Latest news with #TheChicagoTribune
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump pardons former GOP Rep. Michael Grimm amid clemency spree
President Trump on Wednesday took a slew of clemency actions, including pardoning former Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) and commuting the sentence of a former Chicago gang leader. Trump granted a full pardon to Grimm, a White House official confirmed. The former congressman represented Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn from 2011-15. He served seven months in prison after pleading guilty to felony tax fraud. Grimm was seriously injured last September after he was thrown from a horse during a polo event. In addition to Grimm, Trump commuted the sentence of Larry Hoover, who co-founded the Gangster Disciples and had been serving multiple life sentences in prison. Hoover was sentenced to life in prison for murder in the 1970s. He was given another life sentence in the 1990s for operating a criminal enterprise. Hoover and his allies have argued for his release under the First Step Act, a criminal justice law Trump signed in 2018. While Trump's actions will commute Hoover's federal sentence, he is still serving a state sentence. Hoover was being transferred from a federal prison in Colorado to a state prison in Illinois, The Chicago Tribune reported. NOTUS first reported on Hoover's commutation. Trump also pardoned Kentrell Gaulden, a rapper who goes by the name 'NBA YoungBoy,' who has faced a litany of legal issues. The president pardoned former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland (R), who pleaded guilty in a corruption investigation in 2004 and was later convicted on federal charges in 2014. Trump also granted pardons to Mark Bashaw, who was convicted in 2022 for refusing to follow COVID-19 rules in the Army, and Tanner Mansell and John Moore, who were convicted after releasing sharks from a government-sanctioned fishing line, according to the Palm Beach Post. In addition to those acts of clemency, Trump pardoned Annabelle Valenzuala, Maryanne Morgan, Kevin Basin and Earl Lamont Smith, according to a White House official. Those pardons were part of a push by Alice Marie Johnson, whom Trump has dubbed his 'pardon czar.' Trump has been on something of a pardon spree in recent days. Trump pardoned reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were convicted on tax evasion and bank fraud charges in 2022. He also pardoned Paul Walczak, who pleaded guilty to tax crimes. That pardon came after Walczak's mother attended a major fundraiser at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., last month. Updated at 6:06 p.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump organization to pay $4.8 million to settle fish-kill lawsuit against its Chicago high-rise
CHICAGO — Eight months after a Cook County judge found Trump Tower repeatedly violated clean water laws, the president's business operators agreed Thursday to pay $4.8 million to settle lawsuits alleging the skyscraper's cooling system killed untold numbers of fish in the Chicago River. The glass-and-steel tower, emblazoned with a sign spelling 'TRUMP' in letters more than 20 feet high, is one of the city's largest users of river water for its cooling systems. It siphons nearly 20 million gallons a day through intakes so powerful the machines could fill an Olympic swimming pool in less than an hour, then pumps the water back into the river up to 35 degrees hotter. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and two environmental groups discovered Trump Tower had been operating for years without a valid Clean Water Act permit, unlike other downtown buildings that limit the power of water pumps to protect fish and other aquatic organisms from being pinned against intake screens or killed by sudden changes in pressure and temperature. 'The Chicago River is one of our city's most treasured natural resources, and future generations should benefit from the opportunities for recreation and commerce it provides,' Raoul said in a statement announcing the settlement. If a county judge approves the deal, $3 million will go toward Chicago River habitat improvement and the state will collect a $1.5 million civil penalty. The rest will cover legal costs. Trump Organization representatives have never replied to requests for comment from The Chicago Tribune, which first reported in 2018 that the Trump International Hotel & Tower was the only Chicago high-rise that had failed to document measures it took to protect fish and aquatic life in the river. Trump's Chicago managers were required to conduct a study of fish killed by the luxury hotel and condominium complex as a condition of a 2013 water pollution permit granted by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The permit expired in 2017 and has not been renewed. All other users of river water have filed documents with the state outlining how their cooling systems limit fish kills. Most draw substantially less water than Trump Tower and slow the velocity of their intakes to increase the chances fish can swim away safely, records reviewed by the Tribune show. In response to lawsuits filed eight years ago by the Sierra Club, Friends of the Chicago River and Raoul's predecessor, Lisa Madigan, the Trump Organization agreed to complete long-delayed studies of how many fish and other aquatic organisms are pinned against intake screens or killed by sudden changes in pressure and temperature. Not only did the Trump Organization fail to complete the necessary studies, it significantly underestimated the rate at which river water is sucked into the hotel and condo high-rise, making it appear the practice is less harmful than it actually is, Cook County Circuit Judge Thaddeus Wilson ruled in September after the attorney general's office and the environmental groups sued again.
