Author: chicagoinquirer

BY WILL WEISSERT, COLLEEN LONG AND ZEKE MILLER by Will Weissert, Colleen Long and Zeke Miller LUANDA, Angola — President Joe Biden on Tuesday ducked questions on his decision to break his word and pardon his son Hunter, ignoring calls for him to explain his reversal as he was making his first presidential trip to Angola. Dismissing shouted questions with a laugh during a meeting with Angolan President João Lourenço at the presidential palace, Biden said to the Angolan delegation “welcome to America.” Biden was not scheduled to take questions from the press during his trip to Africa, press secretary…

by Zeke Miller, Alanna Durkin Richer and Coleen Long WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, on Sunday night, sparing the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family members. The Democratic president had previously said he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence after his convictions in the two cases in Delaware and California. The move comes weeks before Hunter Biden was set to receive his punishment after his…

by Rob Gillies and Fatima hussein WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau flew to Florida on Friday to have dinner with President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club after Trump threatened to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products. Trump threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if they don’t stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders. A person familiar with the…

The clock is ticking on Brian Daboll in New York. Mike McDaniel isn’t on the hot seat but Miami won’t go anywhere if the Dolphins can’t win in the cold. Eberflus’ mistake was so egregious Thursday it wasn’t a surprise the Bears made a coaching change on Friday. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown was promoted to interim coach after Eberflus was fired. The third-year coach’s massive blunder overshadowed an impressive second-half performance by Caleb Williams after the rookie No. 1 pick rallied the Bears into position to potentially upset Detroit. Eberflus then doubled down on the decision to allow precious seconds…

by Andrew Seligman and Rob Maaddi CHICAGO — Matt Eberflus was fired by the Chicago Bears on Friday, one day after botching a timeout in a loss at Detroit. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will serve as interim coach, the Bears said in a statement. “This morning … we informed Matt of our decision to move in a different direction with the leadership of our football team and the head coaching position,” general manager Ryan Poles said. “I thank Matt for his hard work, professionalism and dedication to our organization. We extend our gratitude for his commitment to the Chicago Bears…

by Monica Pronczuk and Sylvie Corbet DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday for the first time recognized the killing of West African soldiers by the French Army in 1944 as a massacre in a letter addressed to the Senegalese authorities. Macron’s move, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the World War II killings in Thiaroye — a fishing village on the outskirts of the Senegalese capital of Dakar — comes as France’s influence is declining in the region, with Paris losing its sway in the former French colonies in West Africa. Between 35 and…

by Sam Mednick and Monika Pronczuk DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Chad’s government is ending a defense cooperation agreement with France, its former colonial ruler, to redefine the nation’s sovereignty. The decision marks a historic turning point after the Central African nation gained independence more than six decades ago, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abderaman Koulamallah said in a statement Thursday. It said the decision to end the agreement would allow Chad to redefine its strategic partnerships in line with national priorities. There was no immediate response from France’s government. Chad was one of the last countries in the region in which France…

by Jamey Keaten GENEVA — The World Trade Organization chief said Friday she’s “eager” to work with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his trade team, while taking a wait-and-see stance about Trump’s plans to impose new tariffs on goods from other countries including China, Mexico and Canada. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala made the comments to reporters after member countries handed her a second four-year term, in a vote with no opposition. The Geneva-based trade body’s future is clouded by Trump’s looming return to power in January in the U.S., home to the world’s single biggest economy, because his pledges to…

by Zeke Miller WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday reached a required agreement with President Joe Biden’s White House to allow his transition staff to coordinate with the existing federal workforce before taking office on Jan. 20. The congressionally mandated agreement allows transition aides to work with federal agencies and access non-public information and gives a green light to government workers to talk to the transition team. But Trump has declined to sign a separate agreement with the General Services Administration that would have given his team access to secure government offices and email accounts, in part because it…

by Associated Press A ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah appeared to be holding, as residents in cars heaped with belongings streamed back toward southern Lebanon despite warnings from the Israeli and Lebanese military that they stay away from certain areas. If it holds, the ceasefire would bring an end to nearly 14 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.As a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah appears to hold in Lebanon, fighting raged on in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. The Gaza Health Ministry said 33 bodies had been brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours,…