Hot Off The Wire

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Oct. 5 at 7:07 a.m. CT:

STOCKHOLM (AP) — The Nobel Prize in literature has been awarded to Norwegian author Jon Fosse. The permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy announced the prize Thursday in Stockholm. The academy says the prize is for Fosse's “innovative plays and prose, which give voice to the unsayable.” Fosse told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK that he was both surprised and not, saying he had cautiously prepared himself over the years for the award. The Nobel Prizes carry a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor from a bequest left by their creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel. Winners also receive an 18-carat gold medal and diploma at the award ceremonies in December.

PINEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — The Powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated $1.4 billion after no players matched all six numbers and hit it rich. The winning numbers announced Wednesday night are: 9, 35, 54, 63, 64 and the Powerball 1. Players will next have a shot at the Powerball jackpot Saturday night. No matter how large the prize grows the odds stay the same. It’s those odds of 1 in 292.2 million that make the jackpot so hard to win. The $1.4 billion jackpot is for a sole winner who takes an annuity, paid annually over 30 years. Winners choosing the cash option would receive an estimated $643.7 million.

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security announced that the Biden administration leveraged sweeping executive power to waive 26 federal laws in South Texas. This is the first time the administration has done this, a practice often employed by the Trump presidency. The waived laws will allow the construction of up to 20 miles of border barriers. The Department of Homeland Security made the announcement Wednesday on the Federal Registry that waives federal protections in Starr County, Texas. Environmental advocates said they were shocked with the Democratic administration's reversal to support such construction. The structures will run through public lands, habitats of endangered plants and species.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he hoped to “manage expectations” of migrants setting out on their journeys, and to inform migrants that his city was “at capacity” after receiving around 120,000 migrants over the past year.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Some 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers are taking to picket lines in multiple states over wages and staff shortages. Unions representing the workers who walked off the job Wednesday approved a strike for three days in California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and one day in Virginia and the District of Columbia. Doctors are not participating, and the company says it will keep its 39 hospitals open. Kaiser union members say understaffing is boosting the hospital system’s profits but hurting patients, while Kaiser say they offer better compensation than competitors. There have been work stoppages within multiple industries this year in the U.S.

DETROIT (AP) — Meaningful progress has been made in the negotiations between the striking United Auto Workers union and Detroit’s three auto companies. That's according to a person with direct knowledge of the talks, who said some offers had been exchanged. Another said there was more movement in talks with Jeep maker Stellantis, with less at Ford and General Motors. Neither person wanted to be identified because they aren’t authorized to speak publicly about the bargaining. Union President Shawn Fain will update members Friday on talks toward bringing to an end the nearly 3-week-old strikes against the companies.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Adnan Syed is now free after being imprisoned for the murder of his ex-girlfriend more than two decades ago. But his attorneys will be arguing for his freedom once again on Thursday, this time in front of the Maryland Supreme Court. The case became known to millions through the true-crime podcast “Serial.” Syed is appealing a reinstatement of his murder conviction, after a lower court ordered a redo of the hearing that let the 42-year-old walk free. The court had found that the victim’s family didn’t get adequate notice to attend the hearing in person. The judges said that violated their right to be “treated with dignity and respect.”

It was day two of the Major League Baseball playoffs opening round on Wednesday and all four series are finished. 

ANTWERP, Belgium (AP) — Led by Simone Biles, the U.S. women have won a record seventh consecutive team title at the gymnastics world championships. The American team of Biles, Shilese Jones, Skye Blakely and Leanne Wong combined for a total of 167.729 points to edge Brazil and France. The U.S. team won by a margin of 2.199 points as the final proved to be a closer contest than anticipated after the Americans put up a dominant performance in qualifying. The U.S. women have won gold in the team event at every world championship that included a team competition since 2011. Their victory in Antwerp broke a tie with the Chinese men and made Biles the most decorated female gymnast in history.

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

WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing a likely roadblock from House Republicans on aid for Ukraine, President Joe Biden said Wednesday he’s planning to give a major speech on the issue and hinted there may be “another means” to support Kyiv if Congress balks. Biden told a group of reporters after giving remarks at the White House that “I’m going to be announcing very shortly a major speech I’m going to make on this issue and why it’s critically important for the United States and our allies that we keep our commitment” to Ukraine.

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump showed up for several hours on the third day of his New York civil fraud trial, complaining anew about his treatment before leaving for Florida. In court on Wednesday, his lawyers cross-examined an accountant who prepared financial statements at the heart of the case. Trump's lawyers are trying to blame the accountant for any shortcomings in the statements. New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit accuses Trump and his business of exaggerating his wealth in financial statements that went to banks, insurers and others. Outside the courtroom, his lawyers also appealed a key pretrial ruling. It found that Trump engaged in fraud by inflating the values of prized assets including his Trump Tower penthouse.

