Category: Chicago, Illinois Local News

Ukraine’s KYIV — At least four people were killed and nearly 100 injured when Russian hypersonic ballistic missiles attacked Ukraine’s two largest cities early on Tuesday morning, according to officials. This occurred as the war neared its two-year mark and the forces of the Kremlin increased their winter bombardment of urban areas.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel that four civilians were killed and 92 injured in the capital, Kyiv, and in northeastern Kharkiv as hypersonic Kinzhal missiles that can fly at 10 times the speed of sound slammed into city blocks.

Russia fired almost 100 missiles of various types, Zelenskyy said on X, formerly Twitter. He claimed that at least 70 missiles were shot down, almost all of them in the Kyiv area, and said Western-supplied air defense systems such as Patriots and NASAMS had saved hundreds of lives.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had launched missile and drone strikes on military industrial facilities in and around Kyiv. Depots storing missiles and munitions supplied by Ukraine’s Western allies were also targeted, it said.

“The goal of the strike has been achieved, all the targets have been hit,” it said without elaborating. It was not possible to independently verify either side’s claims.

Since Sunday, Zelenskyy said, Russian forces have launched about 170 Shahed drones and “dozens of missiles of various types” in an onslaught against Ukrainian targets. Most were aimed at civilian areas, he said.

The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal is an air-launched hypersonic ballistic missile. Russian forces rarely use such expensive missiles against Ukraine due to their limited stocks.

The attacks created a desolate morning scene in the capital, with most cafes and restaurants remaining closed. Many people opted to stay indoors or seek refuge in shelters as powerful explosions shook the city from early morning.

Air raid sirens blared for nearly four hours, and the city’s subway stations — which function as shelters — were crowded.

After the Ukrainian air force issued warnings about incoming hypersonic missiles, people wearing pajamas underneath their coats took sleeping bags, mats and their pets to subway stations while loud explosions echoed above the city. At one of the central stations, called Golden Gates, hundreds of people filled the spacious underground areas while trains continued to run.

“Perhaps today was the most frightening because there were so many explosions,” said resident Myroslava Shcherba.

The barrage extended Russia’s escalated attacks on Ukraine that began Friday with its largest single assault on Ukraine since the war started, in which at least 41 civilians were killed.

The next day, shelling of the Russian border city of Belgorod killed more than two dozen people. Russia blamed Ukraine for the attack and has struck back repeatedly since.

The attack on Belgorod was one of the deadliest to take place on Russian soil since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine started more than 22 months ago. Russian officials said the death toll stood at 25 as of Monday, including five children.

Cities across western Russia have regularly come under drone attacks since May, although Ukrainian officials never acknowledge responsibility for strikes on Russian territory or the annexed Crimean Peninsula.

“They want to intimidate us and create uncertainty within our country. We will intensify strikes. Not a single crime against our civilian population will go unpunished,” Putin said Monday, describing the barrage of Belgorod as a “terrorist act.”

Russia launched about 90 Shahed-type drones across Ukraine on Monday.

Putin accused Western nations of using Ukraine to try to “put Russia in its place.” While vowing retribution, he insisted Russia would only target military infrastructure in Ukraine. However, Ukraine reports civilian casualties from daily Russian attacks, which have hit apartment buildings, shopping centers and residential areas in small communities.

In other developments, Russia’s Defense Ministry said one of its warplanes accidentally released munitions over the Russian village of Petropavlovka in the southwestern Voronezh region Tuesday, causing no injuries but damaging six houses. The ministry said a commission has been created to determine the cause of the accident and assess the damage. It didn’t say what type of munition the warplane dropped.

In April, munitions accidentally released by a Russian warplane caused a powerful blast in the border city of Belgorod, damaging several cars and slightly injuring two people.

Air raid sirens sounded Tuesday in Belgorod, which is near the border with Ukraine. Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defense systems shot down four missiles fired by a Ukrainian Vilkha multiple rocket launcher.

Source: www.cleveland.com

The economy is making Americans feel a little more upbeat, especially when it comes to jobs and incomes, which could help President Joe Biden’s chances of winning reelection. Fears about inflation have caused Biden’s approval ratings to decline, but Tuesday’s consumer confidence data may be helpful before voters head to the polls in Novembe_

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In November, consumers expected more jobs to be available in the next six months, a figure that increased from October to November, according to the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Survey. The number of people who predicted a small decline in employment over the next six months decreased, however.
“After three months of decline, consumer confidence rebounded in November,” The Conference Board’s chief economist, Dana Peterson, stated in a statement on Tuesday. “Consumer expectations for the next six months recovered in November, reflecting improved confidence about future business conditions, job availability, and incomes.”

