AAA, TSA predict busy week for travel; big weekend for 'Wicked,' 'Gladiator'

DALLAS (AP) — The Thanksgiving travel rush is expected to be bigger than ever this year. AAA predicts that nearly 80 million people in the U.S. will venture at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday and next Monday — most of them by car. Thanksgiving Day falling so late this year has altered traditional travel patterns. At airports, the Transportation Security Administration says it could screen a record number of U.S. air travelers on Sunday.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge will decide whether new evidence warrants a re-examination of the convictions of Erik and Lyle Menendez in the shotgun murders of their parents in their Beverly Hills home more than 30 years ago. 

The Israeli ambassador to Washington says that a cease-fire deal to end fighting between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah could be reached “within days.” 

Reports say the Russian military has captured a Briton fighting with Ukrainian troops who have occupied part of Russia’s Kursk region. 

NEW YORK (AP) — Best-selling author Barbara Taylor Bradford has died. She was 91. She became a publishing sensation in her 40s with the tenacious saga “A Woman of Substance” and wrote more than dozen other novels that sold more than 80 million copies worldwide.

Politics remains a subject best left off the Thanksgiving menu when family and friends gather.

In other news:

• Here are the people Trump has picked for key positions so far.
• Hydrate. Make lists. Leave yourself time. And other tips for reducing holiday travel stress.
• US Air Force says drones spotted near 3 bases in England last week.
• Judge in Alex Jones' bankruptcy to hear arguments on The Onion's bid for Infowars.
• Cheating on your spouse is no longer a crime in New York, with the repeal of a little-known 1907 law.
• Listeria outbreak tied to Yu Shang Food leaves California infant dead and 10 people sick.
• 'Wicked' and 'Gladiator' make gravity-defying theater debuts, a look at the National Dog Show and Chuck Woolery, the smooth-talking game show host of 'Love Connection' and 'Scrabble,' dies at 83.
• A wild finish helps the Cowboys end their skid, the Chiefs get another win in nail-biting fashion, the Packers get revenge in a divisional playoff rematch, the Eagles add to their lead in the NFC East, the Cavaliers remain undefeated at home, the Celtics get a down-to-the-wire win over Minnesota, and another NHL team makes a mid-season coaching change. 
• The United Arab Emirates arrests 3 Uzbek nationals for the killing of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi.
• The number of children recruited by gangs in Haiti soars by 70%, UNICEF says.
• In South Korea, nations meet in final round to address global plastic crisis.

—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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Hot Off The Wire is a collection of news, sports and entertainment reports. The program is produced by Lee Enterprises with audio provided by The Associated Press.