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In the last 2 games, Justin Fields has been ___. The defense needs ___. Insights on 4 Chicago Bears questions.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:16 GMT

The Chicago Bears needed that. In the worst way. Thursday night’s blowout of the Washington Commanders snapped a franchise-record 14-game losing streak, was the team’s first victory in 346 days and triggered a jubilant dance party inside the visiting locker room at FedEx Field. It also sent the Bears into their mini-bye with a bit of momentum and encouragement as they try to salvage the season after an 0-4 start.So where does the team go from here? How can Matt Eberflus push the team’s progress forward in the coming weeks? Tribune writers Brad Biggs, Colleen Kane and Dan Wiederer offer their analysis.The Bears’ 40-20 defeat of the Commanders on Thursday night was ___.Brad Biggs: Mood-shifting.The 40-20 defeat of the Commanders on Thursday night was precisely what the organization needed to shift the mood in the locker room and the building. That’s not to suggest it’s been all doom and gloom at Halas Hall but winning is the ultimate deodorant...

Tale of two Orioles rookies: Grayson Rodriguez struggles while Gunnar Henderson impresses in playoff loss

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:16 GMT

It’s no secret the Orioles’ magical run has largely been fueled by their youngsters.But the big question hanging over Camden Yards as the calendar turned to October inquired whether those youngsters — only six rostered Orioles entered this series with playoff experience — could replicate regular-season performance under the scintillating lights of cruel and unforgiving postseason baseball.On Sunday, with the Orioles falling, 11-8, to the Texas Rangers and going down 2-0 in the American League Division Series, the spotlight focused on starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez and infielder Gunnar Henderson. Both were integral to the success this year of an organization emerging from a grueling rebuild.Two stats in particular help explain the duo’s postseason divergence Sunday.For Rodriguez, it was the regression from the regular season. He surrendered more earned runs (five) in 1 2/3 innings than he had in any of his previous 13 starts since being recalled...

Chelsea man killed in shooting Sunday night

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:16 GMT

A man was killed by gunfire on a street in Chelsea Sunday night, according to police.Chelsea police responded to a shot-spotter activation on Congress Street  at about 10:23 last night. When they arrived, officers found  Santos David Canizales, 23, of Chelsea, on the ground suffering a gunshot wound. Canizales was transported to Mass General where he was pronounced dead a short time later.Detectives with the Massachusetts State Police, Suffolk DA’s office and the Chelsea Police Criminal Investigation Division are investigating the shooting.

Bill Belichick hints at potential Patriots personnel changes after consecutive embarrassing losses

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:16 GMT

Changes could be coming for the Patriots after they dropped their second straight game by a 34-plus-point deficit Sunday.Head coach Bill Belichick was asked Monday morning if consecutive losses to the Cowboys by 38-3 and the Saints by 34-0 could lead to personnel changes on the roster, depth chart or coaching staff.“You know, we need to make improvements in where we are,” Belichick said. “So, we’ll see what all of that entails. Haven’t gone into it yet, but we will.”Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Bill Belichick addresses relationship with Mac Jones, belief in Patriots backup QB New England Patriots | J.C. Jackson has an idea of how he can be ‘big help’ to Patriots New England Patriots | Patriots rookie Chad Ryland explains Sunday’s latest missed field goal New England Patriots | Mac Jones, Pats offense grinds to a halt New England Patriots | Bailey...

Some GOP candidates want to use force against Mexico to stop fentanyl. Experts say that won’t work

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:16 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Ron DeSantis wants suspected drug smugglers at the U.S.-Mexico border to be shot dead. Nikki Haley promises to send American special forces into Mexico. Vivek Ramaswamy has accused Mexico’s leader of treating drug cartels as his “sugar daddy” and says that if he is elected president, “there will be a new daddy in town.”Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner for the 2024 nomination and long the person who has shaped his party’s rhetoric on the border, has often blamed Mexico for problems in the United States and promises new uses of military force and covert action if he returns to the White House.Many of the GOP presidential candidates say they would use military force against Mexico in response to the trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. More than 75,000 people in the U.S. died last year from overdoses of synthetic opioids, an annual figure more than 20 times higher than a decade ago.The candidates’ antagonism toward Mexico is welco...

