On the version of Hot off the Wire posted May 20 at 8 a.m. CT:

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the country’s foreign minister have been found dead hours after their helicopter crashed in fog. That leaves the Islamic Republic without two key leaders as extraordinary tensions grip the wider Middle East. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei quickly named a little-known vice president as caretaker Monday. The supreme leader has the final say in the Shiite theocracy. 

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A popular centrist member of Israel’s three-man War Cabinet has threatened to resign from the government if it doesn’t adopt a new plan for the war in Gaza in the next three weeks. 

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston area residents affected by deadly storms last week that left at least seven dead have received some good news. Officials say power was restored by Sunday evening to a majority of the hundreds of thousands of customer left in the dark and without air conditioning in hot and humid weather. 

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial is heading into the final stretch with the former president insisting he did nothing wrong. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a payment to a porn actor who alleges they had a sexual encounter. The landmark trial kicks back off Monday with more defense cross-examination of former Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, whose testimony tied Trump to an alleged hush money scheme. 

John Krasinski’s imaginary friends movie “IF” claimed the top spot at the box office this weekend according to studio estimates Sunday. Its $35 million North American debut was also a bit lower than some projections. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” continues to be the rare bright spot in a summer movie season that has gotten off to a bumpy start. In just 10 days, it surpassed $100 million domestically with $26 million in its second weekend. Third place went to “The Strangers—Chapter 1” with holdovers “The Fall Guy” and “Challengers” rounding out the top 5.

In other news:

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is managing editor of the national newsroom for Lee Enterprises. Besides producing the daily Hot off the Wire news podcast, Terry conducts periodic interviews for this Behind the Headlines program, co-hosts the Streamed & Screened movies and television program and is the former producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.