Activists share Nobel Peace Prize; Biden warns of nuclear risk; Proud Boys member pleads guilty | Hot off the Wire podcast

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to jailed Belarus rights activist Ales Bialiatski, the Russian group Memorial and the Ukrainian organization Center for Civil Liberties. Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the judges wanted to honor “three outstanding champions of human rights, democracy and peaceful coexistence.”

U.S. President Joe Biden says the risk of nuclear “Armageddon” is at the highest level since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Biden’s remarks came as Russian officials speak of the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons after suffering massive setbacks in the eight-month invasion of Ukraine.

A judge in Ohio hears arguments Friday on whether to extend a block on Ohio’s law banning virtually all abortions on a more permanent basis. Hamilton County Judge Christian Jenkins has already paused the law through Oct. 12.

Authorities say a man accused of fatally shooting a hotel clerk in Dearborn, Michigan, during a dispute over money has surrendered to police after barricading himself inside a room.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average on the key 30-year rate dipped to 6.66% from 6.70% last week.

Relatives wailed and some collapsed as they grieved over the small coffins carrying children slain by a fired police officer who stormed a day care center in rural Thailand during naptime.

A North Carolina man has pleaded guilty to plotting with other members of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group to violently stop the transfer of presidential power after the 2020 election. Jeremy Joseph Bertino is the first Proud Boys member to plead guilty to a seditious conspiracy charge.

In sports, no touchdowns, four interceptions and seven field goals highlight the Colts’ win over the Broncos. The MLB playoffs get underway today and the NHL begins its campaign in Europe.

Police say one person has been fatally stabbed and at least five others wounded along the Las Vegas Strip and a suspect is in custody. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police say the attack occurred just before noon Thursday.

The International Monetary Fund is once again lowering its projections for global economic growth in 2023. It is projecting world economic growth lower by $4 trillion through 2026. Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the IMF, told an audience at Georgetown University on Thursday that “things are more likely to get worse before it gets better.”

President Joe Biden is pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law, as his administration takes a dramatic step toward decriminalizing the drug and addressing charging practices that disproportionately impact people of color.

Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker is remaining defiant after reports alleging he encouraged and paid for a woman’s 2009 abortion — and later fathered a child with her. Digging in on his denials of reporting by The Daily Beast, Walker, a football icon turned celebrity politician, blamed the stories Thursday on Democrats and their “desperation.”

Elon Musk’s lawyers say Twitter is refusing the Tesla billionaire’s renewed $44 billion bid for the social media company and have asked a Delaware court to halt an upcoming trial.

Amazon will hire 150,000 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees across its warehouses ahead of the holiday season.

A New York City man has been charged with smuggling three Burmese pythons in his pants at a U.S-Canadian border crossing. Importation of Burmese pythons is regulated by an international treaty and by federal regulations listing them as injurious to humans.

Two Russians who said they fled the country to avoid compulsory military service have requested asylum in the U.S. after landing on a remote Alaska island in the Bering Sea, according to information from Alaska U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office.

More Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, the largest number in four months, but the labor market remains strong in the face of persistent inflation and a slowing overall U.S. economy.

French author Annie Ernaux has staunchly defended a woman’s right to abortion after winning this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature. Ernaux said she would “fight to my last breath so that women can choose to be a mother, or not to be.”

A North Dakota junior college has a senior statesman on its football team. North Dakota State College of Science has a 49-year-old backup defensive lineman named Ray Ruschel. He is a freshman who is a year older than his coach.