On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Dec. 8 at 6 a.m. CT:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunter Biden has been indicted on nine tax charges in California as a special counsel investigation into the business dealings of President Joe Biden’s son intensifies against the backdrop of the looming 2024 election. The indictment Thursday includes three felonies and six misdemeanors. Special counsel David Weiss says Hunter Biden “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills.” Defense attorney Abbe Lowell argues prosecutors bowed to political pressure in the case, which had been expected to end with a plea deal before it imploded over the summer. The new charges are in addition to federal firearms charges in Delaware alleging Hunter Biden broke laws against drug users having guns in 2018.

BAGHDAD (AP) — U.S. and Iraqi officials say a rocket attack at the sprawling U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has caused minor damage but no casualties. Iran-backed militias in Iraq have claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks that targeted bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria since the Israel-Hamas war began two months ago. The embassy is in the heavily fortified Green Zone of Iraq's capital. An Iraqi security official said 14 Katyusha rockets were fired on Friday, of which some struck near one of the U.S. Embassy’s gates. A U.S. military official said rockets hit the vicinity of the Union III base that houses offices of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says there is “a gap” between what Israel pledged to do to protect Palestinian civilians and the results so far since it began intensive military operations against Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Police say the suspect in a deadly shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, had a list of targets at the school and at East Carolina University in North Carolina, where he once worked. Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Thursday that the suspect, identified as 67-year-old Anthony Polito, also had 150 additional rounds of ammunition before he was killed by police. Officials say three faculty members were killed and a fourth was wounded Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has voted to censure Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman for triggering a fire alarm in a U.S. Capitol office building when the chamber was in session. The New York congressman Thursday became the third Democrat in the House to be admonished this year through the process. “Censure me next. That’s how worthless your effort is,” Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on the floor late Wednesday. “It has no credibility. No integrity. No legitimacy. Censure me next, and I’ll take that censure and I’ll wear it next week, next month, next year like a badge of honor.” The vote is the latest example of how the chamber has begun to deploy punishments like censure, long viewed as a punishment of last resort, routinely and often in strikingly partisan ways.

The Steelers see their playoff chances take a hit on Thursday Night Football, Jayden Daniels garners a big postseason college football award, the NBA's in-season tournament final is set, and the Sharks rally from a big deficit for an overtime win.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is putting pharmaceutical companies on notice. Washington is warning them that if the price of certain drugs is too high, the government might cancel their patent protection and allow rivals to make their own versions. Under a plan announced Thursday, the government would consider overriding the patent for high-priced drugs that have been developed with the help of taxpayer money and letting competitors make them in hopes of driving down the cost. The administration did not immediately release details about how the process will work and how it will deem a drug costly enough to act. If the plan is enacted, drugmakers are almost certain to sue.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas judge has given a pregnant woman whose fetus had a fatal diagnosis permission to get an abortion in an unprecedented challenge to the state’s ban that took effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned last year. It was unclear Thursday how quickly or whether Kate Cox, a 31-year-old mother of two from the Dallas area, will be able to obtain an abortion. State District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble has granted a temporary restraining order allowing Cox to have an abortion. The state has not said if it plans to appeal. Cox is 20 weeks pregnant. Her attorneys say Cox went to an emergency room this week for a fourth time during her pregnancy.

PARIS (AP) — When Notre Dame went up in flames in 2019, people who worked in the cathedral felt orphaned. With the reopening of the world-famous Paris landmark drawing closer by the day, they’re now beginning to picture their return to the place they call home. They are impatient to breathe life back into its restored stones and vast spaces with their songs and prayers. On Friday, Notre Dame's rebirth from the devastating fire will hit a major milestone. It will begin the last year of repair work before the cathedral reopens its huge doors to the public on Dec. 8, 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will mark the 12-month countdown by donning a hard hat and touring the fenced-off reconstruction site.

LONDON (AP) — Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in sometimes angry testimony to Britain’s inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic, on Thursday defended himself against suggestions that his indifference and failure to heed the advice of scientists led to thousands of unnecessary deaths. In a second day of sworn testimony, Johnson rejected claims that he was prepared to let older people die to protect the economy and that he was too slow to order a second national lockdown as infection rates began to rise in the autumn of 2020.

Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” will get a theatrical release in Japan after all. The Japanese distributor Bitters End said Thursday that it will play in the country’s theaters in 2024. In a statement, Bitters End wrote that the decision was made, “following months of thoughtful dialogue associated with the subject matter and acknowledging the particular sensitivity for us Japanese.” “Oppenheimer” is about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the so-called “father of the atomic bomb,” and chronicles the development of the weapon during World War II. The film addresses but does not explicitly depict the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S.

NEW YORK (AP) — A woman has sued the hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs claiming he and two other men raped her 20 years ago in a New York City recording studio when she was 17. The lawsuit filed Wednesday accuses Combs, Harve Pierre, the former president of Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment, and a third man of plying the accuser with drugs and alcohol and then raping her in 2003. Combs denied the allegations in a statement and vowed to fight for his name. The lawsuit follows three other lawsuits accusing Combs of abuse. Combs has denied those allegations as well.

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is a senior producer 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 producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

Lee Enterprises produces many national, regional and sports podcasts. Learn more here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Chris Christie is doubling down on his criticism that his fellow Republican presidential candidates are too timid to take on Donald Trump and his legal troubles. The former New Jersey governor said after Wednesday’s debate that the other three candidates on stage in Tuscaloosa were “pretending we’re the only four candidates in the race.” Christie noted that Nikki Haley remained silent through an extended discussion of Trump’s fitness for office. Christie said if Haley, Ron DeSantis and others are afraid to take on Trump, they aren’t up to being head of state and sitting across the table from other world leaders.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Three people are dead and a fourth in critical but stable condition after a gunman opened fire at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas before police killed him in a shootout. Wednesday's attack had terrified students and professors cowering in classrooms. A law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation tells The Associated Press that the shooter was a professor who'd unsuccessfully sought a job at the school. The campus is only a couple of miles from the Las Vegas Strip, where the worst mass shooting in U.S. history took place in October 2017. Police say lessons learned from that tragedy helped them confront Wednesday's attack.

MOSCOW (AP) — State news agencies and authorities in Russia say a girl shot several classmates before killing herself at a school in the city of Bryansk. Initial reports said one person besides the shooter was killed and five people were wounded in Thursday's gunfire. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reports that one of the people injured is in serious condition. Russia's Investigative Committee says the girl brought a pump-action shotgun to school that she used to fire at her classmates. Russia’s Interior Ministry said it was looking into a motive for the shooting, which is among several school shootings in the country in recent years.

The Israeli military hit Rafah in southern Gaza overnight, residents say, as United Nations officials warn there are no safe places left in the besieged territory. The center of Gaza’s second-largest city, Khan Younis, has also seen fighting amid Israel’s widening air and ground offensive in the southern part of the territory that has displaced tens of thousands more Palestinians and worsened dire humanitarian conditions.

