Hot Off The Wire

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Dec. 15 at 6:45 a.m. CT:

LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry has won his phone hacking lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mirror and was awarded over 140,000 pounds ($180,000) in the first of his several lawsuits against the tabloids to go to trial. Justice Timothy Fancourt in the High Court found on Friday that phone hacking was “widespread and habitual” at Mirror Group Newspapers over many years. He says private investigators were used substantially and “were an integral part of the system” to gather information unlawfully. He says executives at the papers were aware of it and covered it up. Harry had sought 440,000 pounds ($560,000) in the case as part of a crusade against the British media.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A prosecutor in Denmark says authorities are holding two people in custody and four others are the target of a terrorism investigation. The case coincides with one arrest in the Netherlands and several in Germany of alleged Hamas members. Denmark hasn’t said there is a Hamas link. But authorities in Germany said that three people arrested there are suspected of preparing for attacks Jewish institutions in Europe. Danish authorities say that one person was arrested in the Netherlands. But it wasn’t clear if there were any ties to the Hamas investigation in Germany. The prosecutor said Friday that the two suspects being held in Denmark were ordered to remain in pretrial detention until Jan. 9. The whereabouts of the other four weren’t immediately known.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The United States national security adviser is set to meet with the Palestinian president to discuss postwar arrangements for Gaza. A senior U.S. official says this could include reactivating Palestinian security forces driven out by Hamas in 2007. The proposal was presented as one of several. It was the first specific indicator of Washington’s vision for security arrangements in Gaza if Israel achieves its U.S.-backed objective of the war: To end Hamas control of the besieged enclave. Any role for Palestinian security forces in Gaza is bound to elicit strong opposition from Israel, which seeks to maintain an open-ended security presence there.

BEIJING (AP) — Two subway trains have collided in heavy snow in Beijing, sending 515 people to the hospital, including 102 with broken bones. Authorities said Friday the accident occurred the previous evening in Beijing’s mountainous west on an above-ground portion of the sprawling subway system’s Changping line. They say slippery tracks prompted automatic braking on the leading train. A train following from behind was on a descending section and went into a skid and was unable to brake in time. Emergency medical personnel, police and transport authorities responded, and all passengers were evacuated by about 11 p.m. Twenty-five passengers were under observation and 67 remained hospitalized on Friday morning.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials recently seized more than 1.4 million illegal e-cigarettes from overseas manufacturers, including the company behind Elf Bar. The fruity disposable products have become the top choice among underage American teens who vape. The Food and Drug Administration pegged the value of the e-cigarettes seized at Los Angeles Airport at $18 million. Many were mislabeled as toys, shoes and other household items in order to evade customs, officials said. In May, the FDA instructed customs officials to begin seizing shipments from the Chinese manufacturer behind Elf Bar. It’s the first time U.S. authorities have reported successfully blocking the company's imports.

NEW YORK (AP) — Three major U.S. retailers — Amazon, Target and Walmart — say they’re suspending sales of water-bead products marketed to young children due to growing safety concerns. Water beads are small, colorful balls made of superabsorbent polymers. They’re are often sold as toys, including in craft activity kits, and as sensory tools for children with developmental disabilities. But warnings about the dangers of the beads being ingested have been piling up. According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, an estimated 7,800 water bead-related injuries were treated in hospital emergency rooms between 2016 and 2022.

