On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Nov. 2 at 6:40 a.m. CT:
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — President Joe Biden says he thinks there should be a humanitarian “pause” in the Israel-Hamas war. Biden was talking to a roomful of supporters gathered in Minneapolis for a reelection fundraiser when he was interrupted by a protester calling for a cease-fire. The call for a pause was a subtle departure for Biden and top White House aides. Throughout the Mideast crisis they have been steadfast in stating they would not dictate how the Israelis carry out their military operations in response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants.
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump Jr. has testified that he never worked on his father’s business financial statements. He was questioned Wednesday in court about the documents that now are at the heart of the civil fraud trial that threatens former President Donald Trump’s real estate empire. The lawsuit filed by New York state's attorney general centers on whether the former president and his business misled banks and insurers by inflating his net worth on the financial statements. The Trumps deny wrongdoing.
PARIS (AP) — Winds up to 180 kilometers per hour (108 mph) have slammed the French Atlantic coast as Storm Ciaran lashes western Europe. The storm blew out windows overnight and left 1.2 million French households without electricity on Thursday. A truck driver was killed when a tree hit his vehicle in northern France. Strong winds and rain also battered southern England and the Channel Islands, where gusts of more than 160 kph (100 mph) were reported. Hundreds of schools stayed closed in the coastal communities of Cornwall and Devon. Dutch airline KLM scrapped all flights in and out of the Netherlands from the early afternoon until the end of the day,
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva says armed forces will boost security at some of the country's most important airports, ports and along its international borders to tackle organized crime. The decision comes days after members of a criminal gang set fire to dozens of buses in Rio de Janeiro, apparently in retaliation for the police killing their leader’s nephew. The deployment is part of a broader plan that includes increasing the number of federal police forces in Rio, improving cooperation between law enforcement entities and boosting investment in technology for intelligence gathering.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA's Lucy spacecraft has encountered the first of 10 asteroids on its long journey out to Jupiter. The spacecraft on Wednesday zoomed past the pint-sized Dinkinesh in the main asteroid belt beyond Mars. Lucy came within 270 miles of the asteroid, testing its instruments in a dry run for the bigger and more alluring asteroids ahead. The asteroid is just a half-mile across, quite possibly the smallest of the space rocks on Lucy's tour. Wednesday's flyby caps what NASA is calling Asteroid Autumn. NASA returned its first asteroid samples in September. Then in October, it launched a spacecraft to a metal-rich asteroid named Psyche.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. George Santos has easily survived a vote to expel him from the House as most Republicans opted to withhold punishment as both his criminal trial and a House Ethics Committee investigation proceed. The effort to kick Santos out of the House was led by his fellow New York Republicans, who are anxious to distance themselves from a colleague infamous for fabricating his life story and accused of stealing from donors, lying to Congress and receiving unemployment benefits he did not deserve. But the vast majority of Republicans and more than 30 Democrats have voted against expelling Santos. The final vote was 179 for expulsion and 213 against.
The Major League Baseball season comes to an end as the Texas Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamonds in five games. Legendary college basketball coach Bobby Knight died. There was also a lot of NBA action and a couple of rookie quarterbacks will start in the NFL's Week 9.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The death of American hockey player Adam Johnson from a skate blade to the neck has led officials in the NHL and other leagues to continue discussions about cut-resistant protection. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Players' Association executive director Marty Walsh have already touched base. More talks are planned between the league and union on the topic of skate blade safety. The American Hockey League and ECHL last summer mandated cut-resistant wrist and foot and ankle protection. At least one minor league team is mandating neck guards immediately in response to Johnson's death.
On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Nov. 1 at 4 p.m. CT:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve kept its key short-term interest rate unchanged for a second straight time but left the door open to further rate hikes if inflation pressures should accelerate in the months ahead. The Fed said in a statement after its latest meeting that it would keep its benchmark rate at about 5.4%, its highest level in 22 years. Since launching the most aggressive series of rate hikes in four decades in March 2022 to fight inflation, the Fed has pulled back and has now raised rates only once since May. The statement noted that recent tumult in the financial markets has sent longer-term interest rates up to near 16-year highs and contributed to higher borrowing rates across the economy.