On Dec. 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched an air raid on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as well as targets in Malaya, Hong Kong, Guam, the Philippines and Wake Island; the United States declared war against Japan the next day.

Next year's Belmont Stakes will take place at Saratoga Race Course. New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the move Wednesday. The final leg of horse racing's Triple Crown June 8 will be shortened to 1 1/4 miles and the purse increased from $1.5 million to $2 million. The change of location for at least 2024 is because of a massive renovation of Belmont Park. It'll be the first time the race is held at Saratoga. The Belmont construction project is also expected to keep the race in Saratoga in 2025.

The EV trend in the US at the end of 2023 is a little tough to tease out. Overall sales hit a record, but they’re also falling short of expectations amid the industry’s push to transition away from combustion engines and quickly towards EVs. EV inventory is building on dealer lots, and many EV models are taking longer to sell than gas counterparts. Some automakers are discounting their EVs to get them to move. Ford decreased Mach-E production in recent months. This story addresses the many EV market dynamics consumers are seeing.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two months ago, Kevin McCarthy was booted as House speaker. Now, the Republican congressman from California says he's resigning and will leave Congress by year's end. His announcement caps a stunning end of his House career for the onetime deli counter owner from Bakersfield, California. McCarthy has risen through state and national politics to become second in line to the presidency as speaker, until hard-right conservatives engineered his removal in October. McCarthy made his announcement in The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday and wrote that he'll “serve America in new ways.” McCarthy had brought Republicans into the majority but found it was much more difficult to lead the GOP’s factions.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military has announced it is grounding all of its Osprey V-22 helicopters, one week after eight Air Force Special Operations Command service members died in a crash off the coast of Japan. The Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps took the extraordinary step of grounding hundreds of aircraft after a preliminary investigation of last week’s crash indicated that a materiel failure — that something went wrong with the aircraft — and not a mistake by the crew led to the deaths. The crash raised new questions about the safety of the Osprey, which has been involved in multiple fatal accidents over its relatively short time in service. Japan grounded its fleet of 14 Ospreys after the crash.

RENO, Nev. (AP) — A Nevada grand jury has indicted six Republicans who submitted certificates to Congress falsely declaring Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 presidential election, making the Western swing state the third to seek charges against so-called “fake electors.” Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford began investigating the fake electors last month. The announcement represents a shift for Ford, who previously was quiet on whether he would investigate the fake electors before saying that state law did not directly address whether he could pursue charges. Fake electors were also charged in Michigan and Georgia, while 10 Republicans who posed as electors in Wisconsin settled a civil lawsuit Wednesday.

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — U.S. Coast Guard officials are promising reforms after an internal review found a “permissive environment” for sexual assault and harassment in the service. The report comes months after the Coast Guard apologized for failing to adequately handle cases of sexual assault and harassment at the service’s academy in Connecticut. The review was ordered by Admiral Linda Fagan, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. It recommends a range of reforms, including an end to an environment in which inappropriate jokes and comments were tolerated. It promised a greater focus on preventing inappropriate behavior at the earliest stages.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department says four Russian men accused of torturing an American during the invasion of Ukraine have been charged with war crimes in a first-of-its-kind case. It's the first prosecution against members of the Russian armed forces in connection with atrocities during Moscow’s war against Ukraine. And it's the first time the Justice Department has brought charges under a nearly 30-year-old statute that makes it a crime to subject an American to torture or inhumane treatment during a war. The charges are largely symbolic for now, given the unlikely prospects of the department bringing into custody any of the four defendants, who are fugitives.

The Yankees acquire Juan Soto in a blockbuster deal, Joel Embiid scores 50 while the Mavericks win by 50, Marquette wins a Top 20 matchup with Texas, and the Panthers outshine the Stars on ice.

Some of the words tied to this year’s hottest topics were also among the most mangled when it came to saying them aloud. This year’s lists of the most mispronounced words in the U.S. and Britain were released Thursday by Babbel. The online language learning company commissions The Closed Captioning Group in the U.S. and the British Institute of Verbatim Reports in the U.K. to identify the top words that news anchors, politicians and other public figures have struggled with. Pronunciations that stumped included the first name of the Irish actor starring in “Oppenheimer,” Cillian Murphy. The experts at Babbel his name is pronounced KI-lee-uhn. Another name making was the singer SZA, which they say is pronounced SIZ-uh.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Norman Lear has died. The producer who made TV topical in the 1970s with the sitcom “All in the Family,” died Tuesday night at the age of 101 years old. “All in the Family" starred Carroll O’Connor as diehard conservative Archie Bunker, who clashed with his liberal son-in-law over racism, feminism and the Vietnam War. It was one of a string of TV hits for Lear and then-partner Bud Yorkin that also included “Maude” and “The Jeffersons.” Lear’s series reflected his political beliefs, which he put into action by founding the nonprofit liberal advocacy group People for the American Way.

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is a senior producer 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 producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

Lee Enterprises produces many national, regional and sports podcasts. Learn more here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is declining to rule out abusing power if he again wins the presidency. Trump has talked about targeting his rivals and has referred to them as vermin. Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity asked Trump on Tuesday night to respond to growing Democratic criticism of his rhetoric, asking if he would promise that he “would never abuse power as retribution against anybody.” Trump responded, “Except for day one.” President Joe Biden has stepped up his warnings about Trump, contending Trump is “determined to destroy American democracy.”

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — The shrinking field of Republican presidential hopefuls are preparing to gather on a debate stage for the fourth time this year. The debate Wednesday at the University of Alabama will be their last meeting before the Iowa caucuses kick off the presidential nominating season next month. Four candidates will be on stage, but front-runner Donald Trump will not be among them. The former president has skipped all the debates to avoid giving his trailing rivals more attention.

On Tuesday, Israel’s military entered Gaza’s second-largest city in its pursuit to wipe out the territory’s Hamas rulers. The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry says the territory's death toll has surpassed 16,200. Around 1,200 people have died on the Israeli side, mainly civilians killed during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Air Force Special Operations Command has recovered the remains of six of the eight service members who were lost when their Osprey aircraft crashed off the coast of Japan last week. It says it is focused on recovering the two bodies still missing and the aircraft debris. The crew ranged from 24 to 36 years old and came from eight states: California, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio and Utah. Their commander says the sorrow among the small Air Force Special Operations community “is immeasurable.” President Joe Biden says he and first lady Jill Biden are heartbroken by the loss. Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shared a condolence message with Biden.

