Israeli strike kills Hezbollah commander; 'Oppenheimer' dominates Golden Globes; Sunday's NFL highlights

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Jan. 8 at 7:15 a.m. CT:

BEIRUT (AP) — An Israeli airstrike has killed an elite Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon. It's the latest in an escalating exchange of strikes along the border that have raised fears of another Mideast war even as the fighting in Gaza exacts a mounting toll on civilians. A Lebanese security official said Monday's strike on an SUV killed a commander in a secretive Hezbollah force that operates along the border. Hezbollah identified the slain fighter as Wissam al-Tawil without providing further details. He is the most senior Hezbollah militant to have been killed since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel triggered all-out war in Gaza and lower-intensity fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which has escalated since an Israeli strike killed a senior Hamas leader in Beirut last week.

BOSTON (AP) — Winter weather is battering parts of both U.S. coasts. In the West, a Sierra Nevada storm packing heavy snow shut down a stretch of interstate Saturday and briefly knocked out power to tens of thousands in Reno, Nevada. New Englanders are bracing for a potent mix of snow and freezing rain through the weekend as that storm makes its way up the East Coast. Winter storm warnings and watches remain in effect throughout the Northeast. Icy roads have made for hazardous travel as far south as North Carolina. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul expects two-thirds of her state to get 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow or more.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal official says the Boeing jetliner that suffered an inflight blowout over Portland, Oregon, was not being used for flights to Hawaii after a warning light that could have indicated a pressurization problem lit up on three different flights. Alaska Airlines decided to restrict the aircraft from long flights over water so the plane could land quickly if the warning light reappeared. Aviation officials also have found the chunk of the fuselage that was expelled from the aircraft. More than 140 Boeing planes are grounded while the airlines await instructions on how to inspect them. The depressurized jet with 171 passengers and six crew returned safely with no serious injuries Friday night.

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis is calling for a universal ban on the “despicable” practice of surrogate motherhood. He included what he called the “commercialization” of pregnancy in an annual speech to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See. The speech listed the threats to global peace and human dignity, including Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Israel-Gaza war, migration and climate crises and the “immoral” production of nuclear and conventional weapons. But he also listed smaller-scale issues that he said were threats to human dignity, including surrogacy.

"Oppenheimer has dominated the Golden Globe Awards, taking home the night's top honor. Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” has won best comedy or musical at the 81st Golden Globes, an upset victory over the category favorite, “Barbie.” Emma Stone also won for her performance in “Poor Things.” On the television side, “Succession” and “The Bear” are took multiple honors. Christopher Nolan’s epic American drama “Oppenheimer” picked up five big awards including best drama film, best director for Nolan, best actor for Cillian Murphy, best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr. and for Ludwig Göransson’s score. Paul Giamatti and Da'Vine Joy Randolph both won for their performances in “The Holdovers.”

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Timothée Chalamet and “Wonka” topped the box office charts for the third time in its four weekends in theaters. Studio estimates Sunday report Warner Bros.’ family-oriented musical added $14.4 million in ticket sales. That brings its total domestic grosses to $164.7 million. But 2024 is getting off to a slower start than last year and is down around 16%. The Universal/Blumhouse horror “Night Swim” is the only major new offering in theaters. Warner Bros. and Universal placed third and fourth on the charts as well with “Aquaman” in third place and “Migration” in fourth. “Anyone But You” rounded out the top five.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Fossil hunters are celebrating the discovery of a mammoth tusk and other bones unearthed at a coal mine in North Dakota. A shovel operator was the first person to spot the collection of bones while shoveling a giant mound of dirt into a dump truck. More digging by paleontologists unearthed more bones, likely the most complete mammoth specimen found in North Dakota. The North American Coal company plans to donate the tusk to the state for educational purposes. The tusk is 7 feet long, weighs 50 pounds and is more than 10,000 years old. It's wrapped in plastic for now at the North Dakota Geologic Survey office in Bismarck.

In sports, the Jets snap a long losing streak to the Patriots, the Eagles get blown out by the Giants to stumble into the postseason, Arthur Smith is out as Falcons head coach, Jarrett Allen's big night helps the Cavaliers hold off the Spurs, the Winnipeg Jets extend their points streak to 12 straight games, and the Dodgers look to add another free agent signing.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders have reached an agreement on overall spending levels for the current fiscal year that could help avoid a partial government shutdown later this month. House Speaker Mike Johnson is hailing the agreement in a letter to colleagues as “the most favorable budget agreement Republicans have achieved in over a decade.” President Joe Biden says the agreement is one step closer "to preventing a needless government shutdown and protecting important national priorities.” Lawmakers needed an agreement on overall spending levels so that appropriators could write the bills that set line-by-line money for agencies. Funding is set to lapse Jan. 19 for some agencies and Feb. 2 for others.

In the last week alone, Israel has killed a senior Hamas militant in an airstrike in Beirut, Hezbollah has fired barrages of rockets into Israel, the U.S. has killed a militia commander in Baghdad and Iran-backed rebels in Yemen have traded fire with the American Navy. Each strike and counterstrike increases the risk of the already catastrophic war in Gaza spilling across the region. But in the decades-old standoff pitting the U.S. and Israel against Iran and allied militant groups, there are fears that any one party could trigger a wider war if only to avoid appearing weak.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Judith Light of “Poker Face” and Sam Richardson of “Ted Lasso” and cast members from “The Last of Us” were among a wide range of acting winners at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. The ceremony is a precursor to the primetime Emmys ceremony on Jan. 15. Light won her first Emmy in a nearly 50-year career for her guest role on “Poker Face.” Richardson won his first for playing a soccer-loving billionaire on “Ted Lasso.” And two cast members from “The Last of Us,” 53-year-old Nick Offerman and 20-year-old Storm Reid, won their first Emmys for guest roles on the HBO show.

LONDON (AP) — The actor who earned fame as the blond half of a crime-fighting duo in the popular 1970s television series “Starsky and Hutch” has died. David Soul was 80. His wife, Helen Snell, said Friday that Soul died on Thursday "after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family.” Soul portrayed detective Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson alongside dark-haired Paul Michael Glaser as detective David Starsky in “Starsky and Hutch.” It ran on ABC between 1975 and 1979. At the height of his fame, Soul also hit the music charts with the single “Don’t Give Up on Us.” Soul had lived in Britain for many years, where he took on several stage roles.

On this week's AP Religion Roundup, an imam is killed outside a New Jersey mosque, and Native Hawaiians protect a sacred salt-making tradition.

Orthodox Christians packed churches on Saturday night for Christmas Eve services, a holiday overshadowed for many believers by conflict. Patriarch Kirill is the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, the world’s largest Orthodox denomination. He led services at Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral. A Kremlin spokesman said Russian President Vladimir Putin was expected to attend Christmas Eve services at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence along with the families of military personnel who have died in the war in Ukraine. Nightime services were canceled in the Russian border city of Belgorod following Ukrainian attacks Dec. 30 that killed 25 people. Celebrations in the Middle East were darkened by another conflict: the Israel-Hamas war.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is allowing Idaho to enforce its strict abortion ban, even in medical emergencies, while a legal fight continues. The justices on Friday said they would hear arguments in the case in April and put on hold a lower court ruling that had blocked the Idaho law in hospital emergencies, based on a lawsuit filed by the Biden administration. The Democratic administration argued hospitals that receive Medicare funds are required by a federal law to provide emergency care including abortion. The legal fight followed the court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to severely restrict or ban abortion. A district judge in Idaho agreed with the administration. In a separate case in Texas, a judge sided with the state.

—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.