On the version of Hot off the Wire posted May 10 at 6:30 a.m. CT:

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A United Nations official says heavy fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants on the outskirts of the southern Gaza city of Rafah has left crucial nearby aid crossings inaccessible and caused over 100,000 people to flee north. Israel’s plans for a full-scale invasion of Rafah appear to be on hold for now. The United States is deeply opposed to that and is stepping up pressure by threatening to withhold arms. 

NEW YORK (AP) — The judge in Donald Trump's hush money case has denied a second request from defense attorneys to declare a mistrial over Stormy Daniels' testimony. Daniels detailed, among other things, her alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump and the money she was paid to keep quiet about it. Her testimony concluded on Thursday and several other witnesses followed her on the stand.

COLUMBIA, Tenn. (AP) — A 10-year-old boy is in grave condition in Tennessee after being swept into a storm drain in a community southeast of Nashville. Now a new wave of dangerous storms is crashing over parts of the region Thursday even as it cleans up from severe weather that injured the boy, spawned tornadoes and killed at least three people. 

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has pressed his campaign to urge Italians to have children. He has called for long-term policies to help families and warned that the country’s demographic crisis was threatening the future.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled that Hunter Biden’s case on firearms charges should move forward. Thursday's ruling sets the stage for the trial to begin next month in Delaware. Hunter Biden's lawyers went to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after the judge overseeing the case last month rejected his bid to dismiss the prosecution.

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Police say a stick shift thwarted a Colorado woman who tried to steal a pickup truck — shortly after she was released from jail on a car-theft charge. 

In other news:

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is managing editor of the national newsroom for Lee Enterprises. Besides producing the daily Hot off the Wire news podcast, Terry conducts periodic interviews for this Behind the Headlines program, co-hosts the Streamed & Screened movies and television program and is the former producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted May 9 at 7:30 a.m. CT:

COLUMBIA, Tenn. (AP) — Severe storms are tearing through the central and southeast U.S., spawning damaging tornadoes, producing massive hail, and killing two people in Tennessee and another in North Carolina. Wednesday afternoon, a tornado emergency was issued for an area south of Nashville.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says he will not supply offensive weapons that Israel can use to launch an all-out assault on Rafah — the last major Hamas stronghold in Gaza — over concern for the well-being of the more than 1 million civilians sheltering there. 

NEW YORK (AP) — Stormy Daniels is expected to return to the witness stand in Donald Trump's hush money trial for a second day of questioning. Daniels spent hours Tuesday detailing for jurors their alleged sexual encounter and the money she was paid to keep quiet about it. 

DETROIT (AP) — Federal investigators say they have “significant safety concerns” about a Ford SUV recall repair that doesn’t fix gasoline leaks that can cause engine fires. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is demanding volumes of information from the automaker as it investigates the fix in a March 8 recall of nearly 43,000 Bronco Sport and Escape SUVs with 1.5-liter engines.

STURTEVANT, Wis. (AP) — President Joe Biden has laced into Donald Trump over a failed project that was supposed to bring thousands of new jobs into southeastern Wisconsin. Now on that site, construction will start on a new data center from Microsoft, whose president credits the Biden administration’s economic policies.

In other news:

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is managing editor of the national newsroom for Lee Enterprises. Besides producing the daily Hot off the Wire news podcast, Terry conducts periodic interviews for this Behind the Headlines program, co-hosts the Streamed & Screened movies and television program and is the former producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted May 8 at 7:15 a.m. CT:

DETROIT (AP) — Severe storms have battered parts of the Midwest, unleashing a curtain of heavy rain, gusty winds and tornadoes in the region. Tuesday's severe weather outbreak came a day after a deadly twister ripped through a small Oklahoma town and killed at least one person. Forecasters warned that the storms could could spill out of the region Wednesday morning. Tornadoes were spotted after dark Tuesday in southwestern Michigan, northern Indiana and northwestern Ohio.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S. That's according to a senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

ISTANBUL (AP) — A cargo aircraft has made an emergency landing at Istanbul Airport after its front landing gear failed. A video on social media showed the Boeing 767 belonging to FedEx Express using the back landing gear and then dipping its nose with the front portion of the fuselage.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is racing into yet another battleground state. Biden on Wednesday is traveling to Racine, Wisconsin, where he’ll highlight a decision by Microsoft to build a $3.3 billion data center that's expected to create roughly 2,000 jobs.

NEW YORK (AP) — Porn actor Stormy Daniels has testified at Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial about a sexual encounter she says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election a decade later. Daniels’ testimony Tuesday included a detailed and at times graphic accounting of an encounter Trump has denied. 