Sydney Morning Herald
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
The Bear is back with a new season. But will you be watching?
This story contains spoilers for The Bear 's third season. Welcome back, cousin. We're about to get another serving of The Bear. The trailer for season four of the Emmy award-winning comedy/drama has just dropped featuring all the gang – there's Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) obsessing about the beauty of culinary excellence, Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) trying to drag him back to reality, and Natalie, aka Sugar (Abby Elliott), adjusting to life with her new baby. But, while all major cast members have returned – including Jamie Lee Curtis, as Carmy's mum Donna – we'll have to wait and see if viewers do the same. After two seasons of effusive praise for this star-making FX hit, last year's third instalment left many fans cold, saddled with criticisms of being 'aimless' and 'undercooked', and ultimately landing with an audience score of just 51 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes (compared to previous seasons' scores in the nineties). Can season four reignite our passion? Where did we leave off? Season three ended on a cliffhanger, as Carmy gets a Google alert for The Chicago Tribune 's review of his restaurant. A collection of words flash on the screen – confusing, excellent, brilliant, sloppy, complex, simple, stale, talent – before the beleaguered chef utters one more: 'Motherf---er'. Loading Meanwhile, Syd has just excused herself from partying with all her hospo mates to hyperventilate in a stairwell. Carmy's increasingly erratic behaviour has been dragging her down, and she's now been thrown a lifeline in the form of a position as chef de cuisine at Chef Adam's (Adam Shapiro) new restaurant. What's stopping her? All the happy smiley faces, her chosen family, wooping to '90s bangers in the next room. For all the criticism season three faced for being too slow or self-indulgent – that final episode also featured a parade of real-life chefs waxing lyrical about the 'controlled chaos' of the kitchen around a dinner table – the season did have standout episodes. Napkins, which was also Edebiri's directorial debut, offered a rich and unvarnished throwback to how middle-aged mum Tina (Liza Colon-Zayas) came to work at The Bear after struggling to find a job following lay-offs. And Ice Chips, an emotional two-hander between Sugar (Elliott) and her dysfunctional mother Donna (Curtis) during labour, was another highlight that was described by some critics as 'quietly radical' – particularly by those who have experienced birth and motherhood.
The Age
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
The Bear is back with a new season. But will you be watching?
