On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Jan. 19 at 6:45 a.m. CT:

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Forecasters say a second storm is expected to sock New York with snow after causing chaos farther south, while the Pacific Northwest could see another round of deadly ice. Friday's forecasts come as storms in the past two weeks have blasted much of the country with winds, snow and subfreezing temperatures that are blamed for at least 45 deaths. In New York, some areas could see up to 5 inches of snow through Friday while on the other coast, Oregon's governor has declared a statewide state of emergency after days of freezing rain and frigid temperatures. On Wednesday, three people died when from a downed power line in Portland.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Opponents of abortion rights will rally in the nation’s capital with an eye on presidential elections that could be heavily influenced by abortion politics. Thousands of protesters are expected on the National Mall for an hour of speeches and a march past the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court. But snow and frigid temperatures are gripping the Washington metropolitan area, which could affect turnout for the march. Friday’s March for Life is the second such event since the June 2022 Supreme Court ruling that ended the federal protection for abortion rights enshrined in Roe V. Wade.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Rifts are emerging among top Israeli officials over the handling of the war against the Hamas militant group in Gaza. A member of Israel’s War Cabinet has cast doubt over the strategy for releasing hostages, while the country’s prime minister rejected the United States' calls to scale back its offensive. One of the four members of Israel’s War Cabinet, former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, said late Thursday that only a cease-fire deal can win the release of dozens of hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. He also said dismissed claims that hostages could be freed by other means as "illusions.” It was Eisenkot's first public statements on the issue, and the latest sign of a growing rift among political and military leaders over the direction of Israel’s offensive.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunter Biden has agreed to appear before House Republicans for a private deposition next month, ending months of defiance from the president’s son, who had insisted on testifying publicly. The House Oversight Committee announced Thursday that the two parties have come to an agreement for Hunter Biden to sit for a deposition on Feb. 28. Republicans had been set to advance a contempt resolution against him to the House floor this week but called it off Tuesday to give attorneys additional time to reach an agreement. Hunter Biden’s legal team confirmed news of the agreement Thursday night.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress has sent President Joe Biden a short-term spending bill that would avert a looming partial government shutdown and fund federal agencies into March. The House approved the measure by a vote of 314-108, with opposition coming mostly from the more conservative members of the Republican conference. Nevertheless, about half of Republicans joined with Democrats in passing the third stopgap spending measure in recent months. The action came a few hours after the Senate had voted overwhelmingly to pass the bill by a vote of 77-18. The bill extends current spending levels and buys time for the two chambers to work out their differences over full-year spending bills.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi's State Health Officer says even as the state improves some of its poor health outcomes, more of its people die from preventable deaths than residents of any other state. State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney called for state leaders to work with health officials to improve Mississippi’s status as the nation’s unhealthiest state. Edney says Mississippi ranks at the bottom of virtually every health care indicator and at the top of every health disparity. Mississippi ranks worst for infant mortality and leads the nation in firearm deaths. From 2013-2022, Black infants were more likely to die than white infants.

NEW YORK (AP) — The remains of a Long Island man killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11 have been identified more than two decades later. New York City's medical examiner announced Thursday that John Ballantine Niven is the 1,650th victim whose remains have been identified from the deadliest act of terrorism on American soil. The 44-year-old Oyster Bay resident was an insurance executive who worked at the trade center complex. Roughly 40 percent of the 2,753 people killed in the attack have yet to have their remains identified. But city officials have been using advanced DNA analysis to identify more remains.

