On this updated version of Hot off the Wire (posted Nov. 30 at 6:35 a.m. CT):

• Congress is moving swiftly to prevent a looming U.S. rail workers strike. Lawmakers are reluctantly intervening in a labor dispute to stop what would surely be a devastating blow to the nation’s economy if the transportation of fuel, food and other critical goods were disrupted.
• The Senate has passed landmark bipartisan legislation to protect same-sex marriages. Senate Democrats are moving quickly to send the bill to the House and President Joe Biden’s desk.
• Residents in several towns across Louisiana and Mississippi took cover amid the blare of tornado sirens amid a severe weather outbreak erupting in the Deep South.
• An organization of 34 democratic countries says democracy is being degraded around the world because people are losing faith in the legitimacy of elections and the imposition of restrictions on freedom of expression among range of issues.
• Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes has been convicted of seditious conspiracy for a violent plot to overturn President Joe Biden's election, handing the Justice Department a major victory in its massive prosecution of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
• Twitter has ended enforcement of its COVID-19 misinformation policy.
• In sports, the United States men's soccer team advanced at the World Cup, the Bruins remained unbeaten at home, the latest College Football Playoff rankings are out and the Mavericks snapped their losing streak.

On the original version of Hot off the Wire (posted Nov. 29 at 4 p.m. CT):

• NATO members met in Romania to discuss Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine called for more supplies of weapons to defend itself with, and quickly. “Faster, faster and faster,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. “We appreciate what has been done, but the war goes on.”
• President Joe Biden says he hopes lawmakers can work together to fund the government, boost spending for Ukraine and avert a crippling rail strike. His comments came as he met with congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday.
• U.S. consumer confidence fell for the second straight month in November amid ongoing high inflation, rising interest rates, and layoff announcements by several large tech companies.
• A senior Russian diplomat says Russia and the United States repeatedly came close to reaching agreement on a prisoner exchange and a deal remains possible before the year’s end. The Biden administration has been trying for months to negotiate the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American jailed in Russia, Paul Whelan.
• The smash hit by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber “Stay” topped Apple Music’s global song chart in 2022 as the giant music streamer released its end-of-year lists.
• “Everything Everywhere All at Once” has won best feature at the 32nd Gotham Awards. The honor is boosting Oscar hopes for the anarchic indie hit of the year.
• Clarence Gilyard Jr., a popular supporting actor whose credits include the blockbuster films “Die Hard” and “Top Gun” and the hit television series “Matlock” and “Walker, Texas Ranger,” has died at age 66.
• Tiger Woods is painting an uncertain future when it comes to his golf career. He says plantar fasciitis in his right foot makes it hard to walk and that he doesn't have much left in this leg.
• The former warden of an abuse-plagued federal women’s prison known as the “rape club” went on trial Monday. The former warden is accused of molesting inmates and forcing them to pose naked in their cells.
• Don’t look for plastic partitions or faraway benches when visiting Santa Claus this year. The jolly old elf is back, pre-pandemic style. Santa booker HireSanta.com has logged a 30% increase in demand over last year after losing about 15% of its performers to retirement or death during the pandemic.
• Australia’s environment minister says her government will lobby against UNESCO adding the Great Barrier Reef to a list of endangered World Heritage sites, arguing that criticisms of government inaction on climate change are outdated.

—The Associated Press