Author: chicagoinquirer

by Christopher Rugaber WASHINGTON  — A bipartisan group of former Federal Reserve chairs, Treasury secretaries, and top White House economists urged the Supreme Court Thursday to reject an attempt by President Donald Trump to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook. In a filing with the court, the former officials argued that allowing the removal to proceed would undermine the Fed’s longtime independence from day-to-day politics and lead to higher inflation and a weaker economy. The filing from such an influential group underscores the unpredecented nature of Trump’s effort to remove Cook and the potentially far-reaching consequences for the economy if…

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by Larry Neumeister NEW YORK — Prosecutors urged a New York federal judge Tuesday to send Sean “Diddy” Combs to prison for over 11 years following his conviction on prostitution-related charges, citing one of his accusers who said she lives in fear of the music mogul’s release from detention. “His crimes of conviction are serious and have warranted sentences over ten years in multiple cases for defendants who, like Sean Combs, engaged in violence and put others in fear,” they wrote in a presentence submission requesting at least 11 years and three months in prison. They filed their sentencing recommendation…

by Stephen Groves and Mary Clare Jalonick WASHINGTON — A government shutdown fast approaching, Democratic and Republican congressional leaders left a White House meeting with President Donald Trump Monday afternoon showing no sign of compromising from their entrenched positions in order to avoid a lapse in funding. If government funding legislation isn’t passed by Congress and signed by Trump on Tuesday night, many government offices across the nation will be temporarily shuttered and nonexempt federal employees will be furloughed, adding to the strain on workers and the nation’s economy. But lawmakers were locked in an impasse Monday. Democrats are using…

by Illia Novikov and Volodymry Yurchuk KYIV, Ukraine  — Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plantentered its fifth day running on emergency generators Saturday, prompting mounting safety concerns. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, announced a $90 billion arms agreement with the United States and criticized Hungary for carrying out “dangerous” intelligence-gathering drone activities over Ukraine. External power to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, has been cut for more than four days in a record outage at the six-reactor facility on the front line of the war, Greenpeace Ukraine warned Saturday. Emergency diesel generators are being used to power cooling and…

by Andrian Sainz and Sophia Tareen MEMPHIS, Tenn.  — Armed federal agents patrolled Chicago’s downtown streets on Sunday and President Donald Trump called up 200 National Guard troops for deployment in Portland, Oregon, a move strongly opposed by the governor that immediately prompted a lawsuit saying Trump overstepped his authority. The latest examples of creeping federal law enforcement and military presence in U.S. cities occurred as Memphis prepares for the arrival of additional federal authorities, including immigration and drug enforcement agents, that Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee says he expects will happen this week. In Chicago on Sunday, dozens of…

by Mark Anderson LAS VEGAS  — Josh Blackwell blocked a 54-year-old field-goal attempt by Daniel Carlson in the final minute to preserve a fourth-quarter rally led by Caleb Williams, and the Chicago Bears stunned the Las Vegas Raiders 25-24 on Sunday. After D’Andre Swift’s 2-yard touchdown run with 1:34 left put the Bears (2-2) in front, Geno Smith led the Raiders (1-3) into position for Carlson’s kick with 38 seconds left. Blackwell came in nearly untouched from the left side, dived and deflected the ball. He raced down the field in celebration as teammates chased him. The Bears became the…

by Jake Offenhartz and Anthony Izaguirre NEW YORK  — New York City Mayor Eric Adams ended his struggling reelection campaign Sunday, an acknowledgment that he was no longer a serious contender in the contest after a year of scandal and political turmoil. In a video released on social media, Adams spoke of his achievements as mayor, including a drop in violent crime. But he said “constant media speculation” about his future and a decision by the city’s campaign finance board to withhold public funding from his reelection effort made it impossible to stay in the race. “Despite all we’ve achieved,…

by Ritz Butt ISLAMABAD  — The Taliban on Sunday freed a U.S. citizen from an Afghan prison, weeks after they said they had reached an agreement with U.S. envoys on a prisoner exchange as part of an effort to normalize relations. The deputy spokesperson for the Taliban Foreign Ministry, Zia Ahmad Takal, identified the man as Amir Amiri. He did not say when Amiri was detained, why, or where. An official with knowledge of the release said Amiri had been detained in Afghanistan since December 2024 and was on his way back to the U.S. The official spoke on condition…

by Ken Maguire DUBLIN — Kenneth Gainwell ran for 99 yards and two touchdowns and the Pittsburgh Steelers held on to beat the Minnesota Vikings 24-21 on Sunday in Ireland’s first regular-season NFL game. DK Metcalf had five catches for 126 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown for the Steelers, who improved to 3-1 going into their bye week. The Steelers victory gave quarterback Aaron Rodgers his first international win and capped a Rooney family homecoming in front of a decidedly pro-Steelers crowd of 74,512 at Croke Park. Rodgers was 18 for 22 for 200 yards and the touchdown to Metcalf.…