Author: chicagoinquirer

by Mary Clare Jalonick WASHINGTON  — Senate Majority Leader John Thune pleaded with colleagues on Friday to “end these weeks of misery” as many Democrats pledged to vote against reopening the government until President Donald Trump and Republican leaders negotiate with them on an extension of health care benefits. A small group of Democrats has been negotiating with Republicans on a deal that would end the shutdown. But the contours of that agreement would only come with the promise of a future health care vote, rather than a guarantee that Affordable Care Act subsidies are extended by the end of…

by Daniella Matar and Tim Reynolds MILAN  — The NBA is targeting October 2027 as a potential launch date for the new Europe-based league that it and FIBA have been working to make happen, a league official said Friday. NBA Europe managing director George Aivagolozu, speaking at a conference in Milan, said the first season of the new league might be described as “a semi-opening,” indicating that not all of the slots in the planned 16-team league could be allocated at that time. The 16-team model calls for 12 permanent franchises, Aivagolozu said. He listed current target countries as Britain…

by David A. Lieb, Michael Casey and Scott Bauer BOSTON  — President Donald Trump ’s administration asked a federal appeals court Friday to block a judge’s order that it distribute November’s full monthly SNAP food benefits amid a U.S. government shutdown, even as at least some states said they were moving quickly to get the money to people. The judge gave the Trump administration until Friday to make the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. But the administration asked the appeals court to suspend any court orders requiring it to spend more money than is available in a contingency…

by Tran Nguyen SACRAMENTO, Calif.  — California Republicans filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday to block a new U.S. House map that California voters decisively approved at the ballot. Proposition 50, backed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, is designed to help Democrats flip as many as five congressional House seats in the midterm electionsnext year. The lawsuit claims the map-makers illegally used race as a factor to favor Hispanic voters, and asks the court to block the new boundaries ahead of the 2026 elections. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The lawsuit…

by Steve Peoples and Will Weissert WASHINGTON  — Democrats dominated the first major Election Day since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. And while a debate about the future of the Democratic Party may have only just begun, there are signs that the economy — specifically, Trump’s inability to deliver the economic turnaround he promised last fall — may be a real problem for Trump’s GOP heading into next year’s higher-stakes midterm elections. Democrats on Tuesday won governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey, the only states electing new chief executives this year. They also swept a trio…

by Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick WASHINGTON  — President Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at Senate Republicans to end the government shutdown, now the longest ever, blaming the record-breaking impasse for the party’s defeat in closely-watched elections while Democrats emboldened by their off-year victories dug in for a fight. Trump, whose first term at the White House set the previous government shutdown record, said this one was a “big factor, negative” in Tuesday’s races. He repeated his demands for Republicans to end the Senate filibuster as a way to reopen government — something senators have refused to do. Buoyed…

by Joe Reedy CINCINNATI  — Caleb Williams connected with Colston Loveland for a 58-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left, and the Chicago Bears beat the Cincinnati Bengals 47-42 on Sunday in a wild game that featured three touchdowns in the last two minutes and two lead changes in the final minute. After Joe Flacco put the Bengals ahead 42-41 with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Andrei Iosivas, Chicago (5-3) took over on its own 28 with 54 seconds left. Four plays later, on first down from the 42, Williams found Loveland down the middle. The rookie tight end caught it…

BY  ARIEL FERNÁNDEZ, ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ AND JOHN MYERS JR. Updated 12:18 PM CDT, October 30, 2025 Leer en español by Ariel Fernandez, Andrea Rodriguez and John Myers Jr. SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba  — The rumble of large machinery, whine of chain saws and chopping of machetes echoed through communities across the northern Caribbean on Thursday as they dug out from the destruction of Hurricane Melissa and assessed the damage left behind. In southeastern Jamaica, government workers and residents began clearing roads in a push to reach dozens of isolated communities that sustained a direct hit from one of the most…

by Larry Lage DETROIT  — Chauncey Billups earned a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame a year ago, recognizing his resilience and clutch play in a championship-winning NBA career. His ability to bounce back and make all the right moves is being put to an entirely different test by a gambling scandal. Billups, who was placed on leave as coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, was one of more than 30 people arrested last week for what federal law enforcement officials described as their involvement in various illicit gambling activities. The coach was alleged to have participated in a…

 by Kevin Freking and Stephen Groves WASHINGTON  — The pressure to end the second-longest federal government shutdown is gaining new urgency this week as millions of Americans face the prospect of losing food assistance, more federal workers miss their first full paycheck and recurring delays at airports snarl travel plans. The building strain on lawmakers to end the impasse was magnified by the nation’s largest federal employee union, which called on Congress to immediately pass a funding bill and ensure workers receive full pay. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the two political parties have…