In other news:

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is managing editor of the national newsroom for Lee Enterprises. Besides producing the daily Hot off the Wire news podcast, Terry conducts periodic interviews for this Behind the Headlines program, co-hosts the Streamed & Screened movies and television program and is the former producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted May 7 at 7:15 a.m. CT:

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Powerful storms have erupted in the central United States, bringing tornadoes to rural Oklahoma and large hail in parts of Kansas. At least one death has been reported in Oklahoma. Tornadoes were spotted skirting northern Oklahoma, including one that caused extensive damage north of Tulsa in the small town of Barnsdall.

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — An American English-language tutor has been arrested in Moscow on hooliganism charges for reportedly breaking into a children’s library while intoxicated and has been sentenced to 10 days in jail. State news agency RIA-Novosti says William Nycum was found in the library on Friday after breaking a window to gain entry.

Israeli forces have taken control of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in the Gaza Strip, pressing on with an offensive in the southern city as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remain precarious. 

NEW YORK (AP) — Witness testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to move forward again and all eyes are on who will be called next. 

WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time, researchers have identified a genetic form of late-in-life Alzheimer's disease. Most cases of the mind-robbing disease occur after age 65. A gene called APOE4 has long been considered a key risk factor.

BEIJING (AP) — A knife attack at a hospital in southwestern China has killed two people and injured 21 others. No motive was given for Tuesday's attack at Zhenxiong County People’s Hospital in Yunnan province. 

In other news:

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is managing editor of the national newsroom for Lee Enterprises. Besides producing the daily Hot off the Wire news podcast, Terry conducts periodic interviews for this Behind the Headlines program, co-hosts the Streamed & Screened movies and television program and is the former producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted May 6 at 7:15 a.m. CT:

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli army has ordered some 100,000 Palestinians to begin evacuating from the southern city of Rafah in Gaza. That signals that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent and would further complicate efforts to broker a cease-fire. The looming operation in Rafah has raised global alarm and Israeli’s closest allies have warned against it. 

Weekend commencement ceremonies largely went off without many disruptions, although one death was reported at Ohio State after a spectator fell from the stands.

HOUSTON (AP) — Floodwaters have closed some Texas schools after days of heavy rains pummeled the Houston area and left hundreds of people in need of rescue. Authorities say a 5-year-old boy died after riding in a car that was swept away in fast waters.

NEW YORK (AP) — Witness testimony in Donald Trump’s hush money trial is set to resume. That will set the stage for an even deeper dive into the events and people involved in what prosecutors have said was a scheme to influence the 2016 presidential election by buying and burying negative stories about the candidate.

Russia's Defense Ministry says it plans to hold drills simulating the use of tactical nuclear weapons. The announcement Monday came days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine. 

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — It's six months before Election Day, and Joe Biden and Donald Trump are locked in a presidential rematch. The race is highly in flux as many voters are only just beginning to embrace the reality of the 2024 contest. 

In other news:

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is managing editor of the national newsroom for Lee Enterprises. Besides producing the daily Hot off the Wire news podcast, Terry conducts periodic interviews for this Behind the Headlines program, co-hosts the Streamed & Screened movies and television program and is the former producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted April May 4 at 6 a.m. CT:

Each Saturday Hot off the Wire looks at a variety of stories in business, science, health and more. This week's headlines include:

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is managing editor of the national newsroom for Lee Enterprises. Besides producing the daily Hot off the Wire news podcast, Terry conducts periodic interviews for this Behind the Headlines program, co-hosts the Streamed & Screened movies and television program and is the former producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted May 3 at 6:45 a.m. CT:

BEIRUT (AP) — Hamas says it's sending a delegation to Egypt as soon as possible to continue talks in the latest sign of progress in the fragile cease-fire process. The group’s supreme leader Ismail Haniyeh said Thursday he had spoken to Egypt’s intelligence chief and Hamas negotiators would travel to Cairo "to complete the ongoing discussions with the aim of working forward for an agreement.”

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police have arrested nearly 2,200 people during pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses across the United States in recent weeks, sometimes using riot gear, tactical vehicles and flash-bang devices to clear tent encampments and occupied buildings.

Torrential rain is causing flooding in the Houston area. Officials on Thursday ordered some residents along a river to leave and are telling others they may wind up stranded. 

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont says the major traffic artery linking New England with New York will be closed for days around the area where a tanker fire damaged a bridge over Interstate 95. 

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump will return to court as his hush money trial enters its 11th day. Friday will cap a frenzied second week of witness testimony. Lawyer Keith Davidson concluded his testimony Thursday after more than six hours on the stand over two days.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS says it's taken steps to address a wide disparity in audit rates between Black taxpayers and others filers. And the agency is more closely examining the returns of larger numbers of wealthy people and major companies. 

