On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Oct. 20 at 5:45 a.m. CT:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Addressing the nation from the Oval Office, President Joe Biden has made his case for major U.S. backing of Ukraine and Israel in a time of war. He said Thursday night that support is “vital for America's national security.” The speech was an opportunity for Biden to argue that the United States has an obligation to help in both places, as well as for him to lobby lawmakers for the money to do so. The administration plans to request billions of dollars for additional military assistance for Israel and Ukraine. Biden also wants more money for Taiwan's defense and for managing migrants at the southern border with Mexico.
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) — Police say a Maryland circuit court judge was fatally shot in the driveway of his home. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said Judge Andrew Wilkinson was found around 8 p.m. Thursday at the home in Hagerstown and taken to a hospital, where he died. The sheriff’s office is investigating the fatal shooting.
WASHINGTON (AP) — An Army private who fled to North Korea before being returned home to the United States last month has been detained by the U.S. military. That's according to two officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the charges have not been publicly announced. The officials say Pvt. Travis King is facing charges including desertion and possessing sexual images of a child. The eight counts against King are detailed in a charging document seen by the AP. King’s mother, Claudine Gates, said in a statement that her son should be “afforded the presumption of innocence.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fifty years after the 1973 Arab oil embargo, the current crisis in the Middle East has the potential to disrupt global oil supplies and raise prices. But don’t expect a repeat of the catastrophic price hikes and long lines at the gasoline pump, experts say. The head of the International Energy Agency said the latest Israel-Hamas war is “definitely not good news” for oil markets already stretched by cutbacks in oil production from Saudi Arabia and Russia and expected stronger demand from China. Benchmark crude traded above $91 a barrel Thursday, up from $85 the day before Hamas attacked Israel, killing hundreds of civilians.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Refusing to drop out, Republican Rep. Jim Jordan is telling GOP colleagues he is still running for House speaker. But he says he would back a temporary speaker for several months until January as he works to shore up support to win the gavel himself. However, neither plan seems viable at the moment after Jordan failed on two ballots, and no immediate third vote is planned. Jordan delivered his message Thursday at a closed door meeting of Republicans at the Capitol, according Republicans familiar with the meeting and insisting on anonymity to discuss it.
Arizona and Houston win in MLB’s postseason, Jacksonville tops New Orleans on Thursday Night Football, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is under investigation, and a busy night in the NHL.
On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Oct. 19 at 4 p.m. CT:
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza continue and Israel’s defense minister has told troops to be ready for a ground assault on the Palestinian territory, although he has not said when that will begin. More than 1 million Palestinians, roughly half of Gaza’s population, have fled homes in the north and Gaza City after Israel told them evacuate. The airstrikes early Thursday continued across the entire territory, including in areas in the south that Israel had declared “safe zones.” The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that limited humanitarian aid would be allowed into Gaza from Egypt following a request from U.S. President Joe Biden.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will deliver only the second Oval Office address of his term on Thursday night to make the case for U.S. backing of Ukraine and Israel in a time of war. The speech will be an opportunity for Biden to argue that the United States has an obligation to help in both places, as well as for him to lobby lawmakers for the money to do so. The administration plans to request billions of dollars for additional military assistance for Israel and Ukraine. Biden also wants more money for Taiwan's defense and managing migrants at the southern border with Mexico. The funding request, which is to be formally submitted on Friday, is expected to be around $100 billion.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Refusing to drop out, Republican Rep. Jim Jordan is telling GOP colleagues he would back a temporary U.S. House speaker for several months until January as he works to shore up support to win the gavel himself. But after failing twice to win the gavel, no third vote is planned. Jordan delivered the message at a closed door meeting of Republicans at the Capitol, according Republicans familiar with the meeting and insisted on anonymity to discuss it. The Republican majority is considering an extraordinary plan to give the interim Speaker Pro-tempore Rep. Patrick McHenry more powers to reopen House and conduct crucial business. But Jordan's hardline backers don't like that idea.
