“After the George Floyd uprisings in Minneapolis, when thousands were struggling to find food, my office and I held food drives and donated more than 20 tons of food to the community,” Omar wrote on Twitter. “Meanwhile, as millions of Texans lack power, heat, and food,@tedcruz heads off to Cancun. Hm.” Omar’s criticism came after photos circulated on social media overnight showing the senator at an airport and on an airplane....

The bombardment took place a day before Israel’s new president was scheduled to visit U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House. The U.S. carried out three airstrikes on Iranian targets on the border — two landed in Syria and the other landed in Iraq. “This constant cycle of violence and retribution is a failed policy and will not make any of us safer,” Omar said in a Twitter post....

“Omar’s 2018 victory launched her into the national spotlight as the first Muslim woman and first refugee elected to Congress,” the Star Tribune’s editorial board wrote Wednesday. “But her time has been marred by missteps, including remarks on Israel widely regarded as anti-Semitic, an outsized number of missed votes, and campaign-finance issues.” These are the kinds of “ethical distractions” that Minnesota’s 5th District could do without, the editorial said, choosing to instead recommend the other Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party candidate, Antone Melton-Meaux, for the district’s seat in the U....

Newsweek has a summary of some of the most significant changes, so whether you live in the Prairie State or are just planning a visit, you can stay on the right side of the law. Elimination of Cash Bail Cash bail will be eliminated across much of Illinois on January 1, though not the whole state as originally intended following a court ruling. On December 28, a judge ruled the policy unconstitutional, meaning it will not take effect for now in the 65 counties, which took part in the lawsuit, the Rockford Register Star reported....

The biggest upset was in Champaign, Ill., where Illinois upended No. 11 Maryland 64-57 without leading scorer Rayvonte Rice. The Illini leaned on sophomore guard Malcolm Hill, who led all scorers with 28 points. MORE: Highest-paid coaches | Ole Miss’ effort vs. UK gives other foes hope | Illini waiting for top recruit’s decision “Our effort and our crowd really came through for us,” Illinois coach John Groce told the Big Ten Network during a televised postgame interview....

This will be Underwood’s third coaching job in as many years as he moved on from Stephen F. Austin in 2015. He’ll make more than double his previous salary with Illinois, according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman. MORE: Track the 2017 college basketball coaching changes The Illini fired head coach John Groce last week after an 18-13 season where he failed to make the NCAA tournament for a fourth consecutive season....

After spending four years in Russia’s KHL, Ilya Kovalchuk is reportedly interested in playing in the NHL again next season, according to hockey insider Elliotte Friedman. “Let it be known he wants to come back,” Friedman said on Hockey Night in Canada Saturday. Kovalchuk shocked the hockey world when he retired from the NHL in 2013. Just three years earlier, he had signed a 17-year, $102 million deal with the New Jersey Devils....

In a statement provided to local news outlet NJ.com by New York attorney Steven Arenson, the eight workers say their employer, Caribbean Car Wash, paid them less than $5 an hour, while also denying them any overtime pay—despite the employees working 11-hour days as many as six or seven days a week. “Unfortunately, many workers don’t know their rights and are afraid of being fired if they speak up,” Arenson said in a statement shared on Monday....

Biologic immunomodulators for asthma are prescribed as “add-on” controller medications for helping prevent asthma symptoms when other such medications—namely, inhaled or oral corticosteroids—are not working well enough; they are not effective for relieving symptoms of an asthma attack that’s in progress. Most immunomodulators are administered by a healthcare provider at a healthcare provider’s office or infusion center. There are five biologic immunomodulator medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat moderate to severe asthma:...

The news comes a month before the promotion’s largest pay-per-view event, Bound for Glory, on October 20. After the pay-per-view, IMPACT’s weekly series will begin airing on AXS TV and simulcast globally on the IMPACT Wrestling Twitch channel. “IMPACT Wrestling is a perfect fit for AXS TV’s slate of live sporting events and combat sports content,” said Ed Nordholm, Chief Corporate Officer of Anthem Sports & Entertainment and President of IMPACT Wrestling in a press release....

The restoration of service was delayed further because of the passengers’ attempt to get themselves out. The trains were stuck for several hours, stranding hundreds of people, Governor Kathy Hochul said. “We never, ever want riders to do that,” she said. “It is dangerous and it caused a delay in the restoration of power.” The governor advised that passengers should always wait for the fire or police departments to get them to safety....

While Subaru was on board, the 12 other advertisers included Dial-A-Mattress and regional players like Tri-State Oil and the Mohegan Sun Casino. That’s a far cry from American Express, General Motors, Pepsi and Proctor & Gamble—all of which bought airtime before Imus’s incendiary remarks. The estimated total ad-, syndication- and television-related revenue generated by his old talk show was as much as $50 million per year. His new bosses at Citadel Broadcasting will find things leaner....

In the roughly one-minute clip, Cindy McCain strongly encouraged voters to choose Biden on November 3 by invoking the former vice president’s friendship with John McCain. “My husband knew Joe Biden for a long time,” she said. “They traveled thousands of miles together visiting troops overseas, and they developed the kind of friendship that you don’t see too often. “In the Senate, they’d disagree on almost everything. They’d fight like hell on the floor, and then they’d go eat lunch together,” Cindy McCain added, “because they always put their friendship and their country first....

Giving up the cost certainty of Brandon Saad — a motivator for Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman — and not knowing whether Panarin had a true desire to re-up in Columbus were legitimate gambles. One of them remains to be seen, depending on how Saad rebounds this fall, but the other has become quite a challenge. As the summer began, the Blue Jackets were optimistic that they’d be able to open negotiations with Dan Milstein, Panarin’s agent, and work toward a long-term (and likely quite lucrative) deal that would keep Panarin in Columbus for the next eight years....

Since the drivers last visited the 1.5-mile track south of Cincinnati, the surface had been repaved with a coarser-type asphalt. More importantly, Turns 1 and 2 were slightly reconfigured, in effect leading to vastly different racing conditions. MORE: Top photos from Keselowski’s win at Kentucky The result was a track-record 11 cautions and an infinite amount of swearing over the radio waves, even under yellow. During a caution with about 70 laps remaining, Martin Truex Jr....

Some OG Gossip Girl fans rejoiced that the world of Serena van der Woodsen (played by Blake Lively) and Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) was being re-opened, others rolled their eyes with claims of ’nothing could ever beat the original'. Gossip Girl ran from 2007 to 2012 and millennials and some lucky Gen Z’s were hooked from day one. We watched religiously for six seasons to be dealt the blow that Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) was actually Gossip Girl all along and yes, we are still trying to process that....

The Democratic candidate overtook the incumbent president’s lead, with 49.39 percent of the vote, according to Decision Desk HQ. He now leads with more than 2,449,371 votes to Trump’s 2,448,454, or 49.37 percent. It comes as more than 98 percent of the count has been completed in the state, which may be headed for a recount if the margin remains as slim as it currently is. Trump initially maintained a strong lead in the state with more than 18,000 at the start of Thursday....

Trouble from within the Cavaliers franchise has spilled out all season, from failed team meetings to trade rumors. As recently as last week, reports surfaced saying that star Kyrie Irving and perpetual pain Dion Waiters were the source of several team issues. It was clear that a shakeup was coming to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but it appeared it would be more based in the roster or coaching staff, because much of what we knew included player dissension and a lack of respect for Mike Brown....