Author: chicagoinquirer

by Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless LONDON  — King Charles III was crowned Saturday at Westminster Abbey, in a ceremony built on ancient traditions at a time when the British monarchy faces an uncertain future. Trumpets sounded inside the medieval abbey and the congregation shouted “God save King Charles” as the ceremony began in front of more than 2,000 guests, including world leaders, aristocrats and celebrities. Outside, thousands of troops, tens of thousands of spectators and a smattering of protesters converged along a route that the king traveled from Buckingham Palace in a gilt-trimmed, horse-drawn carriage. It was the final…

by Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless LONDON  — Tens of thousands of spectators, thousands of troops, hundreds of guests and a smattering of protesters converged Saturday around London’s Westminster Abbey, where King Charles III, a man who waited seven decades to become king, will be crowned with all the pomp and pageantry Britain can muster. And it can muster a lot. There will be crowns and diamonds, soaring music, purple robes and magnificent hats — and a rousing cheer of “God Save the King” inside the abbey and in the streets outside. The church buzzed with excitement and was abloom…

by Josh Boak WASHINGTON — For President Joe Biden, the past few days have raised hopes that the U.S. economy can stick a soft landing—possibly avoiding a recession as the 2024 election nears. Most U.S. adults have downbeat feelings about Biden’s economic leadership, as high inflation has overshadowed a strong jobs market. It’s long been economic orthodoxy that efforts to beat back inflation by the Federal Reserve would result in unemployment rising and the country sinking into recession. But to the president and some economists, the April jobs reportissued Friday challenged that theory with its 3.4% unemployment rate and 253,000 jobs gained. The…

by Samy Magdy ASWAN, Egypt  — Sudan’s two warring generals sent their envoys on Friday to Saudi Arabia for talks aimed at firming up a shaky cease-fire after three weeks of fierce fighting that has killed hundreds and pushed the African country to the brink of collapse, three Sudanese officials said. The negotiations would be the first between Sudan’s military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, since clashes broke out on April 15. According to the three — two senior military officials and one from their paramilitary rival —…

LAKE FOREST, Ill.  — The Chicago Bears signed four of their 10 draft picks to four-year contracts Thursday. The Bears agreed to deals with Minnesota cornerback Terell Smith, Oregon linebacker Noah Sewell, Kennesaw State defensive tackle Travis Bell and Stanford safety Kendall Williamson. Smith and Sewell — the brother of Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell — were selected in the fifth round. Bell and Williamson were seventh-rounders. The Bears also agreed to deals with 14 undrafted free agents, including record-setting Division II Shepherd University quarterback Tyson Bagent. He set the NCAA’s all-division record with 159 career touchdown passes while finishing…

by Jill Lawless LONDON  — On his way to be crowned this week, King Charles III will travel by gilded coach through streets swathed in red, white and blue Union flags — and past a warning from history. At Trafalgar Square stands a large bronze statue of King Charles I, the 17th-century monarch deposed by Parliament and executed in 1649. On Saturday, more than 1,500 protesters, dressed in yellow for maximum visibility, plan to gather beside it to chant “Not my king” as the royal procession goes by. “We’ll try and keep the atmosphere light, but our aim is to…

by Anthony Izaguirre TALLAHASSEE, Fla.  — Former Florida Democratic candidate for governor Andrew Gillum, who came within a whisker of defeating Republican Ron DeSantis in 2018, was acquitted Thursday of lying to the FBI in a corruption case that also involved illegal use of campaign contributions. But the federal jury hung on charges that Gillum funneled tens of thousands of dollars in campaign money to personal accounts. Prosecutors said they will retry him on those counts. They had claimed Gillum was struggling financially after quitting his $120,000-a-year job with the People for the American Way group to run for governor. Gillum was acquitted of…

by Kevin Freking WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats pressured Republicans on the increasingly menacing debt ceiling impasse Thursday, focusing on what they say will be painful reductions in government services if a bill the GOP recently pushed through the House becomes law. Republicans responded that they know the legal limit on government borrowing must be raised to avert a possible default. But they’re insisting it be coupled with cuts in what they consider bloated federal spending. No one expects that the House bill, which would importantly increase the nation’s borrowing authority as well as cut spending, will reach President Joe Biden’s…

by Agency reports WASHINGTON  — A Republican megadonor paid two years of private school tuition for a child raised by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who did not disclose the payments, a lawyer who has represented Thomas and his wife acknowledged Thursday. The revelation of tuition payments made by Dallas billionaire Harlan Crow is the latest example of Crow’s generosity to Thomas and his family that has raised questions about Thomas’ ethics and disclosure requirements more generally. The payments, along with the earlier examples of Crow’s financial ties to Thomas, were first reported by the nonprofit investigative journalism site ProPublica. ProPublica reported Thursday that Crow paid tuition for Thomas’…

by David Koenig DALLAS  — Airlines expecting a hectic summer travel season are planning to hire thousands of new workers this year, lifting a job market that has been hit by layoffs in technology and turmoil in the banking industry. United Airlines said Wednesday that it hired 7,000 new workers in the first four months of this year and plans to hit 15,000 new hires by year-end, matching the number it hired last year. By 2026, United projects adding 50,000 workers to a workforce that was about 93,000 at the start of this year. “We are in hiring mode here…