Author: chicagoinquirer

by bLinley Sanders WASHINGTON — Big shifts within small groups and small shifts within big groups helped propel Donald Trump’s return to the White House. The Republican candidate won by holding onto his traditional coalition — white voters, voters without a college degree and older voters — while making crucial gains among younger voters and Black and Hispanic men, according to AP VoteCast, a far-reaching survey of more than 120,000 voters nationwide. His Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, made small gains — most significantly with white men with a college degree living in urban areas — but it was…

by Michael Knzelman WASHINGTON (AP) — As it became clear Donald Trump was returning to the White House, the Florida man who posed for photos with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern during the Capitol riot popped a bottle of Trump-branded sparkling wine. “Y’all are in trouble,” he said after taking a sip in a video shared on social media. Rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, are celebrating Trump’s victory and hoping he makes good on his campaign trail promise to pardon them. Trump didn’t mention the Jan. 6 defendants, whom he has called “hostages” and “patriots,” during…

WASHINGTON — Republican leaders projected confidence Thursday that they will keep control of the U.S. House as more races were decided in their favor, while Democrats insisted they still see a path toward the majority and sought assurances every vote will be counted. The GOP picked up two more hard-fought seats in Pennsylvania, which became a stark battlefield of Democratic losses up and down the ticket. Democrats notched another win in New York, defeating a third Republican incumbent in that state. Both parties in the House huddled privately on conference calls to assess the political landscape as Congress prepared to…

by Zeke Miller,Michelle L. Price and Jill Colvin WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump has named Susie Wiles, the defacto manager of his victorious campaign, as his White House chief of staff, the first woman to hold the influential role. Wiles is widely credited within and outside Trump’s inner circle for running what was, by far, his most disciplined and well-executed campaign, and was seen as the leading contender for the position. She largely avoided the spotlight, even refusing to take the mic to speak as Trump celebrated his victory early Wednesday morning. She resisted the formal title of campaign manager,…

by Chinedu Asadu ABUJA, Nigeria— Nigeria’s army chief who led soldiers through a critical period in the fight against Islamic extremists in the West African nation’s hard-hit northeast has died, President Bola Tinubu said Wednesday. Lt. Gen. Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, who served as army chief since June 2023, died Tuesday night in Nigeria’s economic hub of Lagos after a “period of illness,” Tinubu said in a statement issued by his office without elaborating further. Lagbaja was 56. The late army chief had not been seen in public in nearly two months, fueling rumors that he had died, which the Nigerian…

by Zeke Miller, Michelle L. Price, Weissert and Jill Colvin WASHINGTON — Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts. With a win in Wisconsin, Trump cleared the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency. The victory validates his bare-knuckle approach to politics. He attacked his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, in deeply personal – often misogynistic and racist – terms as…

by Thomas Beaumont Harris still has a path to the White House through the Northern battleground states, but the map is getting less forgiving. Harris’ campaign has long said her surest way to 270 electoral votes was through Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, states Trump won in 2016 and Biden captured narrowly in 2020. Harris cannot lose Pennsylvania and reach 270 electoral votes. However, she can lose pieces of the blue wall — so named for its longtime reputation as a Democratic firewall — and still reach 270. If she loses Michigan, she can make it up by winning Arizona and…

by Josh Boak and Linley Sanders WASHINGTON— Voters said the economy and immigration are the top issues facing the country, but the future of democracy was also a leading motivator for many Americans casting a ballot in Tuesday’s presidential election. AP VoteCast, an expansive survey of more than 110,000 voters nationwide, found a country mired in negativity and desperate for change as Americans faced a stark choice between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump, the Republican, sought to define the election as a referendum on the Biden-Harris administration and blamed it for inflation and illegal crossings…

by Dyekpazah Shibayan ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigerian authorities released Tuesday 29 children who have been detained for over two months and potentially faced the death penalty for their alleged participation in protests against the country’s record cost-of-living crisis following growing calls for their release. The children, aged 14 to 17, looked excited and full of life as they waved to cameras after their release at a court in the capital, Abuja, where they stood trial. It was a stark contrast to when they were first brought to the court looking malnourished and dressed shabbily, with some collapsing out of exhaustion.…

by Jim Lawless LONDON — Outspoken, right-leaning lawmaker Kemi Badenoch was named leader of Britain’s opposition Conservatives on Saturday, as the party tries to rebound from a crushing election defeat that ended its 14 years in power. The first Black woman to lead a major British political party, Badenoch (pronounced BADE-enock) has pledged to bring the right-of-center Tories “renewal” by pushing for a smaller state and rejecting identity politics. Badenoch defeated rival candidate Robert Jenrick in an online and postal ballot of party members, securing 57% of the almost 100,000 votes cast, to Jenrick’s 43%. Badenoch, 44, replaces former Prime…