Stories by Associated Press
White House Considering Dramatic Expansion of Travel Ban
| Associated Press
The White House is considering dramatically expanding its much-litigated travel ban to additional countries amid a renewed election-year focus on immigration by President Donald Trump, according to six people familiar with the deliberations.
Chicago Child Dies from the Flu
| Kristen Thometz
A Chicago child is one of 2,900 people across the U.S. who have died from the flu so far this season, and the first pediatric death in Illinois, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Boeing Papers Show Employees Slid 737 Max Problems Past FAA
| Associated Press
Boeing employees raised doubts among themselves about the safety of the 737 Max, hid problems from federal regulators and ridiculed those responsible for designing and overseeing the jetliner, according to a damning batch of newly released emails and texts.
Chicago Coyote Captured After 2 Suspected Attacks Reported
| Associated Press
Authorities on the hunt for coyotes in downtown Chicago after two reported attacks, including one where passersby said they had to pull a wild canine off of a 6-year-old boy who was bitten in the head, captured one animal Thursday night on the city’s North Side.
Madigan Rejects Call for House Investigation of Alleged Cover-Up
| Amanda Vinicky
House Speaker Michael Madigan rebuffed a call by his Republican counterpart to convene a special House committee to investigate an alleged “criminal cover-up” detailed in an email written by one of Madigan’s top confidants.
Tehran Plane May Have Been Shot Down Mistakenly by Iran
| Paul Caine
It’s the latest in a string of tragic news involving Chicago-based Boeing: A 737 jet crashed Wednesday, killing all 176 people on board. We discuss that incident and what the future holds for Boeing with Tracy Rucinski, U.S. aviation correspondent for Reuters.
Coyote Attacks Are Rare, Says Lincoln Park Zoo Expert
| Kristen Thometz
The city is on high alert after two coyote attacks Wednesday, but a wildlife expert says such incidents are very rare. “I don’t think people need to be panicked or alarmed,” said Seth Magle, director of the Urban Wildlife Institute at Lincoln Park Zoo.
US Stocks Surge Amid Easing Tension with Iran, Imminent China Trade Talks
| Evan Garcia
The U.S. stock market closed at record highs Thursday, indicating investor confidence as relations between the U.S. and Iran appear to cool down. Ed Stuart and Michael Miller share their thoughts on current economic conditions.
House Approves Measure to Restrain Trump’s Actions on Iran
| Associated Press
Reigniting a debate over who has the power to declare war, the Democratic-controlled House on Thursday approved a resolution asserting that President Donald Trump must seek approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran.
Crain’s Headlines: Texas Developer Makes Bet on Fulton Market
| WTTW News
A Texas developer is set to make a bold bet in the Fulton Market District and hoping to help jumpstart Chicago’s life-sciences industry in the process.
Ask Geoffrey: A 1917 Army Parade on Michigan Avenue
| Erica Gunderson
What do a train ride and an army parade have in common? Geoffrey Baer investigates two Chicago publicity stunts in this installment of Ask Geoffrey.
Prince Harry and Meghan to ‘Step Back’ as Senior UK Royals
| Associated Press
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, say they plan “to step back” as senior members of Britain’s royal family, a stunning announcement that underscores the couple’s wish to forge a new path for royals in the modern world.
City Outlines Plans to Curb Racing, Stunt Riding by Large Groups of Motorcyclists
| Nick Blumberg
The city is developing plans to curb drag racing and stunt riding by large groups of motorcyclists along city streets and Lake Shore Drive during warm weather, officials said Thursday.
Feds Seek Resentencing of Would-Be Chicago Bar Bomber Adel Daoud
| Matt Masterson
Federal prosecutors say the 16-year sentence given last year to Adel Daoud, who attempted to detonate what he thought was a bomb outside a downtown bar, is “substantively unreasonable” and failed to account for Daoud’s “commitment to violence.”
Chicago Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Sex Trafficking
| Matt Masterson
Timothy Dorsey, 52, pleaded guilty last year to running a multistate sex trafficking ring and was implicated in the 2015 murder of one of his former prostitutes. This week, he was sentenced to a decade in prison.
Judge Orders Google to Turn Over Jussie Smollett’s Emails
| Associated Press
A judge has ordered Google to turn over a year’s worth of Jussie Smollett’s emails, private messages, photographs and location data to a special prosecutor who is looking into why prosecutors abruptly dismissed criminal charges against the actor.
City to Install Noise Monitors Along Lake Shore Drive
| Nick Blumberg
The city of Chicago plans to install six noise monitors along Lake Shore Drive with an eye toward cracking down on illegally modified motorcycles that race up and down the highway, city officials said Thursday.
Facebook Again Refuses to Ban Political Ads, Even False Ones
| Associated Press
Despite escalating pressure ahead of the 2020 presidential election, Facebook reaffirmed its freewheeling policy on political ads Thursday, saying it won’t ban them, won’t fact-check them and won’t limit how they can be targeted to specific groups of people.
R. Kelly Girlfriend Charged After Fight at Singer’s Condo
| Associated Press
Joycelyn Savage, 24, was taken into custody after allegedly punching a 22-year-old woman in the face Wednesday, police said, and Savage was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery.
5 Myths About Legal Marijuana
| Amanda Vinicky
Recreational cannabis has been legal in Illinois for a week, but there’s still a lot of confusion over how the law is supposed to work. We clear the air.
Spotlight Politics: More Madigan #MeToo Fallout
| WTTW News
The fallout from an explosive story involving a top ally of House Speaker Michael Madigan. Our politics team digs into that story and more in our weekly roundtable.
Illinois Lawmakers Spar over Property Tax Relief
| Quinn Myers
A bipartisan task force was established last spring to tackle the issue of the state’s high property taxes. But that task force is now being attacked by Republicans, who say their ideas and contributions have been ignored. Is that the case?
US, Iran Step Back from the Brink; Region Still on Edge
| Associated Press
The U.S. and Iran stepped back from the brink of possible war on Wednesday as President Donald Trump signaled he would not retaliate militarily for Iran’s missile strikes on Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops.
10 Things to Do This Weekend: Jan. 9-12
| Kristen Thometz
Winter beers, bucking bulls, a pants-free CTA ride, vegan fare and comedy sketches usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.
Police Oversight is Widespread in the US. But is it Effective?
| Nick Blumberg
Sharon Fairley, the former head of Chicago’s civilian police oversight agency, talks about the findings of a new survey and breaking the cycle of scandal, reform, repeat.
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