Author: chicagoinquirer

by Jenniffer Peltz and Michael R. Sisak NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge dismissed New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ corruption case on Wednesday, agreeing it was the only practical outcome while blasting the Justice Department’s “troubling” rationale for wanting the charges thrown out — namely so the Democrat could help President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. The judge, though, denied prosecutors the option to refile the charges after the mayoral election. Judge Dale E. Ho’s order to dismiss the case “with prejudice” spares Adams from having to govern in a way that pleases Trump or potentially risk having the…

by Bridget Brown and Bernard Mcghee President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced far-reaching new tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners — a 34% tax on imports from China and 20% on the European Union, among others — that threaten to dismantle much of the architecture of the global economy and trigger broader trade wars. Trump, in a Rose Garden announcement, said he was placing elevated tariff rates on dozens of nations that run meaningful trade surpluses with the United States while imposing a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries in response to what he called an economic…

by Mead Gruver and Thomas Peipert AURORA, Colo. (AP) — With members of a trailblazing Black Air Force unit passing away at advanced ages, efforts to remain true to their memory carry on despite sometimes confusing orders from President Donald Trump as he purges federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Col. James H. Harvey III, 101, is among the last few airmen and support crew who proved that a Black unit — the 332nd Fighter Group of the Tuskegee Airmen — could fight as well as any other in World War II and the years after. He went on to…

by Paul Wiseman WASHINGTON — U.S. employers added solid 151,000 jobs last month, but the outlook is cloudy as President Donald threatens a trade war, purges the federal workforce and promises to deport millions of immigrants. The Labor Department reported Friday that hiring was up from a revised 125,000 in January. Economists had expected 160,000 new jobs last month. The unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.1% as the number jobless Americans rose by 203,000. Employment rose in healthcare, finance and transportation and warehousing. The federal government shed 10,000 jobs, the most since June 2022, though economists don’t expect Trump’s federal…

by Dick Scanlon ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Coby White scored a career-high 44 points and the Chicago Bulls beat the Orlando Magic 125-123 on Thursday night. White was 7 of 15 from 3-point range. He scored Chicago’s last nine points on two layups, a dunk and a 3-pointer. Josh Giddy added 19 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, and and Tre Jones had 20 points. Paolo Banchero and Cole Anthony scored 20 points each for Orlando. The Magic have lost five straight. Takeaways Bulls: The injury-depleted Bulls came back from a nine-point fourth quarter deficit, raising their road record to…

by Rebecca Santana WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans in Congress are taking aim at four cities — often called “sanctuary cities” — over their policies limiting cooperation with immigration enforcement with a hearing this week that comes as President Donald Trump presses ahead with his campaign of mass deportations. Mayors Michelle Wu of Boston, Brandon Johnson of Chicago, Mike Johnston of Denver and Eric Adams of New York are set to appear Wednesday in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. There’s no strict definition for sanctuary policies or sanctuary cities, but the terms generally describe limited cooperation…

DALLAS (AP) — Kyrie Irving suffered a left knee sprain Monday night and shot free throws for the Mavericks — with tears rolling down his cheeks — before leaving the floor in obvious pain late in the first quarter of Dallas’ 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings. Irving was fouled by DeMar DeRozan on a drive to the basket and his right foot landed on the foot of the Kings’ Jonas Valanciunas. He lost his balance and then landed awkwardly on his left leg, and his knee appeared to hyperextend before he fell to the floor. The Mavericks provided no…

by Sophia Tareen WAUKEGAN, Ill — An Illinois man pleaded guilty Monday to killing seven people and injuring dozens more when he opened fire on a 2022 Independence Day parade in a Chicago suburb, a stunning development moments before opening statements in his trial on murder and attempted murder charges. Appearing in a Lake County circuit courtroom, Robert E. Crimo III, 24, withdrew his earlier not-guilty plea in the Highland Park shooting. Prosecutors initially charged him with 21 counts of first-degree murder — three counts for each person killed — as well as 48 counts of attempted murder. Prosecutors dropped…

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Grammy-nominated R&B singer Angie Stone, a member of the all-female hip-hop trio The Sequence and known for the hit song “Wish I Didn’t Miss You,” was killed early Saturday in a car crash. She was 63. About 4 a.m., the vehicle she was riding in back to Atlanta from Alabama “flipped over and was subsequently hit by a big rig,” music producer and Stone’s longtime manager Walter Millsap III told The Associated Press in an email. Everyone else in the cargo van survived except Stone, he said. The Alabama Highway Patrol said in a news release…

by Anthony Izaguirre ALBANY, N.Y. — Some of America’s governors — mostly Democrats — have a message for the wave of fired federal workers: We want you. The governors are welcoming former federal staffers who lost their jobs in the Trump administration’s widespread cost-cutting agenda to apply for government jobs in their states. Some places are holding job fairs, while Hawaii’s governor says the state is fast-tracking hiring for these applicants. The effort amounts to a small level of resistance against the Republican president and potentially a bit of political maneuvering from the leaders in blue states, eager to be…