Hot Off The Wire

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Nov. 24 at 6 a.m. CT:

A new large study finds that the popular weight-loss drug Wegovy reduced the risk of serious heart problems by 20% in certain patients. The international trial showed the weekly injections prevented heart attacks, strokes and heart-related deaths. Wegovy is a high-dose version of the diabetes treatment Ozempic. The latest study tested Wegovy in people without the disease. It's being praised as a landmark study that could change the way doctors treat heart disease in some patients. The findings could also shift perceptions that a new class of obesity drugs are cosmetic treatments and put pressure on insurers to cover them.

Federal regulators say a new version of the popular diabetes treatment Mounjaro can be sold as a weight-loss drug. The Food and Drug Administration approved drug named Zepbound on Wednesday. The drug has been shown to help dieters lose 40 to 60 pounds in testing. It is the latest diabetes drug approved for weight loss, joining Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, a high-dose version of Ozempic. Short supply and high costs have limited access to both medications. The FDA approved the new drug for people considered obese or for those who are overweight and have a weight-related health condition.

A new report says progress against childhood cancers has stalled in recent years for Black and Hispanic youth. Thursday's report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at cancer death rates for children and teens over two decades. The rates for white, Hispanic and Black children started about the same and all went down during the first decade. But then over the next 10 years, only the rate for white children dipped a little lower. Overall, the cancer death rate for children and teenagers declined 24% over the two decades, with the biggest drop in deaths from leukemia.

NEW YORK (AP) — Syphilis cases in U.S. newborns again are on the rise. It has health officials calling for new measures to stop the increase, including encouraging millions of sexually active women of childbearing age and their partners to get tested. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 3,700 babies were born with congenital syphilis in 2022. That's 10 times more than a decade ago and a 32% increase from 2021. CDC officials say there needs to be expanded testing. The agency also suggests starting syphilis treatment as soon as a pregnant woman tests positive.

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s medicines regulator has authorized the world’s first gene therapy treatment for sickle cell disease, in a move that could offer relief to thousands of people with the crippling illness in the U.K. In a statement on Thursday, the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency said it had approved Casgevy, the first medicine licensed using the gene editing tool CRISPR, which won its makers a Nobel prize in 2020. The medicine was approved for patients with sickle cell and thalassemia. Both diseases are caused by mistakes in the genes that carry hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carry oxygen.

—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. 23 at 6 a.m. CT:

Carriers like the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and United Parcel Service have capacity to meet projected demand this holiday season, which is cheery news for shoppers and shippers alike. Like last year, there’s expected to be little drama compared to struggles during the pandemic when people hunkered down at home and turned to online shopping while major carriers including the Postal Service simultaneously struggled with absences and a flood of parcels. Satish Jindel from ShipMatrix says carriers have a capacity of delivering more than 120 million parcels daily compared to a projected holiday peak of 82 million parcels per day.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation has reached its lowest point in 2 1/2 years. The unemployment rate has stayed below 4% for the longest stretch since the 1960s. And the U.S. economy has repeatedly defied predictions of a coming recession. Yet according to a raft of polls and surveys, most Americans hold a glum view of the economy. The disparity has led to befuddlement, exasperation and curiosity on social media and in opinion columns. Many factors lie behind the disconnect, but economists increasingly point to one in particular: The lingering financial and psychological effects of the worst bout of inflation in four decades.

CHICAGO (AP) — Almost every major city in the United States generally allows drivers to turn right at red lights, but that could be changing. A dramatic rise in automobile accidents killing or injuring pedestrians and bicyclists has led to a myriad of policy and infrastructure changes. The debate over whether to ban right on red has sparked the most intense sentiments on both sides. Washington, D.C.'s City Council last year approved a right-on-red ban that takes effect in 2025. Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle have considered it too. Most U.S. cities have maintained the right-on-red rule since a 1970s mandate from the federal government aimed at conserving energy by preventing cars from idling at stop lights.

Nearly nine out of 10 parents believe their child is performing at grade level despite standardized tests showing far fewer students are on track. That's according to a poll released Wednesday by Gallup and the nonprofit Learning Heroes. Many parents rely on report cards for a sense of their children’s progress, but researchers say they might be missing the whole picture. Without that knowledge, parents may not seek opportunities for extra support for their children. In a federal survey, school officials said half of all U.S. students started last school year behind grade level in at least one subject.

MOUNT ANGEL, Ore. (AP) — In the face of human-caused climate change impacting water access and weather patterns in the Willamette Valley — a region known for hops growing — farmers are using all the new strategies they can get to stay afloat and provide for large and small breweries alike. Climate change is anticipated to only further the challenges producers are already seeing in hops and barley. Researchers are working with growers to help counter the effects of more volatile weather systems with improved hop varieties and by adding winter barley to the mix.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Error-ridden state reviews have purged millions of the poorest Americans from the Medicaid program in recent months. Poverty experts are questioning if the Biden administration is doing enough to stop states from wrongly removing people from the government health care program. Estimates show up to 30 million people could be dropped from Medicaid as states finish reviewing their rolls over the next year. Advocates interviewed around the country say problems with the government forms, websites and phone lines in states including Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Arkansas have led to the high number of people losing Medicaid. Arkansas' Department of Human Services says it tried to reach people with additional calls, emails and texts.

—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. 22 at 6 a.m. CT:

Millions of people are expected to hit airports and highways in record numbers over the Thanksgiving holiday. AAA forecasts that 55.4 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home with roads likely to be the most clogged on Wednesday.

The holiday season is here, which means spending time with family on Thanksgiving and also, for millions of people, hunting for the best deals on Black Friday. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November each year, which takes place this week. A lot of national retailers are keeping the doors closed on Thursday to give employees time with families and to recharge for the holidays ahead. That includes some of the biggest chains like Walmart and Target, which plan to re-open stores on Friday.