WASHINGTON (AP) — If your cellphone was on at 2:20 p.m. Eastern time you should have heard a loud noise and seen a message flash across your screen. That's when the U.S. government on Wednesday conducted its once-every-three-years nationwide test of the emergency alert system. Alerts also went out on radio and television. The cellphone alerts went off at the White House during press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s briefing. Ahead of the test, organizations that work with abuse survivors who have secret phones recommended they turn them off so as to not have the blaring noise tip off their abusers. The last nationwide test was Aug. 11, 2021.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has opened a big meeting on the future of the Catholic Church. He says the church is in need of repair to make it a place of welcome for “everyone, everyone, everyone.” He says it shouldn't be a rigid barricade riven by fears and ideology. Francis presided over a solemn Mass in St. Peter’s Square to formally open the meeting Wednesday. Progressives are hoping it will lead to more women in leadership roles and conservatives are warning could split the church. The meeting won’t make any binding decisions and is only the first session of a two-year process. But it nevertheless has drawn an acute battle line in the church’s perennial left-right divide.

WILLIAMSON, W.Va. (AP) — After two years of receiving federal subsidies, 220,000 child care programs across the country lost funding. Part of the largest investment in child care in U.S. history, the monthly payments ranged from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars. The funding that ended Saturday was meant to stabilize the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Providers say ending it puts at risk millions of children and their families. The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank in Washington, D.C., analyzed a provider survey and government data. It concluded that half of all providers are threatened in Arkansas, Montana, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.

The once-critical white COVID-19 vaccination cards are being phased out. Vaccines are not being distributed by the federal government anymore, so the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stopped printing new cards. People can still get proof of vaccination from a doctor or state health department. Some states have online options that create a QR code. Health officials recommend keeping your card in a safe place if you still have one.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican California congressman Kevin McCarthy's ouster from the speaker role has left the House of Representatives roiling. An essential body of American democracy no longer has an elected leader. Lawmakers were stunned Tuesday when a House speaker was voted out of leadership for the first time. The vacant speaker job comes as the House still grapples with the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, a Republican Party in upheaval and the United States’ contested role in global leadership. The House faces pressing questions of how to avert a government shutdown, whether to continue to fund Ukraine’s defense against Russia's invasion and whether to proceed with an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The man facing a murder charge in the fatal shooting of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas 27 years ago has made his first court appearance. Duane “Keffe D” Davis faced a Nevada judge Wednesday following his indictment last week. Police and prosecutors say Davis orchestrated the drive-by killing of the hip-hop icon in September 1996 and provided his nephew with the gun to do it. Davis has publicly described his role in the killing for several years. Court records list Edi Faal as his attorney. Davis denied an interview in jail where he's being held without bail.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Associated Press and theGrio have come together for a candid conversation about issues facing Black Americans ahead of the 2024 election and amid high levels of polarization. The panel discussion, titled “Race and Democracy: The Facts and The Fury,” addresses topics ranging from targeted racial violence to barriers to voting. It is the first of its kind between the nation’s oldest wire service and Allen Media Group’s multimedia platform. It will be carried on APNews.com and theGrio.com, Wednesday at 12 p.m. Eastern. It also will air on theGrio Television Network Series “TheGrio with Marc Lamont Hill” at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — Former NFL tight end Russ Francis was killed along with another aviation enthusiast when their single-engine plane crashed shortly after takeoff from an upstate New York airport. The 70-year-old Francis and 63-year-old Richard McSpadden had taken off from Lake Placid Airport in a single-engine Cessna when it crashed Sunday afternoon in a corner of the airport. Francis was a first-round pick in the NFL draft in 1975 and played with the New England Patriots from 1975 to 1980. Francis joined the San Francisco 49ers in 1982, and was part of the team that won the 1984 Super Bowl. He rejoined New England in 1987 and retired the year after.

—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 Oct. 4 at 6:50 a.m. CT:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House of Representatives has entered uncharted territory after the success of a last-ditch, right-wing effort to remove fellow Republican Kevin McCarthy from the speakership. A resolution called a motion to vacate was brought forward by Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz and passed Tuesday with the support of eight Republicans and every Democrat present. The effort makes McCarthy the first speaker in history to be removed from office. McCarthy's subsequent announcement he would not run for the job again clears the path for any Republican to jump in. Some members, including Gaetz, have been broaching potential consensus candidates like Majority Leader Steve Scalise or Whip Tom Emmer who they believe could bring the conference together.

