On this version of Hot off the Wire:
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel to press for more humanitarian aid to be allowed into besieged Gaza. His visit comes while Israeli troops tightened their encirclement of Gaza City, the focus of Israel’s campaign to crush the enclave’s ruling Hamas group. Blinken's trip Friday follows President Joe Biden’s suggestion for a humanitarian pause in the fighting. On the northern border with Lebanon, tensions escalated ahead of a speech planned for later Friday by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. He is making his first public comments since Hamas launched its attack on Israel in the south nearly a month ago, stoking fears the conflict could become a regional one.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state media say a court has sentenced a woman to death for adultery. The IRAN newspaper says the woman worked as a trainer in a gym for females. It says her husband contacted police in 2022 when he found her with another man at their home. Under Iranian law, she can appeal. Iran is under international pressure for its extensive use of the death penalty. The U.N. says it executed at least 419 people in the first seven months of this year, up 30% from the same period last year.
BLETCHLEY PARK, England (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says achievements at the first international AI Safety Summit will “tip the balance in favor of humanity” in the race to contain the risks from rapid advances in cutting-edge artificial intelligence. Sunak said agreements struck at the meeting of politicians, researchers and business leaders “show that we have both the political will and the capability to control this technology, and secure its benefits for the long term.” Sunak organized the summit as a forum for officials, experts and the tech industry to better understand “frontier” AI that some scientists warn could pose a risk to humanity’s very existence. The meeting was held at Bletchley Park, a former codebreaking spy base near London.
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York jury has convicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried of fraud charges. The 31-year-old California man was convicted Thursday in Manhattan federal court by jurors who rejected his testimony that he didn’t defraud thousands of customers worldwide who counted on him to safeguard the billions of dollars they deposited in accounts. Bankman-Fried has been jailed since August, when a judge concluded he’d tried to influence prospective trial witnesses. He was extradited to the United States last December from the Bahamas, where he had operated the FTX cryptocurrency exchange and a hedge fund, among other businesses.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. has imposed a new round of sanctions targeting Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions target 130 firms and people from Turkey, China and the United Arab Emirates. The sanctions, imposed by the Treasury Department on Thursday, target third-party firms and people alleged to assist Moscow in procuring equipment needed on the battlefield, including suppliers and shippers. In addition, the State Department has imposed diplomatic sanctions targeting Russian energy production and its metals and mining sector. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says Russia “is dependent on willing third-country individuals and entities to resupply its military."
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has approved a nearly $14.5 billion military aid package for Israel, but without humanitarian assistance for Gaza. The partisan approach by new Speaker Mike Johnson poses a direct challenge to Democrats and President Joe Biden. Biden has said he'd veto the bill. Next steps are uncertain, since Democrats say the GOP bill will go nowhere in the Senate. Johnson's approach requires the emergency aid be offset with spending cuts at the IRS, taking money intended to be used to go after tax dodgers. Biden instead wants nearly $106 billion for Israel, Ukraine, Gaza, U.S. border security and other needs. The House also approved a resolution condemning support on college campuses for Hamas.
The Steelers hold off the Titans, the Sixers use a balanced attack to defeat the Raptors, the Golden Knights and Bruins are still without a regulation loss, and Big Ten football coaches are mad at Michigan. Shohei Ohtani, Cody Bellinger, Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell head to free agency one day after the end of the World Series. And in other baseball news, slugger Nelson Cruz retired at age 43 after hitting 464 homers over 19 seasons.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says that 74 more U.S. citizens have left the Gaza Strip He announced the development as he dispatched his top diplomat, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, to the Mideast for talks with Israeli and Jordanian officials as the nearly four-week old Israel-Hamas war rages on with no end in sight. Biden said those who evacuated were dual citizens. The White House has previously said some 500 to 600 U.S. citizens had been trapped in Gaza since the start of the Oct. 7 Israel-Hamas war. The administration said earlier this week that a handful of Americans were among dozens of dual citizens who were able to get out of the Strip where a humanitarian crisis is unfolding.
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City lawmaker has been arraigned on a gun charge after prosecutors say she brought a firearm to a pro-Palestinian demonstration. Authorities say Republican City Council member Inna Vernikov was seen in photos and videos with the butt of a gun jutting out from her waistband while attending an Oct. 13 protest at Brooklyn College. She was charged in Brooklyn criminal court with one count of possessing a gun in a sensitive location. Vernikov’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, said images appearing to show his client bringing a gun to the protest could have been altered.