NEW YORK (AP) — Three major U.S. retailers — Amazon, Target and Walmart — say they’re suspending sales of water-bead products marketed to young children due to growing safety concerns. Water beads are small, colorful balls made of superabsorbent polymers. They’re are often sold as toys, including in craft activity kits, and as sensory tools for children with developmental disabilities. But warnings about the dangers of the beads being ingested have been piling up. According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, an estimated 7,800 water bead-related injuries were treated in hospital emergency rooms between 2016 and 2022.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — As the age-old adage goes, don’t mess with success. On Wednesday, comedian Trevor Noah announced that he will once again host the Grammy Awards in 2024. For those keeping count, the 66th Grammys marks his fourth consecutive year of hosting duties. Noah shared the news Wednesday night on his podcast “What Now? With Trevor Noah.” The 2024 Grammy Awards will air Feb. 4 live on CBS and Paramount+ from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. SZA heads into the 2024 ceremony with a leading nine nominations. Phoebe Bridgers has the second-most nominations, with seven.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mickey Mouse is about to belong to you and me. The earliest version of Disney's most famous character, and arguably the most iconic character in American pop culture, will become public domain on Jan. 1, 2024. That's because the copyright on his first screen appearance, the 1928 short “Steamboat Willie,” is expiring. Many experts thought the day would never come. Congress in the past has extended the copyright period to assure it didn't happen. Minnie Mouse, who also appears in “Steamboat Willie,” also becomes public domain, as does Winnie the Pooh's friend Tigger as the book in which he first appeared in, “The House at Pooh Corner,” turns 96.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Two-time ABA champion and three-time NBA All-Star George McGinnis has died. He was 73. McGinnis was considered one of the best prep players to play in the basketball-rich state of Indiana. He spent two seasons with the Indiana Hoosiers, earning third team All-American honors in the only season he actually played. McGinnis then became one of the first underclassmen to play professional basketball, joining the Indiana Pacers in 1971. He also played for the Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets before finishing his 11-year career back with the Pacers. He was the ABA's 1974-75 MVP and a three-time ABA All-Star.

The Raiders stick it to the Chargers, the Celtics remain perfect at home, another triple double for Nicola Jokic, and the Blues coaching change works as they drew it up. 

The National Football League continues to make incremental, widespread progress in its diversity hiring practices, according to an annual report. The report card from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida gave the NFL an overall grade of a B-plus, which is the highest mark for the league since the study began in 1988. The league received a B-plus mark for racial hiring and a B for gender hiring.

NEW YORK (AP) — Six jerseys worn by soccer superstar Lionel Messi during Argentina’s winning run at last year’s World Cup have sold for $7.8 million. The auction house Sotheby's says Thursday's final price for the shirts is the highest price for an item of sports memorabilia this year, Sotheby’s said. Argentina defeated France in a penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw in the World Cup final in Qatar. The victory represented a crowning moment for one of the sport’s greatest-ever players. The shirts were on display at Sotheby’s New York headquarters during the two-week online auction that ended Thursday. No information on the winning bidder was released.

—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. 14 at 7 a.m. CT:

The House has authorized the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. Every Republican rallied behind the politically charged process despite lingering concerns among some in the party that the investigation has yet to produce evidence of misconduct by the president.

The Kentucky congressman who's leading House Republicans' impeachment investigation of President Joe Biden has focused on the Biden family’s use of shell companies. Rep. James Comer says the Democratic president’s family has used such companies to obscure its earnings from “shady” business deals. But Comer has a shell company of his own, which he uses to hold land co-owned with a longtime campaign donor.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will keep fighting Hamas despite international calls for a cease-fire. His announcement late Wednesday follows one of the deadliest single attacks that Palestinian militants have carried out since the ground invasion of Gaza began.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says there will be no peace in Ukraine until Moscow achieves its goals, which remain unchanged after nearly two years of fighting. Putin said Thursday Moscow is in dialogue with with the United States on the issue of bringing home jailed Americans Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich and the Kremlin hopes to “find a solution,” even though “it’s not easy.”

A judge says Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case in Washington will be put on hold while the former president further pursues his claims that he is immune from prosecution. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan agreed Wednesday to pause any “further proceedings that would move this case towards trial or impose additional burdens of litigation on Defendant.”

The Supreme Court says it'll hear appeals that could upend hundreds of charges stemming from the Capitol riot, including against ex-President Donald Trump. The justices agreed Wednesday to review an appellate ruling that revived a charge against three defendants from Texas, Pennsylvania and New York accused of obstruction of an official proceeding.

Medication abortion is the preferred method of ending pregnancy in the U.S. Mifepristone is one of the two drugs used and it will go in front of the U.S. Supreme Court next year. The Supreme Court will hear a case in the spring that could block mail-order access to mifepristone and impose restrictions on its use, even where abortion remains legal.

