Author: chicagoinquirer

by Michelle Gumede and Mogomotsi Magome JOHANNESBURG — South African is starting a “national dialogue” Friday that is meant to bring all sectors of society together to discuss the country’s most pressing issues and find solutions. The talks, initiated by President Cyril Ramaphosa after calls from civil society, are expected to include most political parties, civic groups and members of the public. Concerns have been raised over a possible $40 million cost, while there are also questions about whether the dialogue will result in significant changes. South Africa faces many problems more than 30 years after the end of the…

by Lindsay Whitehurst, Ashraf Khalil and Alanna Durkin Richer WASHINGTON  — The nation’s capital sued to block President Donald Trump’s takeover of its police department in court on Friday, hours after his administration escalated its intervention into the city’s law enforcement by naming a federal official as the new emergency head of the department. District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb sought an emergency restraining order in the federal court lawsuit, which argues the Trump administration is going far beyond the president’s legal powers. “The administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans…

by Gene Chamberlain LAKE FOREST, Ill.  — Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson sees the second preseason game as the ideal time to get quarterback Caleb Williams some on-field reps. Williams will see game action in Johnson’s offense for the first time when the Bears host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night. Backups Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum and Austin Reed took the snaps in last Sunday’s 24-24 tie against Miami in the preseason opener. “Our starters are going to play, everyone is going to play,” Johnson said Wednesday. “Last week and really all through camp I’ve been pretty consistent with the…

by Michael R. Blood and Tran Nguyen LOS ANGELES — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday his state will hold a Nov. 4 special election to seek voter approval of new congressional map drawn to try to win Democrats five more U.S. House seats in 2026. The move is a direct response to a Republican-led effort in Texas, pushed by President Donald Trump as his party seeks to maintain its slim House majority after the midterm elections. Texas lawmakers are considering a new map that would help them send five more Republicans to Washington. Democrats who so far have halted…

by Michelle L. Price Vladimir Isachenkov WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday could be a decisive moment for both the war in Ukraine and the U.S. leader’s anomalous relationship with his Russian counterpart. Trump has long boasted that he’s gotten along well with Putin and spoken admiringly of him, even praising him as “pretty smart” for invading Ukraine. But in recent months, he’s expressed frustrations with Putin and threatened more sanctions on his country. At the same time, Trump has offered conflicting messages about his expectations for the summit. He has called it…

by Jill Colvin NEW YORK  — As National Guard troops deploy across her city as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to clamp down on crime, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is responding with relative restraint. She’s called Trump’s takeover of the city’s police department and his decision to activate 800 members of the guard “ unsettling and unprecedented ” and gone as far as to cast his efforts as part of an “authoritarian push.” But Bowser has so far avoided the kind of biting rhetoric and personal attacks typical of other high-profile Democratic leaders, despite the unprecedented incursion into her…

by Gebe Chamberlaine CHICAGO (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa saw the value in playing a series in Sunday’s preseason opener even if it didn’t end the way he would have liked. The game itself didn’t end the way Miami or the Chicago Bears would have liked. Tagovailoa had an efficient start to the preseason Sunday and the Dolphins and the Bears finished in a 24-24 tie in Ben Johnson’s Chicago coaching debut. Playing in a preseason opener for the first time since 2021, Tagovailoa completed 5 of 6 for 27 yards in a 15-play drive against Bears backups,…

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins placed Alexander Mattison on injured reserve Monday after the veteran running back suffered a season-ending neck injury in a preseason game against the Chicago Bears. Mattison left Sunday’s game with a neck injury after being tackled on a 21-yard pass play and landing awkwardly on his head in the fourth quarter. Coach Mike McDaniel said afterward that Mattison had some soreness in his neck and shoulder. Mattison was taken to a hospital and had season-ending neck surgery, ESPN reported. The Dolphins signed Mattison to a one-year deal in March to bolster their running…

by Mark Banchereau DAKAR, Senegal  — It’s the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth — a 54-pound (25-kilogram) meteorite that fetched more than $5 million at a New York auction last month, setting a world record. But in the West African nation of Niger, where the rusty-red rock was unearthed in the Sahara Desert, officials have launched an investigation into what they call possible “illicit international trafficking,” claiming it may have been smuggled out of the country. Here’s what to know about the meteorite and the legal dispute: How it was found Sotheby’s said the rock, named NWA…

WASHINGTON  — President Donald Trump said Monday that he’s deploying the National Guard across Washington and taking over the city’s police department in the hopes of reducing crime, even as the city’s mayor has noted that crime is falling in the nation’s capital. The Republican president, who said he was formally declaring a public safety emergency, compared crime in the American capital with that in other major cities, saying Washington performs poorly on safety relative to the capitals of Iraq, Brazil and Colombia, among others. Trump also said at his news briefing that his administration has started removing homeless encampments…