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis says he's “much better” after a two-week bout of bronchitis but says speaking still makes him tired. Francis asked an aide to read his remarks at his weekly general audience Wednesday. Francis turns 87 on Dec. 17 and had part of one lung removed as a young man. He came down with the flu on Nov. 25 and was forced to cancel a planned trip to Dubai to participate in the U.N. climate conference. He later revealed he had been diagnosed with an acute case of infectious bronchitis that made breathing difficult.

Former President Donald Trump’s civil business fraud trial has turned to one of the topics that has vexed him most — the disputed value of his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. Palm Beach luxury real estate broker Lawrence Moens took the stand for Trump's defense Tuesday. Moens played a glimmering video of the historic waterfront estate and testified that he’d value it at over $1 billion as of 2021. State Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit claims that Trump and his company deceived lenders and others by giving them financial statements that greatly overstated the values of some of his prime assets, including by listing Mar-a-Lago at up to $612 million. Trump denies any wrongdoing.

BOSTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has told campaign donors that he isn’t sure he’d be running for reelection if Donald Trump wasn’t also in the race. Biden warned Tuesday that democracy is “more at risk in 2024” and that the former president and his allies are out to “destroy” democratic institutions. Biden is using a trio of fundraisers to caution against what might happen should Trump again claim control of the White House. He noted that Trump has described himself as his supporters’ “retribution” and has vowed to root out “vermin” in the country.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate in a single stroke has approved about 425 military promotions after Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama ended a monthslong blockade of nominations over a Pentagon abortion policy. Tuberville had been under pressure from members of both sides of the political aisle to end his holds as senators complained about the toll it was taking on service members and their families, and on military readiness. Tuberville said holds would continue, however, for about 11 of the highest-ranking military officers. President Joe Biden calls the Senate’s action long overdue and says the military confirmations should never have been held up.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris has set the record for the most Senate tiebreaker votes, topping a nearly 200-year-old mark by casting her 32nd to help confirm a new federal judge in Washington, D.C. The previous recordholder was John C. Calhoun, who cast 31 tiebreaker votes during his eight years as vice president, from 1825 to 1832. Harris tied Calhoun's record in July and broke it Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer calls the fellow Democrat's vote a “great milestone.” Casting tiebreaker votes is among the only constitutional duties for vice presidents. Harris has been repeatedly called on to break deadlocks because the Senate is so closely divided between Democrats and Republicans.

The Bucks and Lakers advance, two top ten college basketball teams meet in New York, San Jose Sharks rally to beat the New York Islanders, the NCAA wants more benefits paid towards Division one athletes.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The New York Yankees have made a rare trade with the rival Boston Red Sox, acquiring outfielder Alex Verdugo for right-handers Greg Weissert, Richard Fitts and Nicholas Judice. It was just the eighth trade between the teams since Major League Baseball split into divisions in 1969. Verdugo, a 27-year-old left-handed hitter, batted .264 with 13 homers, 54 RBIs and a .745 OPS this year in his fourth season with the Red Sox.

NEW YORK (AP) — Remember what you searched for in 2023? Well, Wikipedia has the receipts. English Wikipedia raked in more than 84 billion views this year. That's according to numbers collected by the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit behind the free, publicly edited online encyclopedia. And the most popular article was about ChatGPT (yes, the AI chatbot that’s seemingly everywhere today). The second most-read article on Wikipedia in 2023 was the annual list of deaths, which sees high traffic year after year. Meanwhile, the highly anticipated 2023 Cricket World Cup took third place — and “Barbenheimer,” Taylor Swift and more also appeared to sway our 2023 internet-reading habits.

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is a senior producer 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 producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

Lee Enterprises produces many national, regional and sports podcasts. Learn more here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Dec. 5 at 7:30 a.m. CT:

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel is intensifying its bombardment in and around Gaza’s second-largest city, sending ambulances and private cars racing into a local hospital carrying people wounded in a bloody new phase of the war. Under U.S. pressure to prevent further mass casualties in the conflict with Hamas, Israel says it is being more precise as it widens its offensive into southern Gaza after obliterating much of the north. But Palestinians say there are no areas where they feel safe, and many fear that if they leave their homes they will never be allowed to return. Aerial bombardment and the ground offensive have already driven three-fourths of the territory’s 2.3 million people from their homes.

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Officials are investigating the circumstances surrounding a massive explosion that destroyed a duplex and shook a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. Police said early Tuesday that a suspect in the home fired a flare gun 30 to 40 times into the neighborhood on Monday afternoon, drawing a large police response. Arlington County, Virginia, police say they obtained a search warrant and tried to contact the suspect, but he remained inside his home. When police attempted to execute a warrant, the suspect fired several rounds inside the home and the house subsequently exploded. Police say all officers escaped serious injury, but it was unclear what happened to the suspect.

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria's emergency services agency says more than 80 people are confirmed dead after military drones “mistakenly” bombed a religious gathering in the northwest. Some 60 people were injured in the attack Sunday in Kaduna state. The president ordered a probe into the incident, the latest of a series of failed aerial assaults in the conflict zone. Since 2017, some 400 civilians have been killed by airstrikes the military said were targeting armed groups, according to the Lagos-based SBM Intelligence security firm. Rights groups and analysts say such mistakes have continued to happen because of the failure to hold the security agencies accountable.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new study finds that students around the world suffered historic setbacks in reading during the pandemic and even deeper losses in math, with test score decreases so wide that the United States climbed in global rankings simply by falling behind less sharply. The state of global education was given a bleak appraisal in the Program for International Student Assessment, the first study to examine academic progress in dozens of countries during the pandemic. Released Tuesday, it finds that average math scores fell by the equivalent of three-quarters of a year’s worth of learning. Reading scores fell by the equivalent of half a year.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — George Santos already has a new gig. Fresh off his historic expulsion, the former congressman has opened a Cameo account where the public can pay $200 for a personalized video message. Screenshots of his account with the bio "Former congressional ‘Icon’!” started to spread online Monday and by the afternoon, users were posting clips of Santos offering advice, blowing kisses and making jokes about Botox. Santos was expelled from the House on Friday following a scandal-plagued tenure in Congress and a looming criminal trial. He is only the sixth member in the chamber’s history to be ousted by colleagues.

MIAMI (AP) — The Justice Department says a former American diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Bolivia has been charged with serving as a covert agent for Cuba’s intelligence services since at least 1981. Newly unsealed court papers allege that Manuel Rocha engaged in “clandestine activity” on Cuba’s behalf for decades, including by meeting with Cuban intelligence operatives. The complaint was filed in federal court in Miami, and includes charges of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government and other crimes. He appeared in court Monday afternoon and will remain held until a bond hearing Wednesday.

LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry is challenging the British government's decision to strip him of his security detail after he gave up his status as a working member of the royal family and moved to the United States. A three-day hearing began Tuesday in London’s High Court over the Duke of Sussex's claim that he deserves protection when he visits home. His lawyer claims Harry was treated unfairly by a committee that deviated from its own standards and failed to evaluate risks to him. A different judge previously rejected Harry's petition to privately pay for security in the United Kingdom.