The Bucks win behind a history-making night from one of their stars, a pair of long NBA losing streaks continue, a Warriors forward is disciplined by the league, the Devils need extra time to emerge victorious and two top 25 men's basketball teams lose to unranked opponents. Also: The NFL approves a regular-season game for Brazil in 2024, college athletes who transfer twice can play, for now, and Virginia has 'understanding' about landing Washington's NBA, NHL teams.

—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. 13 at 6:45 a.m. CT:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is pushing toward a vote to authorize the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden formally. This comes as Republicans rally behind the charged process despite lingering concerns among some in the party that the investigation has yet to produce evidence of misconduct by the president. House Speaker Mike Johnson and his leadership team have been facing growing pressure to show progress in what has become a nearly yearlong probe centered around the business dealings of Biden’s family members. Their investigation has raised ethical questions, but no evidence has emerged that Biden acted corruptly or accepted bribes in his current role or previous office as vice president.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Negotiators at United Nations COP28 climate talks agreed Wednesday that the world must transition away from planet-warming fossil fuels. It was a significant step toward shifting how the world is powered but one filled with questions about how soon and who will pay for the transition. COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber gaveled through the text at a plenary session in Dubai after more than two weeks of discussions that saw nations try and figure out a way for the world to stay in line with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times. Countries were split between those wanting strong language on a phase-out of fossil fuels and others who wanted some way to continue burning oil, gas and coal.

DETROIT (AP) — Tesla is recalling more than 2 million vehicles across its model lineup to fix a defective system that’s supposed to ensure drivers are paying attention when they use Autopilot. Documents posted by U.S. safety regulators say the company will send out a software update to fix the problems. The recall comes after a two-year investigation by U.S. auto safety regulators into a series of crashes that happened while the Autopilot partially automated driving system was in use. Some were deadly. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says its investigation found Autopilot’s method of ensuring that drivers are paying attention can be inadequate and “can lead to foreseeable misuse of the system."

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis, who turns 87 on Sunday, said he never thought about resigning this year despite a series of health scares.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Current and former inmates of the Alabama prison system have filed a lawsuit challenging the prison labor program. The lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court says prisoners are forced to work for little and sometimes even no pay in jobs that benefit government entities or private companies. They called it a kind of ''modern day slavery." The class-action lawsuit also accuses the state of maintaining a discriminatory parole system with a low release rate that ensures a supply of laborers from a disproportionately Black workforce. The Alabama Department of Corrections declined to comment on the lawsuit. The state has previously maintained that prison and work release jobs prepare inmates for life after incarceration.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Andre Braugher, the Emmy-winning actor best known for his roles on the series “Homicide: Life on The Street” and “Brooklyn 99." Braugher's publicist Jennifer Allen said he died Monday at age 61. The Chicago-born actor had his breakthrough role alongside Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman in 1989’s “Glory" the Oscar-winning film about an All-black regiment during the Civil War. He played a detective for seven seasons in the 1990s on the NBC police drama “Homicide: Life on the Street." Later he played a police captain for eight seasons in the Fox comedy “Brooklyn Nine-Nine." He won two Emmys and was nominated 11 times.

ATLANTA (AP) — The trial for rapper Young Thug and five other people is on pause until early next year after one of the defendants was stabbed in the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta. The sheriff's office said 31-year-old Shannon Stillwell was stabbed multiple times Sunday evening during a fight with another man housed in the same part of the jail. Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville told jurors Tuesday morning that he was releasing them early for the holidays. Previously, the holiday break had been scheduled to start at the end of the proceedings Friday. Glanville told jurors to return Jan. 2 to continue the trial.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Harvard President Claudine Gay will remain leader of the prestigious Ivy League school following her comments last week at a congressional hearing on antisemitism. Gay came under intense scrutiny following the hearing in which she and two of her peers struggled to answer questions about campus antisemitism. Their responses provoked backlash from Republican opponents, along with alumni and donors who say the university leaders are failing to stand up for Jewish students on their campuses. The Harvard Corporation, the university’s highest governing body, released a statement Tuesday saying it unanimously supports Gay.

