Hot Off The Wire

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’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 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.

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

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted March 9 at 7:45 a.m. CT:

LA GRULLA, Texas (AP) — The military says a helicopter flying over the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas has crashed, killing two National Guard soldiers and a Border Patrol agent. Another soldier on board has been injured. The UH-72 Lakota helicopter was assigned to the federal government’s border security mission when it went down near Rio Grande City. The crash happened mid-afternoon Friday while the helicopter was conducting aviation operations. Authorities didn't provide more details. The cause is under investigation.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has approved a $460 billion package of spending bills in time to meet a midnight deadline for avoiding a shutdown of many key federal agencies. The vote gets lawmakers about halfway home in wrapping up their appropriations work for this budget year. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. Meanwhile, lawmakers are negotiating a second package of six bills, including defense, in an effort to have all federal agencies fully funded by March 22. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says the first bill’s passage will allow agencies to hire more air traffic controllers, give federal firefighters a raise and boost support for homeless veterans, among other things.

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.

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

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted March 8 at 6:15 a.m. CT:

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden delivered a defiant argument for a second term in his State of the Union speech Thursday night, lacing into GOP front-runner Donald Trump for espousing “resentment, revenge and retribution” and for jeopardizing freedom at home and abroad. Biden repeatedly delivered broadsides at “my predecessor” without ever mentioning Trump by name. The scrappy tone from Biden was a sharp break from his often humdrum daily appearances and was designed to banish doubts about whether the 81-year-old is still up to the job. For 68 minutes, Biden goaded Republicans over their policies, invited call-and-response banter with fellow Democrats on economic issues, taxes and healthcare and seemed to relish the fight.

There are concerns in both New York City and Philadelphia after recent violence on subways and city buses.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A United Airlines jetliner that lost a tire on takeoff has made a safe emergency landing in Los Angeles. Flight 35 left San Francisco and was bound for Osaka, Japan, on Thursday. United says there were 235 passengers and a crew of 14 on the plane. United says the plane is designed to land safely with missing or damaged tires. Video shows the plane losing one of the six tires on its left-side main landing gear assembly seconds after takeout. The tire smashed into a car in an employee parking lot at San Francisco International Airport.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s economy likely produced another month of healthy hiring in February, once again brushing aside the effects of high interest rates with unexpected ease. When the Labor Department issues the monthly jobs report Friday, economists predict it will show that employers added a solid 200,000 jobs in February. Though that would be down from the blockbuster gains in December (333,000) and January (353,000), it would still be plenty fast enough to outpace population growth and keep the unemployment rate near a half-century low. Forecasters have projected that the jobless rate stayed at 3.7% last month. If so, it would mark the 25th straight month in which the unemployment rate has remained below 4%.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Recently unsealed court documents show that an Army soldier accused of selling national defense information has been indicted by a federal grand jury on a wide range on charges, including bribery of a public official. According to the indictment, Korbein Schultz allegedly conspired with an individual identified only as “Conspirator A” to disclose various documents, photographs, and other national defense materials since June 2022. The indictment claims that Schultz was recruited by the individual not only due to his security clearance but also because he was tasked gathering sensitive U.S. military information. The case is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions of current or former military members accused of illegally disclosing sensitive government secrets.

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.

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

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted March 7 at 7:45 a.m. CT:

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to use his State of the Union address to promote his vision for a second term to a dispirited electorate who questions whether he’s up to the job and to warn that GOP front-runner Donald Trump would be a dangerous alternative. Biden’s third such address from the House rostrum on Thursday will be something of an on-the-job interview, as the nation’s oldest president tries to quell voter concerns about his age and job performance. The president hopes to showcase his accomplishments on infrastructure and manufacturing, and push for action on aid to Ukraine, tougher migration rules, restoring access to abortion, and lowering drug prices, among other issues.

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than a quarter of female Black voters describe abortion as their top issue in this year’s presidential election. That's according to a survey out Thursday from health policy research firm KFF. The findings signal a significant shift from previous election years, when white, religious voters were more likely to name abortion as their top priority when casting a ballot.