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — After more than three weeks of siege, the first Palestinians were allowed to leave Gaza. They were hundreds of dual passport holders and dozens of seriously injured people. Israeli airstrikes pounded a densely populated area for the second day in a row. And Jordan, a key U.S. ally, recalled its ambassador from Israel. Jordan also told Israel’s ambassador to remain out of its country in protest over the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump Jr. has taken the witness stand at the civil fraud trial over whether his father overstated his wealth to banks and insurers. The former president’s eldest son began testifying Wednesday. His testimony is kicking off a blockbuster stretch as the trial in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit enters its second month. She says Donald Trump, his company and top executives, including Donald Trump Jr. and his brother Eric, overstated his wealth to banks and insurers. The Trumps deny wrongdoing and are fighting to keep their Trump Organization intact.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The mayors of Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles and New York are pressing to meet with President Joe Biden about the migrants arriving in their cities. The Democratic leader want to discuss getting federal help in managing the surge of migrants they say are arriving with little to no coordination, support or resources from the president's administration. The Democratic leaders say in a letter obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday that while they appreciate Biden’s efforts so far, much more needs to be done to ease the burden on their cities. Biden is increasingly under fire on this issue from members of his own party. And Republicans claim he's soft on border security.
Prosecutors have dropped charges against a Louisiana state trooper accused of withholding graphic body-camera footage that shows another officer dragging Black motorist Ronald Greene by his ankle shackles during his deadly 2019 arrest. A district attorney said this week that Lt. John Clary has agreed to take the stand in the trial of Master Trooper Kory York, a former colleague charged with negligent homicide in the case. York is accused of forcing the heavyset Greene to lie facedown and handcuffed for more than nine minutes. Use-of-force experts said that likely restricted Greene's breathing.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A murder trial in Texas is underway in the fatal shooting of pro cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson. Kaitlin Armstrong faces up to 99 years in prison in the May 2022 slaying. Prosecutors told jurors Wednesday that the last thing Wilson did was “scream in terror.” Armstrong has pleaded not guilty. In a short opening statement, defense attorney Geoffrey Puryear said Armstrong was caught in a “web of circumstantial evidence.” Police have said Wilson previously dated Armstrong’s boyfriend, Colin Strickland, and had gone swimming with him that day. Strickland and Wilson were both competitive gravel racers. Wilson was a 25-year-old Vermont native who was also a mountain bike racer.
Former President Donald Trump is fighting to stay on the 2024 ballot in Colorado and Michigan. Section Three of the 14th Amendment bars anyone who “engaged in insurrection” against the Constitution from holding higher office.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has signaled that it would rule against a man who wants to trademark the suggestive phrase “Trump too small.” The dispute is over the government’s decision to deny a trademark to Steve Elster, a California man seeking exclusive use of the phrase on T-shirts and potentially other merchandise. It is the latest case relating to former President Donald Trump to reach the Supreme Court, following arguments Tuesday in social media cases with echoes of Trump. The justices repeatedly invoked the phrase Wednesday as they questioned whether the government was justified in denying the trademark. Elster’s lawyers argue that the decision violated his free speech rights, and a federal appeals court agreed.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s administration is privately developing a national strategy to combat Islamophobia. That word comes from three people familiar with the matter. But the effort is being met with skepticism from many Muslim Americans because of the administration's staunch support of Israel’s military assault in Gaza. The White House originally was expected to announce its plans to develop the strategy when Biden met last week with Muslim leaders. The people familiar with the matter said the delay was due partly to concerns from Muslim Americans that the administration lacked credibility on the issue given its robust backing of Israel’s military. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to publicly discuss the White House plans.
NEW YORK (AP) — An 80-foot-tall (24-meter) Norway spruce from the Binghamton area has been selected as this year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and will be cut down and trucked to New York City next week. Rockefeller Center officials say the tree will be cut on Nov. 9 in Vestal, New York, and will arrive at Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan on Nov. 11. After it’s wrapped in more than 50,000 lights and crowned with a star, the tree will be lighted during a live television broadcast on Nov. 29. It will be on display until Jan. 13, 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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