Usa news

Those NBA schedule-makers who have been stuck in limbo can go ahead and hit overdrive now. LeBron James might have made their work pretty simple. Opening night, go ahead and expect Philadelphia at New York. Christmas Day, go ahead and …

Holding a black-and-white photo of his great aunt, Scott Long leaned over the Chicago Riverwalk railing Friday and scattered a handful of flowers into the river, honoring a life the S.S. Eastland disaster claimed 111 years ago. Long, 62, took …

Caitlin Clark flops too much. She talks too much trash. She campaigns for calls too much. Those are the casual reasons to root against her. Then there are the heavier ones. Clark’s stardom has become a mirror for bigger arguments. …

PITTSBURGH — It’s no secret what the Cubs, clear buyers at the trade deadline, are shopping for this summer. They need pitching. But they won’t be the only team seeking an upgrade. Do they have what it takes to persuade …

By now you’ve probably read at least something about the scandals surrounding former state Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield. In a nutshell, a young female district office staffer alleged Benton sexually harassed her in 2023. Two of House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” …

PITTSBURGH — Pinch hitting is hard. Cubs outfielder Michael Conforto is making it look easy. “I don’t really know how he does that, to be totally honest,” second baseman Nico Hoerner said Wednesday. “It feels like he’s either homering or …

Illinois and three other states were added Friday to federal health officials’ investigation into a diarrhea-causing parasite that was first tied to shredded lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma …

Rookie left-hander Noah Schultz is scheduled to take his turn in the White Sox’ rotation next week against the Yankees. Whether he takes the one after that remains to be seen. General manager Chris Getz is looking for pitching help, …

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said basketball star LeBron James is “maybe a racist” when asked how he stacked up against Hall of Famer Michael Jordan. James is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, a four-time champion and a four-time Olympic …

The WNBA All-Stars were the first professional players to christen the court at the Obama Presidential Center. So it was fitting that former President Barack Obama, a devoted basketball fan, surprised the group with a short speech Friday before greeting …

A 29-year-old Chicago man has been charged with mail fraud and theft after a months-long investigation into fraudulent returns to Nordstrom, officials said. After being contacted by Nordstrom in March, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office started looking into luxury fragrances …

PITTSBURGH — The Cubs’ defense is so good, replete with Gold Glovers making highlight-reel plays, that you almost have to expect this kind of thing by now, right? ‘‘I don’t expect it,’’ veteran left-hander Matthew Boyd said, not wanting to …

Davis Martin was practically in cruise control Friday against the Astros, throwing five scoreless innings and taking a five-run lead into the sixth, having escaped his only two innings with multiple baserunners. But he couldn’t escape that nightmare inning. The …

Moon Alert Caution! Avoid shopping (except food and gas) and important decisions after 9:15 a.m. for the rest of the day. The moon is in Sagittarius. Aries (March 21-April 19) A positive day Today you might face the fact that …

VILNIUS, Lithuania — Valdas Adamkus is one of the most beloved political figures in his country, serving as Lithuania’s president for two separate five-year terms in a transformative period just before and after it joined the European Union and NATO. …

Stacy Seuamsothabandith, CEO of Laos to Your House, fondly remembers her Lao relatives drinking Beerlao at family gatherings during her childhood in the Quad Cities. Beerlao, brewed with Lao jasmine rice and European malt, hops and yeast, is considered the …

This week’s top photo comes from photojournalist and Photo Desk Editor Ashlee Rezin. Follow her on X and Instagram. What makes this photo important? About 60,000 Lithuanian Americans live in the Chicago area, and my colleague Stephanie Zimmermann’s late mother …

DEAR ABBY: After a four-year battle with cancer, my husband of 27 years passed away. After his death, I was contacted by a guy I had been involved with 40 years before. He said he wanted me to know that …

Chicagoans are once again breathing dangerous air from Canadian wildfires, a reminder that the climate crisis is no longer distant. That reality hit me even harder on a recent hike at Denali National Park and Preserve, where I learned that …

How low is too low when it comes to testosterone levels? When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced earlier this month that U.S. service members ages 30 and older will have their testosterone tested every year, neither he nor the Pentagon …