The Jaguars lose the game and their starting quarterback against the Bengals on Monday Night Football, a Steelers quarterback is out indefinitely after surgery, college football’s Heisman Trophy finalists are announced, the Pacers and Pelicans punch their tickets to Las Vegas, Zach Edey carries Purdue men’s hoops to victory and the Lightning cruise past the Stars.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies have signed manager Rob Thomson to a one-year contract extension through the 2025 season after he led the team to two straight trips to the NL Championship Series. The 60-year-old Thomson has a 155-118 record since the veteran bench coach replaced Joe Girardi as Phillies manager on June 3, 2022. Thomson led the Phillies to the 2022 World Series, where they lost in six games to the Houston Astros. The Phillies returned to the NLCS this season but blew series leads of 2-0 and 3-2 with Games 6 and 7 at home against Arizona.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles have signed three-time All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard to a contract for the rest of the season. Leonard should be available to play for the Eagles on Sunday night against Dallas. Leonard visited with both the Eagles and Cowboys after the Colts waived him late last month. He complained publicly about decreased playing time this season with the Colts. Leonard made three All-Pro teams and three Pro Bowls in his first four seasons with the Colts.

LONDON (AP) — Oxford University Press has named “rizz″ as its word of the year to highlight the popularity of a term used by Generation Z to describe someone’s ability to attract or seduce another person. It topped “Swiftie” or an enthusiastic fan of Taylor Swift, “situationship” which means an informal romantic or sexual relationship and “prompt” which is an instruction given to an artificial intelligence program. The annual decision was announced on Monday. It was made by experts at the publisher of the multivolume Oxford English Dictionary. The four finalists were selected by a public vote. The publisher said that rizz is believed to come from the middle of the word charisma and can be used as a verb as in to “rizz up” or chat someone up.

SEATTLE (AP) — Alaska Air Group has agreed to buy Hawaiian Airlines in a $1.9 billion deal including debt. The airlines announced the agreement Sunday. Alaska will pay $18 in cash for each share of Hawaiian, whose stock closed Friday at $4.86. The deal includes $900 million in Hawaiian debt. The acquisition still needs the blessing of U.S. regulators, which have shown resistance to more consolidation within the airline industry out of fear it could lead to higher airfares. Alaska and Hawaiian are both leading carriers between Hawaii and the U.S. mainland, which could raise worries about the combination hurting competition.

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is a senior producer 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 producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

Lee Enterprises produces many national, regional and sports podcasts. Learn more here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Dec. 4 at 7:30 a.m. CT:

TOKYO (AP) — The U.S. Air Force says divers have discovered wreckage and the remains of five crew members from a U.S. Air Force Osprey aircraft that crashed last week off southwestern Japan. The CV-22 Osprey carrying eight American personnel crashed last Wednesday off Yakushima island during a training mission. The body of one victim was recovered and identified earlier. The Air Force Special Operations Command says the five newly located remains are being recovered and their identities have yet to be determined. Ospreys have had a number of crashes, including in Japan, where they are used at U.S. and Japanese military bases, and the latest accident has rekindled safety concerns.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military says three commercial ships in the Red Sea were struck by ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen, and a U.S. warship shot down three drones in self-defense during the hourslong assault. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility. The attacks marked an escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the Mideast linked to the Israel-Hamas war as multiple vessels found themselves in the crosshairs of a single Houthi assault for the first time in the conflict. U.S. Central Command says the attacks represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel’s military has renewed calls for mass evacuations from the southern town of Khan Younis, as it widened its ground offensive and bombarded targets across the Gaza Strip. Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge in the town in recent weeks. The expanded operations follow the expiration of a weeklong cease-fire. They are aimed at eliminating Gaza’s Hamas rulers, whose Oct. 7 attack into Israel triggered the deadliest Israeli-Palestinian violence in decades. The war has already killed thousands of Palestinians and displaced over three-fourths of the territory’s population of 2.3 million people, who are running out of safe places to go.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A prominent developing-world leader on the issue of climate change said Monday that global taxes on the financial services, oil and gas, and shipping industries could drum up hundreds of billions to poorer countries adapt to and cope with global warming. Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley focused on how poorer countries could shoulder the astronomical costs for the world to adapt to climate change, reduce its future impact, and pay for losses and damage caused as climate trouble like floods, forest fires and heat waves rip through communities.

Beyoncé ruled the box office this weekend. Her concert picture, “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé,” opened in first place with $21 million in North American ticket sales, according to estimates from AMC Theatres Sunday. It debuted in 2,539 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, as well as 94 international territories, where it earned $6.4 million. Lionsgate’s “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” fell to second place in its third weekend with an estimated $14.5 million. Third place went to “Godzilla Minus One." “Trolls Band Together” landed in fourth place in its third weekend with $7.6 million.

College Football's semi finals are set for New Years Day but not everyone is happy, plenty of happy wide receivers in the NFL following Sunday's games, a big smile on a former manager who was elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame and the number one player in the world in golf wins again.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The newest group of Kennedy Center honorees, including comedian Billy Crystal and actor Queen Latifah, were feted Sunday night at a star-studded event commemorating their lifetime achievement in arts and entertainment. Opera singer Renée Fleming, 1970s music icon Barry Gibb and prolific hitmaker Dionne Warwick were also honored at the black-tie gala. Each received personalized tributes and performances that are typically kept secret from the honorees themselves. President Joe Biden welcomed the honorees to the White House before the event, saying that the performing arts “reflect who we are as Americans and as human beings.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — For more than a decade, Sandra Day O’Connor was the only woman on the Supreme Court. And she was the first female justice. Now the court has a record four. There was a time when O’Connor was known as the nation’s most powerful woman. That was before a woman led a presidential ticket and before a woman had served as secretary of state. O'Connor wielded considerable political clout with a pragmatic approach to the law that at times irritated colleagues both to her left and right. O’Connor retired from the court in 2006. She died Friday in Phoenix of complications of related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness. She was 93.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials say flu is picking up steam while RSV lung infections may be peaking. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that COVID-19 remains the main cause of hospitalizations and deaths in the country. The agency said a surge in RSV infections may be about to peak. And CDC officials say they are also looking into reports of outbreaks of pneumonia in two states, but say they don’t believe it’s due to anything unusual. As the flu season progresses, 11 states are now reporting a high level of illnesses.

Oregon State, Washington State and the Mountain West have announced a football scheduling agreement for the 2024 season. It gives the two schools six opponents each and keeps open the possibility that they will operate as a two-team conference for at least a year. All 12 Mountain West schools will be involved and Oregon State and Washington State will each play three homes games and three road games against members of the conference. The Mountain West will play a seven-game conference schedule and the games against Oregon State and Washington State will not count against the conference standings.