CAIRO (AP) — Hamas says its delegation has left Cairo and that talks on a Gaza cease-fire and hostage release will resume next week. That makes it extremely unlikely that mediators will broker a deal before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

BEIJING (AP) — China’s foreign minister is accusing the U.S. of devising tactics to suppress China’s rise and he has criticized the Biden administration for adding more Chinese companies to its sanctions lists. Wang Yi said Thursday that relations with the U.S. have improved since Presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden met in November, but that America has not fulfilled its promises. 

Gum makers are trying to figure out what will make Americans start chewing again. Generational habits, health concerns and the coronavirus pandemic have gnawed away at gum sales. Some manufacturers are leaving the U.S. market altogether. But Mars, which owns the 133-year-old Wrigley brand, is trying to reposition gum as a stress reliever and a concentration aid as well as a breath freshener. 

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.

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

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

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, have dominated coast-to-coast contests on Super Tuesday. Biden and Trump have all but cemented a November rematch. The former president’s last major rival, Nikki Haley, made plans shortly afterward to leave the Republican race. Their victories from coast to coast, including the delegate-rich states of California and Texas, left little doubt about the trajectory of the race. Haley won Vermont, denying Trump a full sweep. But the former president carried other states that might have been favorable to her such as Virginia, Massachusetts and Maine, which have large swaths of moderate voters like those who have backed her in previous primaries.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A U.S. destroyer has shot down drones and a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels toward it in the Red Sea. That's according to the U.S. military's Central Command. The assault Tuesday targeted the destroyer USS Carney. The rebels claimed responsibility for the attack, though they said they targeted two American warships, without elaborating. 

Over the last five months, Israel has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, destroyed dozens of their tunnels and wreaked unprecedented destruction on the Gaza Strip. But it faces a dilemma that was clear from the start of the war and will determine its outcome: It can either try to annihilate Hamas, which would mean almost certain death for the estimated 100 hostages still held in Gaza, or it can cut a deal that would allow the militants to claim a historic victory.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s embattled prime minister has landed in Puerto Rico as he tries to return to Haiti to quell a surge in violent gang attacks. Officials told The Associated Press that Ariel Henry landed late Tuesday afternoon at the Luiz Muñoz Marín International Airport in the capital of San Juan.

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.

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

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

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump are poised to have the biggest day of the primary campaign move them to the brink of winning their party’s presidential nominations and set up a historic rematch that many voters would rather not endure. Super Tuesday elections are being held in 16 states and one territory. Hundreds of delegates are at stake, the biggest haul for either party on a single day. In a dramatic departure from competitive Super Tuesdays of the past, the contests are effectively sealed this year. Both Biden and Trump have easily repelled challengers despite polls showing voters don’t want this year’s general election to be identical to 2020’s.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A fire raging at a building that supplies novelties, phone accessories and other merchandise to discount stores has caused multiple explosions that injured at least two people and rocked suburban Detroit. The Clinton Township Police Department said on Facebook that debris was sent into the air and came down as far as a mile away. Exploding projectile canisters damaged a fire vehicle and a police vehicle. The explosions started about 8:50 p.m. Monday at a business called Select Distributors. The Select Distributors website advertised glass products and nitrous oxide among its supplies. The business did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Police in Nashville say that five people have died after a small plane crashed near an interstate highway, shutting down multiple lanes. The Metro Nashville Police Department says the single-engine plane crashed Monday night just off of Interstate 40 in the western part of the city. Police posted a photo of charred wreckage of the small plane in the grass along the interstate. Transportation officials say the eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 have been closed. The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority says the crash happened 3 miles south of John C. Tune Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Heavily armed gangs have tried to seize control of Haiti’s main international airport as they exchanged gunfire with police and soldiers trying to repel them. The Toussaint Louverture International Airport was closed when the attack occurred Monday, with no planes operating and no passengers on site. It is the biggest attack on the airport in Haiti’s history. It occurred just hours after authorities ordered a nighttime curfew following an explosion of violence in which armed gang members overran the two biggest prisons and freed thousands of inmates over the weekend.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine claims it has sunk another Russian warship in the Black Sea using high-tech sea drones as Kyiv’s forces continue to take aim at targets deep behind the war’s front line. Russian authorities did not confirm the claim on Tuesday. The Ukrainian military intelligence agency said a special operations unit destroyed the large patrol ship Sergey Kotov overnight with Magura V5 uncrewed vessels. They are designed and built in Ukraine and laden with explosives. The patrol ship, which Ukraine said was hit near the Kerch Strait, reportedly can carry cruise missiles and around 60 crew. The Ukrainian claim could not immediately be independently verified.