In other news:

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is managing editor of the national newsroom for Lee Enterprises. Besides producing the daily Hot off the Wire news podcast, Terry conducts periodic interviews for this Behind the Headlines program, co-hosts the Streamed & Screened movies and television program and is the former producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted May 2 at 7:15 a.m. CT:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police have removed barricades and begun dismantling a pro-Palestinian demonstrators’ encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles. Thursday morning’s law enforcement action comes after officers spent hours threatening arrests over loud speakers if people did not disperse. 

PHOENIX (AP) — Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is following through on promises to undo a long-dormant law that bans all abortions except those done to save a patient’s life. A signing ceremony was scheduled for Thursday on a bill to repeal the state's near-total abortion ban.

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump faces the prospect of additional sanctions in his hush money trial as he returns to court for another contempt hearing followed by testimony from a lawyer who represented two women who have said they had sexual encounters with the former president.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A senior Ukrainian military official says the situation on the front line in eastern Ukraine is worsening but local defenders are so far holding firm against a concerted push by Russia’s bigger and better-equipped forces.

NEW YORK (AP) — Duane Eddy, a pioneering guitar hero whose reverberating electric sound on instrumentals such as “Rebel Rouser,” “Forty Miles of Bad Road" and “Cannonball” helped put the twang in early rock ‘n’ roll and influenced George Harrison, Bruce Springsteen and countless other musicians, has died at age 86. 

ROME (AP) — A European court has upheld Italy’s right to seize a prized Greek statue from the J. Paul Getty Museum in California. The European Court of Human Rights rejecting the museum’s appeal on Thursday and ruled that Italy was right to try to reclaim an important part of its cultural heritage. The court determined that Italy’s years-long efforts to recover the “Victorious Youth” statue were not disproportionate. 

In other headlines:

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is managing editor of the national newsroom for Lee Enterprises. Besides producing the daily Hot off the Wire news podcast, Terry conducts periodic interviews for this Behind the Headlines program, co-hosts the Streamed & Screened movies and television program and is the former producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted May 1 at 7 a.m. CT:

Dueling groups of protesters have clashed at the University of California, Los Angeles, grappling in fistfights and shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another. Hours earlier, police burst into a building at Columbia University that pro-Palestinian protesters took over and broke up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school. 

JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with Israeli leaders in his push for a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas to impress on them that “the time is now" for an agreement that would free hostages and bring a pause in the nearly seven months of war.

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy has gone into effect, and some doctors are concerned that women in the state will no longer have access to needed health care. 

A subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson is now proposing paying approximately $6.48 billion over 25 years as part of a settlement in the U.S. to cover allegations that its baby powder containing talc caused ovarian cancer. 

WESTMORELAND, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say one person died when a tornado ripped through the small northeastern Kansas city of Westmoreland and destroyed houses, RVs and outbuildings. 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission is challenging patents on 20 brand-name drugs, including the blockbuster weight-loss injection Ozempic. Tuesday's announcement is part of a wider effort by the Biden administration targeting pharmaceutical industry practices that contribute to high prices. 

In other news:

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is managing editor of the national newsroom for Lee Enterprises. Besides producing the daily Hot off the Wire news podcast, Terry conducts periodic interviews for this Behind the Headlines program, co-hosts the Streamed & Screened movies and television program and is the former producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted April 30 at 7 a.m. CT:

NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia University in New York has limited campus access to students and essential employees after dozens of protesters took over a building. They barricaded the entrances and unfurled a Palestinian flag out of a window in the latest escalation of demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war. 

Israel and Hamas are negotiating a cease-fire agreement meant to free hostages and bring some relief to the Palestinians in the besieged enclave.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Four officers trying to serve a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and four other officers were wounded in a shootout in North Carolina. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said the officers killed the suspect outside the Charlotte home Monday after he fired on them. 

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s hush money trial will resume with testimony from the third prosecution witness, Gary Farro, a banker who helped Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen open accounts.

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III is returning to public duties with a visit to a cancer treatment charity, beginning his carefully managed comeback after the monarch’s own cancer diagnosis sidelined him for three months. 

SHANGHAI (AP) — The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China staged a sit-in protest outside his lab after authorities locked him out of the facility. It's a sign of the Beijing’s continuing pressure on scientists conducting research on the coronavirus. Zhang Yongzhen wrote in an online post Monday that he and his team had been suddenly notified they were being evicted from their lab. 

LONDON (AP) — London police say a man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and two police officers on Tuesday in the east London community of Hainault before being arrested. 

In other headlines:

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is managing editor of the national newsroom for Lee Enterprises. Besides producing the daily Hot off the Wire news podcast, Terry conducts periodic interviews for this Behind the Headlines program, co-hosts the Streamed & Screened movies and television program and is the former producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.