"Chicago Tribune" Reader

"Chicago Tribune" Reader

Officials: NSA programs broke plots

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 04:38 PM PDT

FILE - This Sept. 19, 2007 file photo shows the National Security Agency building at Fort Meade, Md. When Edward Snowden joined friends in his late teens to edit a website built around a shared interest in Japanese animation, they chartered the venture from an apartment in military housing at Fort George G. Meade, the 8-square-mile installation that houses the NSA center dubbed the Puzzle Palace and calls itself the "nation's pre-eminent center for information, intelligence and cyber." (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)U.S. officials say information from controversial NSA programs stopped over 20 potential terrorist plots around the world.

Blackhawks Game Day: Ready for more in Game 2

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 04:00 PM PDT

The Bruins may be in the hole in this Stanley Cup Final, but it may be the Hawks who face a greater onus in Game 2 on Saturday. They somehow must avoid being satisfied with the exhilaration of Wednesday night, and somehow must be perceptibly better in all ways.

Divers begin Lake Michigan search for Griffin ship

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 04:20 PM PDT

ON LAKE MICHIGAN NEAR POVERTY ISLAND, Mich. (AP) — Divers began opening an underwater pit Saturday at a remote site in northern Lake Michigan that they say could be the resting place of the Griffin, a ship commanded by the 17th century French explorer La Salle.

Riot police end Istanbul park protest

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 05:44 PM PDT

Protesters try to resist the advance of riot police in Gezi park in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, June 15, 2013. Protesters will press on with their sit-in at an Istanbul park, an activist said Saturday, defying government appeals and a warning from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the two-week standoff that has fanned nationwide demonstrations to end. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish riot police firing tear gas and water cannon took less than half an hour on Saturday to bring to an end an 18-day occupation of an Istanbul park at the center of the strongest challenge to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 10-year tenure.

Under par becomes revolving door at US Open

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 03:46 PM PDT

Phil Mickelson reacts to his shot on the sixth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Merion Golf Club, Saturday, June 15, 2013, in Ardmore, Pa. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) — Short birdie putts were a big deal for Charl Schwartzel and Luke Donald at the 10th hole in the third round at the U.S. Open.

3 shot, two critically, in Marquette Park neighborhood

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 02:54 PM PDT

Three people were shot in the Marquette Park neighborhood this afternoon, officials said.

Woman killed in Bridgeport hit-and-run was 'artistic soul'

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 03:38 PM PDT

A 21-year-old woman died after she was hit by a car in the Bridgeport neighborhood overnight, according to authorities.

Brazilians protest high cost of hosting World Cup

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 02:21 PM PDT

Demonstrators protest in front of the National Stadium before the opening soccer match of the Confederations Cup between Brazil and Japan, in Brasilia, Brazil, Saturday, June 15, 2013. Police say about 1,000 people in the Brazilian capital have protested against the Confederations Cup claiming the money spent to host the tournament would be better spent elsewhere. (AP Photo/Tales Azzoni)BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — At least 500 protesters complaining against the high cost of staging the World Cup rallied Saturday in front of the National Stadium in Brasilia just hours before Brazil played Japan in the opening match of the Confederations Cup.

Al-Qaida's Iraq head defies boss over Syria fight

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 01:59 PM PDT

FILE - Masked Sunni protesters wave Islamist flags while others chant slogans at an anti-government rally in Fallujah, Iraq, Friday, April 26, 2013. The leader of al-Qaida's Iraq arm, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, defiantly rejected an order from the terror network's global command to scrap a merger with the organization's Syria affiliate, according to a message purporting to be from Al-Baghdadi that was posted online Saturday, June 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Bilal Fawzi, File)BAGHDAD (AP) — The leader of al-Qaida's Iraq arm defiantly rejected an order from the terror network's central command to stop claiming control over the organization's Syria affiliate, according to a message purportedly from him that was posted online Saturday.

