds where he was nearly assassinated in July, urging a large crowd to deliver an Election Day victory that he tied to his survival of the shooting. The former president and Republican nominee picked up where he left off in July when a gunman's bullet struck his ear. He began his speech with, "As I was saying," and gestured toward an immigration chart he was looking at when the gunfire began. "Twelve weeks ago, we all took a bullet for America," Trump said. "All we are all asking is that everyone goes out and votes.

Biden pledged to campaign hard for Harris. So far, he's been mostly a no-show

WASHINGTON (AP) — On the last day of August, President Joe Biden was asked about his fall campaign plans. He promised a Labor Day appearance in Pittsburgh and said he would be "on the road from there on." Biden did campaign with Vice President Kamala Harris on Labor Day, but he largely has been a campaign no-show since. Beyond that, sometimes his official events push hers to the background. Case in point: After Hurricane Helene, Harris scrapped campaign events in Las Vegas to hurry back to Washington for a briefing at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But as Harris stepped to a podium in the command center, Biden was delivering his own storm response comments from the Oval Office, pulling the political spotlight away from his intended successor.

A year into the Israel-Hamas war, students say a chill on free speech has reached college classrooms

WASHINGTON (AP) — As a junior at George Washington University, Ty Lindia meets new students every day. But with the shadow of the Israel-Hamas war hanging over the Washington, D.C., campus, where everyone has a political opinion, each new encounter is fraught. "This idea that I might say the wrong thing kind of scares me," said Lindia, who studies political science. "You have to tiptoe around politics until one person says something that signifies they lean a certain way on the issue." He has seen friendships — including some of his own — end over views about the war. In public, he keeps his stance to himself for fear that future employers could hold it against him.

North Korea and China mark their 75th anniversary of ties as outsiders question their relationship

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The leaders of North Korea and China marked the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations on Sunday by exchanging messages that expressed hopes for stronger ties, as outsiders raised questions about their relationship. The message exchange came as North Korea and Russia have been sharply expanding their cooperation while China apparently keeps its distance. Experts say that the level of exchanges and commemorative programs between North Korea and China in the coming months will provide a clue to the exact status of their ties. In a message sent to Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his government will "steadily strive to consolidate and develop the friendly and cooperative relations" between the two countries, according to North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency.

Congo finally begins mpox vaccinations in a drive to slow outbreaks

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Congolese authorities Saturday began vaccinations against mpox, nearly two months after the disease outbreak that spread from Congo to several African countries and beyond was declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization. The 265,000 doses donated to Congo by the European Union and the U.S. were rolled out in the eastern city of Goma in North Kivu province, where hospitals and health workers have been overstretched, struggling to contain the new and possibly more infectious strain of mpox. Congo, with about 30,000 suspected mpox cases and 859 deaths, accounts for more than 80% of all the cases and 99% of all the deaths reported in Africa this year.

Vanderbilt takes down No. 1 Alabama 40-35 in historic college football victory

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Fans of the Vanderbilt Commodores danced onto the field, jumping up and down as they tore down a goal post, carried it out of the stadium and rang out sweet sounds of victory. Then they toted the goal post just over a couple miles and tossed it into the Cumberland River. Their school's historic win over No. 1 Alabama deserved to be celebrated this way. Sedrick Alexander ran for two touchdowns, Randon Fontenette scored on a pick-six and Diego Pavia outplayed Heisman Trophy candidate Jalen Milroe as Vanderbilt stunned Alabama 40-35 on Saturday for the Commodores' first win over the nation's top-ranked team.