Holiday meals may be changing for millions of Americans struggling with obesity and taking a new generation of weight-loss drugs. Experts and consumers say the drugs are shifting dining habits and social norms around food-centric holidays like Thanksgiving, Passover and Christmas. Some users welcome greater control over what they eat during the holidays. Others may lose their appetites entirely, doctors say, risking what one researcher called “the reward of having a beautiful meal.”

Thanksgiving may be a time for Americans to come together, but opinion is divided over what’s on the crowded dinner table. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research looks at the country's Thanksgiving tastes. Americans mostly agree on the deliciousness of pumpkin pie. And turkey rules. But we’re split over the eternal turkey question of dark meat versus white meat. And don’t even ask if marshmallows belong on sweet potatoes — it could cause a ruckus. The least favorite dishes? About two in 10 American celebrators said cranberries or cranberry sauce are their least favorite part of the feast. As for the cooking, women are much more likely than men to say they'll do all or most of it.

As the 60th anniversary of the assassination of President John. F. Kennedy is marked, the last surviving witnesses remember the day as part of a new National Geographic series "JFK: One Day in America."

HINSDALE, N.H. (AP) — For years, Geoffrey Holt was known as a mobile home park groundskeeper in a small New Hampshire town. Now, he's being remembered as a millionaire who gave his fortune to the community. Holt died in June at age 82. His 4,200 fellow residents in the town of Hinsdale recently learned he left nearly $4 million to benefit the following areas: education, health, recreation and culture. Holt was a modest man with few needs, but also a savvy investor who read financial publications. The Connecticut River town that has the nation's oldest continually operating post office plans to use the money frugally, as he did.

—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. 21 at 7:30 a.m. CT:

Senior Hamas officials say an agreement could be reached soon in which the militant group would release hostages and Israel would free Palestinian prisoners. Israel, the United States and Qatar, which mediates with Hamas, have been negotiating for weeks over a hostage release that would be paired with a temporary cease-fire in Gaza and the entry of more humanitarian aid.

DALLAS (AP) — Despite inflation and memories of past holiday travel meltdowns, millions of people are expected to hit airports and highways in record numbers over the Thanksgiving break. AAA forecasts that 55.4 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home between next Wednesday and the Sunday after Thanksgiving, with roads likely to be the most clogged on Wednesday.

HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaii official says all nine people aboard a U.S. Navy plane that overshot a runway have escaped injury. A U.S. Marine Corps spokesperson said Monday that the P-8A aircraft overshot the runway at a Marine base and went into Kaneohe Bay. Another spokesperson says the Coast Guard responded but that rescue operations were quickly called off. The P-8A is often used to hunt for submarines and used in reconnaissance and intelligence gathering. It is manufactured by Boeing and shares many parts with the 737 commercial jet. The base is about 10 miles from Honolulu on Oahu.

WESTCLIFFE, Colo. (AP) — Authorities in Colorado are hunting for a man they believe shot and killed three people and critically wounded a fourth in a property dispute. The Custer County Sheriff's Office says what began as a dispute ended with gunshots Monday in a rural area about 8 miles from the county seat of Westcliffe. Authorities say two men and a woman died at the scene and a fourth person was taken to a trauma center in critical condition but is expected to survive. Residents of the wooded, rural area were told to shelter in place for five hours on Monday as authorities hunted for the suspect, but the order was listed Monday night while he remained at large.

BEAVERCREEK, Ohio (AP) — Police in Ohio say a shooter opened fire at a Walmart, wounding four people before apparently killing himself. The attack took place Monday night at a Walmart in Beavercreek, in the Dayton metropolitan area. Police didn't immediately release the name of the shooter, a possible motive for the attack or other details. There also wasn't any immediate word on the conditions of the victims, who were taken to hospitals. In a statement, Walmart says the company is “heartbroken” over the shootings.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has made an unannounced visit to Ukraine, traveling to Kyiv by train from Poland. Austin is making a high-profile push to keep money and weapons flowing to Ukraine even as U.S. and international resources are stretched by the new global risks raised by the Israel-Hamas conflict. In Kyiv he met Monday with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's defense minister and chief of staff and announced that the U.S. would be sending an additional $100 million in weapons. Austin says Ukraine’s effort to defeat Russia’s forces “matters to the rest of the world” and U.S. support will continue “for the long haul.”

The Eagles get Super Bowl revenge, the Nuggets and Bucks are among NBA's big winners, the Lightning get a key win over the Bruins in the NHL slate and two ranked college basketball matchups.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided federal appeals court has found that private individuals and groups such as the NAACP do not have the ability to sue under a key section of the federal Voting Rights Act. It's a decision that voting rights advocates say could further erode protections under the landmark 1965 law. The 2-1 decision Monday by a panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals based in St. Louis found that only the U.S. attorney general can enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. That section prohibits discriminatory voting practices such as racially gerrymandered districts.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has spent part of his 81st birthday observing the White House tradition of pardoning Thanksgiving turkeys. Gobblers Liberty and Bell received executive clemency Monday at a White House ceremony. Biden mentioned his age and joked that he wasn't at the first of these events held 76 yeas ago. The 20-week-old, 42-pound birds were hatched and bred in Willmar, Minnesota, by the Jennie-O turkey company for the occasion. The turkey pardon ceremony marks the unofficial start of the holiday season in Washington. On Monday, Jill Biden also welcomed delivery of a Fraser fir from North Carolina as the official White House Christmas tree.