Federal regulators say they have found multiple instances in which Boeing and its key supplier lack adequate measures to control for quality in the manufacturing of jetliners. The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that it found problems with parts handling and storage, and other areas. The FAA says it has given Boeing and supplier Spirit AeroSystems a summary of findings from a six-week audit. But the agency isn't immediately making details of its findings public. The FAA has stepped up its scrutiny of Boeing since Jan. 5, when a panel blew off a Boeing 737 Max 9 over Oregon.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Biden administration is moving to cap credit card late fees at $8. It's the latest effort in the White House push to end what it has called “junk fees” and is a move that regulators say will save Americans up to $10 billion a year. The average credit card late fee is around $32, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. President Joe Biden plans to highlight the proposal along with other efforts to reduce costs to Americans at a meeting of his competition council on Tuesday. Biden is forming a new “strike force” to crack down on unfair pricing on things like groceries and prescription drugs.

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.

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

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted March 4 at 7:15 a.m. CT:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump could learn Monday whether the Supreme Court will let him appear on this year’s ballot as he tries to close in on the Republican presidential nomination. The justices are expected to decide at least one case Monday, with signs pointing to resolution of the case from Colorado that threatens to kick Trump off some state ballots because of his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. Any opinions will post on the court’s website beginning just after 10 a.m. Eastern time Monday. Trump is challenging a decision by the Colorado Supreme Court that said he is disqualified from being president again and ineligible for the state’s primary Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nikki Haley has won the District of Columbia’s Republican primary. It’s her first victory over Donald Trump in the GOP primary race. The Associated Press declared Haley the winner Sunday night after D.C. Republican Party officials released the vote totals. Her victory halts the former president’s sweep of the GOP voting contests at least temporarily, though Trump remains the race’s dominant front-runner. There are only about 23,000 registered Republicans in the nation’s capital, which is heavily Democratic.

TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) — A powerful blizzard that closed highways and ski resorts had mostly moved through the Sierra Nevada but forecasters warn that more snow was on the way for Northern California mountains. Sections of Interstate 80 to the west and north of Lake Tahoe were closed Sunday, and the highway patrol says there is no estimate for reopening. Blizzard warnings have mostly expired but scattered thunderstorms are likely and another 2 feet of snow is possible in the mountains. Several ski resorts were closed all weekend. Power has been restored to thousands who lost service on Saturday.'

KING CITY, Calif. (AP) — Police say a group of men in masks opened fire at an outdoor party in central California, killing four people and injuring three others. The King City Police Department says officers responded to a reported shooting around 6 p.m. Sunday and found three men with gunshot wounds who were pronounced dead in a front yard. Four other people sustained gunshot wounds, including a woman who died after being transported to a hospital in King City, about 106 miles south of San Jose. Police say several people were at the party outside a residence when three men with dark masks and clothes got out of a silver car and fired at the group. The suspects, who were not immediately identified, then fled the scene in the car.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX has launched four astronauts to the International Space Station who will oversee the arrival of two new rocketships during their stint. The U.S.-Russian crew should reach the station on Tuesday, following Sunday night's launch from Florida. They'll replace a crew from the U.S., Denmark, Japan and Russia. Boeing's long-delayed Starliner capsule with test pilots and a new private mini shuttle with cargo are due to arrive during the new crew's six-month stay. NASA's Jeanette Epps was originally assigned to fly on Boeing's Starliner. NASA finally switched her to SpaceX.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s government says it may renew the search for MH370 after a U.S. technology firm proposed a fresh search in the southern Indian Ocean where the Malaysia Airlines plane is believed to have crashed. The plane with 239 people aboard vanished a decade ago while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said Sunday that Texas-based Ocean Infinity proposed another “no find, no fee” search, expanding from the site where it first looked in 2018. He said he has invited the company to meet him for a briefing on its plan. Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Punkett reportedly said the company has worked with many experts in analyzing data to narrow the search area and is ready to return to the search.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A poll finds that a growing share of U.S. adults doubt that 81-year-old President Joe Biden has the memory and acuity for the job. That means Biden's coming State of the Union address could be something of a real-time audition as he bids for a second term. According to a new survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 63% of U.S. adults say they lack confidence in Biden’s mental capability to serve effectively as president. That's a slight increase from January 2022, when half of those polled expressed similar concerns. Nearly 6 in 10 also think Republican frontrunner Donald Trump lacks the mental capability to serve.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials say Americans with COVID-19 no longer need to stay in isolation for five days. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its longstanding guidance on Friday. People can return to work or regular activities if their symptoms are mild and improving and it’s been a day since they’ve had a fever. COVID-19 is no longer the public health menace it once was and most people have some degree of immunity from vaccinations or from infections. And some experts note that many people are not following the five-day isolation guidance anyway.

