Author: chicagoinquirer

by the Associated Press Israel has struck southern Lebanon, Beirut and an oil storage facility in Tehran as the war in the Middle East keeps escalating, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised “many surprises” for the next phase of the conflict. Iran also hit a desalination plant in Bahrain. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a U.S. airstrike damaged an Iranian desalination plant on Qeshm Island, warning that in doing so “the U.S. set this precedent, not Iran.” Such infrastructure is critical for drinking water supplies in the parched deserts of the Gulf. An Israeli attack on an oil storage…

LAKE FOREST, Ill.  — The Chicago Bears released linebacker Tremaine Edmunds on Friday after granting him permission last week to seek a trade. The 27-year-old Edmunds was entering the final season of a four-year, $72 million contract he signed in 2023. The Bears saved $15 million in cap space by letting him go before the start of the league year next week. Edmunds helped the Bears go from worst to first in the NFC North. He led the team with 112 tackles and had four interceptions despite missing four games with a groin injury. Chicago went 11-6 and won its…

by Cathy Bussewitz NEW YORK  — The price of oil surged higher and showed no signs of halting its rapid climb a week after the U.S. and Israel launched major attacks on Iran that escalated into a war in the Middle East. The conflict, in which nearly every country in the Middle East has sustained damage from missiles or drone strikes, has left ships that carry roughly 20 million barrels of oil a day stranded in the Persian Gulf, unable to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Gulf that is bordered on its north…

by Arnie Melendrez Stapleton and Greg Beacham DENVER  — LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most field goals in NBA history but his night ended with a disheartening loss and a sore left elbow. James hit a turnaround 12-foot jumper over Zeke Nnaji with 12 seconds left in the first quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night to surpass Abdul-Jabbar’s mark. “My name being mentioned with some of the greatest to ever play this game has always been humbling and pretty cool,” James said. “It’s a pretty cool thing. I grew…

by Michelle L. Price, Rebecca Santana and Seung Min Kim WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday fired his embattled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, after mounting criticism over her leadership of the department, including the handling of the administration’s immigration crackdown and disaster response. Trump, who said he would nominate Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin in her place, made the announcement on social media after Noem faced a two-day grilling on Capitol Hill this week from GOP members as well as Democrats. Noem’s departure marks a stunning turnaround for a close ally to the president who was tasked with…

by Stan Choe NEW YORK — Stocks sank on Wall Street Thursday after the price of oil spiked to its highest level since the summer of 2024 because of the war with Iran. The S&P 500 fell 0.6% and erased what had been a small gain for the year so far. The Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly dropped more than 1,100 points before finishing with a loss of 784, or 1.6%. The Nasdaq composite slipped 0.3%. The losses came as financial markets around the world keep following the cue of oil prices. Sharp increases there are raising worries that a…

by Stan Choe NEW YORK — A sell-off for stocks is slamming into Wall Street Tuesday after wrapping around the world, as oil prices leap even higher with worries that the widening war with Iran may do more sustained damage to the economy than feared. The S&P 500 dropped 1.6% in midday trading after falling as much as 2.5% in the morning. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 840 points, or 1.7%, as of 11:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.7% lower. It was just a day ago that U.S. stocks opened with sharp losses, only…

by Bridget Brown, Lorian Belanger and Brian P.D. Hannon Iran struck the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia’s capital with a drone early Tuesday, as it continued to target areas around the region. Across Iran’s capital, Tehran, explosions rang out overnight as the U.S. and Israel pounded Iran with airstrikes. Iran and its allies have hit back against Israel, neighboring Gulf states and targets critical to the world’s oil and natural gas production. The conflict has also spread to Lebanon, where the Iranian-supported militant group Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on Monday, prompting Israel to retaliate. On Tuesday, the Israeli military…

by Associated Press The president of Iran’s soccer federation says he does not know if the national team can play World Cup matches in the United States following the surprise U.S. and Israeli bombardment of his country. “What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Mehdi Taj told sports portal Varzesh3 as Iran traded strikes with Israel as part of a widening war prompted by the bombardment. The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran continued for a second day on Sunday after the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah…

by Ben Finley WASHINGTON  — Three American service members have been killed and five others seriously wounded during the U.S. attacks on Iran, the military announced Sunday, marking the first American casualties in a major offensive that President Donald Trump said could likely lead to more losses in the coming weeks. U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, announced the deaths in a post on X but did not say when and where they occurred as the Islamic Republic retaliates over the joint strikes by the U.S. and Israel. The post said “several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and…