'Enormous Gap' in Deterrence Against Russia says Keir Giles
"There's long been a consensus that you do need US support as the military heavyweight to make any kind of security guarantee for the eastern frontier of Europe," says Keir Giles, author of 'Who Will Defend Europe?'. "You've probably got European leaders this morning scrambling," he adds, after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Europe needed to take charge of its own security. (Source: Bloomberg)
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Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Daywatch: Advocates condemn court decision on gender-affirming care ban
Good morning, Chicago. Chicago-area trans and LGBTQ+ community groups responded with disappointment and anger to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to uphold Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care. In the case, U.S. v. Skrmetti, three families with transgender children and a health care provider challenged Tennessee's law banning puberty blockers and hormone treatment for trans minors. The state has kept those drugs legally available for other purposes. Plaintiffs argued the ban violates their constitutional right to equal protection under the law, while Tennessee contended it is necessary to protect children. Chicago trans rights advocates said they're worried the ruling could push trans youth in other states to more dangerous, unsupervised sources of gender affirming care in states with bans similar to Tennessee. Despite the Supreme Court's decision, advocates stressed that Illinois continues to be a sanctuary state for young people and families seeking gender affirming care. Read the full story here. And here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including the latest in the debate on teen curfews in Chicago, layoffs announced at Columbia College Chicago and what to do this weekend in Chicago. Today's eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History Mayor Brandon Johnson announced he will issue a rare mayoral veto after aldermen granted Chicago's police superintendent the power yesterday to declare a teen curfew anytime, anywhere in the city. The highly contentious ordinance faced months of City Council debate before passing in a 27-to-22 vote. After the vote, Johnson, who had blasted it as 'lazy governance' and unnecessary, said he will issue the first mayoral veto in decades in a bid to kill the ordinance. Johnson called the measure 'counterproductive to the progress that we have made in reducing crime and violence' and said it will elicit costly lawsuits against the city. Mayor Brandon Johnson faced stiff criticism from a City Council opponent yesterday as he introduced an ordinance to implement a grocery tax at the city level. Johnson's administration has argued the 1% city grocery tax is necessary as a state grocery tax that sent revenue to municipalities ends. But Ald. Brendan Reilly accused Johnson of sneaking the ordinance's introduction during a meeting to avoid legislative pushback, in what he characterized as a violation of the Open Meetings Act. Iran's supreme leader rejected U.S. calls for surrender in the face of more Israeli strikes yesterday and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause 'irreparable damage to them.' European diplomats prepared to hold talks with Iran tomorrow. The U.S. State Department said yesterday it is restarting the suspended process for foreigners applying for student visas but all applicants will now be required to unlock their social media accounts for government review. What Jamal Williams remembers from Plano's Juneteenth celebration three years ago isn't just its record attendance — the organizer and former alderman said about 1,100 people showed up. Between the live band and fireworks, he was proud that residents of all races and political affiliations celebrated together. 'It was overwhelming. There was no negativity there,' he said. 'The police were getting along with people. People were parking, people were grilling, kids were jumping around.' Plano, a town near Aurora in Kendall County that's home to about 12,000, made history in February 2021 when it became the first municipality in Illinois to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday, officials there say. It has held annual celebrations ever since, until this year. Due to dwindling attendance and derogatory comments on social media, this year's festivities were initially canceled, Williams said. But some residents wanted the show to go on. So organizers decided to move the Thursday event to a church in Yorkville, just a few miles away. Columbia College Chicago laid off 20 full-time faculty members as part of planned cuts to academic programming, the school announced this week. Columbia has been plagued by financial troubles for years, with a budget deficit once expected to surge to nearly $40 million. The school's cost-cutting initiatives in December reduced the number of undergraduate degrees offered from 58 to 33. A nonprofit civil rights advocacy group called for hate crime charges to be brought against a woman accused of attacking another woman, who caught her defacing a painting of a Palestinian man on a mural in the Pilsen neighborhood. An auction that seeks to find a possible buyer for Pope Leo XIV's childhood home in Dolton has been extended a month while a federal judge declined to block the village from its own attempt to acquire the property. As state and local governments look to transition to clean energy, some Winnetka