Iran reformists dance in streets for new president

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 04:17 PM PDT

Supporters of the Iranian presidential candidate Hasan Rowhani, shown in poster at center, attend a celebration gathering in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 15, 2013. Moderate cleric Hasan Rowhani was declared the winner of Iran's presidential vote on Saturday after gaining support among many reform-minded Iranians looking to claw back a bit of ground after years of crackdowns. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Wild celebrations broke out on Tehran streets that were battlefields four years ago as reformist-backed Hasan Rowhani capped a stunning surge to claim Iran's presidency on Saturday, throwing open the political order after relentless crackdowns by hard-liners to consolidate and safeguard their grip on power.

Attacks in Pakistan's southwest kills 22

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 01:43 PM PDT

Pakistani security forces prepare to storm a hospital building during a gun battle in Quetta, Pakistan, Saturday, June 15, 2013. Gunmen took over parts of a hospital in southwestern Pakistan Saturday after a bomb went off inside its emergency room, officials said. Several people died before authorities stormed the building and freed the hostages trapped inside. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani forces stormed a hospital that had been taken over by gunmen Saturday in a restive southwestern province, freeing hostages and ending a five-hour standoff that capped a series of attacks that killed 22 people.

Senden, Rose move atop US Open leaderboard

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 01:16 PM PDT

Phil Mickelson waits to putt on the 18th green during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Merion Golf Club, Friday, June 14, 2013, in Ardmore, Pa. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) — John Senden and Justin Rose replaced Phil Mickelson and Billy Horschel atop the leaderboard Saturday early in the third round at the U.S. Open, becoming the only players under par on the tough and tight little Merion Golf Club course.

Poll: Most men aspire to be dads

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 01:09 PM PDT

President Barack Obama greets guests, including fathers and their children participants in the Becoming a Man (BAM) program at Hyde Park Academy in Chicago, Friday, June 14, 2013, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, where the president hosted a Father's Day luncheon. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)A recent Associated Press-WE tv poll found more than 8 in 10 men said they have always wanted to be fathers or think they'd like to be one someday.

Bear with head stuck in jar is rescued in Pa.

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 01:05 PM PDT

JAMISON CITY, Pa. (AP) — Four central Pennsylvania residents said they used only a rope and a flashlight during a wild chase to rescue a young bear whose head had been stuck in a plastic jar for at least 11 days.

Key questions on Iran's presidential election

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 12:47 PM PDT

Iranians outside their country of origin sign in to cast ballots in Iran's presidential election, in a hotel meeting room in Los Angeles Friday, June 14, 2013. Iranian-Americans and expatriates cast ballots Friday in polling places across the United States, joining their countrymen half a world away in selecting the next Iranian president (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)Some questions about Iran's presidential election and beyond:

Syrian troops capture Damascus suburb near airport

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 12:21 PM PDT

Protesters demonstrate against western intervention in Syria, outside the US embassy in central London, Saturday, June 15, 2013.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian troops pushed forward with their offensive against rebels Saturday, capturing a suburb near the Damascus international airport as the U.S. warned that the alleged use of chemical weapons by President Bashar Assad's forces and the involvement of the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in the civil war threaten to put a proposed political settlement out of reach.

Riot police disperse protesters in Istanbul park

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 01:39 PM PDT

Protesters try to resist the advance of riot police in Gezi park in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, June 15, 2013. Protesters will press on with their sit-in at an Istanbul park, an activist said Saturday, defying government appeals and a warning from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the two-week standoff that has fanned nationwide demonstrations to end. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)ISTANBUL (AP) — Riot police fired water cannons and tear gas as they drove protesters out of Istanbul's Taksim Square and neighboring Gezi Park on Saturday, an intervention that came shortly after the prime minister warned that security forces "know how to clear" the area, which had become a symbol of the biggest anti-government protests in decades.

Rested Blackhawks focused on urgency of Game 2

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 10:46 AM PDT

"It's a big game," Hawks winger Patrick Kane said after Saturday's morning skate. "We want to hold court here at home ice. Especially after last game (when we) kind of steal that win away from them."

Moderate Rohani wins Iran presidential election in landslide

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 12:28 PM PDT

Moderate cleric Hassan Rohani won Iran's presidential election today, scoring a surprising landslide victory over conservative hardliners.

Firefighters advance containment on Colo. wildfire

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 02:44 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)A Colorado sheriff says firefighters "are getting the upper hand" on the most destructive wildfire in state history.