On this version of Hot off the Wire:
» President Joe Biden says he’s dispatching two of his top aides to Detroit to help resolve the strike by unionized autoworkers. Biden expressed sympathy Friday for the union by suggesting the Big 3 automakers should share their “record profits.”
» A jury has acquitted three men in the last trial connected to a plan to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The three men were the last of 14 to face charges in state or federal court. Nine others were convicted.
» Renowned Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero, whose depictions of people and objects in plump, exaggerated forms became emblems of Colombian art around the world, has died. He was 91.
» From Europe to Africa to southeast Asia, tens of thousands of climate activists around the world launched protests Friday to call for an end to the burning of planet-warming fossil fuels as Earth suffers from dramatic weather extremes.
» For a generation and more, Starbucks' throwaway cup has been a cornerstone of consumer society, first in the United States and then globally. Now, in the name of the environment and sustainability, the company's disposable cup may be on its way to extinction thanks to an unlikely force: Starbucks itself.
» European regulators have slapped TikTok with a $368 million fine for failing to protect children's privacy. It's the first time that the popular short video-sharing app has been punished for breaching Europe’s strict data privacy rules.
» Contract talks that could end Hollywood’s writers strike are set to resume next week. The alliance that represents studios, streaming services and production companies said in a statement Thursday that they had reached out to leaders of the writers union, and the two sides agreed to resume negotiations next week.
» On Friday, Sean “Diddy” Combs released his new album called “The Love Album - Off the Grid.” His fifth studio project features nearly 30 guests. It’s his first solo studio project since his 2006 chart-topping “Press Play.”