Stories by associated press

Temporary House leader Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., talks with Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, as Republicans try to elect Jordan in a second ballot to be the new House speaker, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. (Alex Brandon / AP Photo)

Jim Jordan Fails Again to Win Vote to Become House Speaker as Colleagues Seek Options

Next steps were highly uncertain as a bipartisan group of lawmakers floated an extraordinary plan — to give the interim speaker-pro-tempore, U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., more power to reopen the House and temporarily conduct routine business.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, arrives in Halifax on Oct. 28, 2022. Within hours of the horrific attack by Hamas, the U.S. began moving warships and aircraft to the region to be ready to provide Israel with whatever it needs to respond. (Andrew Vaughan / The Canadian Press via AP, File)

More US Ships Head Toward Israel and 2,000 Troops Are on Heightened Alert. A Look at US Assistance

One U.S. aircraft carrier and its strike group are already in the eastern Mediterranean and a second one has left the U.S. and is heading that way. In addition, three Marine warships are moving into the region.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, seated center, talks to Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, right, and a House staff member, left, as Republicans try to elect Jordan, a top Donald Trump ally, to be the new House speaker, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (J. Scott Applewhite / AP Photo)

Republicans Reject Rep. Jim Jordan for House Speaker on the First Ballot, Signaling More Turmoil Ahead

More voting is expected as Jim Jordan works to shore up support to replace the ousted Kevin McCarthy for the job and the leader of the GOP’s hard-right flank moves to take a central seat of U.S. power.

Family members of Wadea Al Fayoume bring his casket into Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview, Ill., Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh)

Mourners in Bridgeview, a Heavily Palestinian Suburb, Remember Muslim Boy Killed as Kind, Energetic

In Bridgeview, which is home to a large and established Palestinian community, family and friends remembered Wadea as an energetic boy who loved playing games. His body was carried in a small white casket — which was at times draped with a Palestinian flag — through packed crowds.

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields walks to the locker room after being sacked during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023, in Chicago. (AP Photo / Charles Rex Arbogast)

Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields Has Dislocated Thumb and Is Doubtful to Play Against Raiders

Justin Fields was hurt on Chicago’s first possession of the third quarter against Minnesota. He seemed to land awkwardly on his hand trying to throw the ball away while getting sacked by Danielle Hunter. The Bears punted on the next play, and Fields headed to the locker room.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, talks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Jim Jordan’s Rapid Rise Has Been Cheered By Trump and the Far Right. Could It Soon Make Him Speaker?

A favorite of former President Donald Trump and darling of the party’s rabble-rousing base, Jordan’s path to the U.S. government’s third-highest office is by no means certain in a House Republican conference riven by conflict following the ouster two weeks ago of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

In this undated photo provided by Rabbi Meir Hecht on behalf of the Raanan family is Judith Raanan, left, and her daughter Natalie after Natalie’s recent high school graduation. Judith and Natalie are missing while visiting relatives in Nahal Oz for Simchat Torah, a festive Jewish holiday that marks the conclusion of the annual reading of the Torah. (Raanan Family via AP)

An Evanston Mom and Daughter Are Missing in Israel. Their Family Says Hamas is Holding Them Hostage

The family hasn’t heard from either mother or daughter since a week ago, after Hamas launched an unprecedented surprise attack.

(WTTW News)

Ex-DCFS Worker Guilty of Endangerment in Death of 5-Year-Old AJ Freund

Lake County Judge George Strickland found Carlos Acosta, 57 of Woodstock, who was a case investigator for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, guilty of the child endangerment charge but acquitted him of a reckless conduct charge.

sraeli tanks head towards the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel on Thursday, Oct.12, 2023. (AP Photo / Ohad Zwigenberg)

What to Know on the Seventh Day of the Israel-Hamas War: Ordered Evacuations in Gaza, Shelling on Border

The latest Israel-Hamas war has claimed at least 2,800 lives on both sides since Hamas launched an unprecedented surprise attack on Oct. 7.

President Joe Biden speaks during a roundtable with Jewish community leaders in the Indian Treaty Room on the White House complex in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. (AP Photo / Susan Walsh, File)

Biden Awards $7 Billion for Clean Hydrogen Hubs Across the Country, Including Illinois

The Midwest hub in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan will use hydrogen in steel and glass production, power generation, heavy-duty transportation and sustainable aviation fuel. The hub plans to use renewable energy, natural gas and nuclear energy.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of La., speaks with reporters after departing a House Republican caucus meeting on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, in Washington. (Alex Brandon / AP Photo)

Steve Scalise Ends His Bid to Become US House Speaker After Failing to Secure the Votes to Win Gavel

Next steps are uncertain as the House is essentially closed while Republicans try to elect a speaker after ousting Kevin McCarthy from the job.

FILE - Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, leave federal court on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, in New York. (Seth Wenig / AP Photo, File)

Sen. Menendez is Accused of Being an Unregistered Agent of Egypt’s Government in Updated Indictment

The new charge comes just weeks after Menendez and his wife were accused of accepting bribes of cash, gold bars and a luxury car from three New Jersey businessmen who wanted the senator’s help and influence over foreign affairs.

The U.S. Social Security Administration office is seen in Mount Prospect, Ill., Oct. 12, 2022. About 71 million people including retirees, disabled people and children receive Social Security benefits. (AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh, File)

Social Security Benefits Will Increase by 3.2% in 2024 as Inflation Moderates

The cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, means the average recipient will receive more than $50 more every month beginning in January, the Social Security Administration said Thursday. The AARP estimated that increase at $59 per month.