In this week's AP Religion Roundup, charges in a New York assassination plot against a religious separatist leader could complicate US-India relations.

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is a senior producer 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 producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

Lee Enterprises produces many national, regional and sports podcasts. Learn more here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the weekly bonus episode of Hot off the Wire, where we look back at some of the top headlines from the week in the world of sports and entertainment. 

I’m Terry Lipshetz, Managing Editor of the National Newsroom at Lee Enterprises and your host. Subscribe to Hot Off The Wire through Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts so you don’t miss daily news updates.

As always, be sure to check out our latest episode of Streamed & Screened, a podcast dedicated to movies and television. 

Listen to the latest episode of Streamed & Screened here. 

This week Bruce Miller and I discuss more than a dozen movies to watch between now and the end of the year.

This week’s top headlines include:

Those stories and more from The Associated Press.

— Compiled and narrated by Terry Lipshetz from Associated Press reports

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is a senior producer 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 producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

Lee Enterprises produces many national, regional and sports podcasts. Learn more here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Dec. 2 at 6 a.m. CT:

Kraft Heinz says it’s bringing dairy-free macaroni and cheese to the U.S. for the first time. The company says the new recipe has the same creamy texture and flavor of the beloved 85-year-old original but replaces dairy with ingredients like fava bean protein and coconut oil powder. Kraft NotMac&Cheese will be rolled out to U.S. stores over the next few months. It was developed in collaboration with Not Co., a Chicago startup that makes plant-based milk, burgers and other products. Kraft and Not Co. formed a joint venture last year and have also developed plant-based cheese slices and mayonnaise.

Electric vehicle sales are expected to hit a record 9% of all passenger vehicles in the U.S. this year, according to Atlas Public Policy. That will be up from 7.3% of new car sales in 2022. This will be the first year U.S. EV sales surpass 1 million, and they will probably reach between 1.3 million and 1.4 million cars. Electric vehicle prices in the U.S. have been falling. Although the numbers show significant progress for electrification in the US, the nation is lagging behind countries like China, Germany, and Norway.

The energy used by cars and their CO2 emissions could have dropped by over 30% in the past decade if not for the world’s growing taste for SUVs, a new report from the Global Fuel Economy Initiative suggests. Electric vehicles are a solution, but large gas-powered cars are incredibly popular, especially in the U.S., and their overall market share keeps growing. Large SUVs like the Chevrolet Tahoe, Toyota Sequoia, or Nissan Armada have highway fuel efficiency of just 28, 24, and 19 miles per gallon, respectively.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. life expectancy rose last year, but it still isn’t close to what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. It was up by more than a year in 2022, after plunging two straight years at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's now 77 years, 6 months — about what it was two decades ago. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the numbers on Wednesday. Researchers say the rise was mainly due the waning pandemic. The snapshot statistic is considered one of the most important measures of the health of the U.S. population.

PHOENIX (AP) — The United States is ill-prepared to ensure housing and care for the growing ranks of America's older people. That's the conclusion of a new report being released Thursday by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. Without enough government assistance many older adults will have to forgo needed care or rely on family and friends for assistance. Many will become homeless. Officials at the center say more governmental assistance could better help the upsurge of older Americans who are baby boomers born after World War II. Creative ideas are needed to help house people with fixed or dwindling incomes.

NEW YORK (AP) — The COVID-19 pandemic upended the work habits of people around the world, with millions working from home, at least for part of their week. Workers have returned in waves back to the office on some days, but navigating that transition is a significant hurdle for employers and workers alike. And many simply don’t want to restore the pre-COVID status quo. Top factors behind this resistance include a sense of losing flexibility or throwing off a better work-life balance, as well as often lengthy and costly commutes. Two surveys conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago give a glimpse into the challenges and tensions that arrive with return to office plans.

INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. (AP) — It's been a record-breaking year for sea turtles in Florida. Just as they have for millions of years, the turtles have crawled onto beaches, digging pits in the sand to lay their eggs. Florida's preliminary count shows more than 133,840 loggerhead turtle nests and 76,500 green turtle nests, breaking records set years ago. Other southeastern U.S. states also report high numbers. But only one in 1,000 hatchlings lives to adulthood and climate change is threatening their species as beaches disappear under rising seas. Hotter sand makes more females, and the hatchlings are smaller and slower. Experts say their future remains ominous.

LONDON (AP) — The British Antarctic Survey says that one of the world’s largest icebergs is drifting beyond Antarctic waters after being grounded for more than three decades. The iceberg known as A23a split from the Antarctic’s Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986. But it became stuck to the ocean floor and had remained for many years in the Weddell Sea. The iceberg is about three times the size of New York City and more than twice the size of Greater London. Andrew Fleming from the British Antarctic Survey told the BBC on Friday that the iceberg has been drifting for the past year and now appears to be picking up speed and moving past the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula helped by wind and ocean currents.

ELMSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — A growing number of states are working to keep food out of landfills over concerns the waste is taking up too much space and posing environmental problems. Globally, about a third of food is wasted. In the United States, it’s even higher, at 40%. California and some others have passed laws requiring food waste to be composted while others including New York require supermarkets and other businesses to redirect food to food pantries. They argue it saves landfill space, cuts methane emissions and also gives poor families more choices. New York says it already has recycled or donated 5 million pounds of leftover food.

The oil and gas sector, one of the major emitters of planet-warming gases, will need a rapid and substantial overhaul for the world to avoid even worse extremes fueled by human-caused climate change. That's according to a report released Thursday. The International Energy Agency says the current investment of $800 billion a year for the oil and gas sector will need to be slashed in half and emissions need to fall by 60% to give the world a fighting chance to meet its climate goals. It also found that the sector’s investment into clean technologies like solar and wind only account for 1% of the global total.

WENDEN, Ariz. (AP) — Worries about future water supplies from ancient aquifers are bubbling up in western rural Arizona. Some neighbors complain that their backyard wells have dried up since an Emirati agribusiness began farming alfalfa nearby. One farmer worries that state officials someday may try to divert the area’s groundwater for Phoenix’s future needs. Experts say tensions are inevitable as companies in climate-challenged countries such as the United Arab Emirates look to faraway places like rural Arizona for water and land they need to cultivate forage material and commodities.

