Author: chicagoinquirer

by Curtis Yee,  Bernald Mhee and Luena Rodriguez-Feo Vileira The Trump administration is ending the immigration crackdown in Minnesota that led to thousands of arrests, violent protests and the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens over the past two months, border czar Tom Homan said Thursday. The operation called the Department of Homeland Security’s “largest immigration enforcement operation ever” has been a flashpoint in the debate over President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts, flaring up after Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed by federal officers in Minneapolis. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation focused on the Minneapolis-St. Paul…

by Tim Reynolds At All-Star weekend last year, Victor Wembanyama was so serious about winning that he decided to find loopholes in the rules. He and then-San Antonio teammate Chris Paul were teamed up for the skills competition, thought they outsmarted it and wound up getting disqualified. It wasn’t a great moment. But it was another example of how, to Wembanyama, winning is everything. He’s already one of the faces of the NBA, already one of the faces of the game on a global stage, and this All-Star weekend in California might only raise his stock even higher — if…

by Bill Barrow and Josh Boak WASHINGTON  — President Donald Trump used his social media account to share a video about election conspiracy theories that includes a racist depiction of former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as primates in a jungle. The Republican president’s Thursday night post immediately drew backlash for its treatment of the nation’s first Black president and first lady. It was part of a flurry of social media activity that amplified Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, despite courts around the country and a Trump attorney general from his…

by Dave Campbell MINNEAPOLIS  — The Minnesota Timberwolves acquired guard Ayo Dosunmu from the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, adding a proven scorer to bolster their depth for the stretch run in the stacked Western Conference playoffs race. The trade was finalized by the NBA and announced about six hours after the deadlinepassed on a hectic day around the league. The Timberwolves sent 2024 first-round draft pick Rob Dillingham, deep reserve Leonard Miller and four second-round draft picks to the busy and rebuilding Bulls for Dosunmu and forward Julian Phillips. The Bulls made seven deals this week. Dosunmu, who was a…

by Mary Clare Jalonick and Joey Cappelletti WASHINGTON  — Despite rare negotiations between Democrats and President Donald Trump, a bipartisan agreement on new restrictions for federal immigration enforcement in the next two weeks will be exceedingly difficult — or even “an impossibility,” as Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said. Congress is discussing potential new rules for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection after officers shot and killed two Minneapolis protesters in January. The negotiations come amid some bipartisan sentiment that Congress should step in to de-escalate tensions over the enforcement operations that have rocked Minnesota…

by Luis Andres Henao and Hannah Schoenbaum SPRINGFIELD, Ohio  — A federal judge on Monday blocked the end of protections that have allowed roughly 350,000 Haitians to live in the U.S., dealing President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda another legal, though perhaps temporary, setback. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington granted a request to pause the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians while a lawsuit challenging it proceeds. The termination, which was set for Tuesday, “shall be null, void, and of no legal effect,” she wrote. “We can breathe for a little bit,” said Rose-Thamar Joseph, the operations director…

by Stephen Groves WASHINGTON  — Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed late Monday to testify in a House investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but the Republican leading the probe said an agreement had not yet been finalized. Rep. James Comer, the chair of the House Oversight Committee, continued to press for criminal contempt of Congress charges against both Clintons Monday evening for defying a congressional subpoena when attorneys for the Clintons emailed staff for the Oversight panel, saying the pair would accept Comer’s demands and “will appear for depositions on mutually agreeable…

by Lisa Mascaro WASHINGTON  — House Speaker Mike Johnson faces tough days ahead trying to muscle a federal funding package to passage and prevent a prolonged partial government shutdown as debate intensifies over the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration enforcement operations. Johnson signaled he is relying on help from President Donald Trump to ensure passage. Trump struck a deal with senators to separate funding for the Department of Homeland Security from a broader package after public outrage over two shooting deaths during protests in Minneapolis against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Under the plan approved by the Senate, DHS would be funded…

by Tim Reynolds MIAMI  — Ayo Dosunmu scored a season-high 29 points and the short-handed Chicago Bulls topped the Miami Heat 125-118 on Saturday night. Dosunmu added nine assists and eight rebounds. Matas Buzelis scored 21 points and Isaac Okoro added 20 for the Bulls, who hit 20 3-pointers. Pelle Larsson scored 22 and Bam Adebayo had 15 of his 21 in the fourth quarter for Miami, which tied the game four times in the final 3:37 but didn’t reclaim the lead in any of those instances. Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 20 for Miami. The teams play again in Miami…

by Beth Harris LOS ANGELES  — Mariah Carey has blended pop, R&B, gospel and hip-hop into hit songs over five decades. But it was hearing a couple of cuts off her 1990s secret grunge album that had the superstar on her feet clapping. Foo Fighters blasted through “Someone’s Ugly Daughter” with Taylor Momsen on lead vocals. They followed up with “Love is a Scam” as Carey sang along from her front table. Carey was honored for her musical achievements and philanthropic efforts as MusiCares Person of the Year on Friday night, two days before the Grammy Awards. The award is…