The company that created ChatGPT is in turmoil after Microsoft hired its ousted CEO and many more employees threatened to follow him in a conflict that centered in part oin part on how to build artificial intelligence that’s smarter than humans. The developments followed a weekend of drama that shocked the AI field and fueled speculation about the future of OpenAI. The startup's new CEO vowed to investigate the firing of co-founder and CEO Sam Altman. He's been instrumental in OpenAI’s transformation from a nonprofit research laboratory into a world-renowned commercial startup that inaugurated the era of generative artificial intelligence. Microsoft announced that Altman and OpenAI’s former president, Greg Brockman, would lead its new advanced AI research team.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The founder of a former megachurch in Oklahoma known for rejecting the idea of hell and supporting gay rights has died. Bishop Carlton Pearson died Sunday in hospice care in Tulsa due to cancer according to his agent. Pearson was 70. Pearson founded Higher Dimensions Family Church in Tulsa and by 2000 its membership reached 6,000. Membership fell to a few hundred by 2008 after Pearson began teaching what he called “the gospel of inclusion,” a form of universalism, which does not recognize hell. The church, renamed New Dimensions was folded into another church as Pearson became a United Church of Christ minister.

—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. 20 at 7 a.m. CT:

ATLANTA (AP) — Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has died at the age of 96. The Carter Center in Atlanta announced that the wife of former President Jimmy Carter died Sunday afternoon at her home in Plains, Georgia, with her family at her side. Rosalynn Carter was married to Jimmy Carter for more than 77 years, and both said she was the more political of the pair. Unlike many previous first ladies, Rosalynn Carter sat in on Cabinet meetings and spoke out on controversial issues. President Carter even sent her on a trip to Latin America to tell dictators he meant what he said on human rights. Together, Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter also co-founded The Carter Center to continue their work.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has made an unannounced visit to Kyiv. He arrived Monday in what is expected to be a high-profile push to keep money and weapons flowing to Ukraine even as U.S. and international resources are stretched by the new global risks raised by the Israel-Hamas conflict. Austin traveled to Kyiv by train from Poland. He is scheduled to meet with senior Ukrainian officials and publicly press Ukraine’s urgent military needs as it enters another tough winter of fighting. U.S. officials said Austin intended to tell Ukrainian officials that American support for Kyiv’s effort to defeat Russia’s invasion forces is steadfast and will continue.

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli forces are pressing their offensive against Hamas in northern Gaza. They are battling militants around a hospital where thousands of patients and displaced people have been sheltering for weeks, raising Palestinian fears of another painful standoff and evacuation of a medical facility. A medical worker inside the Indonesian Hospital and the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Monday that a shell struck the second floor of the facility, killing at least 12 people. Both blamed Israeli forces. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. The advance came a day after the World Health Organization evacuated 31 premature babies from Shifa Hospital. At least 28 were transported to Egypt on Monday.

Millions are expected to travel for the holidays. Wind, snow and rain could be problematic for travelers across the Northeast, according to the National Weather Service.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is spending part of his 81st birthday observing the White House tradition of pardoning Thanksgiving turkeys. The gobblers receiving executive clemency at a ceremony Monday are named Liberty and Bell. The 20-week-old, 42-pound birds were hatched and bred in Willmar, Minnesota, by the Jennie-O turkey company for the occasion. The turkey pardon ceremony marks the unofficial start of the holiday season in Washington and it will be an especially busy day for the White House. In addition to celebrating the president's birthday, Jill Biden also welcomes delivery of an 18-and-a-half-foot Fraser fir from North Carolina as the official White House Christmas tree.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An elevated Los Angeles freeway closed by a Nov. 11 arson fire has reopened ahead of Monday morning’s commute. That's at least a day earlier than previously announced and weeks ahead of the original estimate. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Sunday that inspections showed it's safe to reopen shortly after crews worked round the clock for days to shore up about 100 support columns. Newsom said the freeway would be “fully operational” before Monday's rush hour. An estimated 300,000 vehicles a day use the east-west freeway crossing the heart of Los Angeles. Vice President Kamala Harris joined Newsom and city Mayor Karen Bass for Sunday's announcement.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s military has warned North Korea not to go ahead with its planned spy satellite launch. A senior officer suggested Monday that South Korea could suspend an inter-Korean agreement to reduce tensions and resume front-line aerial surveillance in response. North Korea's first two attempts to put a spy satellite into space failed and its promised third attempt has been delayed. South Korean officials say the delay likely was because North Korea is receiving Russian technology assistance and a launch could happen in coming days. The U.N. Security Council bans any satellite launches by North Korea because it views them as a disguised test of its missile technology.

Sugar prices are soaring in many places. That's largely due to production shortfalls in key exporters India and Thailand that are partly blamed on the El Nino. The U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization is predicting a 2% decline in production this year. Increasingly, sugar is being used for biofuels like ethanol, so global sugar buffer stocks are at their lowest since 2009.

The Lions rally from down two scores late to beat the Bears, Matthew Stafford's return helps the Rams end their three-game losing streak, the Broncos ends the Vikings' winning streak, a LeBron James free throw gives the Lakers a win over the Rockets, and Aaron Nola decides to stay with the Phillies.

“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” tops the North American box office in its first weekend in theaters. The $44 million in ticket sales the film earned is a new low for the franchise. It always opened over $100 million in its Jennifer Lawrence days. The animated “Trolls Band Together” opened in second place with $30.6 million, while “The Marvels” fell a record 78% in its second weekend. Taika Waititi’s soccer comedy “Next Goal Wins” and the slasher “Thanksgiving” also opened in wide release over the busy, pre-Thanksgiving weekend.

