On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Dec. 12 at 7 a.m. CT:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is warning that “when the free world hesitates, that’s when dictatorships celebrate.” He is also issuing a personal plea for Congress to break its deadlock and approve continued support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Zelenskyy spoke Monday at the National Defense University in Washington. President Joe Biden has asked Congress for $61.4 billion for wartime funding for Ukraine as part of a $110 billion package that also includes money for Israel and other national security priorities. The request is stalled in Congress. Zelenskyy is expected to meet with Biden and lawmakers on Tuesday.
Israel is pressing ahead with an offensive against Gaza’s Hamas rulers that it says could go on for weeks or months. Ahead of a non-binding vote at the United Nations later Tuesday, Israel and the United States face global calls for a cease-fire in Gaza. More than 17,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory. About 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced within the besieged territory, where United Nations agencies say there is no safe place to flee. The war began when Hamas raided southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 240 hostages.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith is asking the Supreme Court to take up and rule quickly on whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted on charges he plotted to overturn the 2020 election results. A federal judge had ruled the case could go forward, but Trump signaled he’d ask the federal appeals court in Washington to reverse that outcome. Smith's request Monday is an attempt to bypass the appeals court. The high court justices indicated later Monday that they would decide quickly whether to hear the case, ordering Trump’s lawyers to respond by Dec. 20. Trump’s presidential campaign says, “There is absolutely no reason to rush this sham to trial."
NEW YORK (AP) — Firefighters say they haven't found any victims of a partial building collapse in the Bronx. Firefighters spent hours Monday searching a huge mound of rubble after a corner of an apartment building collapsed, leaving apartments exposed like a stack of shelves. Fire officials say two people who evacuated the building received minor injuries. Firefighters used a search dog, a robotic dog and at least one drone to make sure nobody was trapped in the rubble. Officials were looking into what caused the collapse. The 1927 building has been undergoing facade repairs. Buildings Commissioner James Oddo says there were seven unresolved violations pending at the property, but they weren’t structural.
Waukegan, Ill. (AP) — The man accused of killing seven people at a Fourth of July parade in suburban Chicago last year has fired his public defenders and told the judge he plans to represent himself at trial. A Lake County judge questioned his decision several times before scheduling a trial for February. Robert Crimo III has been charged with 21 counts of first-degree murder, 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery. Crimo has insisted he understands the possible penalties he faces, including consecutive life sentences. The judge told Crimo he will be responsible for all aspects of his defense.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Attorneys for a pregnant Texas woman who sought court permission for an abortion in an unprecedented challenge to one of the most restrictive bans in the U.S. say she has left the state to obtain the procedure. The announcement came Monday as 31-year-old Kate Cox awaited a ruling from the Texas Supreme Court over whether she could legally obtain an abortion under narrow exceptions to the state’s bans. A judge gave Cox permission last week but that decision was put on hold by the state’s all-Republican high court. The court ruled against Cox later Monday. Cox's lawsuit quickly became a high-profile test of bans in Texas and a dozen other GOP-controlled states, where abortion is prohibited at nearly all stages of pregnancy.
The Titans pull off a stunning comeback win over the Dolphins, the Giants get a late field goal to beat the Packers, Shohei Ohtani will have a huge part of his contract deferred, and the Nuggets snap their skid.
Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels from LSU was one of seven players in either their fifth or sixth season of college football selected to The Associated Press All-America team. Daniels, a fifth-year quarterback, won the Heisman and AP player of the year honors after accounting for 50 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards of offense this season. He was joined in the backfield by Missouri’s Cody Schrader, a sixth-year running back who leads the nation at 124.9 rushing yards per game. Sixth-year linebacker Payton Wilson from North Carolina State led the first-team defense.
North Carolina star quarterback Drake Maye is entering the NFL draft and won’t play in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl for the Tar Heels against West Virginia. Maye announced his decision in a social media post Monday. That ended his UNC career after putting up prolific numbers and making himself one of the most sought-after potential prospects for the NFL. The school has also announced that all-ACC linebacker Cedric Gray, receiver Devontez “Tez” Walker, offensive lineman Corey Gaynor and defensive lineman Myles Murphy are all entering the draft. Of that group, only Murphy is set to play in the bowl.
Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” dominated the Golden Globe nominations with nine nods for the blockbuster film, including best picture musical or comedy as well as acting nominations for Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling and three of its original songs. It was closely followed by its release date and meme companion “Oppenheimer,” which scored eight nominations, including best picture drama and for actors Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr. and Emily Blunt. The revamped group, now a for-profit endeavor with a larger and more diverse voting body, announced nominations Monday for its January awards show, after scandal and several troubled years. The show airs Jan. 7 from Beverly Hills.
—The Associated Press
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