The Mavericks and Celtics among the NBA's biggest winners, Toronto picked up a key NHL win, the St. Louis Blues made a coaching change, Justin Herbert’s season is over for the Chargers, the San Francisco Giants have reportedly inked a big contract with a Korean player, and Notre Dame has again landed another former ACC quarterback to lead its offense.

—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. 12 at 7 a.m. CT:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is warning that “when the free world hesitates, that’s when dictatorships celebrate.” He is also issuing a personal plea for Congress to break its deadlock and approve continued support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Zelenskyy spoke Monday at the National Defense University in Washington. President Joe Biden has asked Congress for $61.4 billion for wartime funding for Ukraine as part of a $110 billion package that also includes money for Israel and other national security priorities. The request is stalled in Congress. Zelenskyy is expected to meet with Biden and lawmakers on Tuesday.

Israel is pressing ahead with an offensive against Gaza’s Hamas rulers that it says could go on for weeks or months. Ahead of a non-binding vote at the United Nations later Tuesday, Israel and the United States face global calls for a cease-fire in Gaza. More than 17,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory. About 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced within the besieged territory, where United Nations agencies say there is no safe place to flee. The war began when Hamas raided southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 240 hostages.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith is asking the Supreme Court to take up and rule quickly on whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted on charges he plotted to overturn the 2020 election results. A federal judge had ruled the case could go forward, but Trump signaled he’d ask the federal appeals court in Washington to reverse that outcome. Smith's request Monday is an attempt to bypass the appeals court. The high court justices indicated later Monday that they would decide quickly whether to hear the case, ordering Trump’s lawyers to respond by Dec. 20. Trump’s presidential campaign says, “There is absolutely no reason to rush this sham to trial."

NEW YORK (AP) — Firefighters say they haven't found any victims of a partial building collapse in the Bronx. Firefighters spent hours Monday searching a huge mound of rubble after a corner of an apartment building collapsed, leaving apartments exposed like a stack of shelves. Fire officials say two people who evacuated the building received minor injuries. Firefighters used a search dog, a robotic dog and at least one drone to make sure nobody was trapped in the rubble. Officials were looking into what caused the collapse. The 1927 building has been undergoing facade repairs. Buildings Commissioner James Oddo says there were seven unresolved violations pending at the property, but they weren’t structural.

Waukegan, Ill. (AP) — The man accused of killing seven people at a Fourth of July parade in suburban Chicago last year has fired his public defenders and told the judge he plans to represent himself at trial. A Lake County judge questioned his decision several times before scheduling a trial for February. Robert Crimo III has been charged with 21 counts of first-degree murder, 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery. Crimo has insisted he understands the possible penalties he faces, including consecutive life sentences. The judge told Crimo he will be responsible for all aspects of his defense.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Attorneys for a pregnant Texas woman who sought court permission for an abortion in an unprecedented challenge to one of the most restrictive bans in the U.S. say she has left the state to obtain the procedure. The announcement came Monday as 31-year-old Kate Cox awaited a ruling from the Texas Supreme Court over whether she could legally obtain an abortion under narrow exceptions to the state’s bans. A judge gave Cox permission last week but that decision was put on hold by the state’s all-Republican high court. The court ruled against Cox later Monday. Cox's lawsuit quickly became a high-profile test of bans in Texas and a dozen other GOP-controlled states, where abortion is prohibited at nearly all stages of pregnancy.

The Titans pull off a stunning comeback win over the Dolphins, the Giants get a late field goal to beat the Packers, Shohei Ohtani will have a huge part of his contract deferred, and the Nuggets snap their skid.

Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels from LSU was one of seven players in either their fifth or sixth season of college football selected to The Associated Press All-America team. Daniels, a fifth-year quarterback, won the Heisman and AP player of the year honors after accounting for 50 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards of offense this season. He was joined in the backfield by Missouri’s Cody Schrader, a sixth-year running back who leads the nation at 124.9 rushing yards per game. Sixth-year linebacker Payton Wilson from North Carolina State led the first-team defense.

