"Chicago Tribune" Reader

"Chicago Tribune" Reader

Christie maintains a political balancing act

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 04:34 PM PDT

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks during the Clinton Global Initiative America's meeting, Friday, June, 14, 2013, in Chicago. Former President Clinton and Christie held a closing session titled "Cooperation and Collaboration: A Conversation on Leadership." (AP Photo/Scott Eisen)CHICAGO (AP) — Republican Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey is walking a political tightrope as he charts his future, trying to balance his re-election campaign in a Democratic-leaning state with a potential presidential bid aimed at winning over Republicans.

Philly: Inspector said collapse 'wasn't my fault'

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 04:33 PM PDT

FILE - Firefighters view the aftermath of a building collapse, Thursday, June 6, 2013, in Philadelphia. An official says an inspector who surveyed a Philadelphia building before it collapsed last week, killing six people, has committed suicide. Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison says the inspector was found fatally shot in a pickup truck Wednesday night, June 12, 2013. The man was a Department of Licenses and Inspections employee who had inspected the building May 14. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A building inspector who had visited a demolition site before a brick wall collapsed onto an adjacent thrift store, killing six people, left a cellphone video message before his apparent suicide this week saying the collapse "wasn't my fault," the mayor's spokesman said.

Flag-bearing skydivers swoop into Philadelphia

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 04:39 PM PDT

A professional skydiver swoops to the ground at the Constitution Center during a Flag Day celebration, Friday, June 14, 2013, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Keith Collins)PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Dozens of children at the National Constitution Center craned their necks in unison Friday and began cheering as five skydivers bearing enormous American flags leaped from a small plane high overhead.

Horschel takes clubhouse lead in 2nd rd at US Open

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 04:50 PM PDT

Phil Mickelson reacts to a missed putt on the first hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Merion Golf Club, Friday, June 14, 2013, in Ardmore, Pa. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) — Billy Horschel hit all 18 greens in regulation. Hard to think of a better way to climb to the top of the leaderboard at the U.S. Open.

Mickelson leads midway thru 2nd round at US Open

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 03:54 PM PDT

Phil Mickelson reacts to a missed putt on the first hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Merion Golf Club, Friday, June 14, 2013, in Ardmore, Pa. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) — One by one, red numbers disappeared from the leaderboard at the U.S. Open, leaving Phil Mickelson alone at the top.

Lawyers fear Jackson Jr. will lack mental care in prison

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 03:33 PM PDT

As former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. awaits sentencing on July 3, his lawyers filed a court document today saying that he needs ongoing mental health treatment and is unlikely to get suitable care if sent to prison.

Syrian aid to include mortars, RPGs

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 03:01 PM PDT

A Free Syrian Army fighter prepares a homemade rocket to be launched towards Nairab military airport, which is controlled by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, in AleppoSources detail the types of weapons the U.S. will likely send to aid the rebels.

Judge nixes defense strategy for Ft. Hood shooting

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 02:22 PM PDT

FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Bell County Sheriff's Department shows Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist charged in the deadly 2009 Fort Hood shooting rampage that left 13 dead. A military judge said Friday, June 14, 2013, that she will not allow Hasan to tell jurors that he shot Fort Hood soldiers to protect Taliban leaders in Afghanistan. Col. Tara Osborn said that Hasan's defense of others strategy fails as a matter of law. (AP Photo/Bell County Sheriff's Department, File)A military judge overseeing the court-martial of Maj. Nidal Hasan ruled Friday that the Army psychiatrist cannot argue in court that he killed 13 soldiers at Fort Hood in defense of Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, including leader Mullah Omar.

Reaction cool to US arms plan for Syrian rebels

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 05:03 PM PDT

President Barack Obama mingles in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, June 14, 2013, where he hosted a Father's Day luncheon. Speaking about Syria, the president said the use of chemical weapons in Syria crosses a "red line," triggering greater U.S involvement in the crisis. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration hopes its decision to give lethal aid to Syrian rebels will prompt other nations to beef up assistance, now that the U.S. has cited evidence that the Syrian government used chemical weapons against its people. But the international reaction Friday ranged from flat-out disbelief of the U.S. intelligence assessments to calls for negotiation before more weapons pour into the vicious civil war.

Crews battling Colo. wildfire hold flames in check

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 05:06 PM PDT

Evacuess and fire officials listen to a news briefing on the Black Forest Fire in Colorado Springs, Colo., Friday, June 14, 2013. Little more than 36 hours after it started in the Black Forest area northeast of Colorado Springs, the blaze surpassed last June's Waldo Canyon fire as the most destructive in state history. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Authorities lifted evacuations in a wide swath of terrain outside Colorado Springs on Friday as they said a surprise rain shower helped them expand containment of a wildfire that has destroyed 400 homes.

Help wanted: Lululemon's cheeky CEO ad

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 03:37 PM PDT

FILE - In this Tuesday, March 19, 2013 file photo, a woman walks past the Lululemon Athletica store at Union Square in New York. Lululemon posted a large sign on its Facebook page and in stores on Thursday, June 13, 2013 reading NEW YORK (AP) — If you can hold a headstand for at least 10 minutes, communicate in Sanskrit and enjoy downing wheatgrass and tequila shots on Fridays for work-life balance, Lululemon has a job for you.

