Author: chicagoinquirer

by Zeke Miller, Seung min Kim and Lisa Mascaro WASHINGTON  — President Joe Biden exhorted Congress Tuesday night to work with him to “finish the job” of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation as he delivered a State of the Union address aimed at reassuring a country beset by pessimism and fraught political divisions. In his 73-minute speech, Biden sought to portray a nation dramatically improved from the one he took charge of two years ago: from a reeling economy to one prosperous with new jobs; from a crippled, pandemic-weary nation to one that has now reopened, and a…

by Tim Reynolds LeBron James is the NBA’s new career scoring leader. With a stepback jump shot with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, James pushed his career total to 38,388 points and broke the record that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held for nearly four decades. James outstretched his arms after his 36th point of the night, threw both hands in the air, then smiled. Abdul-Jabbar rose from his seat and clapped. The game was stopped as some members of James’ family, including his mother, wife and…

More OptionsClose by Wayne Parry ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.  — A record 50.4 million American adults plan to bet on this year’s Super Bowl, wagering a total of $16 billion, the gambling industry’s national trade group predicted Tuesday. The American Gaming Association forecasts that 1 in 5 American adults will place a bet on Sunday’s NFL championship gamebetween the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. The estimate includes legal bets, and those placed with illegal bookies or casually among friends or relatives. The total amount expected to be wagered this year is more than double the amount from last year…

by Bernard Condon, Jim Mustian and Adrian Sainz MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Beyond the beating, kicking, cursing and pepper spraying, the video of Tyre Nichols’ deadly arrest at the hands of young Memphis police officers is just as notable for what’s missing — any experienced supervisors showing up to stop them. That points to a dangerous confluence of trends that Memphis’ police chief acknowledged have dogged the department as the city became one of the nation’s murder hotspots: a chronic shortage of officers, especially supervisors, increasing numbers of police quitting and a struggle to bring in qualified recruits. Former Memphis police…

by Andrew Seligman CHICAGO  — Nikola Vucevic could be playing for another team by the end of the week. The same goes for Andre Drummond as the NBA’s trade deadline approaches. Despite big questions about their futures, the big men delivered in a big way for the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. Vucevic had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Drummond set season highs with 21 points and 15 rebounds, and Chicago handed San Antonio its ninth straight loss, beating the Spurs 128-104. “I never take this game lightly,” Drummond said. “I appreciate every moment that I am on that floor.…

by Tim Reynolds Courtside seats 166 and 167 at the arena where the Los Angeles Lakers play their home games are pretty much as good as it gets. The people occupying those chairs when LeBron James breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA scoring record will have an up-close view, with their feet on the very hardwood where the history-making shot happens. History, in this case, comes with a cost. On Monday, those seats for Tuesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder could have been had for $75,000 — each. Total price for the two seats with Ticketmaster fees: $181,500. And there’s no…

Download AssetsCopy StoryMore OptionsClose by Lisa Mascaro WASHINGTON  — When lawmakers gather for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, the Republican side of the aisle will look slightly different than it did a few years ago. Rather than row after row of white men in suits, the House Republican majority increasingly has added Black, Latino and female elected officials to their ranks, an effort toward bolstering GOP diversity that’s helping to make the new Congress the most racially and ethnically diverse ever. It’s a slow yet unsteady progress toward creating a Congress more reflective of America. But it…

by Josh Boak and Hannah Fingerhut WASHINGTON  — A majority of Democrats now think one term is plenty for President Joe Biden, despite his insistence that he plans to seek reelection in 2024. That’s according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research that shows just 37% of Democrats say they want him to seek a second term, down from 52% in the weeks before last year’s midterm elections. While Biden has trumpeted his legislative victories and ability to govern, the poll suggests relatively few U.S. adults give him high marks on either. Follow-up interviews…

by Jonathan Landrum LOS ANGELES — Beyoncé stands alone on her Grammythrone: With her fourth win Sunday night, she has become the most decorated artist in the show’s history surpassing the 26-year-old record once held by the late Hungarian-British conductor Georg Solti. “I’m trying not to be too emotional,” the superstar said as her husband Jay-Z stood and applauded her. The singer thanked her late uncle, her parents, Jay-Z and her children for supporting her. “I’m just trying to receive this night. I want to thank God for protecting me. Thank you, God.” Beyoncé has now collected 32 awards after…

by Tim Reynolds Kyrie Irving is getting his wish. He’s getting traded. And Luka Doncic is getting another All-Star to help him in Dallas. The Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets agreed Sunday on a blockbuster trade: Irving — the super-talented and often-enigmatic eight-time All-Star point guard — heads to Dallas in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and a package of draft picks, according to a person familiar with the terms of the deal who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it had not been finalized. The Athletic and ESPN first reported the trade agreement. It will…