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is a senior producer 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 producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

Lee Enterprises produces many national, regional and sports podcasts. Learn more here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Dec. 1 at 6:30 a.m. CT:

WASHINGTON (AP) — In an alternate reality, the prime-time showdown between California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis could have been a preview of a 2024 general election debate. Instead, Thursday's 90-minute meeting was a hard-to-explain event that pitted one struggling Republican presidential hopeful against a Democratic rival who may or may not seek the presidency in four years. DeSantis called Newsom “a slick, slippery politician whose state is failing.” Newsom defended California and shifted the discussion to DeSantis’ stagnant 2024 presidential bid. The governors were eager to represent their parties on the national stage as they battled over the economy, pandemic restrictions and President Joe Biden’s leadership and traded personal insults.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli fighter jets hit targets in the Gaza Strip minutes after a weeklong truce expired, as the war with Hamas resumed in full force. Black smoke billowed from the besieged territory Friday, and Israel dropped leaflets over parts of southern Gaza urging people to leave their homes, suggesting it was preparing to widen its offensive. In Israel, sirens warning of incoming rockets blared at several communal farms near Gaza, a sign that militants also restarted attacks. There were no reports of hits. The renewed hostilities heightened concerns for Palestinians in the tiny coastal enclave as well as about 140 hostages who remain there. Qatar said negotiators were still trying to reach an agreement on restarting the cease-fire.

KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the war with Russia is in a new stage, with winter expected to complicate fighting after a summer counteroffensive that failed to produce desired results due to enduring shortages of weapons and ground forces. Despite the setbacks, however, he says in an interview with The Associated Press that “we are not backing down.” Zelenskyy also said he fears the Israel-Hamas war threatens to overshadow the conflict in Ukraine, with competing political agendas and limited resources reducing military aid. And his concerns are amplified by the tumult that inevitably arises during a U.S. election year and its implications for continued aid to his country.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Two Nevada state troopers have died in a hit-and-run while helping another driver and a suspect is in custody. Las Vegas police say the driver was impaired early Thursday morning and faces charges of DUI and reckless driving resulting in death. Police say the troopers were checking on a sleeping driver on the I-15 freeway around 3:30 a.m. when they were struck. The suspect was found hours later. The state police have identified the officers as Sgt. Michael Abbate and Trooper Alberto Felix. Gov. Joe Lombardo says the deaths are a devastating loss for Las Vegas and the entire state. The I-15 was where another trooper was killed in 2021 during a vehicle pursuit.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. George Santos of New York will confront a third effort to expel him from the House on Friday, sensing the vote is likely to be his last and intent on not going away quietly. The first-term Republican could well become just the sixth member of the House to be ousted by colleagues. Of the previous expulsions, three were for disloyalty to the Union during the Civil War and two were for being convicted of crimes in federal court. Santos' challenge to colleagues to take the “hard vote” is an appeal to those lawmakers who worry that a new precedent is being set for the chamber’s harshest punishment.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have voted to authorize subpoenas for two prominent conservatives who arranged luxury travel and other benefits for Supreme Court justices. But Republicans are challenging the legitimacy of the action and pledging to withhold support for enforcing the legal. The committee chairman, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, pushed through the vote in the meeting’s final moments on Thursday after Republicans had walked out. The vote from the 11 Democrats would authorize subpoenas for Republican megadonor Harlan Crow and conservative activist Leonard Leo. But without bipartisan backing, the subpoenas probably won't be enforced because that would take 60 votes in the closely divided Senate.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has gotten his turn at bringing the holiday spirit to Washington. The president and his wife, Jill, participated in the annual tradition of lighting the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse near the White House. This year's tree is a 40-foot Norway spruce from West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest. There was a moment's doubt earlier this week about whether Thursday's lighting ceremony would go ahead as planned after the tree was toppled by powerful winds. But it was upright again within hours after the National Park Service replaced a cable that helps secure it.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Britain's King Charles III warned of “a starker and darker world” unless leaders change course during the U.N. climate conference in Dubai.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A federal judge has blocked Montana's first-in-the-nation law banning the video-sharing app TikTok in the state while a legal challenge to the law moves through the courts. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy says the ban “oversteps state power and infringes on the Constitutional right of users and businesses.” The ban had been scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. Montana’s Republican-controlled Legislature made the state the first in the U.S. to pass a complete ban on the app. The ban was based on the argument that the Chinese government could gain access to user information from TikTok. The app's parent company is based in Beijing.

The Cowboys rally past the Seahawks, two lengthy NBA losing streaks continue but one comes to an end, the Red Wings continue to play well, and an NCAA women's college basketball head coach records a milestone victory. Correspondent Mike Reeves reports.

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York appeals court has reinstated a gag order that barred Donald Trump from commenting about court personnel after he disparaged a law clerk in his New York civil fraud trial. The trial judge, Arthur Engoron, imposed the gag order Oct. 3 after Trump posted a derogatory comment about the judge’s law clerk to social media. The post included a baseless allegation about the clerk’s personal life. It came the second day of the trial in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit. It alleges Trump exaggerated his wealth on financial statements used to secure loans and make deals. The Republican former president denies any wrongdoing.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday proposed the strongest overhaul of lead in drinking water rules in more than three decades. If finalized, it would force most utilities to replace lead water pipes within 10 years. There are more than 9 million lead pipes still in the ground in the United States and they are typically the biggest source of lead in drinking water. Lead is particularly dangerous to young children. It lowers IQ scores, damages their development and can increase blood pressure in adults. The EPA proposal would also force utilities to act more quickly to reduce lead levels and improve how they test for lead.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials say they will give investigators a better tool for understanding accidents and close calls between planes. The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday it will propose that new planes have cockpit voice recorders that keep 25 hours of sound, up from the current two hours. The idea is to prevent valuable information from being lost. In one case, investigators couldn't hear what American Airlines pilots were doing before they crossed a runway right in front of a Delta jet taking off from JFK Airport in New York. That's because the American Airlines pilots took off for London, and whatever they said to each other during the close call was erased two hours later.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Meta says it has found and disabled thousands of fake Facebook accounts linked to China that were used to spread politically partisan content in the United States before next year’s election. The accounts disclosed Thursday were designed to look as though they were run by everyday Americans. The network reposted content from the right and the left in an apparent effort to inflame political tensions. Meta's executives said Thursday they're guarding against similar efforts to interfere with elections next year in the U.S. and elsewhere. Critics say Meta hasn't done enough to address its role in spreading misinformation and hate speech. California-based Meta hasn't publicly linked the network to China’s government.

LONDON (AP) — Shane MacGowan, the boozy, rabble-rousing singer and chief songwriter of The Pogues, who infused traditional Irish music with the energy and spirit of punk, has died. He was 65. His family said in a statement Thursday that "it is with the deepest sorrow and heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our most beautiful, darling and dearly beloved Shane Macgowan.” The singer died peacefully early Thursday with his family by his side, the statement added. The musician had been hospitalized in Dublin for several months after being diagnosed with viral encephalitis in late 2022. He was discharged last week, ahead of his upcoming birthday on Christmas Day.