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs and singer Cassie say they have settled a lawsuit containing allegations of beatings and abuse by the powerful music producer. The settlement was announced on Friday in a statement from an attorney for Cassie, whose full name is Casandra Ventura. It comes one day after the lawsuit was filed. The statement says Combs and Ventura have reached a deal to their “mutual satisfaction." No terms of the agreement have been disclosed. Ventura and Combs both issued statements. The statement from Ventura's lawyer says no further statements will be issued.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Taylor Swift has postponed a concert in Rio de Janeiro after a 23-year-old fan died during her Friday night show. The singer said in a handwritten note posted Saturday on Instagram that the decision was made due to the extremely hot weather in the Brazilian city. “The safety and well being of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and always will come first,” Swift wrote in the message posted on Instagram. The cause of death for Ana Clara Benevides Machado has not yet been announced. But concertgoers complained they were not allowed to take water into Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium despite the soaring temperatures in Rio on Friday.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue was illuminated with a welcome to Brazil message for Taylor Swift. It was thanks to an act of charity by Swift fans orchestrated by the Catholic sanctuary that manages the world’s most famous Christ statue. The colossal monument donned a projected white “Welcome to Brazil” T-shirt honoring the singer’s latest leg of her Eras Tour. The initiative was launched after a request from Taylor Swift fans. The priest who runs the Christ statue then dared Swifties to donate for a good cause in return for their request. The statue was lit Thursday night after Swifties met the goal and helped fundraise for 20,000 panettones and water for the Catholic Church’s World Day of the Poor, which will be marked on Sunday.

NEW YORK (AP) — George Brown, the co-founder and longtime drummer of Kool & The Gang who helped write such hits as “Too Hot,” “Ladies Night,” “Joanna” and the party favorite “Celebration,” has died at age 74. A statement from Universal Music says Brown died Thursday in Los Angeles after a battle with cancer. Kool & The Gang has sold millions of records with its catchy blend of jazz, funk and soul, what Brown liked to call “the sound of happiness.” Brown helped launch the Grammy-winning group in 1964. Kool & the Gang broke through in the mid-1970s with “Jungle Boogie” among others songs and peaked in the late ’70s and mid-1980s, with such hits as “Cherish” and “Celebration.”

—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. 

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 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. 17 at 4 p.m. CT:

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials say at least seven states are seeing high levels of the flu and that cases are rising in other parts of the country. New flu data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows flu is steadily rising. The winter flu season traditionally ramps up in December or January. But it took off in October last year and is making a November entrance now. Louisiana has very high flu activity. There is high activity in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New Mexico and South Carolina and the District of Columbia. Health officials in Puerto Rico declared an influenza epidemic earlier this month.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The United Nations was forced to stop deliveries of food and other necessities to Gaza and warned of the growing possibility of widespread starvation after internet and telephone services collapsed in the besieged enclave because of a lack of fuel. Israel announced Friday that it will allow a “very minimal” amount of fuel into the besieged territory daily. But the shipments appeared to be far less than what the U.N. has said is needed. The communications blackout is in its second day. It largely cuts off Gaza’s 2.3 million people from one another and the outside world, and it paralyzes the coordination of aid.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the House Ethics Committee has filed a resolution to force a vote on expelling Republican Rep. George Santos from Congress. The resolution was announced one day after the Ethics Committee issued a withering report detailing evidence that Santos of New York converted campaign donations for his own personal use, such as trips to Atlantic City and the Hamptons. Santos easily survived an expulsion vote this month as lawmakers stressed the need for due process. But the completion of the committee’s report has generated new momentum for ousting the scandal-plagued freshman. Santos announced this week that he would not seek reelection.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — University of Virginia officials are further delaying the public release of the findings of an investigation into the events surrounding a 2022 campus shooting that killed three student-athletes and wounded two other students. Citing concern about the impact the findings could have on the suspect's pending trial, UVA said in a news release Friday that it would not make a “redacted” version of the final report public available until “after the criminal proceedings.” The suspect is charged with aggravated murder, aggravated malicious wounding and firearms-related counts. Court records show his next court hearing is in February.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is screening imports of cinnamon from multiple countries for toxic lead. It comes after more reports of illness in children who ate pouches of applesauce puree. The pouches were sold in several retail and online stories and have been recalled. The FDA says cinnamon from a manufacturer in Ecuador is the “likely source” of high levels of lead found in applesauce products. At least 34 children in 22 states have reportedly been sickened by lead poisoning. The FDA says no other reports of illness or elevated blood levels have been tied to cinnamon.

NEW BUFFALO, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say 11 people were injured when an Amtrak train heading to Chicago derailed in southwestern Michigan. The train derailed Thursday night after hitting an empty vehicle and a tow truck. The train went off the tracks but remained upright. The crash happened near New Buffalo, about 70 miles east of Chicago. The injuries were not considered serious. The vehicle was stuck on the tracks and was in the process of being removed when the train hit both. Amtrak arranged buses to take passengers to Chicago. Eight trains between Chicago and Michigan were canceled Friday while investigators were at the scene.

DETROIT (AP) — Honda is recalling nearly 250,000 vehicles in the U.S. because bearings can fail, causing the engines to stall and increasing the risk of a crash. The recall covers certain 2018 and 2019 Honda Pilot SUVs and Odyssey minivans, and some 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline pickup trucks. Also affected are certain 2015 to 2020 Acura TLX cars and 2016 to 2020 Acura MDX SUVs. Honda says in documents posted Friday by .U.S. safety regulators that connecting rod bearings in the engine can wear and seize due to a manufacturing error, damaging the engines. The engines could stall while being driven, increasing the risk of a fire or crash. The automaker says in documents that it has no reports of injuries. Dealers will inspect and repair or replace the engines if needed.

