On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Feb. 20 at 7:15 a.m. CT:


SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Another wet winter storm is swamping California with heavy rainfall, flooding the runways at a regional airport and leading to several rescues on swollen rivers and creeks. The Santa Barbara airport closed Monday after nearly 10 inches of rain had fallen in the area by noon. In neighboring San Luis Obispo County, crews helped three people out of the rising Salinas River in the city of Paso Robles. Forecasters say more rain is expected to impact the state through the night and into Tuesday. The storm is expected to move through quicker than the devastating atmospheric river that parked itself over Southern California earlier this month, causing hundreds of landslides and killing at least nine people.

The Kremlin says President Vladimir Putin did not see the video in which Alexei Navalny’s widow vowed to continue his fight and dismissed her allegations that Putin had killed the country’s opposition leader as “unfounded” and “insolent.” In the video released Monday, Yulia Navalnaya accused Putin of killing her husband in the remote Artic prison and alleged that officials’ refusal to hand over his body to his mother was part of a cover-up. Russian authorities say the cause of Navalny’s death is still unknown and the results of any investigation are likely to be questioned abroad. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called for an international investigation into Navalny’s death but Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin would not accept any such demand.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — South Africa has argued at the United Nations’ top court that Israel is responsible for apartheid against the Palestinians and that Israel’s occupation of land sought for a Palestinian state is “inherently and fundamentally illegal.” Israel rejects such claims. The South African representatives were speaking on Tuesday — the second day of hearings at the International Court of Justice, based on a request by the General Assembly for a non-binding advisory opinion on the legality of Israel’s policies in the occupied territories. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Monday that Israel does not recognize the legitimacy of the discussions at the world court.

Court records show that a man who died after fatally shooting two police officers and a firefighter in a wooded suburban-Minneapolis neighborhood wasn’t legally allowed to have guns. He also was entangled in a yearslong dispute over the custody and financial support of his three oldest children. Authorities on Monday identified 38-year-old Shannon Gooden as the man who opened fire on police in the affluent suburb of Burnsville after they responded to a domestic disturbance call early Sunday. The caller reported that he had barricaded himself in his home with family members, including seven children aged 2 to 15 years. He was found dead inside the home hours later.

Home Depot’s sales continued to weaken in its fiscal fourth quarter, as the country’s largest home improvement retailer deals with Americans who remain concerned about high mortgage rates and inflation. While its quarterly results topped analysts’ expectations, it provided a soft sales forecast for fiscal 2024. Shares slipped before the market open on Tuesday.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A judge in Haiti responsible for investigating the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse has indicted his widow, Martine Moïse, ex-prime minister Claude Joseph and the former chief of Haiti’s National Police, Léon Charles. The indictments are expected to further destabilize Haiti as it struggles with a surge in gang violence and recovers from a spate of violent protests demanding the resignation of current Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Dozens of suspects were indicted in the 122-page report issued by Walther Wesser Voltaire, who is the fifth judge to lead the investigation after previous ones stepped down for various reasons, including fear of being killed.

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — The Canadian government will dispatch more than 800 drones to Ukraine starting as early as this spring. The Department of National Defence says that drones have become a critical capability for Ukraine in its war with Russia. The government says the drones are important for surveillance and intelligence gathering, and can also be used to move supplies, including munitions. The announcement comes days ahead of the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Nikki Haley is using the closing days of the South Carolina GOP primary matchup with Donald Trump to hone her argument that she is the lone remaining candidate who can unite Americans. It’s a tall order for Haley as her home state prepares to vote on Saturday. Trump has remained popular in South Carolina since his 2016 primary win in the state. Haley has maintained that her ability to stick it out in the race thus far means that she’s in it for the long haul. In a new TV ad, Haley argues she's the only choice who can keep America on solid footing abroad.

Republicans have been softening their stance on Russia ever since Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election following Russian hacking of his Democratic opponents. There are several reasons for the shift. For one, Russian President Vladimir Putin is holding himself out as an international champion of conservative Christian values. As well, the GOP is growing increasingly skeptical of international entanglements. Then there's Trump’s own embrace of the Russian leader. Now the GOP’s ambivalence on Russia has stalled additional aid to Ukraine. Many Republicans are openly frustrated that their colleagues don’t see the benefits of helping Ukraine.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration says that the government would provide $1.5 billion to the computer chip company GlobalFoundries to expand its domestic production in New York and Vermont. The announcement is the third award of financial support for a semiconductor company under the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act. The law enables the government to invest more than $52 billion to revitalize the manufacturing of computer chips in the United States as well as advance research and development. GlobalFoundries intends to use the funding to help pay for the construction of a new advanced chip factory in Malta, New York, increase production at its existing plant in Malta, and revitalize its plant in Burlington, Vermont.

NEW YORK (AP) — Capital One Financial is buying Discover Financial Services for $35 billion, in a deal that would bring together two of the nation’s biggest lenders and credit card issuers. Discover Financial shareholders will receive Capital One shares valued at nearly $140, according to a news release issued by the companies Monday. Discover shares closed Friday trading at $110.49. Virginia-based Capital One was the 12th largest U.S. bank as of the third quarter. Illinois-based Discover was the 33rd biggest. Both banks have benefitted from Americans increasingly using their credit cards, but have also needed to set aside more money to guard against defaults.

NEW YORK (AP) — For many students, the excitement of being accepted into their first-choice college is being tempered this year by a troublesome uncertainty over whether they’ll get the financial aid they need to attend. The financial aid decisions that usually go out with acceptance letters are being delayed because of a later-than-expected rollout of a revised federal financial aid application, the form that schools use to compute financial aid. Schools won’t get the information they need to award financial aid until next month, forcing them to adapt. Some have moved away from the popular May 1 deadline for students to accept their offers of admission.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri's Republican-led House has passed a ban on celebratory gunfire in cities less than a week after a deadly shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl parade. The bipartisan-supported bill passed Monday after a tearful and confrontational debate between Republicans and Democrats over the best way to address last week's shooting. House Democrats earlier that day called for more regulations on guns. Majority Leader Jon Patterson says House Republicans support gun rights. But he says Republicans should be open to talking, including about gun laws. Police have said a dispute may have led to last week's shooting. Authorities have not made any indication that the gunfire was celebratory.
In sports, the rain-delayed Daytona 500 crowns William Byron, the Nets make a coaching change, the Wild and Canucks combine for 17 goals and a battle of top 10 teams meet in college basketball.
In international news, Israel orders new evacuations in Northern Gaza, UN Security council to vote on Gaza ceasefire, Haiti judge indicts several on assassination of President, Russia waits for global support for Ukraine to wither and tribal violence in Papua New Guinea.
—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.
Lee Enterprises produces many national, regional and sports podcasts. Learn more here.

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