Academy Awards enthusiasts won’t have to stay up quite as late to hear the best picture winner in March. The 96th Oscars will begin one hour early, with the official show starting at 7 p.m. Eastern for the first time, ABC said Thursday. The official pre-show will also begin earlier, at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. The show has traditionally begun at 8 p.m. Despite various experiments to keep the runtime to three hours, the broadcast has sometimes stretched into the 11 o’clock hour. The 96th Oscars will air live on ABC on March 10 from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Nominations will be announced on Jan. 23.

LONDON (AP) — The first trans-Atlantic flight by a commercial jet powered solely by so-called sustainable aviation fuel has flown from London to New York. The Virgin Atlantic flight aimed to achieve what supporters called “jet zero" to make air travel more environmentally friendly. But large hurdles remain in making the fuel widely available. While governments have long talked about decarbonizing air travel, the transition has been moving at the pace of a dirigible. Sustainable aviation fuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by about 70% but is in short supply.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The North American wolverine will receive long-delayed threatened species protections under a Biden administration proposal. Wednesday’s determination that the species is threatened with extinction follows years of scientists' warnings that climate change will likely melt away the elusive species’ snowy mountain refuges. Wolverines were wiped out across most of the U.S. by the early 1900s from unregulated trapping and poisoning campaigns. About 300 surviving animals in the contiguous U.S. live in fragmented, isolated groups at high elevations in the Northern Rockies. A federal judge in 2022 had ordered President Joe Biden's administration to make a final decision on whether to seek protections that were rejected under former President Donald Trump.

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is a senior producer 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 producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

Lee Enterprises produces many national, regional and sports podcasts. Learn more here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Nov. 30 at 7:15 a.m. CT:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has died, his consulting firm says. He was 100. Kissinger dominated foreign policy as the United States extricated itself from Vietnam and broke down barriers with China. He exerted uncommon influence on global affairs under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, earning both harsh criticism and the Nobel Peace Prize. The German-born diplomat got the U.S. out of Vietnam after bloody, costly years of delay and into China in a sudden burst of secret diplomacy. Decades later, his name still provoked impassioned debate over foreign policy actions long past. He stands among the 20th century’s commanding figures in U.S. foreign policy.

TOKYO (AP) — Global leaders are paying tribute to former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, but there is also sharp criticism of the man who remained an influential figure decades after his official service as one of the most powerful diplomats in American history. Kissinger, who died Wednesday at 100, drew praise as a skilled defender of U.S. interests. On social media, though, he was widely called a war criminal who left lasting damage throughout the world. Kissinger dominated foreign policy as the U.S. withdrew from Vietnam and established ties with China. Current Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that “few people were better students of history” and “even fewer people did more to shape history than Henry Kissinger.”

PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — With her frail husband as a silent witness, Rosalynn Carter was celebrated by her family and closest friends at her funeral in Plains, Georgia, the same tiny town where she and Jimmy Carter were born. The former president attended the intimate gathering at Maranatha Baptist Church. She and her husband spent decades there welcoming guests. Maranatha Pastor Tony Lowden gave tribute to what he called “the life and legacy of the greatest first lady" and said that as a humanitarian, she "served every nation around the world.” Hundreds watched her motorcade through town. Her burial plot is in view of the front porch of the home where the 39th American president still lives.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s her, hi — Taylor Swift is Spotify’s 2023 most-played artist. According to Spotify Wrapped, Swift was 2023’s most-streamed artist globally, raking in more than 26.1 billion global streams since January. That means the pop superstar has dethroned Puerto Rican reggaetonero Bad Bunny, who held the coveted title for three years in a row since 2020. He’s in the second slot in 2023, followed by The Weeknd in third, Drake in fourth, and regional Mexican musician Peso Pluma in fifth. Bad Bunny's 2022 album “Un Verano Sin Ti” was Spotify’s most-streamed album for the second year in a row, raking in 4.5 billion global streams since the start of the year.

LONDON (AP) — Elton John has urged British lawmakers to do more to fight HIV and AIDS. He says the U.K. can be the first country in the world “to defeat this awful virus.” The British star spoke to dozens of lawmakers and campaigners in the grand Speaker’s House of Parliament on Wednesday evening at an event honoring his dedication to fighting HIV. He told lawmakers: “I implore you not to waste your allotted time as political leaders." John set up his AIDS Foundation in 1992 and has helped raise millions of dollars to prevent HIV infections and reduce stigma. The Parliament reception for John came ahead of World AIDS Day, which takes place on Friday.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Daryl Hall has filed a court declaration that accuses his longtime music partner John Oates of committing the “ultimate partnership betrayal” by planning to sell his share of the Hall & Oates duo’s joint venture without the other’s permission. In the declaration filed Wednesday in a Nashville chancery court, Hall also lamented the deterioration of his relationship with and trust in his musical partner of more than a half-century. The court filing says the joint venture, named Whole Oats Enterprises LLP, includes Hall & Oates trademarks, personal name and likeness rights, record royalty income and website and social media assets. Oates responded in court that Hall had been trying to stand alone outside of the group for years.

NEW YORK (AP) — Frances Sternhagen, the veteran character actor who won two Tony Awards and became a familiar maternal face to TV viewers later in life in such shows as “Cheers,” “ER,” “Sex and the City” and “The Closer,” has died. She was 93. Sternhagen won a Tony for best featured actress in a play in 1974 for her role in Neil Simon’s “The Good Doctor” and a second one in 1995 for a revival of “The Heiress.” She was nominated for Tonys four other times, for starring or featured roles in “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window,” “Equus,” “Angel” and “Morning’s at Seven.”

In sports: Big nights for Zion Williamson and Nikola Jokic in the NBA, a few upsets in men’s college basketball and another win for the Rangers in the NHL.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The New York Jets opened the 21-day practice window for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The move Wednesday is the next step in the four-time NFL MVP’s rehabilitation from a torn Achilles tendon. Coach Robert Saleh said Rodgers, who turns 40 on Saturday, was cleared for some football activities but was limited at practice and isn't cleared for contact. Saleh emphasized it’s not necessarily a signal Rodgers will play again this season as it is the next step of the quarterback’s rehabilitation process. At the end of the 21-day period, the Jets will decide whether to activate him or he’ll spend the rest of this season on injured reserve.

The family that runs the Las Vegas Sands casino company says it has entered agreements to buy the majority stake of the Dallas Mavericks from team owner Mark Cuban. The agreement would be in the valuation range of $3.5 billion, according to an AP source, and will take weeks for the league to process. Cuban would retain control of basketball operations in the deal. The family of Miriam Adelson, widow of billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, has announced it is selling $2 billion of her shares to buy the team.

The Newport Beach, California, Police Department say its detectives are conducting an investigation into an accusation that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey had an improper relationship with an underage girl. In a since-deleted post, an anonymous social media user said a girl who is seen with Giddey in videos and photographs was a high school junior at the time. The social media account has since been deactivated. Giddey is an Australian who turned 21 in October. The NBA said last week that it is investigating. Giddey has declined to comment.

