On this version of Hot off the Wire (posted Dec. 9 at 6:45 a.m. CT):

• Brittney Griner has returned to the United States, nearly 10 months after the basketball star’s detention in Russia made her the most high-profile American jailed abroad and set off a political firestorm.
• Serhiy Marchenko, Ukraine's finance minister, says crucial Western financial aid is “not charity” but “self-preservation" as donor countries share the price of turning back Russian aggression.
• Social media users are reporting a rash of COVID-19 cases in schools and businesses across China after the ruling Communist Party loosened anti-virus rules as it tries to reverse a deepening economic slump.
• President Joe Biden now has the bill to protect same-sex marriages. He says he'll promptly sign the measure into law.

• A month into the nation’s largest strike involving higher education, the work stoppage by University of California academic workers at 10 campuses is causing stress for many undergraduate students.

• In sports, imprisoned WNBA star Britney Griner is returning after 10 months in Russia, the Nuggets enjoyed buzzer-beater magic against the Blazers, a late rally enabled the Rams to break a six-game losing streak and the Mets made a major free-agent signing.

On this version of Hot off the Wire (posted Dec. 8 at 3 p.m. CT):

• The House has given final approval to protections for same-sex marriages. The vote Thursday sends the legislation to President Joe Biden, a monumental step in a decades-long battle for nationwide recognition of such unions. The bipartisan legislation would also protect interracial unions by requiring states to recognize legal marriages regardless of “sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin." Biden says he'll promptly sign the measure into law.
• A bill to rescind the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for members of the U.S. military has passed the House.
• Brittney Griner’s loved ones and extended basketball family were ecstatic when news broke about her release from a Russian prison and that she was on her way back to the United States.
• The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday sued to block Microsoft’s planned $69 billion takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard, saying it could suppress competitors to its Xbox game consoles and its growing games subscription business.
• A federal appeals court panel says New York can continue enforcing a new state law banning guns from “sensitive” places like parks and theaters while the judges consider a legal challenge.
• German police have rounded up dozens of people including a self-styled prince, a retired paratrooper and a former judge, accusing the suspects of discussing the overthrow of the government, but leaving unclear how concrete the plans were.
• Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, stick to a familiar script in a new Netflix series that chronicles the couple’s estrangement from the royal family, chastising Britain’s media and the societal racism they believe has fueled coverage of their relationship.
• U.S. regulators have cleared doses of the updated COVID-19 vaccines for children younger than 5.
• Celine Dion has put a halt on all performing after being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder. In video messages posted in French and English on Thursday on Instagram, Dion said stiff person syndrome is causing spasms that affect her ability to walk and sing.

—The Associated Press