On this version of Hot off the Wire:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats have plenty of good news to celebrate in Tuesday’s off-year elections and more evidence that they can win races centered on the national debate over abortion. Abortion rights supporters won big in an Ohio ballot measure. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear was reelected in Kentucky after running television ads painting his challenger as extremist on abortion. And Virginia's statehouse will be fully in Democratic control, preventing state Republicans from pursuing new abortion restrictions and delivering a big loss to Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The off-year elections provide a snapshot of American politics heading into 2024. But two big names — Joe Biden and Donald Trump — weren’t on the ballot this time.
TOKYO (AP) — Top diplomats from the Group of Seven leading industrial democracies have announced a unified stance on the Israel-Hamas war after intensive meetings in Tokyo, condemning Hamas, supporting Israel’s right to self-defense and calling for “humanitarian pauses” to get aid to desperate civilians in Gaza. In a statement, the nations sought to balance condemnation of Hamas’ attacks against Israel and a push for “urgent action” to help civilians in Gaza left without food, water, medical care and shelter. The ministers emphasized that they “support humanitarian pauses to facilitate urgently needed assistance, civilian movement and release of hostages.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has voted to censure Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan for her rhetoric about the Israel-Hamas war. Tuesday night's action was an extraordinary rebuke of the only Palestinian American in Congress. The resolution to censure Tlaib was introduced by Republican Rep. Rich McCormick of Georgia in response to what he called Tlaib’s antisemitic rhetoric. The debate on the censure resolution was emotional and intense. With other Democrats standing by her side, Tlaib defended her stance, saying she “will not be silenced and I will not let you distort my words.” Lawmakers who opposed censuring Tlaib cited free speech and warned of the precedent it would set.
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping says potential risks associated with artificial intelligence are challenges that countries should deal with together. Xi's remarks come against the backdrop of China's rigid control of free speech on the internet while maximizing the internet's economic benefits and social media's propaganda contributions to the ruling Communist Party's authoritarian agenda. Xi's prerecorded speech was broadcast on Wednesday to a major internet conference. He called for common security in cyberspace instead of confrontation. He said China would work with other countries to address risks brought by the development of AI and expressed his objections to “cyberspace hegemony.” The World Internet Conference Summit is being held in the eastern city of Wuzhen.
NEW YORK (AP) — It's Ivanka Trump's turn to take the witness stand in the civil fraud trial that is publicly probing into former President Donald Trump's family business. His eldest daughter is due to testify Wednesday, after trying unsuccessfully to block her testimony. She's following her father and her brothers Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump to the stand. Ivanka Trump has been in her father's inner circle in both business and politics. But unlike him and her brothers, she was dismissed as a defendant in the New York attorney general's lawsuit. It alleges that Donald Trump’s asset values were fraudulently pumped up for years on financial statements that helped him get loans and insurance. He and other defendants deny wrongdoing.
Ten NHL games highlight the sports schedule, the second College Football Playoff rankings are out, the Rams sign a quarterback, and a college basketball coach signs an historic contract.
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli army says its forces are battling Hamas fighters inside Gaza’s largest city, signaling a major new stage a month into a war that has claimed thousands of lives and leveled swaths of the territory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is likely to maintain control of security in Gaza once Hamas is defeated. The move into Gaza City risks a further escalation in casualties one month into the war. Netanyahu’s comments pointed to the uncertainty surrounding the endgame of a war that Israel says will go on for some time until it destroys Hamas rule.
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — California authorities are seeking help as they investigate the death of a 69-year-old Jewish man after a confrontation during competing pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The Ventura County Sheriff's Department says Paul Kessler died Monday at a hospital from a head injury, a day after getting in a fight with a pro-Palestinian demonstrator in Thousand Oaks, northwest of Los Angeles. An autopsy determined he suffered head trauma and the medical examiner says the injuries are consistent with a fall. The Sheriff's Department says it hasn't ruled out the possibility of a hate crime.
Off-year elections held on Tuesday will decide governors in Kentucky and Mississippi, the fate of abortion and marijuana amendments in Ohio, legislative control in Virginia and mayoral races in two of the nation's biggest cities.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The prosecutor overseeing the Hunter Biden investigation is testifying before congressional investigators that he had the ultimate authority over the yearslong case. The closed-door interview on Tuesday marks the first time a special counsel is appearing before Congress in the middle of a probe. It comes as House Republicans are aiming to ramp up their impeachment inquiry into the president and his family after weeks of stalemate. Members of the House Judiciary Committee questioned David Weiss on allegations that was not the decision-maker in the case into the president’s son and that the probe was influenced by political pressure. A spokesperson for Weiss calls his testimony “unprecedented.”
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A judge has set a June 3 date for the murder trial of a former Southern California street gang leader charged with killing hip-hop music icon Tupac Shakur in 1996 in Las Vegas. Duane “Keffe D” Davis made a brief court appearance Tuesday with his court-appointed public defenders. He pleaded not guilty last week and remains jailed in Las Vegas. The 60-year-old is originally from Compton, California, and was arrested Sept. 29 outside a Las Vegas-area home. He has said publicly in recent years that he orchestrated the drive-by shooting that killed Shakur and wounded rap music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight. Davis is the only person still alive who was in the vehicle from which shots were fired.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A mixture of smoke and fog, known as “super fog,” has led to accidents involving multiple vehicles and at least one death on Interstate 10 in Louisiana. New Orleans police say a stretch of the interstate is closed Tuesday due to the smoke, fog and vehicle crashes. The closure is reminiscent of a super fog event on October 23, when seven people died and about two dozen were injured in pileups involving about 160 vehicles on Interstate 55. Smoke from nearby marsh fires mixed with dense fog has caused the super fog events. Drivers on Tuesday were faced with visibilities of a quarter-mile or less.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seems likely to preserve a federal law that prohibits people under domestic violence restraining orders from having guns. The justices on Tuesday suggested they'll reverse a ruling from an appeals court in New Orleans that struck down the 1994 ban on firearms for people under court order to stay away from their spouses or partners. It's the court's first guns case since last year’s expansion of gun rights. Liberal and conservative justices sounded persuaded by arguments from the Biden administration’s top Supreme Court lawyer that the prohibition is in line with the longstanding practice of disarming dangerous people. The case involves a Texas man who was accused of threatening to shoot his girlfriend.
Starbucks is increasing pay and benefits for most U.S. hourly workers after ending its fiscal year with record sales. But the company said Monday that unionized workers won’t be eligible for some of those perks, a sign of the continuing tension between the Seattle coffee giant and the union trying to organize its U.S. stores. The National Labor Relations Board says least 366 U.S. Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since 2021. But Starbucks and the Workers United union have yet to reach a labor agreement at any of those stores. Starbucks plans to increase wages starting Jan. 1.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The decades-old surgical drug ketamine has found a new use — as an alternative to opioids for patients with chronic pain. Ketamine is now being prescribed as a psychedelic therapy for an array of unapproved uses, including depression and anxiety. Behind the trend are investors setting up for-profit ketamine clinics, as well as online prescribing services that send the drug through the mail. There is limited evidence that it's effective for arthritis, migraines and other forms of pain. Some experts worry the U.S. may be repeating the mistakes that gave rise to the opioid crisis by overprescribing an unproven drug with safety and abuse risks.
A look back at Gaza’s cycle of violence over the past 12 years, and more of today's top videos
Take a look back at the cycle of violence in Gaza over the past 12 years, delve into the world of A-list musicians and their guitars, and more of today's top videos.