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Three scientists have won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their work on quantum dots. Those are tiny particles that can release very bright colored light and are used in electronics and medical imaging. Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus and Alexei Ekimov were honored Wednesday for their work with the particles just a few atoms in diameter and that spread their light from television screens and LED lamps. Quantum dots’ electrons have constrained movement, and this affects how they absorb and release visible light, allowing for very bright colors.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has announced another $9 billion in federal student loan debt forgiveness. The relief will be provided through existing programs. The details were provided by the White House on Wednesday. Biden has been under pressure to fulfill his promises on student debt relief even though his original plan was overturned by the conservative majority on the Supreme Court. In total, 3.6 million borrowers will have had $127 billion in debt wiped out since the Democratic president took office. The White House says Biden believes college should be a ticket to the middle class, not a burden weighing on families. Republicans have fought Biden’s plans on student debt.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Officials say at least five people have been wounded, none critically, in a shooting at Morgan State University in Baltimore that happened as students were headed to a homecoming week campus ball. A shelter-in-place order was lifted around 12:30 a.m. Police Commissioner Richard Worley said the five victims, four men and one woman, are between the ages of 18 and 22, but police released no information on suspects and said they did not know how many shooters were involved. Morgan State University President David Wilson said he had canceled Wednesday’s classes, and would hold an emergency meeting Wednesday morning to decide whether to hold other homecoming week events.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams says he's traveling to Latin America to discourage people from seeking asylum in the city as it struggles to handle a massive influx of migrants. The Democratic mayor detailed the trip in a news conference Tuesday. He says he wants to give an honest assessment of the situation and tell people in the region that the city's shelter system has been overwhelmed and is at capacity. Adams has made a series of urgent pleas for a shift in federal immigration policy and for funding to help the city manage the arrival of migrants.

VENICE (AP) — A bus carrying dozens of people plummeted 50 feet from an elevated road in Venice, causing a fiery crash that killed 21 people and injured at least 15 mostly foreign tourists returning to a nearby campsite. Those who died in the crash Tuesday night included at least four Ukrainians and a German citizen, according to Venice prefecture. At least two of the dead were children. The new, electric bus was carrying foreign tourists when it fell from an elevated street on Tuesday evening, catching fire. The driver was killed. A Venice city councilor said he was an experienced driver and local prosecutors are investigating if he felt ill.

The Rangers and Twins win their American League Wild Card openers, while the Diamondbacks and Phillies do the same in the National League.

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Oct. 3 at 3:30 p.m. CT; updated at 4 p.m. CT:

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been voted out of the job in an extraordinary showdown, a first in U.S. history. The 216-210 vote was forced by a contingent of hard-right conservatives and throws the House and its Republican leadership into chaos. McCarthy’s chief rival, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, brought forward the “motion to vacate,” drawing together more than a handful of conservative Republican critics of the speaker and many Democrats who say he is unworthy of leadership. Next steps are uncertain, but there is no obvious successor to lead the House Republican majority.

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has imposed a limited gag order on President Donald Trump after he disparaged a key court staffer during his civil business fraud trial. Judge Arthur Engoron issued the order Tuesday. The order applies to all parties in the case and pertains only to verbal attacks on court staff. It came after Trump recirculated a disparaging social media post about Engoron’s principal law clerk, Allison Greenfield. Trump then deleted the post.

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty in Delaware to three federal firearms charges filed after the implosion of an earlier deal to resolve a long-running investigation. The California resident's Tuesday plea sets the case on a track toward a possible trial in 2024 while President Joe Biden is running for reelection. The Democratic president’s son has been charged with lying about his drug use in 2018 on a form to buy a gun he kept for about 11 days. He could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted. A judge asked Hunter Biden if he understood the charges against him, and Biden replied: “Yes, Your Honor.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Joe Biden has been in touch with U.S. allies and partners to discuss continued support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Tuesday's conversation came after Biden signed legislation late Saturday to keep the U.S. government funded. The bill did not include billions in aid for Ukraine that he had requested. The Republican-controlled House dropped the Ukraine aid request as a concession to growing opposition among GOP lawmakers. Poland’s president told reporters after the call that Biden assured the leaders that backing exists for continuing U.S. support to Ukraine.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan has issued a weather alert as Typhoon Koinu is approaching and may make landfall later this week, bringing gales and downpours to the southeastern parts of the island. The weather bureau put out a land warning on Tuesday after issuing a sea alert late Monday. Koinu was moving northwest with sustained winds of 101 mph near its center, according to the bureau. Forecasters expected it to bring strong winds and downpours to southern and eastern parts of Taiwan early Wednesday and potentially make landfall in the southeastern part of the island on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former union leader and Democratic insider Laphonza Butler has been sworn in as the newest member of the U.S. Senate, replacing California Sen. Dianne Feinstein after her death and becoming only the third Black female senator in history. Butler was appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday, just two days after Feinstein died at her home in Washington. Butler is a longtime fundraiser and strategist in the state’s Democratic circles and was the head of Emily’s List, a national organization that raises money for women candidates who support abortion rights. Butler was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris, who served as the second Black female senator.