This story contains spoilers for The Bear 's third season. Welcome back, cousin. We're about to get another serving of The Bear. The trailer for season four of the Emmy award-winning comedy/drama has just dropped featuring all the gang – there's Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) obsessing about the beauty of culinary excellence, Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) trying to drag him back to reality, and Natalie, aka Sugar (Abby Elliott), adjusting to life with her new baby. But, while all major cast members have returned – including Jamie Lee Curtis, as Carmy's mum Donna – we'll have to wait and see if viewers do the same. After two seasons of effusive praise for this star-making FX hit, last year's third instalment left many fans cold, saddled with criticisms of being 'aimless' and 'undercooked', and ultimately landing with an audience score of just 51 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes (compared to previous seasons' scores in the nineties). Can season four reignite our passion? Where did we leave off? Season three ended on a cliffhanger, as Carmy gets a Google alert for The Chicago Tribune 's review of his restaurant. A collection of words flash on the screen – confusing, excellent, brilliant, sloppy, complex, simple, stale, talent – before the beleaguered chef utters one more: 'Motherf---er'. Loading Meanwhile, Syd has just excused herself from partying with all her hospo mates to hyperventilate in a stairwell. Carmy's increasingly erratic behaviour has been dragging her down, and she's now been thrown a lifeline in the form of a position as chef de cuisine at Chef Adam's (Adam Shapiro) new restaurant. What's stopping her? All the happy smiley faces, her chosen family, wooping to '90s bangers in the next room. For all the criticism season three faced for being too slow or self-indulgent – that final episode also featured a parade of real-life chefs waxing lyrical about the 'controlled chaos' of the kitchen around a dinner table – the season did have standout episodes. Napkins, which was also Edebiri's directorial debut, offered a rich and unvarnished throwback to how middle-aged mum Tina (Liza Colon-Zayas) came to work at The Bear after struggling to find a job following lay-offs. And Ice Chips, an emotional two-hander between Sugar (Elliott) and her dysfunctional mother Donna (Curtis) during labour, was another highlight that was described by some critics as 'quietly radical' – particularly by those who have experienced birth and motherhood.
Tom's Guide
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
The first 'The Bear' season 4 trailer just landed — and it's a countdown to chaos
The highly anticipated fourth season of "The Bear" just got its first trailer, and the FX series is serving up plenty of chaos and celebrity cameos. The trailer premiered today (May 20), giving us our first look at the newly rebranded fine dining restaurant's race against time to stay afloat after the season 3 finale revealed its future hinged on a positive review from The Chicago Tribune. It kicks off with financier Cicero (Oliver Platt) putting Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) on the clock — and we mean that literally. Once time runs out on the new clock set up in the kitchen, the restaurant will be forced to close its doors for good. "That clock is telling you how much money we have left. When that shows '0,' this restaurant needs to cease operations," Cicero says. Thankfully, Carmy's not going it alone. Though the season 3 finale teased that chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) might take a job elsewhere, the trailer makes it seem like she's fully committed to being Carmy's business partner in this new venture. However, that doesn't mean they're always on the same page. "I get it, chaos and turmoil," she tells Carmy in the trailer. "But it's a problem when you're letting it fuel you and fuel the food." For his part, Carmy seems to be doing some long-needed self-reflection in the wake of all the neurotic habits we saw crop up while running the kitchen last season. 'We can do this, we could take care of people,' he insists in the trailer. 'We could make it calm, we could make it delicious, we can make people happy.' Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Also reprising their roles are Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Liza Colón-Zayas, Abby Elliott, Matty Matheson, and Lionel Boyce. The fourth season will bring back other familiar faces too, such as Jamie Lee Curtis' Donna Berzatto, Carmy's alcoholic mother. In the trailer, we see the start of an overdue heart-to-heart between the two at Sugar's (Elliott) wedding. Donna is later shown giving Sydney some salient advice: "Sometimes your work family is closer to you than your family-family." "The Bear" season 4 premieres on June 25 at 8 p.m. ET on FX on Hulu. As with previous seasons, all 10 episodes will drop at once, making it easy to binge the whole thing in one sitting. Viewers in the U.K. can catch the season on Disney Plus starting Thursday, June 26. Plot details for "The Bear" are still under wraps, but Hulu shared a brief synopsis alongside last week's release date announcement. The new season will follow Carmy, Sydney, and Richie (Moss-Bachrach) "pushing forward, determined not only to survive, but also to take The Bear to the next level." "With new challenges around every corner, the team must adapt, adjust and overcome. This season, the pursuit of excellence isn't just about getting better – it's about deciding what's worth holding on to," the synopsis continues. Based on the new trailer, it's clear that fans can expect more of the show's signature blend of kitchen chaos, stressful situations, heartfelt performances and, of course, plenty of delicious food. While you wait for season sure, you can binge the first three seasons on Hulu now. Or if you're in the mood for a twist on the same flavor, be sure to stream these best shows 'The Bear' in the meantime.