North Carolina star quarterback Drake Maye is entering the NFL draft and won’t play in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl for the Tar Heels against West Virginia. Maye announced his decision in a social media post Monday. That ended his UNC career after putting up prolific numbers and making himself one of the most sought-after potential prospects for the NFL. The school has also announced that all-ACC linebacker Cedric Gray, receiver Devontez “Tez” Walker, offensive lineman Corey Gaynor and defensive lineman Myles Murphy are all entering the draft. Of that group, only Murphy is set to play in the bowl.

Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” dominated the Golden Globe nominations with nine nods for the blockbuster film, including best picture musical or comedy as well as acting nominations for Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling and three of its original songs. It was closely followed by its release date and meme companion “Oppenheimer,” which scored eight nominations, including best picture drama and for actors Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr. and Emily Blunt. The revamped group, now a for-profit endeavor with a larger and more diverse voting body, announced nominations Monday for its January awards show, after scandal and several troubled years. The show airs Jan. 7 from Beverly Hills.

—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. 11 at 7 a.m. CT:

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump says he's decided against testifying for a second time at his New York civil fraud trial. In a social media post Sunday, the former president said he “very successfully & conclusively” testified last month and saw no need to appear again. Trump had been expected to return to the witness stand Monday as the last big defense witness in the case, which threatens his real estate empire and cuts to the heart of his image as a successful businessman. In all capital letters, Trump said, “I have already testified to everything & have nothing more to say.” He was often defiant and combative when he testified last month.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Central Tennessee residents and emergency workers are digging out from devastating weekend storms that killed six people, toppled houses and cut power to tens of thousands. Government officials confirmed that three people died after a tornado struck Montgomery County north of Nashville near the Kentucky state line on Saturday afternoon. The Nashville Emergency Operation Center confirmed that three others were killed as a result of tornadoes in a neighborhood near downtown. Dozens more were hospitalized. Communities worked to begin repairing damaged houses with strewn debris. Other harrowing scenes included a tractor-trailer flipped on its side and insulation ripped out of building walls.

Israel says Hamas still has 117 hostages and the remains of 20 people who died in captivity or during the initial attack. The Israeli toll includes 104 soldiers who have died since the start of the Gaza ground offensive in late October.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will meet at the White House on Tuesday as the U.S. administration steps up the pressure on Congress to provide billions more in aid to Kyiv in its war with Russia. The White House says the visit is intended “to underscore the United States’ unshakeable commitment" to Ukraine's defense against Russia’s invasion “at this critical moment.” Biden has asked Congress for a $110 billion package of wartime funding for Ukraine and Israel. But the request is caught up in a debate over U.S. immigration policy and border security. Zelenskyy also has been asked to speak to senators.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actor Ryan O’Neal, who was nominated for an Oscar for the tear-jerker “Love Story” and played opposite his precocious daughter Tatum in “Paper Moon,” has died. O’Neal's son Patrick said on Instagram that his father died Friday. No cause was given, but Ryan O'Neal was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012. In 1970s films such as “Paper Moon” and Stanley Kubrick’s “Barry Lyndon,” the actor used his boyish, blond good looks to play men who hid shadowy backgrounds. Twice divorced, O’Neal was romantically involved with actor Farrah Fawcett for more than two decades and remained by her side as she battled cancer. She died in 2009.

VISALIA, Calif. (AP) — A county prosecutor’s office says one of its law clerks passed the State Bar of California exam at age 17. The Tulare County District Attorney’s Office says that, according to research, Peter Park is the youngest person to pass the exam. The State Bar said Friday that it could not confirm that Park is the youngest, but it hailed the achievement. Executive Director Leah Wilson calls it an extraordinary feat. Park began high school in 2019 at age 13 and simultaneously began a four-year law program after completing college-level proficiency exams. He took the exam in July and received the results on Nov. 9. He became a law clerk for the DA’s office in August, turned 18 in late November and was sworn in as an attorney on Tuesday.

The Cowboys win a big NFC East showdown, the Bills win a close one in Kansas City, the Ravens get a special teams score to prevail in overtime, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has a big day, a former all pro tight end dies in an apparent accident, eight games highlight the NHL schedule and a pair of men's college basketball top 25 teams lose. Correspondent Mike Reeves reports.

