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How can the United States take advantage of the great but tricky strategic opportunity that the fall of Bashar Assad’s tyranny in Damascus offers us? Mainly through a combination of meaningful incentives for, and credible threats against, our enemies, frenemies, …

By COLLEEN LONG WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and is pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. It’s …

This was a long day coming, and frankly one I never thought I’d see. Thirteen years ago, Syria’s Bashar Assad unleashed a reign of unmitigated terror on his own people, in response to protests of his inhumane Ba’athist government. Over …

DEAR ABBY: As a 22-year-old gay man, I have tried dating apps to no avail. One guy was 10 years older than me, ex-military (Air Force) and extremely clingy in the first few hours of texting. He said he was …

Bears interim coach Thomas Brown’s debut was nowhere near what he hoped it’d be as they got clobbered by the 49ers on Sunday, but he gets another shot Monday at the Vikings. The Bears are looking to break a seven-game …

Two men were fatally shot early Thursday in a Roseland home on the South Side. Around 12:50 a.m., officers were told by a female witness at a home in the 9400 block of South LaSalle Street that she heard shots …

What did “Christmas past” sound like, exactly? Courtesy of a Chicago-area music scholar with a talent for digging up the past, local audiences will be the first in centuries to hear a series of old carols that trace back to …

The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be active in the trade market before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Rob Pelinka has struggled to build a cohesive roster since the team’s last title in 2020. For the past two seasons, …

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Mayim Bialik, 49; Madchen Amick, 54; Regina Hall, 54; Jennifer Connelly, 54. Happy Birthday: Socialize with people you want to do business with, and you’ll establish a rapport that will help you expand your circle …

TODAY’S WORD — FOWLERS FOWLERS: FAU-lers: People who hunt wildfowl, such as wild duck or goose. Average mark 22 words Time limit 35 minutes Can you find 28 or more words in FOWLERS? The list will be published tomorrow. YESTERDAY’S …

Dear Eric: I am one of many lonely adults struggling to make close friends. It’s never come easy for me, and it’s compounded by the fact that I’m an introvert who works from home part time with three small children, …

If the Archdiocese of Milwaukee embraced transparency about child sex abuse as many other big Catholic organizations have done, the number of names on its public list of allegedly abusive clerics could triple, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Milwaukee Journal …

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been fighting with my sister about her behavior around me and my family for years, and it’s reached a breaking point. Related Articles Advice | Harriette Cole: The pressure on me to look a certain way …

Dear Eric: I just read the letter from the parent who was baffled by continued contact from a son’s former classmate. Related Articles Advice | Asking Eric: What should I do about the headstone that has my name on it? …

The Chicago Bears have a good deal to clean up next offseason, but the housekeeping will begin with locking down quality players already on the roster before free agency becomes an issue. One of the names atop the list of …

Today is Thursday, Dec. 12, the 347th day of 2024. There are 19 days left in the year. Today in history: On Dec. 12, 2000, George W. Bush became president-elect as a divided U.S. Supreme Court reversed a state court …

DEAR ABBY: I have cared for my elderly mother in my home for 15 years. I have four brothers who live out of state. Related Articles Advice | Dear Abby: They ridicule me because of my facelift. Do I have …

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When I visited my family with my newborn son, they could not stop talking about how handsome he was — and how much cuter than his sister (my first child, who is 3 years old). Related Articles …

Today is Thursday, Dec. 12, the 347th day of 2024. There are 19 days left in the year. Today in history: On Dec. 12, 2000, George W. Bush became president-elect as a divided U.S. Supreme Court reversed a state court …

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Taurus. Happy Birthday for Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024: You like harmony in your surroundings. You’re a good listener and an excellent counselor. You appreciate …

New York Jets Quartback Aaron Rodgers unloaded on the hosts of ESPN’s SportsCenter and other sports pundits, making it clear that he isn’t happy with how sports television hosts have changed. Rodgers made the comments on the Pat McAfee show …

Steve Kerr was beside himself following the Golden State Warriors’ loss to the Houston Rockets. Golden State was eliminated from contention in the Emirates NBA Cup, but Kerr was more upset about how his team lost. With the Warriors ahead …

The Kansas City Chiefs will have several decisions to make at wide receiver over the 2025 offseason and they have the next couple of months to form final opinions on impending free agents Hollywood Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, Justin Watson, JuJu …

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell knows his team will face quite the challenge this week against a quarterback who set NFL records in consecutive games. The Lions are set to host the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 15 in a …

The Warriors’ shot at the NBA Cup got decided at the foul line, not on the court. With 3.5 seconds left in a one-point game, Jonathan Kuminga got called for a loose-ball foul 80 feet from his basket. He’d jockeyed …

Moon Alert There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The moon is in Taurus. Aries (March 21-April 19) An average day This is a good day to wrap up writing projects, especially related to colleges and universities or …

Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos can do themselves a big favor in Week 15. Their opponent, the Indianapolis Colts, sits two games behind them in the NFC playoff race. The Broncos can put another full game between them and …

As aghast as Steve Kerr was last week when the referees didn’t see Christian Braun try to call a timeout he didn’t have in the waning moments of last week’s loss in Denver, it didn’t compare to his disbelief at …

A motorist was fatally shot in a shootout with passengers in another car Wednesday night in Logan Square. The driver of a stolen gray sedan was traveling south in the 2300 block of North Kimball Avenue when he exchanged gunfire …

LAS VEGAS — Paul Stone enjoys a good yarn, movies or books that entertain throughout and deliver a solid, if not surprising, conclusion. Indiana’s football team, for instance, has delivered a dramatic season. “While I love the Hoosiers’ story,” Stone …

He knows a thing or two about life at North Carolina, and Drake Maye has plenty to say about Bill Belichick surprisingly taking over at Chapel Hill. Rookie New England Patriots quarterback Maye, who played his collegiate football at North …

That’s it for the New York Knicks‘ run in the 2024 NBA Cup. A loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the quarterfinals round is where their trip ends, just short of a showdown with the Milwaukee Bucks in Las Vegas. …

By WILL WEISSERT and JONATHAN J. COOPER WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he’s picking Kari Lake as director of Voice of America, installing a staunch loyalist who ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governor and a Senate seat …

SAN FRANCISCO – An East Bay man is facing federal charges he illegally flew a drone over a Central Coast military base and took photographs, according to prosecutors. Related Articles Crime and Public Safety | Concord: Man shot dead in …

SAN JOSE – A South Bay executive pleaded guilty Wednesday to not paying more than $1 million in employment taxes to the IRS, according to federal prosecutors. Related Articles Crime and Public Safety | South Bay woman charged with $1 …

Two small dogs got very lucky after falling through the ice in Aurora’s Utah Park on Wednesday morning and managing to pull themselves out, fire and rescue officials said. The pups were approximately 10 to 15 feet from shore when …

For almost the entirety of the 2024 NFL regular season, one rookie has ruled the roost, and that’s been Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner from LSU. The last month has …

The Buffalo Bills could be headed for a shakeup in the secondary with one veteran cornerback losing his spot to a former undrafted rookie who spent much of last year on the practice squad. Cornerback Rasul Douglas, one of the team’s …

DALLAS — The most intriguing player on the Rockies’ 2025 roster? I’ll take right-hander Ryan Feltner. I’m not alone. During this week’s Winter Meetings, a National League manager told me that Feltner “has the stuff to be the top arm …

“The Brutalist,” an epic story of immigration and capitalism starring Adrien Brody, is the best film of 2024, the Chicago Film Critics Association has declared. The group announced its award winners Wednesday, also choosing Brody for its best actor prize …