Biden says US 'shall respond' after deadly drone strike; Chiefs, 49ers advance to Super Bowl LVIII; a quiet weekend at the box office

Episode Description

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Jan. 29 at 7 a.m. CT:

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden says the U.S. “shall respond” after a drone strike by an Iran-backed group killed three American troops in Jordan and injured dozens more near the Syrian border. Biden's national security team briefed him as he traveled Sunday in South Carolina. Appearing at a church banquet hall, he said the U.S. had a “tough day last night in the Middle East” and that “we shall respond.” He also asked for a moment of silence in remembrance of the slain service members. They are the first U.S. fatalities after months of strikes by such groups against American forces across the Middle East amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Israel’s allegations that 12 employees of a United Nations agency were involved in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack have led several Western countries to cut off funding and reignited debate over Gaza’s biggest humanitarian aid provider. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, employs thousands of staffers and provides vital services to millions of people across the Middle East. In Gaza, it has been the main supplier of food, water and shelter to civilians during the Israel-Hamas war. Israel has long railed against the agency, accusing it of tolerating or even collaborating with Hamas. UNRWA denies that and says it took swift action against the employees accused of taking part in the attack on Israel.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A teenager awaiting trial in a homicide case who escaped outside a Philadelphia hospital last week has been captured. Police say Shane Pryor was taken into custody Sunday by the U.S. Marshals Service. The marshals will hand the 17-year-old over to police homicide detectives. Authorities said Pryor fled Wednesday from the driveway of the emergency room at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he had been taken with a hand injury. Less than an hour after he fled on foot, the teen was spotted on video getting into a car that drove him away. Police say the 18-year-old driver was later arrested.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A dying thief who confessed to stealing ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in “The Wizard of Oz” is expected to stay out of prison after he's sentenced. Seventy-six-year-old Terry Jon Martin stole the slippers in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in the late actor’s hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Monday. Martin's attorney says he had gone straight, but wanted to pull of “one last score.” The attorney says Martin gave into temptation after an old mob associate persuaded him that the famous shoes were adorned with real rubies. Both sides are recommending he be sentenced to time served because he is in hospice care.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans have released two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Republicans have vowed to push forward with election-year efforts to oust the Cabinet member over what they say is his failure to manage the U.S-Mexico border. The rare step against a Cabinet member drew outrage from Democrats and the agency as a politically motivated stunt lacking the constitutional basis to remove Mayorkas from office. The Republican-controlled House Homeland Security Committee is set to vote Tuesday on the articles of impeachment, aiming to send them to the full House for consideration. Speaker Mike Johnson has said the House will move forward as soon as possible with a vote after that.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is racing to wind down a tax break meant to encourage businesses to keep workers on the payroll during the COVID-19 pandemic. What was expected to cost the federal government $55 billion has instead cost it nearly five times that amount as of July. Meanwhile, new claims pour into the IRS each week, and that's ensuring a growing price tag that lawmakers are anxious to cap. Now, lawmakers across the political spectrum say it's time to close down the program. They intend to use the savings to offset the cost of three business tax breaks and a more generous child tax credit for many low-income families.

In other news:

The Super Bowl is set following wins by the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.
Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka are Australian Open champions.
A trial in Run-DMC star Jam Master Jay's 2002 killing is starting and testing his anti-drug image.
It was a quiet weekend at the box office with "The Beekeeper" on top and some Oscar boosts.
Wrestling icon Vince McMahon resigns from WWE after a former employee files sex abuse lawsuit.
Deepfake explicit images of Taylor Swift spread on social media. Her fans are fighting back.
Nazi death camp survivors mark the 79th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation on Holocaust Remembrance Day.
French farmers aim to put Paris "under siege" in a tractor protest. And activists hurl soup at "Mona Lisa."
Other passengers support a man who opened an emergency exit and walked on a plane's wing at a Mexico airport.

—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.