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is a senior producer 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 producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

Lee Enterprises produces many national, regional and sports podcasts. Learn more here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Nov. 29 at 7 a.m. CT:

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — International mediators appeared to have made progress Wednesday on extending the truce in Gaza. They are encouraging the territory’s Hamas rulers to keep freeing hostages in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners and further respite from Israel’s air and ground offensive. The deal will otherwise expire within a day. Israel has welcomed the release of dozens of hostages in recent days and says it will maintain the truce if Hamas keeps freeing captives. But its other major goal is the annihilation of the armed group that has ruled Gaza for 16 years and orchestrated the deadly attack on Israel that triggered the war. That seems less and less likely.

TOKYO (AP) — A crew member who was recovered from the ocean after a U.S. military Osprey aircraft carrying six people crashed Wednesday off southern Japan has been pronounced dead. Japanese coast guard officials say the cause of the crash and the status of the five others on the aircraft were not immediately known. Initial reports said the aircraft was carrying eight people, but the U.S. military later revised the number to six. The Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft that can function as a helicopter and a turboprop aircraft. U.S. and Japanese officials say the aircraft belonged to Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo. U.S. Air Force officials at Yokota said they are still confirming information and had no immediate comment.

CLEVELAND (AP) — An early blast of cold and snow shut down schools in Cleveland on Tuesday and made driving on heavily traveled Interstate 90 in northern Ohio treacherous. A lake-effect snow warning was issued by the National Weather Service for areas from Cleveland eastward into Erie, Pennsylvania. Just before 11 a.m. Tuesday, the weather service said observers had reported 13 inches or more in Ashtabula County in Ohio and Erie County in Pennsylvania along with 11.6 inches in Lake County, Ohio. A foot or more of snow also had fallen across a largely rural stretch of upstate New York east of Lake Ontario, with one spot recording 23 inches.

PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Rosalynn Carter is set to receive her final accolades and farewells in Plains, Georgia. It's the same tiny town where the former first lady was born. There, she and former President Jimmy Carter based his 1976 presidential campaign and returned after their White House years as they became global humanitarians. Rosalynn Carter died Nov. 19. Her funeral Wednesday will be held at Maranatha Baptist Church. The service comes on the last of three days of public tributes. The 99-year-old former president attended a memorial service Tuesday in Atlanta. Rosalynn Carter will be buried in a plot she will one day share with her husband.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The global economy, which has proved surprisingly resilient this year, is expected to falter next year under the strain of wars, still-elevated inflation and continued high interest rates. The Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimated Wednesday that international growth will slow to 2.7% in 2024 from an expected 2.9% pace this year. That would amount to the slowest growth since the pandemic year of 2020. A key factor is that the OECD expects the world’s two biggest economies, the United States and China, to decelerate next year. The U.S. economy is forecast to expand just 1.5% in 2024, from 2.4% in 2023, as the Federal Reserve’s interest rate increases restrain growth.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs has temporarily stepped down as chairman of his television network Revolt amid multiple sexual abuse allegations against the music mogul. Revolt announced Combs’ decision on social media Tuesday. It’s not clear when he will return to his media company – which said Combs previously had “no operational or day-to-day role” at the network. Combs declined to comment on the matter. The network has been preparing to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Earlier this month, R&B singer Cassie accused Combs of raping and beating her over the duration of their decadeslong, on-and-off relationship. After Cassie, two more women came forward to accuse him of sexual abuse.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Emirati president-designate for the upcoming United Nations COP28 climate talks has forcefully denied a report alleging his nation planned to use the summit to strike oil and gas deal, a day before the summit was due to being. Sultan al-Jaber, who also leads the massive state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., called the allegations Wednesday from a BBC report “an attempt to undermine the work of the COP28 presidency” before the talks begin Thursday. The report cited what it described as “leaked briefing documents” the broadcaster described as showing the Emirates planned to discuss fossil fuel deals with 15 nations. The BBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

BLUFFTON, S.C. (AP) — Nikki Haley says former President Donald Trump causes too much chaos to be successful in a second White House term. She reiterated her argument about the GOP front-runner at a large town hall Monday in her home state of South Carolina. The former governor and United Nations ambassador drew the largest crowd of her primary campaign so far as she tries to close the gap with Trump just weeks before the Iowa caucuses kick off the Republican nominating calendar. Haley says the time is now right for a new generation in U.S. leadership. Officials at a satellite campus of the University of South Carolina said around 2,500 people gathered for the event.

NEW YORK (AP) — It’s not just you. Across the U.S., prices at the pump have felt milder in recent months. Gas prices have fallen or remained steady since September 19 — marking about a 70-day trajectory of decline. That's according to Andrew Gross, a spokesperson for motor club AAA. As of Tuesday, the national average for gas prices stood just below $3.25. That’s down 25 cents from a month ago and 30 cents less than this time last year. Experts point to recent declines in oil prices and a seasonal dip in demand, which is projected to continue in the coming months. A change in trajectory is always possible of course — particularly if there are shifts in the larger global market.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A key Federal Reserve official raised the possibility that the Fed could decide to cut its benchmark interest rate as early as spring if inflation keeps declining steadily. The official, Christopher Waller, cautioned that inflation is still too high and that it’s not yet certain if a recent slowdown in price increases can be sustained. But he sounded the most optimistic notes of any Fed official since the central bank launched its aggressive streak of rate hikes. Waller is regarded as a relatively “hawkish" official, meaning that he typically favors higher rates to combat inflation rather than low rates to boost job growth. But he has also become somewhat of a bellwether for the Fed’s overall rate-setting committee.

American consumers are feeling slightly more confident this month as the all-important holiday shopping season kicks into high gear. The Conference Board, a business research group, said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose to 102 from 99.1 in October. Analysts were expecting a reading of 101. The October reading was revised down from an original reading of 102.6. The index measuring Americans short-term expectations for income, business and job market rose to 77.8 in November from 72.7 in October. It was the third straight reading below 80 for future expectations, which historically signals a recession within a year.

NEW YORK (AP) — Sports Illustrated is the latest media company damaged by being less than forthcoming about who or what is writing its stories at the dawn of the artificial intelligence age. The website Futurism reported that the once-grand magazine used articles with “authors” who apparently don't exist, with photos generated by AI. The magazine denied claims that some articles themselves were AI-assisted, but has cut ties with a vendor it hired to produce the articles. The Gannett newspaper chain and the tech website CNET each had unsuccessful experiments with AI this past year and had kept readers in the dark about what they were doing.

College football's four unbeaten majors top the College Football Playoff rankings, the NBA's in-season tournament has its elite eight, college basketball's top-ranked team wins again, and a win for the Wild's new coach in his debut.

—The Associated Press

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Host Terry Lipshetz is a senior producer 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 producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

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