Author: chicagoinquirer

by  Agency reports LAKE FOREST, Ill.  — The Chicago Bears signed first-round draft pick Darnell Wright to his rookie contract on Monday. The Bears chose the Tennessee offensive tackle with the No. 10 overall pick in the NFL draft late last month, giving quarterback Justin Fields more protection after trading back one spot with Philadelphia. The 6-foot-5, 330-pound Wright played a big role in Tennessee going 11-2 and finishing sixth in the final AP Top 25 poll. He delivered a memorable performance in containing Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. in a 52-49 win over the Crimson Tide, and was…

by Kathleen Foody CHICAGO  — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson began his first term of office Monday, asking Chicagoans to set aside deep differences, confront challenges together and build “a city that works for everyone.” Johnson, 47, whose victory was touted by progressives as evidence that bold stances lead to victory, must immediately confront an influx of migrants in desperate need of shelter, pressure to build support among skeptical business leaders, and summer months that historically bring a spike in violent crime. His first term leading the nation’s third-largest city will test the former union organizer’s ability to turn his proposals into solutions…

by Joycelyn Noveck NEW YORK  — Kehinde Wiley was already well into his influential art career when his portrait of Barack Obama — arms crossed, perched on a chair amid brilliant foliage — was unveiled in 2018. But there’s no doubt it changed the artist’s life. Here’s one way he describes the shift: Now, should he ever show up at the bank and realize he’s forgotten his ID — which hasn’t happened yet, but still — he could say: “You know that portrait of Obama? I’m that guy, and I didn’t bring my ID, so if you could just Google…

by Kathleen Foody CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson will take office Monday, facing an influx of migrants in desperate need of shelter, pressure to build support among skeptical business leaders, and summer months that historically bring a spike in violent crime. Progressives viewed Johnson’s election as evidence that bold stances lead to victory at the ballot box. Now, his first term leading the nation’s third-largest city will test the former union organizer’s ability to turn those proposals into solutions for stubborn problems worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, including public safety, economic growth and housing affordability. “There’s no honeymoon in mayoral politics…

Close  by Tim Reynolds Ja Morant was suspended by the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday after he appeared to be holding a gun in another social media video that was streamed live on Instagram. It’s the second time in less than three months that Morant was seen on Instagram holding what appeared to be a weapon. The first led to an eight-game NBA suspension that was handed down in March and cost Morant about $669,000 in salary. It’s unclear what sanctions Morant may be facing for the second video, which was widely shared online Sunday. An associate of Morant went live…

by Tim Reynolds The Phoenix Suns fired Monty Williams on Saturday, two years after reaching the NBA Finals and a year after he was the overwhelming choice as the coach of the year. Williams had great success in his four regular seasons in Phoenix, winning 63% of his games. But three consecutive years of playoff frustration was likely too much for the Suns to overlook — especially after two straight years of Phoenix trailing by 30 points at halftime of elimination games at home. ESPN and The Athletic first reported the decision. “Monty has been foundational to our success over…

by Tim Reynolds MIAMI  — Inside the Miami Heat locker room, now officially halfway to the season’s ultimate goal, Erik Spoelstra stepped onto the NBA championship logo on the center of the floor and gathered his team around him. His message was simple. “There’s been nothing about this season that’s been easy,” Spoelstra said. He’s right, and the Heat aren’t complaining about that, either — since this anything-but-easy season is still going. They were a No. 1 seed last year and got to the Eastern Conference finals, and this year, they were a No. 8 seed and still got to…

by Greg Beacham LOS ANGELES  — After every twist and turn in the soap opera saga of LeBron James’ four seasons alongside Anthony Davis with the Los Angeles Lakers, one truth remains perfectly clear. This is a championship-caliber partnership when James and Davis are both healthy. One or both superstars have been injured for long stretches of the three seasons since their 2020 bubble championship, and the Lakers’ road back to contention has been incredibly rocky because of it. The entire roster around them has been completely changed since that ring, but James and Davis are still here, still fighting.…

by Sam Magdy CAIRO — Over recent years, Sudan’s military and a separate armed force accumulated power, each suspicious of the other, even as they worked together against the country’s pro-democracy movement. Officers inside both forces say it was a long-building recipe for disaster. Their tenuous alliance ended in mid-April, when they turned their guns on each other, sparking a conflict that threatens to engulf African’s third largest country. In interviews with The Associated Press, more than a dozen senior officers from Sudan’s military and the rival paramilitary known as the Rapid Support Forces described what led them to an…

by Lisa Mascaro WASHINGTON  — One outcome is clear as Washington reaches for a budget deal to end the debt ceiling standoff: The ambitious COVID era of government spending — to cope with the pandemic and rebuild in its aftermath — is giving way to a new fiscal focus on tailored investments and stemming deficits. President Joe Biden has said that recouping unspent COVID-19 funds is “on the table” in budget talks with Congress. And while the White House has threatened to veto Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s debt ceiling bill with its “devastating cuts” to federal programs, the administration has signaled a willingness to…