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US announces sweeping action against Chinese fentanyl supply chain producers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration took aim Tuesday at the fentanyl trafficking threat, announcing a series of indictments and sanctions against Chinese companies and executives blamed for importing the chemicals used to make the deadly drug.Officials described the actions, which include charges against eight Chinese companies accused of advertising, manufacturing and distributing precursor chemicals for synthetic opioids like fentanyl, as the latest effort in their fight against the deadliest overdose crisis in U.S. history. The moves come one day before senior administration officials are set to visit Mexico, whose cartels are part of the global trafficking network, for meetings expected to involve discussion of the drug threat.“We know that this network includes the cartels’ leaders, their drug traffickers, their money launderers, their clandestine lab operators, their security forces, their weapons suppliers, and their chemical suppliers,” Attorney General Merrick Garlan...

Chicago Migrant Crisis: 17K asylum seekers transported since August 2022

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:51 GMT

CHICAGO -- The recent surge of migrants continuing an upward trend in Chicago as 10 more buses arrived on Tuesday.According to city records, 17,000 new arrivals since the city started receiving busloads of asylum seekers in August 2022. With 224 of the 332 buses delivering migrants to Chicago just in the last five months.2,300 asylum seeker still remain at Chicago Police Department district headquarters waiting for shelter placement. Another 678 migrants are reportedly camped out at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Residents discuss plans for migrant shelter at Amundsen Park during community meeting Transported with little advance warning from Texas, the Chicago Office of Emergency Management with the support from the fire department and social service specialists have their focus on those arriving at what's become known as the "landing zone" at Jefferson Street near Vernon Park. Tuesday's arrivals came from El Paso, Texas, after a 23 hour journey to Chicago.Mayor Brandon J...

Opinion: The Lions are the template, and the Bears should follow suit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:51 GMT

It was glorious, and then it wasn’t. But hey, that’s better than what it has been so far this year for the Chicago Bears, right?For most of Chicago’s Sunday matchup against the Denver Broncos, Justin Fields flipped the script many loud mouths have written about him so far this season, accounting for more touchdown passes than incompletions for almost the entire game, and proving he has never been the central liability when it comes to this team's sporadic offense.The defense played complimentary football too!Chicago’s defense forced four straight punts as the Bears built a 28-7 lead, giving up just 45 yards across 15 plays spanning the entire second quarter into the second half.Then suddenly, the rug was pulled out from under Chicago fandom, and Bears faithful were sent crashing back to the painful reality of what their team has been to watch all year.Painful. Awful. Stinky.Russell Wilson led back-to-back touchdown drives to make it a one possession game before Fields promptly cough...

'Tectonic shifting' possible in SCOTUS consumer case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) -- After the 2008 financial crisis, Congress created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to protect consumers from things like excessive and predatory fees. But a new case before the US Supreme Court could gut the CFPB.The agency regulates things like the fees payday lenders can charge borrowers. Now the payday lenders are pushing back by claiming the CFPB's funding is unconstitutional."In practice, it could be rendered inoperable," said Aram Gavoor with George Washington Law. "It's actually drawn from a discretionary amount that the CFPB selects."During arguments before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, the lawyer representing the payday lenders argued the CFPB budget doesn't have enough congressional oversight."At a bare minimum the appropriations clause requires Congress to determine how much the government should be spending," a lawyer for the payday lenders said.Without that appropriations oversight, the payday lenders say other agencies and even the White...

Millions in grants obtained by Joliet Township draws criticism from some city officials

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:51 GMT

WILL COUNTY, Ill. — Millions of dollars in grants obtained by Joliet Township is drawing criticism from some city officials.Last week, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s administration announced Joliet Township would receive $8.6 million in grants to provide housing and services to asylum seekers from Central and South America.Since late August, over 15,000 migrants have been bussed from Texas to Illinois. Many of them have been sleeping at Chicago police stations and shelters. Chicago Migrant Crisis: 17K asylum seekers transported since August 2022 A spokesperson for Joliet Mayor Terry D'Arcy said the mayor and other decision-makers in the city did not approve or have knowledge of the grant request, which was made by Joliet Township Supervisor Angel Contreras.The township operates independently from the City of Joliet."If the township accepts this grant and individuals arrive in our city, it will be a tremendous strain and overtaxing our existing infrastructure impacting our Jolie...

