Author: chicagoinquirer

by Seung Min Kim WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed legislation Wednesday that compels his administration to release files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, bowing to political pressure from his own party after initially resisting those efforts. Trump could have chosen to release many of the files on his own months ago. “Democrats have used the ‘Epstein’ issue, which affects them far more than the Republican Party, in order to try and distract from our AMAZING Victories,” Trump said in a social media post as he announced he had signed the bill. Now, the bill requires the Justice…

by Kimberlee Kruesi and Holly Ramer Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers abruptly went on leave Wednesday from teaching at Harvard University, where he once served as president, over recently released emails showing he maintained a friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, Summers’ spokesperson said. Summers had been retreating from his public commitments amid the fallout of the emails revelation, but he had maintained that he would continue teaching economics classes at Harvard. Yet by Wednesday evening, Summers had not only retreated from his teaching classes but also as director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government with the Kennedy…

by Margery A. Beck Federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged a man with committing a terrorist attack, alleging he poured gasoline on a woman and chased her through a Chicago train car before setting her on fire. Lawrence Reed was sitting at the back of a car on a Blue Line L train on Monday night when he approached the woman as she sat with her back to him and doused her with gasoline that was in a plastic beverage bottle, according to a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrest affidavit. The 26-year-old woman fought off the man as…

by Tunde Omolehin and Dyepkaah Shibayan SOKOTO, Nigeria  — Nigeria’s president postponed his trip to this weekend’s Group of 20 summit after promising to intensify efforts to rescue 24 schoolgirls who were abducted by gunmen earlier this week in a northwestern region of the country. Civil society leaders have accused security forces of inaction. President Bola Tinubu had been set to leave for South Africa on Wednesday, days before the summit of the world’s leading rich and developing nations was due to begin. But Tinubu said that he was suspending his departure in light of the abductions and a separate…

by Stephen Groves WASHINGTON  — The House is headed toward a vote Tuesday afternoon on legislation to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, the culmination of a monthslong effort that has overcome opposition from President Donald Trump and Republican leadership. When a small bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a petition in July to maneuver around House Speaker Mike Johnson’s control of which bills see the House floor, it appeared a longshot effort — especially as Trump urged his supporters to dismiss the matter as a “hoax.” But both Trump and…

by Chinedu Asadu LIGARI, Nigeria  — The villagers in northwestern Nigeria were settling in for church service when motorcycle-riding gunmen invaded, shooting at random and seizing at least 62 people, including the pastor and several children. They were marched into the nearby bush, then forced to walk for two days to a forest hideout. There, they said, they were held for nearly a month while relatives and other villagers sold anything they could — farmland, livestock, motorcycles — to raise the ransom demanded for their release. They got little food and sleep, were told to renounce Christianity, and saw two…

by Andrew Seligman CHICAGO  — The Chicago Bears find themselves in unfamiliar territory in sole possession of the NFC North lead and staring down at the rest of the division. The Bears (7-3) have won seven of eight after squeezing past the Minnesota Vikings 19-17 to pull out yet another down-to-the-wire game, and they’re looking more and more like a team that could be headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2020 even if they’re not making it easy on themselves. Just don’t mention the postseason possibility to coach Ben Johnson. “We’re way far away from that,” he…

by Will Graves PITTSBURGH  — Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his fractured left wrist could still play on Sunday when the Steelers visit Chicago. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday the team will evaluate Rodgers’ availability later in the week and that the key to Rodgers’ potential return will be whether he can function safely with a brace protecting the wrist. Mason Rudolph, who filled in capably in the second half of Sunday’s 32-14 over Cincinnati, would start for AFC North-leading Pittsburgh (6-4) when it faces the NFC North-leading Bears (7-3) if Rodgers cannot. The 41-year-old Rodgers, the oldest active…

SALT LAKE CITY  — Keyonte George made 3-pointer with 2 seconds remaining in the second overtime, Lauri Markkanen scored 47 points and the Utah Jazz beat the Chicago Bulls 150-147 on Sunday night in the NBA’s highest-scoring game of the season. George finished with 32 points — including six in the second OT. Isaiah Collier and Brice Sensabaugh each had 16 points, and Kevin Love and Svi Mykhaiuluk each added 10 as the Jazz won for the second time in three games after losing six of seven. Coby White scored 27 points and Josh Giddey had 26 points, 12 rebounds…

by Rio Yamat and Josh Funk CHICAGO-The Federal Aviation Administration said Sunday it is lifting all restrictions on commercial flights that were imposed at 40 major airports during the country’s longest government shutdown. Airlines can resume their regular flight schedules beginning Monday at 6 a.m. EST, the agency said. The announcement was made in a joint statement by Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. Citing safety concerns as staffing shortages grew at air traffic control facilities during the shutdown, the FAA issued an unprecedented order to limit traffic in the skies. It had been in place…