Hope Is Beneficial For Biden

For Biden, the more upbeat assessment of the economy might be welcome news. Recent polls show that voters have consistently questioned his handling of the economy.

53 percent of respondents to a New York Times/Siena College survey conducted earlier this month in six battleground states said they thought the state of the economy was “poor.” Comparatively speaking, only 37% of respondents said they thought Biden would perform better on the economy, while 59% selected former President Donald Trump as their possible opponent.

According to a Consumer Board survey, households headed by individuals over 55 had higher consumer confidence than Americans between the ages of 35 and 54. Rising costs, war and strife, and higher interest rates continued to worry Americans. However, according to Peterson, “general improvements were seen across the spectrum of income groups surveyed in November.”

Increased economic confidence, according to some analysts, is a positive development, but Biden still has more work to do.

“These numbers are directionally good,” commented Joshua Doss, a senior political analyst at the opinion research firm HIT Strategies, located in Washington, D.C. “Voters might feel a little bit better in this moment but are still bracing for impact.”

According to the survey, even though two-thirds of respondents still expect a slowdown over the coming year, expectations of a recession reached their lowest point in 2023. The fears of a recession appeared to coincide with recent predictions by some economists that the US economy might experience a “soft landing,” which would mean that inflation would moderate despite high interest rates without doing too much harm to the labor market.

Biden’s chances would suffer in a recession

According to Doss, a recession could destroy Biden’s chances of winning.

Doss brought up one survey item that Biden ought to be concerned about.

“There was not so much confidence among voters in in that lower bracket–35 to 54,” he stated. “The reason why that’s important is because Biden is not doing particularly well with younger voters right now.”

He claimed that millions of young voters will be casting their first ballots and that Biden’s popularity ratings with this demographic leave much to be desired.

“What the economy is to a lot of younger voters–student loan payments, gas and groceries–the Consumer Confidence Index talks a lot about, jobs and wages and sometimes younger voters don’t see that as much, as the economy,” Doss stated.

It was a 40-year high for inflation.
Due to consumer spending and a restricted supply of goods and services, the U.S. economy has been gripped by skyrocketing prices, which at one point drove inflation to a 40-year high. In response, the Federal Reserve aggressively raised interest rates, which increased the cost of borrowing for investments in real estate, vehicles, and businesses.

“Buying plans for autos, homes, and big-ticket appliances trended downward on a six-month basis—perhaps reflecting the impact of elevated interest rates,” Peterson stated.

In October, the rate of inflation dropped to 3.2 percent. It is still higher than the Fed’s target of 2 percent even though it is much lower than it was in June 2022 when it hit more than 9 percent. According to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, gas prices have also decreased to $3.25 per gallon, the lowest since the start of the year. According to a consumer survey, “average 12-month inflation expectations receded back to 5.7 percent after a one-month uptick to 5.9 percent,” which could account for the results, according to Peterson.

Many People Anticipate a Recession

Even though a sizable portion of consumers are still anticipating a recession, the election is still a year away, according to political analyst Doss.

While two-thirds of those surveyed still predict a slowdown over the coming year, expectations of a recession have dropped to their lowest point in 2023.
Work still needs to be done. Surely, we’re not quite in the paid media cycle yet? “Once voters are aware of Biden’s policies, many of his accomplishments are actually quite well-liked,” Doss stated, citing measures like letting Medicare bargain for lower prescription drug prices, which may result in lower medical costs for Americans.

According to him, “We are a full year out,” the media was informed. “An election is only ten significant news stories away. Therefore, anything that forecasts the current election’s result is most likely untrue.”

Senior writer at the Chicago Morning Star

According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), some 600,000 people go missing in the U.S. every year. Many of the cases involve children, but an analysis of missing adults over the age of 21 by number-crunching website Statista revealed that 100,492 men and 62,552 women went missing in 2021.

Thompson, from Clinton Township, was last seen leaving a relative’s apartment in Sterling Heights on October 25 and he was reported missing on November 1.

Police said they found a body inside the ventilation system at the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday. Macomb College Police Chief William Leavens stressed that foul play was not suspected, but added: “At this point, it is important to remember that this an ongoing investigation, with the goal to understand the circumstances.”

The building has now been closed to students while the investigation continues, and Thompson was officially identified on Monday. The Macomb County medical examiner’s office is working to determine the cause of death.

Newsweek has reached out by email to Macomb College Police requesting further information and comment.

A fundraiser was launched on the GoFundMe website on Monday by Clarissa Longo, who said she was Thompson’s cousin. She is seeking to help his family pay for his memorial service, she said, with any leftover money to be put into a trust fund for Thompson’s two children.