NEW YORK (AP) — Eric Trump has testified that he never involved himself with financial statements that New York state lawyers say fraudulently puffed up the ex-president’s wealth and the worth of their family business. He clarified his answer Wednesday after he was shown decade-old emails from a fellow Trump executive asking him for information for the financial statement. Eric Trump testified: “We’re a major organization, a massive real estate organization — yes, I’m fairly sure I understand that we have financial statements.” But, he insisted: “I had no involvement and never worked on" Donald Trump’s financial statement. Eric Trump followed brother and co-executive Donald Trump Jr. to the witness stand at the family’s New York civil fraud trial. Their father is scheduled to testify Monday.
VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) — An unarmed U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile was intentionally destroyed when something went wrong during a test launch from California. The Air Force Global Strike Command says the flight of the Minuteman 3 was “safely terminated” over the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday due to an anomaly during launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base. An investigative group is being formed to determine the cause. The Minuteman system is one of the main pillars of U.S. nuclear strength but it is decades old. The Air Force says test launches are conducted to gather data to keep the system effective and to identify and correct any issues.
PARIS (AP) — Recording-breaking winds in France and across much of western Europe left at least seven people dead and injured others. Storm Ciarán charged through the continent overnight and into Thursday. Vast numbers of people were plunged into darkness, homes were devastated and travel was disrupted in several countries. Roofs were torn from homes on the Channel Islands where gusts of more than 160 kph (100 mph) were reported amid severe travel disruption in several countries. The storm blew out windows and left 1.2 million French households without electricity on Thursday. A truck driver was killed when a tree hit his vehicle in northern France and emergency workers hurt. Hundreds of schools stayed closed in the English coastal communities of Cornwall and Devon.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Walter Davis, a five-time NBA All-Star and standout at North Carolina for the late Dean Smith, has died. North Carolina released news of Davis' death and said he died of natural causes while visiting family in Charlotte, North Carolina. Davis' nephew, Hubert Davis, is the current Tar Heels coach. Davis helped his alma mater to the NCAA Tournament title game in 1977 before losing to Marquette. He was drafted by the Phoenix Suns and became NBA rookie of the year. He played 11 of his 16 pro seasons with the Suns, who retired his No. 6.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Senate has circumvented holds by Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville and confirmed the nominations of two senior military leaders, including the first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Adm. Lisa Franchetti was confirmed Thursday by a vote of 95-1 to lead the Navy, making her the first woman to serve as a Pentagon service chief and hold a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. David Allvin was also confirmed by a vote of 95-1 to be chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force. Tuberville has drawn bipartisan criticism for holding up almost 400 military nominations. Tuberville says he's protesting Pentagon abortion policy.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A former Southern California street gang leader has pleaded not guilty to orchestrating a 1996 drive-by shooting that killed rapper Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas. Duane “Keffe D” Davis is the only person still alive who was in the vehicle from which shots were fired and the only person to be charged with a crime in the case. The 60-year-old had attorneys appointed Thursday to his defense and the judge acknowledged that prosecutors won't seek the death penalty. Davis remains jailed pending another court appearance next Tuesday. He's originally from Compton, California, and was arrested Sept. 29 near his home in suburban Henderson.
DETROIT (AP) — Autoworkers at the first Ford factory to go on strike have voted overwhelmingly in favor of a tentative contract agreement reached with the company. Members of Local 900 at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan, west of Detroit voted 81% in favor of the four year-and-eight month deal, according to Facebook postings by local members on Thursday. Two union officials confirmed the accuracy of the percentage. Neither wanted to be identified because the vote totals had not been made public. About 3,300 UAW members went on strike at the plant Sept. 15 after the union’s contract with Ford expired. They remained on the picket lines until Oct. 25, when the union announced the tentative deal with Ford. Voting at Ford will continue until Nov. 17.
Beyond Meat is cutting 19% of its non-production workforce after a weaker-than-expected third quarter. The plant-based meat company said Thursday that the reduction of about 65 employees is part of a broader corporate review. It is also considering exiting some product lines, changing pricing, shifting its manufacturing and restructuring its Chinese operations. Beyond Meat President and CEO Ethan Brown says the company had anticipated a return to sales growth in the July-September period that didn't happen. The company plans to release its third quarter earnings next week, but said revenue is expected to be down 8.5% for the quarter.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The host of a weekend family lunch at her Australian country home has been charged with murdering her ex-husband's parents and aunt with poisonous mushrooms and attempting to murder a fourth guest. Police said Erin Patterson was arrested Thursday at her home in Victoria state, where her former in-law's, Gail and Don Patterson, and Gail Patterson’s sister and brother-in-law were invited for lunch in July. All four guests were hospitalized the next day and only one survived. Patterson has also been charged with three counts of attempting to murder her former husband. She publicly denied wrongdoing when police started investigating.
Dangers of a Gaza pregnancy amid Israeli bombing, and more of today's top videos
Hospitals in Gaza are working to support tens of thousands of pregnant women who lack adequate healthcare, the Beatles have released a new song using AI, and more of today's top videos.