On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Feb. 13 at 7:15 a.m. CT:

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Parts of the Northeast are preparing for a coastal storm that's expected to dump a foot or more of snow and pack 60 mph winds in some areas. Hazardous driving conditions, school closings and flight cancellations are predicted for when the storm hits Tuesday, along with possible power outages. The nation’s largest school system in New York City said it was switching classes to remote learning and closing its buildings for the day. Boston schools will be closed. Non-essential Massachusetts state employees were told not to go to their workplaces. Some of the highest snowfall totals, 12 to 15 inches, were forecast for the northern New York City suburbs and southwestern Connecticut.

NEW YORK (AP) — Authorities say one person was killed and five others wounded following a dispute between two groups of teenagers at a New York City subway station Monday at the start of the evening rush hour. The gunfire broke out on an elevated train platform in the Bronx at around 4:30 p.m. Monday, a time when stations throughout the city are filled with kids coming home from school and many workers are beginning their evening commute. Officials say a 34-year-old man was killed. The wounded included a 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, and three adults, ages 28, 29 and 71. Authorities said some of the victims were believed involved in the dispute and others were waiting for the train.

ATLANTA (AP) — Family and friends are gathering in Georgia this week as funerals begin for three Army Reserve soldiers killed in a recent drone attack in Jordan. A funeral is scheduled Tuesday for 46-year-old Staff Sgt. William Jerome Rivers at a church in Carrollton, west of Atlanta. Services for Sgt. Breonna Moffett of Savannah and Sgt. Kennedy Sanders of Waycross, Georgia, are planned for Saturday. The three citizen-soldiers received posthumous promotions after they were were killed in a Jan. 28 drone attack on a U.S. base near Jordon's border with Syria. They were assigned to the Army Reserve's 926th Engineer Battalion based at Fort Moore, Georgia.

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian police have fired tear gas and detained some farmers who tried to break barricades blocking their way to New Delhi in a protest march. The farmers want assured crop prices, in a repeat of 2021 protests when they camped on New Delhi's outskirts for more than a year. The protests forced the government to repeal agriculture laws that farmers said would harm their incomes. The government said at that time that it would set up a panel of farmers and government officials to find ways to ensure support prices for all farm produce. Multiple meetings since then have made no progress. The march comes months before a national election in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to win a third term.
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump is calling for a leadership change at the Republican National Committee in an attempt to install a new slate of loyalists — including his daughter-in-law — at the top of the GOP’s political machine even before he formally secures the party’s next presidential nomination. Trump outlined his plans on social media Monday night. They carry no official weight until he is the party’s presumed presidential nominee. Current RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel says she has no plans to leave the committee until at least after South Carolina’s Feb. 24 primary election. Still, Trump is calling for McDaniel to be replaced by Michael Whatley, the North Carolina GOP chairman. The new co-chair, Trump said, should be his daughter-in-law Lara Trump.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has launched a task force aimed at addressing the "systemic” problem of mishandling classified information during presidential transitions. Monday's action comes days after a Justice Department special counsel’s sharply critical report said he had done just that. The Presidential Records Transition Task Force will study past transitions to determine best practices for safeguarding classified information from an outgoing administration. It will also assess the need for changes to existing policies to prevent the removal of sensitive information that by law should be kept with the National Archives and Records Administration. Special counsel Robert Hur's report listed dozens of sensitive documents found at Biden’s home in Delaware, and at his former Washington office.


WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Donald Trump says he once warned that he would allow Russia to do whatever it wants to NATO member nations that are “delinquent” in devoting 2% of their gross domestic product to defense. Trump’s comment on Saturday represented the latest instance in which the former president and Republican front-runner seemed to side with an authoritarian state over America’s democratic allies. NATO members don’t pay to belong and don’t owe the organization anything other than contributions to a largely administrative fund. Trump's frequent complaint has been how much NATO countries put into their own military budgets. The 2% is a voluntary benchmark and no debt or “delinquency” is involved.


WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign is defending its new TikTok account as a vital way to boost its appeal with young voters. It's doing so even as the Biden administration continues to raise security concerns about whether the popular social media app might be sharing user data with China’s communist government. The campaign says the president’s debut on TikTok on Sunday night has drawn more than 5 million views and counting. White House national security spokesman John Kirby says there are still national security concerns about the use of TikTok on government devices.
Super Bowl ratings skyrocket, the Dallas Cowboys name their defensive coordinator, UCLA tabs its next head coach, the Rockets hang on to beat the Knicks, Jen Pawol is about to make baseball history. Correspondent Chuck Freimund reports.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A leading Democratic Virginia legislator says proposed legislation to help pave the way for the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals to relocate to northern Virginia is dead. Sen. L. Louise Lucas holds great sway in the General Assembly as chair of the Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee. She told reporters Monday morning that Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin had made a series of mistakes in trying to advance the deal through a General Assembly now in full Democratic control after November’s elections. She outlined concerns about the financing structure and said Youngkin had not been negotiating in good faith. A bill is still alive in the House of Delegates but Lucas' remarks are a major setback for the deal.

NEW YORK (AP) — Bob Edwards, the news anchor many Americans woke up to as founding host of National Public Radio's “Morning Edition” for nearly a quarter-century, has died. NPR said he died Saturday at age 76, but it had no other details. Edwards joined NPR in 1974, and was the founding voice on “Morning Edition” in 1979. His authoritative baritone made many listeners feel he was older than he was. For 12 years, his interviews with sportscasting legend Red Barber were a regular feature, and they provided the foundation for Edwards' book “Friday with Red: A Radio Friendship.” He was pulled from “Morning Edition” in 2004 just before celebrating a quarter-century on the show, a move that led some listeners to protest.

Robert Kennedy Jr.’s presidential ambitions resulted in public family drama after a political action committee aired a Super Bowl ad invoking the Democratic family’s legacy to implicitly compare the independent candidate to his assassinated uncle, President John F. Kennedy. The 30-second spot was financed by the American Values 2024 Super PAC that is backing Kennedy. The ad featured a shortened version of a campaign song that the 35th president used in his 1960 campaign. The spot also mimicked cartoon and newsreel effects using black-and-white pictures of Robert Kennedy Jr. similar to his uncle. One of Robert Kennedy's cousins blasted him for the spot. In a statement on social media, Kennedy apologized to any of his family members who were upset by the ad.

NEW YORK (AP) — Plenty of retailers and suppliers are reducing the variety of their offerings to focus instead on what they think will sell best. Stew Leonard’s, a supermarket chain, now has 24 cereal flavors or types, down from 49 in 2019. Coca-Cola has discontinued half its drink brands to 200. Many businesses have decided less is better, justifying their limited selection by asserting shoppers don’t want so much choice. It’s also more profitable for companies because they’re not carrying over as many leftovers that need to be discounted.

HOUSTON (AP) — Police say a woman in a trenchcoat opened fire with a long gun inside celebrity pastor Joel Osteen’s Texas megachurch before being gunned down by two off-duty officers who confronted her. The afternoon shooting at the Houston megachurch sent worshippers scrambling out of the building between busy Sunday services. Authorities say the woman was dead and a 5-year-old boy with her was critically wounded by gunfire. They also say a 57-year-old man was wounded. Houston Police Chief Troy Finner praised the officers for their quick actions. Osteen says the shooting could have been much worse if it had happened during the larger 11 a.m. service.

WOODBURY, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut pastor has been arrested on allegations that he sold crystal meth out of his church’s rectory. Police say the reverend of a United Methodist Church in Woodbury was taken into custody Friday after authorities received a tip about the drugs. The pastor was arrested on drug and motor vehicle charges after police say a cooperating witness tipped them off and set up a purported drug deal with the reverend. The pastor was released on $10,000 bail and was ordered to appear in Waterbury Superior Court on Feb. 23. Phone and email messages were left Monday for the pastor and the church.












—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.

Ver todos los episodios