Death toll from floods in Cameroon’s capital reaches 27 as search for missing continues

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:16 GMT

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — At least 27 people were killed and more than 50 were injured in floods set off by heavy rains in Cameroon’s capital, authorities said Monday as rescuers intensified the search for those missing following the deluge the previous day.The rains unleashed floodwaters in the district of Yaounde 2 of the country’s capital on Sunday, sweeping away buildings and reducing many to rubble. Rescue workers are still digging through the mud and rubble “with the hope of saving lives,” Daouda Ousmanou, the top government official in the district, said Monday.Cameroon Territorial Administration Minister Paul Atanga Ngi, who visited the site, announced the death toll has reached 27 and that all the injured would be treated for free. “I have come to extend the condolences of Cameroon president Paul Biya to the bereaved families,” he said.Flooding has been frequent in Cameroon in recent years, with experts often blaming climate change, and its impact has been exacerbated by sho...

Stock market today: Oil prices climb, stocks slip as violence in Middle East rattles markets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:16 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices are climbing, and stocks are slipping as violence in the Middle East injects more unease into financial markets worldwide. The S&P 500 was 0.4% lower ealy Monday in its first trading since Hamas launched a surprise attack over the weekend against Israel, which then formally declared war. The Dow fell 4 points and the Nasdaq composite was off 1%. The area under conflict is not home to major oil production, but fears that the fighting could spill into the politics around the crude market sent a barrel of U.S. oil up 3.6%. Stocks of oil and defense companies rose.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street tumbled lower in premarket trading Monday as crude oil prices surged after the Israeli government declared war following deadly attacks by Hamas from the Gaza Strip. Futures for the S&P 500 skidded 0.6% before the bell, while futures for the Dow Jones industrials fell 0.5%.The bond market in the U.S. is closed Monday...

US Senate Majority Leader Schumer says grateful for stronger China statement on Hamas attack

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:16 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Senate Majority Leader Schumer said Monday he was grateful for a strengthened statement from China condemning the killing and kidnapping of Israeli and foreign civilians by Hamas, issued during a bipartisan Congressional visit to Beijing that included a lengthy meeting with President Xi Jinping. Schumer had said earlier in the day that he was very disappointed by China’s failure to strongly condemn the attack on Israel and show sympathy for the country and its people. Schumer led a delegation of six senators to China for talks aimed at stabilizing ties following a sharp deterioration in recent years over trade, U.S. support for self-governing Taiwan, human rights and other issues. The delegation, which included three Democrats and three Republicans, was the first visit by U.S. lawmakers since 2019 and came at a time of growing attacks on China in Congress as America contends with Beijing’s rise as a global power. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning sai...

UK’s Labour Party says it will invest for growth, as violence in Israel hangs over its conference

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:16 GMT

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Britain’s main opposition Labour Party said Monday that it will focus on economic growth rather than higher taxes to “rebuild” the country after more than a decade of Conservative rule.Labour economy spokeswoman Rachel Reeves told delegates at the party’s annual conference that “Labour will tax fairly and spend wisely.”“But I must tell you, you cannot tax and spend your way to economic growth,” she said. “The lifeblood of a growing economy is business investment.”Reeves was making her pitch to British voters and businesses at the four-day conference in Liverpool, where Labour is trying to cement its front-runner status in opinion polls before an election due in 2024.The party is running 15 or more points ahead of the governing Conservatives in multiple opinion polls, as Britain endures a sluggish economy and a cost-of-living crisis driven by the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and economic disruption following the U.K.’s exit from the Europea...

Book Review: ‘Hitchcock’s Blondes’ wants to see old Hollywood stars not through the director’s gaze

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:16 GMT

Though often lauded as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Alfred Hitchcock was also known for having a dark side, including his authoritarian tendencies as a director and sexually inappropriate behavior toward the women in his films. Tippi Hedren, who starred in “The Birds” and “Marnie,” has even alleged in recent years that the late director sexually assaulted her and threatened her career after she rejected his advances. For the famed auteur, women, and actors in general, were props to be controlled and molded with the sole purpose of realizing his vision.In “Hitchcock’s Blondes: The Unforgettable Women Behind the Legendary Director’s Dark Obsession,” Laurence Leamer seeks to divert the reader from seeing the female actors through the director’s gaze, constructing instead vignettes that attempt to memorialize these women as more than their captivating beauty.“Hitchcock’s Blondes” is part biography of the auteur, part crash course into his catalogue of movies. But mostly t...