residents were disappointed the Village Council voted to extend by 20 years the village's contract with an energy provider supplied largely by a downstate coal plant. Whether Ryan Donato ever leads the Chicago Blackhawks again in goals won't matter. The scrappy forward is sticking around for the long haul, agreeing to terms Wednesday on a four-year, $16 million contract through the 2028-29 season. He will have an annual salary-cap hit of $4 million. The right sports movie can really do a number on you. It can maneuver around cliches, resistance points and aversions to string-pulling to win the big race against your more skeptical instincts. But it's usually not immediate. Movies tend to roll around in your head, half-remembered, for decades. And then it's there again, when you need it. Last weekend, for example. Last weekend, the 1979 charmer 'Breaking Away,' nominally about cycling but about much more, glided out of the mists of time to push Tribune film critic Michael Phillips up another series of hills on the second day of a three-day, two-night bike-packing trip Route 66 extends nearly 180 miles across the Texas Panhandle, starting in the ghost town of Glenrio, which straddles the border between Texas and New Mexico. About 20 miles east, the town of Adrian advertises itself as the route's midpoint, equidistant to Chicago and Los Angeles. The road passes vast farm fields, undulating grasslands dotted with towering wind turbines and sprawling cattle ranches before entering Amarillo, the Panhandle's largest city. At its western edge sits one of Route 66's most photographed attractions: Cadillac Ranch. Looking for something to do this weekend? We've got you covered with events in and around Chicago, from the 24th annual Chicago Pride Fest to Meltin' Margs and the Black Yacht Festival.
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
US Officials Plan for Possible Strike on Iran
Senior US officials are preparing for the possibility of a strike on Iran in coming days, according to people familiar with the matter, as Israel and the Islamic Republic continue to exchange fire. Some of them pointed to potential plans for a weekend strike. Top leaders at a handful of federal agencies have begun getting ready for an attack, one person said. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House Wednesday he has 'ideas as to what to do' and that he prefers to make the 'final decision one second before it's due' because the situation in the Middle East is fluid. The Opening Trade has everything you need to know as markets open across Europe. With analysis you won't find anywhere else, we break down the biggest stories of the day and speak to top guests who have skin in the game. Hosted by Anna Edwards and Kriti Gupta. (Source: Bloomberg)
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
U.S. Issues Security Warning for Biggest Middle East Base
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The U.S. has issued a security warning for access to its largest air base in the Middle East at Doha in Qatar amid an intensifying conflict between Israel and Iran. Newsweek has contacted the Pentagon for comment. Why It Matters The warning, along with the redeployment of military assets in the region, signals the U.S. stepping up defense and readiness against possible threats from Iran or proxy regional groups ahead of a potential attack on Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Senate committee on Wednesday that the U.S. military stands prepared to execute any decision President Donald Trump makes regarding Iran. In this handout photo from the U.S. Air Force, an airman guides an F-16 Fighting Falcon during training at Al-Udeid Air Base, Qatar, Jan. 24, 2022. In this handout photo from the U.S. Air Force, an airman guides an F-16 Fighting Falcon during training at Al-Udeid Air Base, Qatar, Jan. 24, 2022. U.S. Air Force/Capt. Mahalia Frost/AP What To Know "Out of an abundance of caution and in light of ongoing regional hostilities, the U.S. Embassy has advised its personnel to exercise increased vigilance and has temporarily restricted access to Al Udeid Air Base," the American embassy in Qatar said in a security alert on its website. "We recommend that U.S. citizens in Qatar take similar precautions," the statement added. The U.S. has its largest Middle East air base Al-Udeid, in Qatar which also hosts others U.S. military bases. Iran has previously threatened to attack U.S. targets in the region if it comes under attack by the U.S. or Israel. While on a high-profile visit to Qatar last month, Trump visited Al-Udeid base, where he addressed troops saying: "No visit in the Gulf would be complete without stopping to salute the people who keep America safe, strong and free." In 2024, the base was used by the U.S. for the deployment of the nuclear-capable B-52H Stratofortress bombers. What People Are Saying U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Senate hearing on Wednesday: "We know right now that Iran understands exactly what the president is saying. He said 60 days. The world can believe it, the world cannot believe it, but he said 60 days. they had an opportunity to make a deal, they should have made a deal. President Trump's word means something, the world understands that and at the Defense Department our job is to stand ready and prepared for options and that's precisely what we're doing." What Happens Next The big question is whether the United States gets involved directly by attacking Iran, which could then bring attacks on U.S. forces in the region.