LONDON (AP) — The British author of the Booker Prize-winning novel “Possession” has died at the age of 87. A.S. Byatt’s publisher, Chatto & Windus, said Friday that the author whose full name was Antonia Byatt died “peacefully at home surrounded by close family.” Byatt wrote two dozen books, starting with “The Shadow of the Sun” in 1964. She published “Possession” in 1990. The novel follows two modern-day academics investigating the lives of a pair of Victorian poets and was adapted into a 2002 film starring Gwyneth Paltrow. Her other works include the novel “The Children’s Book” and the short story collection “Medusa’s Ankles." Queen Elizabeth II made Byatt a dame, the female equivalent of a knight, in 1999 for services to literature.

Used-car shoppers won’t have it easy this year or next. Although used car prices have declined from their record levels from last year, they are still high and are coupled with the highest interest rates we’ve seen in many years. If that’s not bad enough, used cars also are currently older. There are fewer near-new vehicles for sale right now than just a few years ago. Edmunds outlines some steps you can take to get the best possible deal during these tough times.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Police in Maine say a lobsterman jumped from a boat into the water to help save a driver trapped in a sinking car. Police in Portland say the car drove into Casco Bay shortly after noon on Thursday. Police and fire crews were able to force entry into the vehicle while it was underwater. The lobster boat was nearby and Manny Kourinos, who is experienced in diving, entered the water and helped pull out the driver. The 33-year-old driver was hospitalized in stable condition. Police are investigating and say the vehicle was reported stolen out of South Portland earlier in the day.

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — For many years in college football, the booze flowed only outside the stadiums at tailgates. Not anymore. Selling beer and wine has become the norm. According to a survey by The Associated Press of Power Five conference schools and Notre Dame, 55 of 69 of them sell alcohol in the public areas of their stadiums on game days. That's up dramatically over the past decade. Experts say it is a reliable revenue stream. The trend picked up in 2019 after the Southeastern Conference cleared the way for alcohol sales at football stadiums.

—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. 17 at 5:45 a.m. CT:

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — President Joe Biden has ended the immediate threat of a government shutdown, signing a temporary spending bill a day before much of the government was to run out of money. The bill, which maintains existing funding levels, pushes a fight with congressional Republicans over the federal budget into the new year, when GOP lawmakers in the House are vowing to exact stiff spending cuts. It splits the deadlines for passing full-year appropriations bills into two dates: Jan. 19 for some federal agencies and Feb. 2 for others. The measure does not include any wartime aid for Ukraine or Israel, nor does it offer humanitarian funding for Palestinians.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Rescuers in Gaza don’t have the equipment to search properly for the living, let alone the dead. Every day, hundreds of people claw through tons of rubble with shovels and iron bars and their bare hands. They are looking for the bodies of loved ones killed in Israeli missile strikes. More than five weeks into Israel’s war against Hamas, some streets are now more like graveyards. U.N. humanitarian monitors say at least 2,700 people, including 1,500 children, are missing and believed buried under the rubble. More than 11,400 are dead.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Republicans battling to be the alternative to former President Donald Trump are coming together for what an influential Christian organization in Iowa is billing as a friendly conversation on politics and their world views. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will appear at the roundtable “family discussion” in Des Moines Friday, Trump is not expected to make an appearance, though he was invited. The field around Trump is winnowing with less than two months before the Iowa caucuses kick off the GOP nominating calendar. In a sign of the urgency the field faces, many of his rivals are going after each other more frequently with jabs that have often turned personal.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A lawsuit has challenged the constitutionality of Missouri’s new law requiring voters to show photo identification to cast a regular ballot. The trial in the case is expected to begin Friday. Voting rights advocates suing to overturn the law say getting the records needed to obtain proper photo identification can be challenging, especially for elderly voters and people with disabilities. People without government-issued photo identification can cast provisional ballots to be counted if they return later that day with a photo ID or if election officials verify their signatures.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Congressman George Santos of New York says he won't run for reelection in 2024 after a scathing House Ethics Committee report on his conduct cited “overwhelming evidence” of lawbreaking. The Ethics panel says it has referred its findings about Santos to the Justice Department. Shortly after the panel’s report was released, Santos blasted it in a tweet on X as a “disgusting politicized smear” but said he would not be seeking reelection to a second term. A renewed effort to expel him has been launched. The committee said Thursday that Santos’ conduct warrants public condemnation, is beneath the dignity of the office, and has brought severe discredit upon the House.

NEW YORK (AP) — RSV infections are rising sharply in some parts of the country, nearly filling hospital emergency departments in Georgia, Texas and some other states. Federal officials say they are taking action to help counter the surge. On Thursday, they announced the release of 77,000 doses of a new RSV shot for newborns. The shot has been been in short supply since it became available three months ago. RSV is not expected to generate the kind of patient traffic seen last fall, when hospital emergency departments across the country were overwhelmed with sick, wheezing kids. But it could nevertheless strain resources in some places.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — President Joe Biden has made America's case to CEOs attending the Asia-Pacific summit in San Francisco that the United States is committed to high standards in trade that will benefit economies across the Pacific. Fresh off his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Biden also told business leaders that the U.S. was “de-risking and diversifying” but not “decoupling” from Beijing. But he did not mince words in suggesting the U.S. and other Pacific nations could offer businesses a better option than China. Biden's comments came as he was courting world leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

The Ravens score a huge bounce-back over Cincinnati, Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh agrees to a three-game suspension, Major League Baseball announces its MVPs, awards the 2025 All-Star Game to Atlanta and approves the relocation of the A's, while Miami and Oklahoma City win in the NBA and Vegas does the same in the NHL.

