Author: chicagoinquirer

by Valerie Gonzalez MATAMOROS, Mexico — Migrants rushed across the Mexico border Thursday, racing to enter the U.S. before pandemic-related asylum restrictions are lifted in a shift that threatens to put a historic strain on the nation’s beleaguered immigration system. The imminent end of the rules known as Title 42 stirred fear among migrants that the change would make it more difficult for them to stay in the U.S. With a late-night deadline looming, migrants in Mexico shed clothing before descending a steep bank into the Rio Grande, clutching plastic bags filled with clothes. One man held a baby in…

by Tim Reynolds The jacket that Michael Jordan famously and grudgingly wore while receiving an Olympic gold medal has been in Brian McIntyre’s possession for more than three decades now. He figures the time is right to let someone else enjoy it. The red, white and blue Reebok jacket that Jordan — a Nike athlete — was forced to wear on the medal stand alongside the other members of USA Basketball’s first “Dream Team” at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics is headed to auction. Sotheby’s, which has the offering that will run through June 28, estimates that the jacket could fetch…

by Agency reports LONDON  — The U.K. is sending Ukraine long-range cruise missiles to help push back Russian forces, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Thursday. It’s the first known shipment of the weaponry that Kyiv has long sought from its allies. Wallace told lawmakers in the House of Commons that Britain is donating Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of more than 250 kilometers (155 miles). He didn’t say how many are being sent. Wallace said the missiles “are now going into or are in the country itself.” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged in February that Britain would…

by Stephen Groves WASHINGTON  — House Republicans are seeking Thursday to pass a sweeping bill to build more border wall and impose new restrictions on asylum seekers, creating a hardline counter to President Joe Biden’s policies just as migrants are amassing along the border with the end of pandemic restrictions. The bill has virtually no chance of becoming law. Democrats, who have a narrow hold on the Senate, have decried the aggressive measures in the bill as “cruel” and “anti-immigrant,” and Biden has already promised he would veto it. But the House GOP pointedly scheduled the vote for the same day as the expiration…

by Brian Mahoney NEW YORK  — Jalen Brunson had 38 points, nine rebounds and seven assists while playing all 48 minutes in a season-extending performance, and the New York Knicks beat the Miami Heat 112-103 on Wednesday night in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Knicks denied the Heat’s first attempt to become just the second No. 8 seed to reach the conference finals and sent the series back to Miami for Game 6 on Friday night. RJ Barrett added 26 points and Julius Randle had 24 for the fifth-seeded Knicks, who stayed alive in hopes of reaching…

by Seung Min Kim WASHINGTON  — The Hollywood writers’ strike that’s snarling the television and movie industries has now scrambled the White House schedule. An MTV special on mental health that was expected to feature Vice President Kamala Harris next week has been postponed, according to her office. A person familiar with the decision said Harris chose not to travel to the Los Angeles-area event because that would have been seen as crossing the picket line. That’s a political nonstarter for Democrats who rely on union support. The person was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity about…

by Seung Min Kim and Josh Boak VALHALLA, N.Y.  — President Joe Biden on Wednesday blasted Republican-demanded spending cuts as “devastating,” making his case in a campaign-style speech to voters as lawmakers met in Washington on raising the government’s borrowing limit to avoid a potentially catastrophic U.S. default. The president is showing an increased willingness to discuss possible budget restraints, yet he insisted anew that any talks on that should occur without the risk of the federal government being unable to pay its bills. As he spoke, negotiators from the White House and Congress met for two hours privately at…

by Jill Colvin During a tense CNN town hall Wednesday, former President Donald Trump dug in on his lies about the 2020 election, downplayed the violence on Jan. 6, 2021, and repeatedly insulted a woman in response to a civil jury’s finding this week that he was liable of sexually assaulting her. During the contentious back-and-forth in early-voting New Hampshire — where moderator Kaitlan Collins sometimes struggled to fact-check his misstatements in real time — Trump continued to insist the election had been “rigged,” even though state and federal election officials, his own campaign and White House aides, and numerous courts have…

by Emeka ObasiLAGOD, NIGERIA – Gbubemi Amas Amanoritsewor ! The name  with tall credentials that connected events and people and even when not duly recognised by Nigeria,  ventured abroad to excel. A true global citizen, he rests at Oystermouth  Cemetery, beneath the sands of  Swansea, Wales.I call him  Amas Grill,  the title of his album released in 1981. As a student of the University of Benin, I could listen to the track, Ereyon,  all day long. Chris Okotie and Jide Obi were doing their thing as  undergraduates of the  University of Nigeria Nsukka ( UNN ).Amas was on a higher…

STOCKHOLM  — Tens of thousands of fans descended upon the Swedish capital of Stockholm to celebrate the opening show of Beyoncé’s new world tour on Wednesday. “Renaissance” is the superstar’s first solo tour since 2016 and shares the namesake of her 2022 dance-centric album, the success of which landed Beyoncé at the top of the Grammythrone as the ceremony’s most decorated artist in history. Fans who had complained in recent months about the lack of music videos for “Renaissance” hits were in for a treat Wednesday as video projections and animations took center stage. The rapid succession of costume changes and decor…