Author: chicagoinquirer

by Mathew Perrone WASHINGTON — Federal officials have approved another generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone, a regulatory formality that quickly triggered pushback from anti-abortion groups and politicians aligned with the Trump administration. Drugmaker Evita Solutions announced on its website that the Food and Drug Administration signed off on its low-cost form of the pill, which is approved to end pregnancies through 10 weeks. Students for Life Action, which opposes abortion, in a statement Thursday called the approval “a stain on the Trump presidency and another sign that the deep state at the FDA must go.” Republican Sen. Josh…

by Andrew Seligman LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears headed into their bye breathing easier, with back-to-back wins and a .500 record. They’ll take that after a rough start to the season. “I think the first four games builds confidence, and I understand the first two were losses,” Williams said. “I think it builds a lot of momentum and confidence. But … we’ve got to go look at everything and be truthful for ourselves.” The Bears (2-2) have room to improve. But they’re in a far better place than they were two weeks ago after squeezing…

by Sam Metz  RABAT, Morocco  — Anti-government demonstrations gripped Morocco for a fourth straight night as youth filled the streets of cities throughout the country and destruction and violence broke out in several places, according to human rights groups and local media. With billions in investment flowing toward preparations for the 2030 World Cup,promises to fix Morocco’s strained social services haven’t quelled anger from internet-savvy youth who launched some of the country’s biggest street protests in years. Young Moroccans took to the streets on Tuesday clashing with security forces and decrying the dire state of many schools and hospitals. After…

by Anne D’innocenzio and Jonel Aleccia NEW YORK  — Walmart said Wednesday that it plans to remove synthetic food dyes and 30 other ingredients, including some preservatives, artificial sweeteners and fat substitutes, from its store brands sold in the United States by January 2027. The move announced by the the nation’s largest retailer amounts to an acknowledgment that American consumers and the U.S. government under President Donald Trump are paying attention to what goes into packaged foods. Walmart said its goal would affect about 1,000 products, including salty snacks, baked goods, power drinks, salad dressings and frosting. Several of the…

by Steve Peoples NEW YORK — On this, at least, the Democrats agree: It’s time to fight. Whether far-left activists, Washington moderates or rural conservatives, Democratic leaders across the political spectrum are shrugging off the risks and embracing a government shutdown they say is needed to push back against President Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress. For Democrats, the shutdown fight marks a line in the sand born from months of frustration with their inability to stop Trump’s norm-busting leadership. And they will continue to fight, regardless of the practical or political consequences, they say. “It’s a rare…

by Lisa Mascaro, Mary  ClareL Jalonica and Stephen Groves WASHINGTON  — Plunged into a government shutdown, the U.S. is confronting a fresh cycle of uncertainty after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep government programs and services running by Wednesday’s deadline. Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed, some potentially firedby the Trump administration. Many offices will be shuttered, perhaps permanently, as Trump vows to “do things that are irreversible, that are bad” as retribution. His deportation agenda is expected to run full speed ahead, while education, environmental and other services sputter. The…

by Jamie Har SAN FRANCISCO  — Police in Northern California were understandably perplexed when they pulled over a Waymo taxi after it made an illegal U-turn, only to find no driver behind the wheel and therefore, no one to ticket. The San Bruno Police Department wrote in now viral weekend social media posts that officers were conducting a DUI operation early Saturday morning when a self-driving Waymo made the illegal turn in front of them. Officers stopped the vehicle, but declined to write a ticket as their “citation books don’t have a box for ‘robot’.” “That’s right … no driver,…

by Jack Denton and Desmond Tiro NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Workers and industry are bracing for the end of a longstanding U.S. trade agreement that gave African exporters preferential treatment and now leaves businesses vulnerable to new competitive pressures and tariffs. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) will terminate as scheduled on Tuesday amid uncertainty over renegotiations and the looming impact of new tariffs announced by the White House in April. AGOA is a multilateral trade agreement that has given thousands of products from qualifying African nations duty-free access to U.S. markets since 2000. A key example of the…

by Joseph Omoremi CHICAGO- IL A combination of Privacy Acts and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) exceptions were listed as reasons why details of the criminal investigation conducted on  President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria between 1990 and 1994 could not be disclosed as 50-pages out of 238 pages processed on him were released by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Out of the 50-pages, the name of Nigeria’s president were missing to avoid “civil action proceeding, protect national security, internal personnel rules and practices of an agency  as well as information prohibited by federal law and information that is…

by Isabella Volmert and Mark Vancleave GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — In the chaotic moments after a former Marine smashed his pickup truck into a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Michigan and began shooting, church members pulled others to safety while smoke filled the building, officials said Monday. Four people died and eight others were wounded in Sunday’s attack just as services were underway in the crowded sanctuary. Authorities feared they would find additional victims, but by Monday everyone was accounted for after a sweep of the charred ruins, police said. Investigators were focusing on…