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs has been accused of years of abuse including rape and beatings by R&B singer Cassie. Cassie's legal name is Cassandra Ventura. She was in a yearslong relationship with the hip-hop producer and music mogul. She says in a lawsuit filed Thursday in New York federal court that Combs plied her with drugs, savagely beat her and forced her to have sex with male prostitutes. She says he raped her as she tried to end the relationship in 2018. Combs’ attorney says he vehemently denies what he calls the “outrageous lies” and and characterized the allegations as “blackmail.”

—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. 16 at 7:10 a.m. CT:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Police and protesters have clashed outside Democratic National Committee headquarters during a demonstration for a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas. Scores of Democratic representatives and candidates, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, were inside the building for a campaign reception when it was interrupted by chanting outside. Protesters said they wanted to block entrances and exits to force politicians to encounter their candlelight vigil Wednesday night. However, the situation swiftly devolved. U.S. Capitol Police said about 150 people were “illegally and violently protesting,” but protesters blamed police for the violence. Capitol Police said six officers were treated for minor injuries and one protester was arrested for assaulting an officer.

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Residents say Israeli forces dropped leaflets warning Palestinians to flee parts of southern Gaza. That signals a possible expansion of their offensive to areas where hundreds of thousands of people who heeded earlier evacuation orders are crowded into U.N.-run shelters and family homes. Meanwhile, soldiers continued searching Shifa Hospital in the north on Thursday, in a raid that began a day earlier. They displayed guns they say were found hidden in one building, but have yet to release any evidence of the central Hamas command center that Israel has said is concealed beneath the complex. Hamas and staff at the hospital deny the allegations. Israel already carries out air raids in the south. Broadening operations there threatens to worsen an already severe humanitarian crisis.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress has ended the threat of a government shutdown until after the holidays. The Senate gave final approval to a temporary government funding package Wednesday night and sent it to President Joe Biden for his signature. The bill sets up a final confrontation on the government budget in the new year. The Senate worked into the night to pass the bill with days to spare before government funding expires Saturday. The spending package keeps government funding levels at current levels for roughly two more months while a long-term package is negotiated.

WOODSIDE, Calif. (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping have emerged from their first face-to-face meeting in a year vowing to stabilize their fraught relationship and showcasing modest agreements to combat illegal fentanyl and re-establish military communications. There were still deep differences on economic competition and global security threats. But Biden said they agreed to “pick up the phone” and talk if urgent issues arise. Biden said “that's important progress." Xi signaled later Wednesday that China would send the U.S. new pandas after recalling three from the National Zoo in Washington last week.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state has sued PepsiCo in an effort to hold the soda-and-snack food giant partly responsible for litter that winds up in bodies of water that supply the city of Buffalo with drinking water. The lawsuit, filed in state Supreme Court by Attorney General Letitia James, accuses the company and its Frito-Lay subsidiaries of creating a public nuisance by making a huge number of plastic bottles and wrappers, some of which inevitably wind up falling or blowing into the Buffalo River after they are discarded by customers. PepsiCo said it was serious about “plastic reduction and effective recycling.” It didn’t directly comment on the lawsuit’s claim that it was legally responsible for keeping garbage out of the Buffalo River.

The Celtics stun the Sixers, Booker pays dividends on return to the line-up, an on-court fracas and neck grab draws punishment from the NBA, Flyers goaltender Carter Hart leads his team to victory, the Browns will be without their starting quarterback, and Major League Baseball announces the Cy Young Award winners.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Pat Murphy spent the last eight seasons as Craig Counsell’s bench coach in Milwaukee. He now is taking over for his former boss as the Brewers manager. The Brewers announced they were promoting Murphy a little over a week after the Chicago Cubs announced they had hired Counsell away from Milwaukee. Murphy’s only managerial experience in the majors came in 2015 when he led the San Diego Padres on an interim basis for the final 96 games of the season. He had been the Brewers' bench coach ever since.

NEW YORK (AP) — Jimmy Kimmel is returning as host of the Academy Awards for the second straight year and fourth time overall. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced Kimmel's return on Wednesday. ABC is returning to its late-night host a year after bringing Kimmel back for a 2023 ceremony that drew 18.7 million viewers, the most since 2020’s pre-pandemic broadcast. In the wake of Will Smith’s slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, Kimmel led a cautious ceremony that helped stabilize the Academy Awards after years of turmoil. The 96th Academy Awards will air live on ABC on March 10 from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Nov. 15 at 4 p.m. CT:

The TSA expects to screen 28 million travelers at the nation's airports over a 12-day period during the Thanksgiving holiday that begins Friday. John Bush, the agency's Federal Security Director at Reagan Airport outside Washington, D.C. has some advice: get to the airport early and pack your patience.

WOODSIDE, Calif. (AP) — To the domestic audience in China, Beijing continues to blame the U.S. for problems in the two countries' bilateral relations and urges Washington to “establish correct views” of China. The official news service Xinhua said in a series of editorials that Washington should walk out of its “zero-sum” mentality and expand cooperation to further stabilize and improve bilateral relations. Beijing has expressed hope that Washington would respond with “concrete actions.” Ahead of the meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, senior White House officials said Biden would walk away from the talks with major announcements expected on curbing the flow of chemicals used in the production of fentanyl and steps to revive military-to-military communications.

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops stormed into Gaza’s largest hospital, searching for traces of Hamas inside and beneath the facility filled with hundreds of patients, including newborns, who have gone for days without electricity and with little food as fighting raged around them. Details from the Wednesday raid remained sketchy, but officials from Israel and Gaza presented different narratives about what was happening at the hospital: The Israeli army released video showing soldiers carrying boxes labeled as “baby food” and “medical supplies,” while Gaza health officials talked of terrified staff and patients as troops moved through the buildings. Israel faces pressure to prove its claim that Hamas had transformed Shifa Hospital into a command base.

