Author: chicagoinquirer

by Andrew Dalton Sean “Diddy” Combs asked a federal judge Monday to throw out a lawsuit from a music producer who accused the music mogul of a broad pattern of sexual abuse and other misconduct. The lawsuit filed in February by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones — one of many filed against Combs in the past year — is overrun with “tall tales,” “lurid theatrics,” “legally meaningless allegations” and “blatant falsehoods” whose intent is only to “generate media hype and exploit it to extract a settlement,” according to the motion to dismiss filed in federal court in New York. The case…

by Will Wisert, Zeke Miller and Darlene Superville CHICAGO — Kamala Harris summoned Americans on Thursday to reject political division and instead chart what she called a “new way forward,” as she accepted her party’s nomination while blending biography with warnings about electing Donald Trump again to the White House. Taking the stage to a thunderous standing ovation as she closed out the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the vice president argued that her personal story and background as a prosecutor made her uniquely qualified to protect Americans’ interests against a former president she cast as only having his own…

by Jonathan J. Cooper and Ali Swenson PHOENIX — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will speak Friday “about the present historical moment and his path forward,” his campaign announced Wednesday, fueling growing speculation that Kennedy could drop out and support Republican nominee Donald Trump. Kennedy’s running mate openly discussed the possibility on a podcast this week, saying the campaign was considering a move to “join forces” with Trump to limit the election chance of Kamala Harris, whose Democratic convention winds up Thursday night in Chicago. The move would have once seemed unthinkable for Kennedy, a Democrat for most…

CHICAGO — Warning of a difficult fight ahead, former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama on Tuesday called on the nation to embrace Kamala Harris in urgent messages to the Democratic National Convention that were at times both hopeful and ominous. “America, hope is making a comeback,” the former first lady declared. She then tore into Republican Donald Trump, a sharp shift from the 2016 convention speech in which she told her party, “When they go low, we go high.” “His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated,…

by Steve Peoples, Zeke Miller and Bill Barron CHICAGO — A refreshed Democratic Party reintroduces itself to a divided nation this week, having been transformed by the money, momentum, relief and even joy that followed Vice President Kamala Harris ‘ rise to the top of its ticket. The whiplash of the last month culminates in a convention that begins Monday in Chicago. Above all, the four-day gathering of thousands of activists and party leaders from across the nation is designed to celebrate and strengthen Harris as President Joe Biden’s replacement and boost her campaign to defeat Republican Donald Trump in…

PARIS — The U.S. made a change in its starting lineup, inserting Jackie Young for Diana Taurasi, to try to get off to a better start. It paid immediate dividends as the Americans started strong and beat Nigeria 88-74 on Wednesday night in the quarterfinals of the Paris Games, extending their winning streak to 59 consecutive Olympic games. Taurasi said coach Cheryl Reeve told her Tuesday of the lineup change. “I think it’s the first game I’ve ever come off the bench since ’04,” the six-time Olympian said. It was indeed the first time Taurasi hadn’t started an Olympic contest…

LANSING, Mich. — Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are spending their first full day as running mates Wednesday rallying Democrats across the Midwest, a politically divided region that is crucial to their effort to win the White House in less than three months. The trip, which begins in Wisconsin before shifting to Michigan, is aimed at shoring up support among the younger, diverse, labor-friendly voters who were instrumental in helping President Joe Biden win the 2020 election. But that coalition showed signs of fraying over the summer, particularly in Michigan, which has emerged as a focal…

by Seung Min Kim and Jonathan J. Cooper WASHINGTON — The crowds are psyched. The campaign donations are flooding in. Volunteers are showing up at field offices in droves. After a mostly smooth two-week campaign startup, Vice President Kamala Harris is headed into a crucial week that includes her most critical decision yet — choosing a running mate — while grappling with how to keep that early political momentum alive. Harris, a former prosecutor known for being deliberative, effectively has a deadline of Tuesday to select who will be her No. 2 from a list that has been whittled down…

by Chinedu Asadu ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria’s leader on Sunday called for an end to mass protests over economic hardship, saying the rallies have turned violent and blaming “a few with a political agenda” for driving them. The protests, which began Thursday, have been accompanied by reports of looting and vandalism, as well as accusations that security forces have used excessive force. Amnesty International has reported the deaths of nine protesters in clashes with police, while another four were killed by a bomb. The Nigerian police denied the Amnesty report. “I have heard you loud and clear,” President Bola Tinubu…

by Go Nakamura and Ted Hesson HEREFORD – Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance blamed Vice President Kamala Harris for illegal immigration during a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona on Thursday and claimed that migrants were overwhelming U.S. schools and hospitals. Vance, speaking in front of the border wall in the town of Hereford, called Harris a failed “border czar” and said she should have worked with U.S. agencies to deal with illegal crossings, even though Harris was tasked with a narrower role of addressing migration from Northern Central America. “Kamala Harris as border czar was asked to…