ATLANTA (AP) — A former federal prosecutor says Sidney Powell’s guilty plea in the case over efforts to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 loss in Georgia is a “significant win” for the district attorney prosecuting the former president and others. Former U.S. Attorney John Fishwick says Powell “was at ground zero of these allegations.” Powell pleaded guilty Thursday to six misdemeanors accusing her of conspiring to intentionally interfere with the performance of election duties. Powell will serve six years of probation. Powell has agreed to testify truthfully against her co-defendants at future trials. Powell was charged alongside the Republican ex-president and 17 others with violating the state’s anti-racketeering law. Most of the others have pleaded not guilty.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two U.S. officials tell The Associated Press that a military base in southern Syria where U.S. troops have maintained a presence to train forces as part of a broad campaign against the Islamic State group was attacked by drones on Thursday. One official say one drone was shot down, but another caused minor injuries. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter before an official announcement about the incident. The attacks follow similar drone strikes over the past few days against U.S. and coalition bases in Iraq amid simmering anger in the region after an explosion at a Gaza hospital killed hundreds of people.
Michigan says it has been notified by the NCAA that football program is being investigated for allegedly stealing signs. The university said it is cooperating with the investigation. The conference provided no further details, only to say that it had notified Michigan’s upcoming opponents about the investigation. The second-ranked Wolverines play at Michigan State on Saturday. The NCAA does not have rules specifically against stealing signs but does prohibit in-person advanced scouting of opponents and also does have bylaws prohibiting unsportsmanlike activities.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Federal regulators on Thursday approved the expansion of a natural gas pipeline in the Pacific Northwest over the protest of environmental groups and top West Coast officials. The project aims to expand the capacity of the Gas Transmission Northwest pipeline by about 150 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. The pipeline runs more than 1,300 miles through Idaho, Washington and Oregon. The owner of the pipeline, TC Energy, says the project is needed due to growing demand. It’s opposed by environmental groups and officials including U.S. senators, governors and attorneys general from Washington, Oregon and California. Those officials say the pipeline expansion would undermine their states’ climate goals to reduce emissions.
NEW YORK (AP) — Longtime Syracuse basketball coach and Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim is becoming a member of the media. Boeheim spent 47 years coaching the Orange but was replaced by associate head coach Adrian Autrey after last season. He told Syracuse.com he’s negotiating a deal with ESPN and also expects to do radio work for Westwood One late in the season. Boeheim finished second only to Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski with 1,015 career victories. He frequently had an antagonistic relationship with reporters while guiding the Orange to 35 NCAA Tournaments, five Final Fours and the 2003 national championship.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Pentagon report on China’s military power says Beijing is on track to significantly increase its nuclear weapons arsenal by 2030 and is “almost certainly” learning lessons from Russia’s war in Ukraine about what a conflict over Taiwan might look like. The annual report from the Defense Department also warns that China may be pursuing a new intercontinental missile system using conventional arms that, if it were fielded, would allow Beijing to threaten conventional strikes against targets in the continental United States as well as Hawaii and Alaska. The report comes as the latest Israel-Hamas war has forced the U.S. military to prioritize the Middle East, instead of pivoting to the Pacific.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Communities across the U.S. are confronting a new vaping problem: how to get rid of millions of disposable e-cigarettes that are considered hazardous waste. The devices contain nicotine, lithium and other materials that cannot be reused or recycled. Under federal law they also aren’t supposed to go in the trash. With little federal guidance, local officials are finding their own ways to dispose of e-cigarettes collected from schools, colleges and vape shops. In Monroe County, New York, officials have shipped thousands of e-cigarettes to an industrial incinerator more than 1,000 miles away. Vaping critics say the industry has skirted responsibility for the environmental impact of its products.
SAN MATEO, Calif. (AP) — Playing video games has long been a challenge for many people with disabilities, since the traditional controllers for the PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo can be difficult or even impossible to maneuver when a person has limited mobility. Losing the ability to play doesn’t just mean the loss of a favorite pastime — it can also exacerbate social isolation for a community that already experiences it at far higher rates than the general population. Sony’s new Access Controller, developed with input from accessibility consultants, aims to change that.
—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.

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