“Jason was loved by many people and his family has been through a lot over the past month while he has been missing,” Longo added. “Jason was a Father to two beautiful children, Killian and Kiara. He was a son, brother, uncle, cousin, but most important he was loved by his family and friends and will be missed.”

The fundraising page has a $15,000 goal, and by the early hours of Tuesday had raised $1,275.

The college’s students have been left shaken by the discovery of the body, with some complaining to the Mirror U.S. that they have had no communication from the school about the incident.

Student Anna Venhuizen told local news channel ABC 7 that her class in the building has been canceled for the rest of this week. The discovery of human remains has left her rattled, she said, adding: “I could’ve walked right by a dead body in the building and never have known it. It’s going to be really weird going back.”

Macomb County College officials released a short statement to the Macomb Daily newspaper, saying: “The college community extends heartfelt condolences during this difficult time to Mr. Thompson’s family and friends.”

Following the shooting deaths of three 20-year-old Palestinian-American students in Vermont, authorities have detained a man.

According to a news release from the Burlington Police Department, Jason J. Eaton, 48, was recognized by authorities as a suspect in the attack that occurred close to the University of Vermont on Saturday night.

He was detained at around midday on Sunday near where the shooting occurred. Police searched his home in the apartment building in front of where the shooting took place and arrested him on Sunday evening.

Eaton faces three counts of aggravated assault, police said. He is expected to be arraigned on Monday. Newsweek has contacted the Burlington Police Department for further comment via email.

Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad were identified by their families as the victims, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter, from the Institute for Middle East Understanding. Awartani is a student at Brown University, Abdalhamid is a student at Haverford College and Ahmed is a student at Trinity College.

“We are extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of our children,” the statement said. “We call on law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation, including treating this as a hate crime. We will not be comfortable until the shooter is brought to justice.”

The victims were in Burlington for a Thanksgiving holiday gathering, Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said on Sunday.

They were walking during a visit to one of their relatives when they were confronted by a white man with a handgun, police said.

“Without speaking, he discharged at least four rounds from the pistol and is believed to have fled,” Murad said. “All three victims were struck, two in their torsos and one in the lower extremities.”

The victims are of Palestinian descent, two are U.S. citizens and one is a legal resident, Murad said. Two of them were wearing black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves at the time of the attack, Murad said.

Murad on Sunday said there was no further information to suggest a motive, but investigators suspect it may have been a hate-motivated crime.

“The fact is that we don’t yet know as much as we want to right now,” he added. “But I urge the public to avoid making conclusions based on statements from uninvolved parties who know even less.”

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee released a statement Sunday saying that the victims were Palestinian-American college students.

There is “reason to believe this shooting occurred because the victims are Arab,” the committee’s statement said. “According to the information provided the three victims were wearing a Kuffiyeh and speaking Arabic. A man shouted and harassed the victims, then proceeded to shoot them.”

The FBI in Albany, New York, said the bureau is “actively investigating” the shooting with the Burlington Police Department, ATF and other federal, state and local agencies.

The shooting comes amid a rise in the number of Islamophobic and antisemitic incidents reported around the United States since the latest wave of Israel-Palestinian violence erupted on October 7.

Last month, an elderly Illinois man was charged with a hate crime after allegedly fatally stabbing a 6-year-old Muslim boy and seriously wounding his mother in Chicago. Police and relatives said he singled out the victims because of their faith.

Israel has carried out weeks of airstrikes across Gaza and launched a ground operation aimed at destroying Hamas’ military capabilities after Hamas’ bloody rampage into Israel on October 7.

A four-day truce that has given some respite to Gaza’s 2.3 million residents is currently set to expire after Monday, as Israel and Hamas prepare for a fourth exchange of hostages taken during the October 7 attack for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. More than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed in the seven weeks since the war began, The Associated Press reports, citing the Gaza Health Ministry. More than 1,200 people have been killed on the Israeli side, most of them in the initial October 7 attack, the AP reports.

Source: www.newsweek.com

Staff writer for the Chicago Morning Star

The United States ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, urged Chinese authorities “to abandon COVID deception” and demanded that China be open about the pneumonia outbreak that is sweeping the nation.

Children in China have been particularly affected by the outbreak, which has put a heavy burden on hospitals and medical staff—particularly in the northern cities. The high number of infections has prompted comparisons with the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, despite the fact that there hasn’t been any reported spike in critical cases or deaths.

These concerns have been echoed by netizens in other countries, fearful the disease could spread.

Emanuel, known for his direct manner of speaking in the administration of President Barack Obama and as Chicago mayor, stressed the importance of prioritizing human lives over downplaying the health crisis.