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 61,000 pounds of steamed chicken soup dumplings sold at Trader Joe’s are being recalled for possibly containing hard plastic, according to U.S. regulators. The Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service noted that the now-recalled dumplings, which are produced by CJ Foods Manufacturing Beaumont Corp., may be contaminated with foreign materials — specifically hard plastic from a permanent marker pen. The 6-ounce Trader Joe’s Steamed Chicken Soup Dumplings under recall can be identified by their side box labels with lot codes 03.07.25.C1-1 and 03.07.25.C1-2. To date, no related illnesses or injures have been reported yet.

In entertainment news, "Rust" director Joel Souza testifies, historians scramble to capture Woodstock's voices and "Dune: Part Two" leads at the box office.

In sports, a basketball massacre in Boston, UConn wins the Big East regular season title for the first time in 25 years, Caitlin Clark tops Pistol Pete's scoring record and Connor McDavid's Oilers beat Sidney Crosby's Penguins.

In religion news, Pope Francis struggles with his health as some priests are rebuked for praying for the pope to go to heaven as soon as possible.'

—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.

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

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’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 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.

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

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted March 2 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.

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

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted March 1 at 6:15 a.m. CT:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress has passed another short-term spending measure that would keep one set of federal agencies operating through March 8 and another set through March 22. The extension averts a shutdown for parts of the federal government that would otherwise have kicked in at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The short-term extension is the fourth in recent months. Lawmakers are voicing increased optimism that it'll be the last before Congress approves two separate spending packages totaling more than $1.6 trillion for the full fiscal year. The renewed focus on this year’s spending bills doesn’t include a separate effort to provide military aid to Ukraine and Israel.

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — The federal judge overseeing the classified documents prosecution of Donald Trump is expected to set a trial date. It's a crucial decision that could affect whether the former president and leading Republican candidate faces a jury this year on charges that he hoarded top secret records and hid them from government investigators.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Three hundred miles apart, on the bank of the same winding Rio Grande, President Joe Biden and GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Thursday surveyed the U.S.-Mexico border. They then tussled from a distance over who was to blame for the nation’s broken immigration system and how to fix it.

STINNETT, Texas (AP) — The largest wildfire in Texas history has killed two people and left behind a desolate landscape of scorched prairie, dead cattle and burned-out homes in the Texas Panhandle.

Hundreds of people have said farewell to Alexei Navalny at a funeral in Moscow under a heavy police presence. It comes after a battle with authorities over the release of his body following his still-unexplained death in an Arctic penal colony.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS plans to go after 125,000 high-income earners who did not file tax returns going back to 2017. The agency says hundreds of millions of dollars of unpaid taxes are involved in these cases. Beginning this week, the agency will start sending out noncompliance letters to more than 25,000 people who earn more than $1 million per year and 100,000 people with incomes between $400,000 and $1 million who failed to pay their taxes between 2017 and 2021.

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.

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