Author: chicagoinquirer

by Gene Chamberlain CHICAGO (AP) — Caleb Williams’ rocky training camp now seems to be on the upswing. Williams took advantage of his first preseason playing time, connecting with Olamide Zaccheaus for a 36-yard touchdown on the opening drive as the Chicago Bears cruised to 38-0 preseason victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night. “I think it sets the tone for how we expect ourselves to go out there and play, and go out there and perform,” Williams said. “It was extremely important.” After sitting out a 24-24 tie with Miami last week, Williams came out firing against Buffalo…

by Joey Cappelletti and Mary Clare Jalonick WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Tuesday that he believes President Donald Trump is prepared to “crush” Russia’s economy with a new wave of sanctions if Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the coming weeks. Graham, who spoke with Trump on Tuesday morning, has pushed the president for months to support his sweeping bipartisan sanctions bill that would impose steep tariffs on countries that are fueling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by buying its oil, gas, uranium, and other exports. The legislation has the backing…

by Emeka Obasi The uninformed may be wondering why Senator Ibikunle Amosun stayed put participating in the very last funeral rites that took General Muhammadu Buhari to the unknown world of the dead. Friendship without inhibitions played out. Of all the people who shouted Sai Buhari between 2015 and 2023, you could count the true friends of the former president. And they were quite few. Forget the noise makers and politicians who rode on the name to become emergency billionaires. Amosun stayed with Buhari all through the years of presidential election failure. We know those who began making pilgrimage…

by Terry Tang As President Donald Trump declared Washington, D.C., a crime-ridden wasteland in need of federal intervention this week and threatened similar federal interventions in other Black-led cities, several mayors compared notes. The president’s characterization of their cities contradicts what they began noticing last year: that they were seeing a drop in violent crime after a pandemic-era spike. In some cases the declines were monumental, due in large part to more youth engagement, gun buyback programs and community partnerships. Now members of the African American Mayors Association are determined to stop Trump from burying accomplishments that they already felt…

by Christina Larson WASHINGTON — Early human ancestors during the Old Stone Age were more picky about the rocks they used for making tools than previously known, according to research published Friday. Not only did these early people make tools, they had a mental picture of where suitable raw materials were located and planned ahead to use them, traveling long distances. By around 2.6 million years ago, early humans had developed a method of pounding rocks together to chip off sharp flakes that could be used as blades for butchering meat. This allowed them to feast on large animals like…

by Michelle Gumede and Mogomotsi Magome JOHANNESBURG — South African is starting a “national dialogue” Friday that is meant to bring all sectors of society together to discuss the country’s most pressing issues and find solutions. The talks, initiated by President Cyril Ramaphosa after calls from civil society, are expected to include most political parties, civic groups and members of the public. Concerns have been raised over a possible $40 million cost, while there are also questions about whether the dialogue will result in significant changes. South Africa faces many problems more than 30 years after the end of the…

by Lindsay Whitehurst, Ashraf Khalil and Alanna Durkin Richer WASHINGTON  — The nation’s capital sued to block President Donald Trump’s takeover of its police department in court on Friday, hours after his administration escalated its intervention into the city’s law enforcement by naming a federal official as the new emergency head of the department. District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb sought an emergency restraining order in the federal court lawsuit, which argues the Trump administration is going far beyond the president’s legal powers. “The administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans…

by Gene Chamberlain LAKE FOREST, Ill.  — Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson sees the second preseason game as the ideal time to get quarterback Caleb Williams some on-field reps. Williams will see game action in Johnson’s offense for the first time when the Bears host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night. Backups Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum and Austin Reed took the snaps in last Sunday’s 24-24 tie against Miami in the preseason opener. “Our starters are going to play, everyone is going to play,” Johnson said Wednesday. “Last week and really all through camp I’ve been pretty consistent with the…

by Michael R. Blood and Tran Nguyen LOS ANGELES — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday his state will hold a Nov. 4 special election to seek voter approval of new congressional map drawn to try to win Democrats five more U.S. House seats in 2026. The move is a direct response to a Republican-led effort in Texas, pushed by President Donald Trump as his party seeks to maintain its slim House majority after the midterm elections. Texas lawmakers are considering a new map that would help them send five more Republicans to Washington. Democrats who so far have halted…

by Michelle L. Price Vladimir Isachenkov WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday could be a decisive moment for both the war in Ukraine and the U.S. leader’s anomalous relationship with his Russian counterpart. Trump has long boasted that he’s gotten along well with Putin and spoken admiringly of him, even praising him as “pretty smart” for invading Ukraine. But in recent months, he’s expressed frustrations with Putin and threatened more sanctions on his country. At the same time, Trump has offered conflicting messages about his expectations for the summit. He has called it…