PARIS (AP) — A police officer being investigated in the killing of a 17-year-old of North African origin that touched off riots around France was freed from jail Wednesday while the probe continues. The prosecutor’s office in the Paris suburb where Nahel Merzouk was shot said magistrates concluded that continued detention of the motorcycle officer “no longer fulfills the legal criteria” for which he was held. The officer was given a preliminary charge of voluntary homicide. The rioting was driven by a mainly teenage backlash against a French state that many with immigrant roots say routinely discriminates against them.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A hospital director in Haiti says a heavily armed gang burst into the facility and took hostage hundreds of women, children and newborns. Jose Ulysse, founder and director of the Fontaine Hospital Center in the Cite Soleil slum, pleaded for help via social media. He confirmed has confirmed the incident in a brief message exchange with The Associated Press, saying the hospital is in “great difficulty.” No further details were immediately available, and it was not clear why the assailants may have taken patients hostage. Ulysse did not respond to further questions. The hospital has been considered an oasis in a community overrun by gangs that have unleashed increasingly violent attacks against each other and civilians.

LONDON (AP) — The British government says it will still try to send some migrants on a one-way trip to Rwanda, despite the U.K. Supreme Court ruling that the contentious plan is illegal. Five justices on the country’s top court say asylum-seekers would be “at real risk of ill-treatment” because they could be sent back to their home countries once they were in Rwanda. The court cited Rwanda’s poor human rights record, including enforced disappearances and torture. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to stop migrants reaching Britain in small boats. He says the government will strike a treaty with Rwanda that will address the court's concerns.

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Supreme Court has ruled that the government's flagship policy to send migrants on a one-way trip to Rwanda is unlawful. The government is vowing to make some changes and press on with the controversial plan. Making the plan work has become a central pillar of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats" — his slogan for deterring people from crossing the English Channel to reach Britain. He says he's prepared to change U.K. law and even flout international human rights treaties in order to make the plan work. Legal experts say that could be a tall order.

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans cut back on retail spending in October, ending six straight months of gains, though the decline was partly driven by falling prices for both gasoline and cars. Retail sales declined 0.1% last month after jumping a strong 0.9% in September, according to a report released Wednesday by the Commerce Department. September’s figure was revised higher from an initial report of a 0.7% gain. Excluding sales of gas and autos, retail sales ticked up 0.1%.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale prices fell sharply last month as inflationary pressure continued to ease in the face of a year and a half of higher interest rates. The Labor Department reported Wednesday that its producer price index — which measures inflation before it hits consumers — dropped 0.5% in October from September, biggest drop since April 2020. UOn a year-over-year basis, producer prices were up 1.3% from October 2022.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Comedian Kevin Hart has been chosen to receive the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in American humor. The honor caps a three-decade career that has seen the comic rise from the open mics of Philadelphia to become one of his generation’s most successful performers. The 44-year-old Hart has honed a style that combined his diminutive stature, expressive face and motormouth delivery. It's made him a wildly successful touring act. He's gone on to become one of the country’s most bankable and ubiquitous performers. Hart says in a statement that “comedy is my outlet for social commentary and observations on life.”

—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. 15 at 6:30 a.m. CT:

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli forces are raiding Gaza’s largest hospital, where hundreds of patients, including newborns, have been stranded with dwindling supplies and no electricity. Wednesday's raid at Shifa hospital came as the army extended its control across Gaza City and the north. Shifa has become a symbol of the widespread suffering of Palestinian civilians during the war between Israel and Hamas. The hospital is also at the heart of clashing narratives over who is to blame for the thousands of deaths and widespread destruction in the besieged territory. Israel accuses Hamas of using Palestinians as human shields, while Palestinians and rights groups say Israel has recklessly endangered civilians.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has voted overwhelmingly to prevent a government shutdown. New Republican Speaker Mike Johnson was forced to reach across the aisle to Democrats when hard-right conservatives revolted against his plan. Johnson’s proposal to temporarily fund the government into the new year passed on a bipartisan 336-95 tally, with 93 Republicans voting against it. He showed a willingness to leave his right-flank Republicans behind and work with Democrats — the same political move that cost the last House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, his job just weeks ago. Johnson’s approach, which the Senate is expected to approve by week’s end, effectively pushes a final showdown over government funding to the new year.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping are heading into their meeting at a country estate in California hoping to stabilize U.S.-China relations after a period of tumult. But the White House says Biden is prepared to confront Xi on difficult issues such as trade, Beijing’s burgeoning relationship with Iran and human rights concerns. The leaders last spoke a year ago. Since then, fraught ties between the economic superpowers have been strained by the U.S. downing of a Chinese spy balloon and over differences on the self-ruled island of Taiwan, China’s hacking of a Biden official’s emails and other incidents. The leaders are in San Francisco on Wednesday for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Supreme Court has ruled that the government’s contentious plan to send some migrants on a one-way trip to Rwanda is illegal. Five justices on the country’s top court say asylum-seekers would be “at real risk of ill-treatment” because they could be sent back to their home countries once they were in Rwanda. The ruling on Wednesday is a major blow to a key government policy that has drawn international attention and criticism. Britain and Rwanda signed a deal in April 2022 to send some migrants who arrive in the U.K. across the English Channel to the East African country, where their asylum claims would be processed and, if successful, they would stay. Sunak said the ruling “was not the outcome we wanted.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — A fight seems to have nearly broken out a congressional hearing. The Tuesday hearing in the Senate devolved into an angry confrontation between Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma and International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean O’Brien. Mullin challenged the Teamsters leader to “stand your butt up” and settle longstanding differences right there in the room. Committee chairman Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont had to yell at Mullin to sit down after he challenged O’Brien to a fight. Mullin and O'Brien never came face to face in the room. But they hurled insults at each other for around six minutes.