UVALDE, Texas (AP) — Families of the children and teachers killed in the Uvalde, Texas, school massacre are renewing demands for criminal charges after a scathing Justice Department report again laid bare numerous failures by police during one of the deadliest classroom shootings in U.S. history. In the report released Thursday, federal officials detail “cascading failures” by police in responding to the 2022 massacre of 19 students and two teachers, They include officers waiting more than an hour to confront and kill the gunman, and repeatedly giving false information to grieving families about what happened. It is up to local prosecutors to determine whether criminal charges should be filed.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri activists are throwing support behind a constitutional amendment to restore abortion rights while also allowing the procedure to be restricted in later stages of pregnancy. The group Missourians for Constitutional Freedom committed Thursday to an amendment that would let lawmakers restrict or ban abortions after fetal viability, except when needed to protect the health of the woman. The campaign had also considered a proposal without the option for viability laws. The announcement comes amid divisions within abortion-rights advocates over whether the procedure should be regulated after fetal viability. A competing Missouri amendment proposed by a Republican would allow abortions in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A proposed ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors has been approved overwhelmingly by the Republican-led South Carolina House. The measure would bar health professionals from performing gender-transition surgeries, prescribing puberty-blocking drugs and overseeing hormone treatments for patients under 18 years old. It goes next to the state Senate. The 82-23 vote comes as Republican-led statehouses nationwide are restricting transgender people’s access to health care, sports leagues and bathrooms that align with their identity. Also in Missouri, a House committee on Wednesday was debating a slate of anti-transgender legislation, even though Republican legislative leaders have said LGBTQ+-related bills are not a top priority this session.

The Thunder put an end to the Jazz winning streak, the Knicks win behind a big night from Jalen Brunson, on the ice the Oilers continue their winning ways while three players scored hat tricks in victories for their teams, and a Top Ten men's college basketball team loses to an unranked opponent. And Ohio State is expected to hire former Texans head coach Bill O'Brien as offensive coordinator.

BERLIN (AP) — Arnold Schwarzenegger was stopped for hours by customs at Munich Airport after entering Germany with a luxury watch that was potentially to be auctioned at a charity event. A customs spokesperson said Thursday that the former movie star and California governor was stopped for a routine check after arriving Wednesday. Schwarzenegger was able to leave after about 2½ hours. Goods over the value of 430 euros, or $467, that will stay in the European Union have to be declared, and some must have a duty paid. German daily Bild reported that the watch made for him by Audemars Piguet was worth about 20,000 euros. The Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative said the watch was likely to be auctioned and would be properly reported.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate fell this week to its lowest level since May, welcome news for prospective homebuyers facing rising home prices and intense competition for relatively few properties on the market. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage dropped to 6.6% from 6.66% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.15%. The decline, which follows two weeks of increases, brings the average rate down to the lowest level it’s been in since late May, when it was 6.57%. Still, the average rate remains sharply higher than just two years ago, when it was 3.56%.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week fell to its lowest level in more than a year, underscoring the resilience of the labor market amid elevated interest rates. Jobless claim applications fell to 187,000 for the week ending Jan. 13, a decrease of 16,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the fewest since September of 2022. Overall, 1.81 million Americans were collecting jobless benefits during the week that ended Jan. 6, a decline of 26,000 from the previous week. Weekly unemployment claims are viewed as representative for the number of U.S. layoffs in a given week.

NEW YORK (AP) — More than a half a million beds sold at retailers like Walmart and Wayfair are under recall because they can break during use, which has resulted in dozens of injuries. The recall impacts several different models and sizes of upholstered low profile standard and platform beds from Home Design, Inc. The furniture wholesaler says it has received 128 reports of these beds breaking, sagging or collapsing when used, including 36 unspecified injuries to date. Both Home Design and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission are urging consumers with the now-recalled beds to stop using them immediately — and contact the company for a free repair kit.

HYDERABAD, India (AP) — India’s newest airline says it will buy 150 Boeing 737 Max aircraft, in the first major announced sale for the manufacturer since a panel blew out of another Max model in midflight earlier this month. Akasa Air CEO Vinay Dube announced the order of the Boeing 737 Max 10 and 737 Max 8-200 planes at an airshow in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. He says the airplanes will increase the airline’s total Boeing orders to 226. It currently operates a fleet of 22 Boeing 737 Max 8 planes. None of the planes are the same model as the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 on which a door plug blew out earlier this month, leaving a hole in the plane.

—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.

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