Pritzker warns against book censorship as Illinois libraries deal with threats

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:51 GMT

CHICAGO — Illinois leaders warn that the effort to pull more books off library shelves across the United States is growing. The warning comes as the nation celebrates Banned Book Week, which runs from Oct. 1-7.Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton spoke about the dangers of book bans at the University of Chicago's Regenstein Library. Gov. Pritzker signs Illinois anti-book banning bill into law "There's a mob mentality that's taking hold, based on the misguided notion that everyone's personal taste in books ought to be codified so that no one else may access the books that each person may find distasteful," Pritzker said. “Illinois continues to stand on the right side of history, refusing to censor educational and social reading material that celebrates our diversity and the richness of the human experience," Lt. Gov. Stratton added. “As we celebrate Banned Books Week, our administration is committed to protecting the voices and stories ...

Delphi defense team believes state has reopened investigation into Odinism theory

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:51 GMT

DELPHI, Ind. — In a new court filing, the defense team for Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen says it believes investigators have reopened their investigation into the theory that Abby Williams and Libby German were killed in a ritualistic sacrifice. Allen's attorney laid out their reasoning in a motion filed on Monday asking Judge Fran Gull to set a deadline for the prosecution to turn over all of the evidence it has against their client. Attorneys for Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen want search warrant evidence thrown out The defense team says it has recently received several audio files of interviews conducted by Indiana State Police this past August with numerous people who they say are members of an Odinist cult.Lawyers for Richard Allen first floated the Odinism theory in a more than 130-page memo filed in mid-September. Odinism itself is an ancient Nordic religion sometimes known as Asatru. While often peaceful, some adherents practice animal sacrifice and ritualistic ...

Who is the new speaker of the House? It's complicated

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:51 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — In a historic move on Tuesday, the House voted to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his seat. Stillness fell as the presiding officer gaveled the vote closed, 216-210, saying the office of the speaker "is hereby declared vacant.” This was the first time since 1910 that such a vote has been held, and the only time such a motion has been approved, according to The Hill. Now, what comes next is largely uncertain. That includes who will become the new leader of the House Republican majority. House makes history, removes McCarthy as Speaker What we do know is who will serve as the speaker pro tempore, filling the office until a new speaker is chosen: a top McCarthy ally, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC).McHenry was one of many Republicans who voted against ousting McCarthy. He was chosen from a list McCarthy designated and shared with the House clerk earlier this year, following a process started after 9/11. He is serving his tenth term as the representative for North Carolina's...

Blood-covered man hitting himself walked Highway 183, stunned by APD, dies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An officer stunned a man early Tuesday morning after police said he kept striking himself with a metal object. The man later died at a local hospital. Looks like he's got a pipe on him…he's got blood all over him…he's carrying a pipe."Broadcastify AudioPolice said they began receiving multiple 911 calls at about 3:05 a.m. about a pedestrian on U.S. 183 near the 12300 block of Research Boulevard. The callers told police the man had obvious injuries to his body. Police said they arrived on the scene at about 3:09 a.m. and attempted to speak with the man and de-escalate the situation. The man, however, would not respond to officers, and police said he began seriously injuring himself with a metal object in front of them. One officer used a Taser on the man, which police said then allowed them to render aid. Austin-Travis County EMS then took the man to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 4:05 a.m. "I think that's seriously crazy," Sydney Ellis a neighbor...

Call-A-Ride service should be back to normal Wednesday, Metro says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:51 GMT

ST. LOUIS – Metro is still recovering after a cyberattack shut down parts of the transit system on Monday.According to Metro, the breach has been contained, and they were safely able to run their transit services on Monday. However, some of those folks who use the paratransit system Call-A-Ride were unable to get where they needed to go.“That’s terrible,” Tammy Porter said. “A lot of people really depend on Call-A-Ride—people less fortunate—and that’s a shame that this is happening to them.”Progress is being made Tuesday to resolve the computer network affecting Bi-State Development, Metro Transit, St. Louis Downtown Airport, ticketing at the Gateway Arch and the Riverboats at the Gateway Arch, and the St. Louis Regional Freightway. House makes history, removes McCarthy as Speaker A Metro spokesperson said their IT teams froze their computer system to protect it from further damage and to protect customer information.No customer information was compromised in the attack, according...