NEW YORK (AP) — Japanese anime master Hayao Miyazaki’s is No. 1 at the North American box office for the first time in his decades-spanning career. According to studio estimates Miyazaki’s latest enchanting film “The Boy and the Heron” debuted with $12.8 million. The long-awaited animated fantasy from the director of “Spirited Away,” “My Neighbor Totoro” and other cherished anime classics, is only the third anime to top the box office in U.S. and Canadian theaters and the first original anime to do so. Another Japanese film — “Godzilla Minus One" — also charted high, with $8.3 million. Last week’s top film, “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé,” dropped steeply in its second weekend with $5 million.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Heisman Trophy race is looking wide open for 2024. Three of the four finalist this year, including winner Jayden Daniels of LSU, are out of eligibility. The other, Marvin Harrison Jr. of Ohio State is likely to jump to the NFL as a junior. Heading into next season there are fewer obvious candidates for an award that has been dominated by quarterbacks, especially transfer QBs. Among those to watch: Alabama's Jalen Milroe, Georgia's Carson Beck and former Oklahoma and UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who plans to play a sixth season of college football at Oregon.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Anthony Davis had seasons highs of 41 points and 20 rebounds and the Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament title with a 123-109 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night. Austin Reaves added 28 points, tournament MVP LeBron James had 24 points and 11 rebounds and D’Angelo Russell added 13 points. Tyrese Haliburton had 20 points and 11 assists for Indiana, Bennedict Mathurin also scored 20 points. The game was the only one in the tournament that doesn’t count in the standings, but there was still plenty on the line. In addition to taking home a trophy, Lakers players on standard contracts each made $500,000 and the Pacers received $200,000 apiece. Players on two-way deals take home half those amounts.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nicki Minaj’s highly anticipated fifth studio album, “Pink Friday 2,” is here. Out Friday, on her 41st birthday, the 22-track “Pink Friday 2” is Minaj’s first full-length release in five years. The road to “Pink Friday 2” has been long, with the album initially teased more than three years ago and its release date delayed twice. In September, Minaj hosted the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards and performed her latest single, the dreamy “Last Time I Saw You,” before teasing a fiery new trap cut from “Pink Friday 2.” She's called her latest album as “the biggest gift I have ever given humanity thus far.”

—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 new shows coming to TV and streaming services, including a Lifetime movie starring Bill Pullman as Alex Murdaugh.

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. 9 at 6 a.m. CT:

McDonald's expects to open nearly 10,000 McDonald's restaurants worldwide over the next four years — to reach a total of 50,000 restaurants — a pace of growth that would be unprecedented even for the world's largest burger chain.

A prominent disinformation scholar is accusing Harvard University in a whistleblower disclosure of muzzling her speech and stifling — then dismantling — her research team as it launched a deep dive into a damning trove of Facebook files. The 2021 actions impacting Joan Donovan’s work coincided with a $500 million donation by a foundation run by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan.

Fewer airplanes and helicopters will be flying tourists over Mount Rushmore and other national monuments and parks as new regulations take effect that are intended to protect the serenity of some of the nation’s most beloved natural areas. The air tours have pitted tour operators against visitors frustrated with the noise for decades, but it has come to a head as new management plans are rolled out at nearly two dozen national parks and monuments.

A mother and her 14-year-old daughter are advocating for better protections for victims after AI-generated nude images of the teen and other female classmates were circulated at a high school in New Jersey. The case has put a spotlight yet again on explicit AI-generated material that overwhelmingly harms women and children.

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — A 70-year-old woman in Uganda has given birth to twins after receiving fertility treatment, making her one of the world’s oldest new mothers. Safina Namukwaya, gave birth to a boy and a girl via cesarean section at the hospital in the capital, Kampala, where she had been receiving in vitro fertilization treatment, said a hospital spokesman.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A 23-year-old woman who recently started her first nursing job at a New Hampshire hospital was attending a training session on cardiac arrest when she, herself, suffered the medical emergency. Andy Hoang’s fellow nurses help save her life last month after she started feeling dizzy and nauseated at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

—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. 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.