In a post on X, Emanuel expressed his concerns.

“China’s recent pneumonia outbreak raises serious questions, and the World Health Organization is asking them. It’s time to abandon COVID deception and delays as transparent and timely information saves lives,” Emanuel stated.

Chinese authorities did not immediately respond to Emanuel’s comments.

In response to inquiries from the WHO, Chinese health officials have identified the causes of this wave of infections as mycoplasma pneumoniae (commonly known as walking pneumonia), respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, and influenza.

Officials have said that no new viruses have been identified so far.

“Full cooperation with the international community is not an option, it’s a public health imperative. Will Beijing step up?” Emanuel said.

The current situation has placed a significant burden on China’s healthcare infrastructure.

Medical staff are overwhelmed and Chinese citizens have taken to social media to express their frustrations over long waits, sometimes exceeding a day, to access emergency departments. This crisis echoes the challenges faced earlier this year when the Chinese government abruptly lifted its strict anti-COVID measures.

ProMed, the alert system known for its role in bringing attention to the coronavirus outbreak in 2019, first reported numerous children being admitted to hospitals with high fevers but without typical pneumonia symptoms.

The geographical spread of cases now spans from Beijing and Liaoning in the north to Guangzhou in the far south.

Ambassador Emanuel, who assumed his diplomatic role in Japan in 2021, has previously challenged the Chinese government on various issues.

In recent months, he has commented on Beijing’s ban on Japanese seafood following Japan’s release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and the dismissal of high-ranking Chinese officials by President Xi Jinping.

Source: www.newsweek.com

The city of Milwaukee is looking for insurance policies that would cover even the most catastrophic events, like a nuclear attack, as it gets ready for the Republican National Convention in 2024.

According to a proposal made public by the city, Milwaukee authorities intend to buy insurance coverage for a number of contingencies prior to the July 2024 event. These contingencies include policies that cover terrorism, special event law enforcement liability, and attacks involving chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons.

Seeking coverage for such worst-case scenarios may seem frightening, but such policies are actually quite common practice for major events like the GOP convention, according to a report in Milwaukee’s Journal Sentinel.

“It sounds scary, it does, but it’s really just a reflection of what a city typically provides and purchases in these types of situations,” said Andrea Fowler, a city attorney who spoke to the Journal Sentinel.

“It’s just designed to cover all types of risk, no matter how unlikely—completely unlikely—they are to occur,” she added.

The Republican Convention is set to take place between July 15 and 18. Thousands of visitors and attendees are expected to descend on Wisconsin’s largest city for the GOP nomination in the presidential election. In 2020, the Democratic National Convention was also held in Milwaukee, but the event was largely virtual because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Fowler said the city purchased insurance policies that covered drastic scenarios for the Democratic event. At the time, the liability coverage cost the city $7.7 million, according to an audit by the Department of Justice.

According to a framework agreement that was shared Monday with Newsweek by the city of Milwaukee’s director of communications, Jeff Fleming, the Republican National Committee laid out a list of minimum liability coverage the city must obtain within six months of the convention. Such policies include coverage for incidents of bodily injury, property damage or cases of accidental death.

“As you might imagine, there are various preparations underway on the part of the city of Milwaukee,” Fleming told Newsweek. “Much of that relates to security for the event. We are also engaged in connecting local businesses with opportunities that will arise from the convention.”

Cities picked to host major party conventions can get up to $50 million in federal funding to help cover security-related costs, according to a July report from Bloomberg, which cited legislation by the House Appropriations Committee. However, this year, both Wisconsin and Illinois, which will host the Democratic Convention in Chicago in August 2024, have requested up to $75 million for security measures.

A bipartisan group of Wisconsin lawmakers wrote to the House Appropriations Committee in March asking for an increase over the $50 million, which has not been changed since 2004. Illinois congressmen also sent a letter to members of the committee in April, saying that adjustments should be made in response to inflation and “increased security needs.”

Fowler told the Journal Sentinel that while she does not know how much funding will be needed to cover the liability insurance for the GOP Convention, she expects the number to be higher than in 2020.

Source: www.newsweek.com

Over the past 18 months, Chicago has welcomed over 30,000 Ukrainian refugees without much controversy; however, the arrival of 19,000 Latino migrants during roughly the same period has caused a crisis in the city.

Why it matters: According to experts, examining the conditions that led to each group’s arrival may provide insights into how to make things better.

