On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Jan. 18 at 6:45 a.m. CT:

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Authorities says a power line fell on a car in Portland, Oregon, killing three people and injuring a baby during an ice storm that turned roads and mountain highways treacherous in the Pacific Northwest. In a statement, the fire department said a large branch fell on the power line, causing it to crash down onto the car. Authorities say they believe the victims were electrocuted after they got out of the vehicle. Swaths of southwest Washington and northwest Oregon were under warnings earlier Wednesday for as much as an inch of ice. The National Weather Service said freezing rain could possibly return to the region Thursday and Friday.

Federal officials have briefed a congressional committee on their investigations into a jetliner that lost a panel of its fuselage in midflight this month and revealed that airlines have inspected 40 identical Boeing planes. The Federal Aviation Administration said it will review information from those inspections of Boeing 737 Max 9 jets while it develops a maintenance process before letting the planes carry passengers again. Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, and FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker spent two hours briefing members of the Senate Commerce Committee in Washington on Wednesday as questions continue to swirl around how the panel of an Alaska Airlines jetliner had gotten blown off while traveling 16,000 feet above Oregon.

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian medics say an Israeli airstrike on a home killed 16 people, half of them children, in the southern Gaza town of Rafah. Israel's military is striking targets in areas of the besieged territory where it has told civilians to seek refuge. Meanwhile, there's been no word on whether medicines that entered the territory Wednesday as part of a deal brokered by France and Qatar have been distributed to dozens of hostages held by Hamas. More than 100 days after Hamas triggered the war with its Oct. 7 attack, Israel continues to wage one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history. The war has rippled across the region, threatening to ignite a wider conflict.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is going to North Carolina to highlight $82 million in new investments that would connect 16,000 households and businesses to high-speed internet. Biden’s reelection campaign is making winning North Carolina and its 16 electoral votes one of its top priorities in this year’s presidential election. The Democrat narrowly lost the state in 2020 by 1.34 percentage points to then-President Donald Trump, the current Republican front-runner in what will likely be a political rematch in 2024. Biden is scheduled to speak in the state capital of Raleigh on Thursday afternoon. The Democrat plans to stress he's connecting poorer communities and businesses to the digital economy.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Biden administration has finalized approval of $1.1 billion to help keep California’s last operating nuclear power plant running. The funding is a financial backbone of the plan to keep the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant producing electricity until at least 2030. An earlier agreement to close the reactors by 2025 was voided by the Legislature in 2022 at the urging of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsom says the power is needed to ward off blackouts amid a changing climate. Environmentalists argue California has adequate power without the four-decade-old reactors that they call a safety risk.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A meeting between President Joe Biden, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other officials highlights the precarious nature of the complex talks to unlock aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies. Negotiations hinge on lawmakers' abilities to enact tougher measures at the U.S.-Mexico border. While Biden’s national security team sought to underscore the importance of unlocking Ukraine funding, Johnson is pushing the White House and Senate negotiators on immigration measures that go beyond what Biden is willing to accept. Still, an optimistic-feeling Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says that the prospects of a border deal are “a little bit greater than half now.”

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Another Republican presidential debate has been canceled after Nikki Haley’s refusal to participate in any forum that doesn’t include ex-President Donald Trump. CNN announced Wednesday its Sunday debate is off. ABC and WMUR-TV a day earlier called off their Thursday debate. Haley says she'll only take part in debates if Trump is onstage. The cancelations mean for the first time in years there won't be an on-the-ground face-off ahead of New Hampshire’s primary next week. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had committed to take part in more debates. But Trump has skipped all of the GOP debates thus far, so Haley’s participation had been the deciding factor in whether they would go on.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump are foreshadowing elements of their defense in the criminal case charging him with illegally retaining classified documents. They say in a motion filed Tuesday that they will dispute prosecutors’ allegations that the estate where the records were stored was not secure. The defense team also said in a wide-ranging court filing that they are seeking communication between the Justice Department prosecution team and associates of President Joe Biden in hopes of advancing their claims that the classified documents case is “politically motivated” and designed to harm Trump's 2024 campaign.

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans stepped up their spending at retailers in December, closing out the holiday shopping season and the year on an upbeat tone and signaling that people remain confident enough to keep spending freely. Retail sales accelerated 0.6% in December from November’s 0.3% increase. Because spending by consumers accounts for nearly 70% of the U.S. economy, the report suggested that shoppers will be able to keep fueling economic growth this year. Among last month’s overall retail purchases, sales at stores that sell general merchandise rose 1.3%. Sellers of clothing and accessories reported a 1.5% increase, as did online sellers. By contrast, furniture and home furnishings businesses declined 1%, reflecting a struggling housing market.

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Two Republican legislators have filed a resolution aimed at initiating impeachment proceedings against Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham over her emergency public health orders suspending the right to carry firearms in some public places in Albuquerque. The resolution from Reps. Stefani Lord of Sandia Park and John Block of Alamogordo accuses the governor of violating her oath to uphold the state and federal constitutions. It’s unclear whether the resolution will go far in the state House, where Democrats outnumber Republicans 45 to 25. Lujan Grisham invoked the orders last year in response to a spate of shootings that killed children. They have since been challenged in the courts.

The NBA is in mourning, the Bucks are routed without Giannis, the Pacers and Raptors make a big deal, UConn plays like a top-ranked team, and Mike McCarthy will stay on as Cowboy coach. Also, Pascal Siakam is getting traded to the Pacers from the Raptors, according to an AP source.

NEW YORK (AP) — Steely Dan, R.E.M., Timbaland, Hillary Lindsey and Dean Pitchford will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Steely Dan finally get into the hall despite being a staple of classic rock with songs like “Reelin’ in the Years,” “Do It Again” and “Hey Nineteen.” R.E.M. are behind such alt-rock hits as “Losing My Religion” and “Everybody Hurts." And Nashville hitmaker Lindsey helped write “Girl Crush” for Little Big Town and “Jesus, Take the Wheel” for Carrie Underwood. The induction ceremony for the class of 2024 will be held on June 13 in New York City.

LONDON (AP) — Kensington Palace says the Princess of Wales has been hospitalized after undergoing planned abdominal surgery and will remain at the private London Clinic for up to two weeks. Buckingham Palace revealed moments after news of Kate's hospitalization was released on Wednesday that King Charles III would undergo a “corrective procedure” next week for an enlarged prostate. The palace said the king’s condition is benign. The palace says the 75-year-old monarch has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate “in common with thousands of men each year.” The former Kate Middleton is expected to return to public duties after Easter. The 42-year-old future queen was admitted to The London Clinic on Tuesday.

—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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