Author: chicagoinquirer

BC-FBN–Bears-No Offense by Jay Cohen CHICAGO  — It was Justin Fields. It was the offensive line. It was the receiving corps. The Chicago Bears struggled on offense again, and there was plenty of blame to go around. Fresh off an encouraging second half at Minnesota, Fields and the Bears were shut down by Jonathan Allen and the Washington Commanders on national television. Chicago came up empty on three drives inside the Washington 10 during an ugly 12-7 loss Thursday night. “Plenty of opportunities in the game that we just didn’t finish,” Fields said. “So we’ve just got to get better…

by Tara Cops and Lolita C. Baldor WASHINGTON  — Ukrainian leaders are pressing the U.S. and Western allies for air defense systems and longer-range weapons to keep up the momentum in their counteroffensive against Russia and fight back against Moscow’s intensified attacks. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday said allies are committed to sending weapons “as fast as we can physically get them there.” And he said defense leaders meeting in Brussels are working to send a wide array of systems, ranging from tanks and armored vehicles to air defense and artillery. But there are still a number of high-profile,…

by David Keyton, Frank Jordans and Paul Wiseman STOCKHOLM  — Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke, who put his academic expertise on the Great Depression to work reviving the American economy after the 2007-2008 financial crisis, won the Nobel Prize in economic sciences along with two other U.S.-based economists for their research into bank failures. The Nobel panel at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences recognized Bernanke, Douglas W. Diamond and Philip Dybvig on Monday for research that shows “why avoiding bank collapses is vital.” Their findings in the early 1980s laid the foundations for regulating financial markets, the…

Kanye West’s Twitter and Instagram accounts have been locked because of posts by the rapper, now known legally as Ye, that were widely deemed antisemitic. A Twitter spokesperson said Sunday that Ye posted a message that violated its policies. In a tweet sent late Saturday, Ye said he would soon go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” according to internet archive records. That’s an apparent reference to the U.S. military readiness condition scale known as DEFCON. In the same tweet, which was removed by Twitter, he said: “You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever…

by Danica Coto SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres submitted a letter to the Security Council on Sunday proposing the immediate activation of a rapid action force following a plea for help from Haiti as gangs and protesters paralyze the country. The letter, which was seen by The Associated Press but has not been made public, said the rapid action force would be deployed by one or several member states to help Haiti’s National Police. That force would “remove the threat posed by armed gangs and provide immediate protection to critical infrastructure and services,” as well…

MINNEAPOLIS  — The Chicago Bears were driving late and trailing by a touchdown when Ihmir Smith-Marsette caught a 15-yard pass and reached the Minnesota 39. The second-year receiver had juked past Vikings cornerback Cameron Dantzler Sr. with a cut and a stiff-arm to gain a crucial first down. Smith-Marsette then hesitated with two defenders in front of him, trying to make another move to pick up more yardage. Dantzler came up from behind and stripped the ball from Smith-Marsette to seal Minnesota’s 29-22 victory. “Knowing we had a chance to potentially tie the game or win it if we go…

CHICAGO  — Kenyan runners Benson Kipruto and Ruth Chepngetich won the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday, while Emily Sisson finished second and set a record for an American woman. Kipruto finished in 2:04:24 — 25 seconds ahead of 2021 winner Seifu Tura Abdiwak of Ethiopia. John Korir of Kenya was third at 2:05:01. Chepngetich was the top woman for the second consecutive year, finishing in 2:14:18. Sisson ran the course in 2:18:29, followed by Vivian Jerono Kiplagat of Kenya at 2:20:52. More than 40,000 runners competed in the 26.2-mile event. Marcel Hug of Switzerland won the wheelchair division…

by Justin Spike and Adam Schreck ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine  — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday called the attack that damaged the huge bridge connecting Russia to its annexed territory of Crimea “a terrorist act” masterminded by Ukrainian special services. The Kerch Bridge, which holds important strategic and symbolic value to Russia in its faltering war in Ukraine, was hit a day earlier by what Moscow has said was a truck bomb. Road and rail traffic on the bridge were temporarily halted, damaging a vital supply route for the Kremlin’s forces. “There’s no doubt it was a terrorist act directed at…

WASHINGTON  — Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville asserted that Democrats support reparations for the descendants of enslaved people because “they think the people that do the crime are owed that.” The first-term Alabama Republican spoke at a Saturday evening rally in Nevada featuring former President Donald Trump, a political ally. His comments were part of a broader critique in the final weeks before the Nov. 8 election, when control of Congress is at stake, about how Democrats have responded to rising crime rates. But Tuberville’s remarks about reparations played into racist stereotypes about Black people committing crimes. “They’re not soft on…

by Adam Schreck and Vasilisa Stepanenko KHARKIV, Ukraine  — An explosion caused the partial collapse of a bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula with Russia on Saturday, damaging a key supply artery for the Kremlin’s faltering war effort in southern Ukraine. Russian authorities said a truck bomb caused the blast and that three people were killed. The speaker of Crimea’s Kremlin-backed regional parliament immediately accused Ukraine of being behind the explosion, though Moscow didn’t apportion blame. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly threatened to strike the bridge and some lauded the destruction, but Kyiv stopped short of claiming responsibility. The bombing came a…