Georgia is No. 1 in the College Football Playoff Rankings, Manager of the Year awards are dealt in MLB, the Bills fire their offensive coordinator, the Pacers end the Sixers' win streak and Charlie Lindgren leads Washington past Las Vegas.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler has died. He was 63. Seidler poured hundreds of millions of dollars into trying to bring a World Series championship to San Diego. He didn't succeed, despite paying for stars like Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts. He was a third-generation member of the O'Malley family that used to own the Dodgers. A cause of death wasn’t disclosed. Seidler was a two-time cancer survivor. The team announced in mid-September that Seidler had an unspecified medical procedure in August and wouldn’t be back at the ballpark the rest of the year.

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Nov. 14 at 4 p.m. CT:

JERUSALEM (AP) — Gaza’s Shifa Hospital has become the focus of a dayslong stalemate in Israel’s war against Hamas. Shifa is Gaza’s largest hospital. Israel claims, without providing visual evidence, that Hamas uses the facility for military purposes and has built a vast underground command center below the hospital. Since Israel declared war against Hamas in response to a deadly cross-border attack by the Islamic group on Oct. 7, its forces have moved in on Shifa. But hundreds of doctors and patients remain inside. It remains unclear how and when the standoff will end.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — David DePape has testified in the federal trial against him over last year's attack against former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband. DePape told jurors Tuesday that he went to the Pelosis’ home as part of a larger plan to end corruption in the United States. He has pleaded not guilty to attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official with intent to retaliate against the official for performance of their duties. Paul Pelosi testified Monday, recounting the attack publicly for the first time.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — President Joe Biden says his goal for his upcoming meeting with Xi Jinping is to get the U.S.-China relationship on a “normal course.” The president made the comments Tuesday just before departing the White House for San Francisco, where he will meet with Xi and attend a summit of Asia Pacific leaders. Biden's meeting with Xi on Wednesday is the main event of his four-day visit to San Francisco. At the summit itself, he's looking to demonstrate that his administration can focus on the Pacific. That's even as he tries to keep the Israel-Hamas war from exploding into a regional conflict and persuade weary Republican lawmakers to continue funding Ukraine's effort to repel Russia’s invasion.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Long past its painful peak, inflation in the United States may be heading steadily back toward its pre-pandemic levels, without the need for further interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. Such a scenario became more likely, if hardly guaranteed, after Tuesday’s surprisingly tame report on consumer prices for October. The data showed a broad-based easing of inflation across most goods and services. The price of gas? Down. Appliances? Down. Autos? Down. Same for airfares, hotel rooms and doctors’ fees. Overall inflation didn’t rise from September to October, the first time that consumers prices collectively haven’t budged from one month to another in more than a year.

LONDON (AP) — Police in England have arrested a man on suspicion of manslaughter in the death of American ice hockey player Adam Johnson whose neck was cut by a skate during a game. Johnson, 29, was playing for the Nottingham Panthers against the Sheffield Steelers in an Oct. 28 game when he was struck by an opponent’s skate blade. South Yorkshire Police did not name the suspect or provide his age. He was in police custody. The player whose skate cut Johnson’s neck was Matt Petgrave, 31, who plays for Sheffield. Johnson was a Minnesota native who had a brief NHL career with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

LONDON (AP) — The BBC says two more people have come forward to complain about Russell Brand since the broadcaster launched a review into the actor and comedian’s behavior. The BBC was giving an update to its investigation after British media outlets in September published claims by four women that they were sexually assaulted by Brand between 2006 and 2013, at the height of his fame. The 48-year-old denies the allegations. The comedian worked as a BBC radio presenter from 2006 to 2008. The broadcaster said it recorded a total of five complaints against Brand. The BBC news website reported that the latest allegations are “understood to relate to his workplace conduct, and are not of a serious sexual nature.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is preparing for a vote to prevent a government shutdown. New Republican Speaker Mike Johnson was forced to reach across the aisle to Democrats when hard-right conservatives revolted against his plan. Johnson was willing to leave his right flank Republicans behind and work with Democrats on Tuesday to keep the government open. It's the same political move that cost Kevin McCarthy, the former House speaker, his job. This time, new Speaker Johnson appears on track for a better outcome. The Senate would act next, ahead of Friday’s shutdown deadline. But Johnson is facing the same political problem that led to McCarthy’s ouster as hard-right conservatives revolt. That could spell trouble ahead when funding runs out again in January.

Home Depot is continuing to see its sales decline amid inflation concerns, and the home improvement retailer narrowed its fiscal 2023 outlook. But its quarterly performance came in above Wall Street’s expectations. Home Depot Inc. said Tuesday that its third-quarter revenue fell 3% to $37.71 billion. Still, it managed to beat the $37.52 billion that analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research predicted.

U.S. health officials are warning doctors to be on the lookout for possible cases of lead poisoning in children. At least 22 toddlers in 14 states have sickened by lead that's linked to tainted pouches of cinnamon apple puree and applesauce. Cases were reported in children ages 1 to 3 years old. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says at least one child showed a blood lead level eight times higher than the level that raises concern. The illnesses are linked to recalled WanaBana, Schnucks and Weis brand cinnamon applesauce pouches.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers says his goal is to return from a torn Achilles tendon by mid-December. That's according to NBC's Melissa Stark, who spoke to Rodgers and reported his comments during the telecast of the Jets' game at Las Vegas. Rodgers had hinted recently he hopes to return before the end of the season, but this is the most specific he has been. He suffered what was thought to be a season-ending injury in the opener against the Buffalo Bills.

—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.