Donald Trump’s campaign is calling on the Republican National Committee to cancel all remaining presidential primary debates. In a statement late Monday, top Trump advisers say the RNC must instead “refocus its manpower” on defeating Joe Biden next year. The statement also repeats debunked falsehoods about election fraud, claiming without evidence that Democrats are working to steal the 2024 election. Trump has maintained the lie that the 2020 election was stolen, despite multiple legal cases, investigations and his own attorney general finding no fraud. The RNC didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Rival Ron DeSantis' campaign says Trump should show up to debate and that the U.S. “needs a president who will fight for them anywhere, in any forum.”

TORONTO (AP) — An official says India has told Canada to remove 41 of its 62 diplomats in the country, ramping up a confrontation over Canadian accusations that India may have been involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in suburban Vancouver. The official spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of public reaction from the Canadian government later Tuesday. The official confirmed an earlier report from the Financial Times. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the slaying of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a 45-year-old Sikh leader who was killed by masked gunmen in June

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Zoo’s three giant pandas are set to return to China in December with no public signs the 50-year-old exchange agreement struck by President Richard Nixon will continue. There are diplomatic tensions between China and a number of Western governments. And China appears to be gradually pulling back its pandas from Western zoos as their agreements expire. The departure of the bears from the nation's capital would mean the only giant pandas left in America are at the Atlanta Zoo — and that agreement expires next year. Panda-philes visiting the Washington zoo say they're making plans to visit Atlanta next summer to see those pandas before they leave.

DENVER (AP) — Colorado’s highest court says it will hear the case of a Christian baker who refused to make a cake celebrating a gender transition. The decision announced Tuesday comes after a U.S. Supreme Court victory this summer for a graphic artist who didn’t want to design wedding websites for same-sex couples. Baker Jack Phillips won a partial victory before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 in another case after refusing to make a gay couple’s wedding cake. He was later sued by a transgender woman after he refused to make her cake to celebrate her gender transition.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas is back at work after being carjacked by three armed attackers less than a mile from the Capitol. Cuellar said Tuesday he was “good” and even joked about the frightening experience, saying his car was recovered but what really upset him was that they had taken his sushi. The Democrat says the robbers “came out of nowhere" and pointed guns at him. Monday night’s carjacking is the second assault on a member of Congress in the District of Columbia this year. In February, Minnesota Democrat Angie Craig was assaulted in her apartment building. Craig suffered bruises while escaping serious injury.

DETROIT (AP) — Stellantis is recalling nearly 273,000 trucks in the U.S. because the radio software can stop the rear view camera image from being displayed. The recall announced Tuesday by U.S. safety regulators covers certain Ram 1500 pickup trucks and some Ram 3500 chassis cabs from the 2022 and 2023 model years. Also covered are 2022 through 2024 Ram 2500 trucks. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says a rear view display without an image reduces a driver’s view and increases the risk of a crash. Dealers will update the radio software at no cost to owners, who will be notified by letter starting Nov. 17.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army is launching a sweeping overhaul of its recruiting to focus more on young people who've spent time in college or are job hunting early in their careers. The Army's aim is to reverse years of enlistment shortfalls. A major part of this is the formation of a new professional force of recruiters instead of relying on soldiers assigned to the task. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth tells The Associated Press some of the changes will begin in the next 90 days but a wholesale transformation to turn around years of decline is several years in the making. Wormuth says the Army hasn’t met its annual goal for new enlistment contracts since 2014.

DETROIT (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court has turned down an appeal and cleared the way for the parents of the Oxford High School shooter to face trial on involuntary manslaughter charges. James and Jennifer Crumbley are accused of making a gun available to Ethan Crumbley and ignoring his mental health needs. The state appeals court in March said the couple could face trial, and the Supreme Court says it will let that decision stand. Ethan Crumbley killed four fellow students and injured seven other people at Oxford High in November 2021. A judge last week said he’s eligible for life in prison without parole.

—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.