Published on Oct 6, 2023, 2:00:00 PM
Total time: 00:07:47
On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Oct. 6 at 2 p.m. CT:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s employers added 336,000 jobs in September, an unexpectedly robust gain and the largest monthly rise since January, evidence that many companies remain confident enough to keep hiring despite high interest rates and a hazy outlook for the economy. President Joe Biden tied his economic policies to the report. Last month’s job growth jumped from a 227,000 increase in August, which was revised sharply higher. The economy has now added an average of 266,000 jobs a month for the past three months, a streak that could make it more likely that the Federal Reserve will raise its key rate again before year’s end as it continues its drive to tame inflation. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.8%, not far above a half-century low.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio to succeed Kevin McCarthy as House speaker. Trump says Jordan was a star long before making his journey to Washington, D.C., representing Ohio’s 4th Congressional District. Trump wrote on his Truth Social site early Friday the Republican congressman “will be a GREAT Speaker of the House” and has his "Complete & Total Endorsement!” Jordan is the House Judiciary Committee chairman and a longtime Trump defender. Trump had earlier said he would be open to serving as interim leader if Republicans couldn’t settle on a successor following McCarthy’s stunning ouster. Jordan is one of two leading candidates maneuvering for speaker along with Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana.
Imprisoned activist Narges Mohammadi has won the Nobel Peace Prize. She has campaigned for women’s rights, democracy and against the death penalty in Iran for years. The 51-year-old has kept up her activism despite numerous arrests. She has remained a leading light for nationwide, women-led protests, sparked by the death last year of a 22-year-old woman in police custody. Those demonstrations grew into one of the most intense challenges ever to Iran’s theocratic government. The chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the prize Friday in Oslo. She said it was a recognition of the work of a whole movement in Iran. Mohammadi is the 19th woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the second Iranian woman.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A massive health care strike over wages and staff shortages is heading into its final day without a deal between industry giant Kaiser Permanente and the unions representing the 75,000 workers who picketed this week. The three-day strike will officially end on Saturday morning. Workers are scheduled to return to their jobs in Kaiser’s hospitals and clinics that serve nearly 13 million Americans. The two sides did not have any bargaining sessions scheduled after concluding their talks midday Wednesday. Union officials and Kaiser representatives say they both want an agreement.
HOUSTON (AP) — Attorneys for a condemned Texas killer say drugs he is to be injected with next week were exposed to heat from a fire and have asked a federal judge to stop his execution. They allege in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that extreme heat and smoke from the August fire at a prison unit made them unsafe. The Texas attorney general’s office denies the claim. It says testing done after the fire shows the drugs “remain potent and sterile.” Jedidiah Murphy is scheduled to be executed Tuesday. He was condemned for a fatal October 2000 shooting during a carjacking.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — State election officials and privacy advocates are raising alarms about a push by several conservative groups to gain access to state voter rolls. One goal is to create free, public online databases of registered voters so other groups and individuals can take it upon themselves to try to identify instances of potential fraud. Election officials say the lists could find their way into the hands of malicious actors. They also say voters could be disenfranchised, either through intimidation or canceled registrations. Some of the groups pushing for access have ties to allies of former President Donald Trump. They say access to the data is essential to make sure officials maintain accurate voter rolls.
A United Nations report says that storms, fires and other extreme weather events led to more than 43 million displacements involving children between 2016 and 2021. The UNICEF report says that in some areas, like the Horn of Africa, the equivalent of nearly half of all children were uprooted during over that period. The report says the threat will worsen as climate change intensifies. In Africa and Asia, the biggest factors forcing families from their homes were floods and storms. In wealthier nations like the U.S. and Canada, wildfires were a major problem. The report says slower disasters like droughts can be hard to track and their impacts are likely underreported.
GENEVA (AP) — A unique 2030 World Cup is set to be played in Europe and Africa with the surprising addition of South America. The deal will allow FIFA to open the men’s soccer tournament with a 100th birthday party in Uruguay. FIFA reached an agreement between soccer’s continental leaders to accept a bid spearheaded by Spain and Portugal, which had already grown to include Morocco as co-host earlier this year. The agreement also includes South American countries Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, who will host a game each. The deal still needs formal approval at a meeting of FIFA's member federations. FIFA also opened bidding for the 2034 World Cup, with only member federations from Asia and Oceania eligible. Saudi Arabia immediately entered that contest.
—The Associated Press
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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.