Billy Ray Cyrus, wife of 19 years, getting divorce

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 03:35 PM PDT

FILE - In this Jan. 9, 2010 file photo, Billy Ray Cyrus, at right, and his wife Laeticia "Tish" Cyrus, arrive to the premiere of "The Spy Next Door" in Los Angeles. Court records show Tish Cyrus filed for divorce on Thursday, June 13, 2013 in Los Angeles Superior Court. (AP Photo/Katy Winn, file)LOS ANGELES (AP) — Billy Ray Cyrus' wife has filed for divorce from the country singer after 19 years of marriage.

Diplomat: Syria used sarin twice in Aleppo

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 12:51 PM PDT

FILE - In this Tuesday March 19, 2013 file photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, a Syrian victim who suffered an alleged chemical attack at Khan al-Assal village according to SANA, receives treatment by doctors, at a hospital in Aleppo, Syria. A U.N. report on Syria said Tuesday there are But the U.N. says there's no way to be certain without an investigation.

Bookies testify about threats by Whitey Bulger and his gang

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 01:16 PM PDT

This 1980 black and white surveillance photo released by the U.S. Attorney's Office and presented as evidence during the first day of a trial for James "Whitey" Bulger in U.S. District Court in Boston, Wednesday, June 12, 2013, shows Bulger, left, with George Kaufman at a Lancaster Street garage in Boston's North End. Bulger is on trial for a long list of crimes, including extortion and playing a role in 19 killings. (AP PhotoU.S. Attorney's Office)BOSTON (AP) — When it came to business, James "Whitey" Bulger had one basic rule, according to two bookmakers who testified at his racketeering trial Friday: You paid him or you risked getting hurt, or worse.

Nazi unit leader's Minneapolis life prompts shock

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 01:27 PM PDT

In this picture taken May 10, 2013, a monument pays tribute to civilians who were burned alive during WWII in Pidhaitsi close to Ukraine's western city of Lutsk. The monument reads: MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The revelation Friday that a former commander of a Nazi SS-led military unit has lived quietly in Minneapolis for the past six decades came as a shock to people who knew him, prompted harsh condemnations from World War II survivors in the U.S. and Europe, and led prosecutors in Poland to say they would investigate.

Hezbollah says it will keep fighting in Syria

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 01:26 PM PDT

Hezbollah supporters raise their hands in salute as Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah speaks on a screen via a video link from a secret place, during a rally to mark the "wounded resistants day," in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, June 14, 2013. Nasrallah said his group will continue to fight in Syria BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah's leader vowed Friday that his militants would keep fighting in Syria "wherever needed" after the U.S. agreed to arm the rebels in the civil war, setting up a proxy fight between Iran and the West that threatens to engulf more of the Middle East.

Mickelson's red number looks lonely at US Open

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 02:03 PM PDT

Phil Mickelson reacts to a missed putt on the first hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Merion Golf Club, Friday, June 14, 2013, in Ardmore, Pa. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) — One by one, red numbers disappeared from the leaderboard at the U.S. Open, leaving Phil Mickelson alone at the top, waiting to take his turn.

CPS details staff cuts in wake of school closings

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 03:50 PM PDT

Chicago Public Schools said today that 663 employees at schools the district is closing, including teachers, teaching assistants and bus aides, don't qualify to follow students to their new schools and will be laid off.

By arming Syria rebels, US drawn into proxy war

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 12:17 PM PDT

In this citizen journalism image provided by Edlib News Network, ENN, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, anti-Syrian regime protesters hold a banner and flash the victory sign during a demonstration in Hass town, Idlib province, northern Syria, Friday, June 14, 2013. The Syrian government on Friday dismissed U.S. charges that it used chemical weapons as "full of lies," accusing President Barack Obama of resorting to fabrications to justify his decision to arm Syrian rebels. The commander of the main rebel umbrella group welcomed the U.S. move. (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN)President Barack Obama's decision to begin arming Syria's rebels deepens U.S. involvement in a regional proxy war that is increasingly being fought along sectarian lines, pitting Sunni against Shiite Muslims, and threatening the stability of Syria's neighbors.

Iran's battered reformers seek election rebound

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 01:54 PM PDT

Iranian women, queue, in a polling station to vote for the presidential and municipal councils elections, in the city of Qom, 78 miles (125 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 14, 2013. Iran's supreme leader delivered a salty rebuke to the U.S. Friday as Iranians lined up to vote in a presidential election that has suddenly become a showdown across the Islamic Republic's political divide: hard-liners looking to cement their control and re-energized reformists backing the lone moderate. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Reform-minded Iranians who have faced years of crackdowns looked Friday to claw back a bit of ground in a presidential election that gave them an unexpected hero and a chance to upend a vote that once appeared solidly in the hands of Tehran's ruling clerics.