Emmy Martin, Editor in Chief of The Daily Tar Heel, the student newspaper of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, poses with a copy of the Aug. 30 paper outside of the newsroom on Monday, Oct. 9, 2023, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (Samantha Lewis via AP)

While the News Industry Struggles, College Students Are Supplying Some Memorable Journalism

The Daily Northwestern’s explosive interview this summer with a former football player about alleged hazing was key to the firing of head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who is suing for wrongful termination.

Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., leaves after a closed-door meeting of House Republicans during which he was chosen as their candidate for Speaker of the House on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023 in Washington. (AP Photo / Mark Schiefelbein)

Republicans Nominate Steve Scalise to be House Speaker and Will Try to Unite Before Floor Vote

House Republicans narrowly pushed aside Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, the Judiciary Committee chairman, in favor of Rep. Steve Scalise, the current majority leader, lawmakers said. A floor vote of the whole House could come as soon as Wednesday afternoon.

A sign reading “No CO2, no eminent domain” stands along a rural road east of Bismarck, N.D., on Aug. 15, 2023. (AP Photo / Jack Dura, file)

CO2 Pipeline Project On Hold While Company Reevaluates the Route in 5 States, Including Illinois

The proposed 1,300-mile project would carry planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions from more than 20 industrial plants across South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois. The Illinois permit is crucial because that’s where the company planned to store the carbon dioxide underground.

This photo provided by Daniel Wilsey shows Dorothy Hoffner, 104, falling through the air with tandem jumper Derek Baxter as she becomes the oldest person in the world to skydive, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023, at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Ill. (Daniel Wilsey via AP, File)

104-Year-Old Chicago Woman Dies Days After Making a Skydive That Could Give Her a World Record

On Oct. 1, Dorothy Hoffner made a tandem skydive that could land her in the record books as the world's oldest skydiver. She jumped out of a plane from 13,500 feet.

A view of the rubble of buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. Israel has launched intense airstrikes in Gaza after the territory's militant rulers carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel Saturday, killing over 900 people and taking captives. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in the airstrikes. (AP Photo / Hatem Moussa)

Israel Pounds Gaza Neighborhoods, As People Scramble for Safety in Sealed-Off Territory

The war, which has already claimed at least 1,800 lives on both sides, is only expected to escalate. The weekend attack that Hamas said was retribution for worsening Palestinian suffering under Israeli occupation has fired Israel’s determination to crush the group’s hold in Gaza — hiking risks of an expanded regional conflict.

The Capitol is seen at sunrise, in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite)

After One Week Without a House Speaker, Republicans Appear No Closer to Choosing a New Leader

On Tuesday evening, two leading contenders for the gavel, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, were scheduled to address colleagues behind closed doors at a candidate forum, but they appeared to be splitting the vote.

Colored coordinated Presidential Primary Election ballots are organized by political parties for voters on June 7, 2016, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Porterville, Calif. (Chieko Hara / The Porterville Recorder via AP, File)

How Third-Party and Independent Candidates Could Threaten Democrats and Republicans in 2024

While the politics are murky, the fresh frenzy of outsider candidates threatens to weaken both major parties as Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican former President Donald Trump tighten their grip on their parties’ presidential nominations.

Alexander, 3, who is being treated for developmental delays, holds a stuffed animal and watches Paw Patrol in the living room of his West Chicago, Ill., home Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. (AP Photo / Charles Rex Arbogast)

A Workforce Crisis Is Damaging Families’ Access to Therapies for Babies with Developmental Delays

The federally mandated Early Intervention program is plagued by chronic staffing shortages nationwide, leaving thousands of desperate parents frustrated: They know their children need support, they’re aware of proven therapies that could make a difference, but they have to wait for months to get the help they need.

Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya celebrates his Chicago Marathon world record victory in Chicago's Grant Park on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. (Eileen T. Meslar / Chicago Tribune via AP)

World Record Shattered at Chicago Marathon as Kelvin Kiptum Runs 2:00:35

Kelvin Kiptum set a world record in the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, finishing in 2 hours, 35 seconds to shatter fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge's old mark by 34 seconds.

FILE - A prescription is filled, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, in Morganton, N.C. A dose of patience may come in handy at the pharmacy counter this fall, as drug and staffing shortages haven’t gone away. (Chris Carlson / AP Photo, File)

Pharmacist Shortages and Heavy Workloads Challenge Drugstores Heading Into Their Busy Season

Some drugstores have addressed their challenges by adding employees at busy hours. But experts say many pharmacies, particularly the big chains, still don’t have enough workers behind the counter.

A FedEx driver makes deliveries in Palatine, Ill., Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. On Friday, the U.S. government issues its latest monthly jobs report. (AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh)

US Employers Added a Surprisingly Strong 336,000 Jobs in September in a Sign of Economic Resilience

The economy has now added an average of 266,000 jobs a month for the past three months, a streak that could make it likelier that the Federal Reserve will raise its key rate again before year’s end as it continues its drive to tame inflation.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, left, and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., confer during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 8, 2022. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite, File)

A Look at the Contenders for House Speaker and the Demands They’re Facing From Fellow Republicans

Despite former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio on Friday, it’s not at all certain that any of the GOP candidates will be able to round up enough votes. 

FILE - Chicago Bears great Dick Butkus watches from the sideline during the first half of the team's NFL football game against the Houston Texans on Sept. 25, 2022, in Chicago. (AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh, File)

Chicago Bears Legend Dick Butkus Dead at 80

Dick Butkus, fearsome Hall of Fame linebacker for the Chicago Bears, has died at age 80.