Axios questioned aid organizations and immigration specialists about what was unique about these new arrivals:

1. Resettlement in the United States is simpler for refugees from Ukraine.

• The majority of Ukrainian immigrants arrived after being sponsored by American citizens under the Uniting for Ukraine federal program, which grants temporary residency, a Social Security card, and instant authorization to work.
• Several Latino immigrants, primarily from Venezuela, who were recently sent to Chicago from border towns between the United States and Mexico arrive without legal status, some of them intending to apply for asylum. These options don’t require sponsors or provide quick work permits.
• Work permits are not granted to asylum applicants until 150 days after their application is submitted. Some Venezuelans can now apply for work permits more quickly thanks to a new program.

2. When Ukrainian refugees arrived, Chicago already had a sizable Ukrainian American community and a social service group called the Selfreliance Association.

• The Venezuelan community in Chicago is smaller and more recent, and it lacks these established networks.
• While their resources are limited, a few religious, mutual aid, and legal aid organizations are attempting to intervene.
  3. Some experts told Axios that discrimination against Latino arrivals can occur.

González, a senior fellow at the University of Illinois Chicago’s Great Cities Institute, told WBEZ last month that “there’s also a racial component.”

“There is a populace in the country of white supremacists who have no problem bringing in more Ukrainians, but do have problems bringing in more Central Americans, Venezuelans, Asians and Haitians — because they fear the demographic transformation of the country.”

Context: Following Russia’s invasion, refugees from Ukraine fled here; the United States is actively supporting Ukraine during this crisis.

The reasons behind Venezuelan emigration are more nuanced; some contend that the economic instability caused by U.S. sanctions has made the situation worse.
What they’re saying is: “The Uniting for Ukraine program is being looked [by the feds] at as a model for future immigration to the U.S.” Axios is told by Pavlo Bandriwsky, vice president of the Illinois branch of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.

“Because it provides certain support and responsibility so people aren’t just thrown into tents and told, ‘Fend for yourself.’”

The twist: Representatives from Catholic Charities in San Antonio, Texas, tell Axios that they will only purchase tickets for migrants to travel to Chicago if they claim to have a sponsor in the city.

However, when Axios questioned charity representatives about how they verify the legitimacy of those sponsors, they did not reply. Some migrants have given addresses of police stations as their sponsor location, according to Chicago officials, who spoke with Axios.

Senior writer at the Chicago Morning Star

Moscow’s artillery losses in the war-torn nation have mounted, and on Wednesday Kyiv announced that within the previous week, Ukraine has destroyed $25 million worth of Russian equipment across the southern front lines.

In the last week, Ukrainian special operations forces destroyed a BM-21 Grad, a BM-27 Uragan, a TOS multiple rocket launcher, and one of Russia’s highly valued Zoopark counterbattery radar systems in the southern Zaporizhzhia area, according to a statement.

The 20-month conflict in Ukraine has been primarily fought with artillery. According to Frederik Mertens, a strategic analyst at the Hague Center for Security Studies, “firepower, such as multiple rocket launchers, is key. Being able to take out the opposing military with artillery and rocket launchers is even more important than maneuvers.”

On Sunday, Ukraine declared that it had taken down a Zoopark system that was intended to locate and target Kyiv’s artillery installations.
Ukraine’s special operations forces claimed on Wednesday, “Our soldiers found and identified the enemy’s heavy equipment, and adjusted artillery fire on it.” “The [total] estimated value of the burned equipment is about $25 million.”

Spokesman for the Tavria group of forces in Ukraine, Colonel Oleksandr Shtupun, stated on Sunday that the wrecked Zoopark system alone was “valued at over 10 million dollars.”
Before being targeted, Ukrainian drones appear to have recorded the systems functioning in the Russian-annexed area, according to a video released by Kyiv’s special operations forces. Despite having formally declared sovereignty of the southern region in September 2022, Russia does not actually control the entire Zaporizhzhia region. Since early June, Zaporizhzhia, along with the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine, has been the center of Ukrainian counteroffensive attempts.

The Ukrainian military’s General Staff said in a second statement on Wednesday that 44 Russian artillery systems had been destroyed by its forces in the previous day. Since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has now destroyed 7,125 artillery systems, according to a report by Kyiv. The General Staff also stated that throughout the preceding day, Russian forces used artillery fire to bombard over 100 communities in eastern, southern, and northern Ukraine.

In the 20 months of the conflict, Russia’s Defense Ministry stated on Tuesday that Kyiv’s military had destroyed 1,169 combat vehicles carrying multiple launch rocket systems in addition to 6,865 field artillery guns and mortars.

According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, in the previous day, Russia destroyed two M777 artillery systems operated by Ukraine, two Msta-B and D-20 howitzers that were towed, and a lightweight M119 howitzer that was located across the frontlines in Zaporizhzhia.

Staff writer for the Chicago Morning Star