A body was recovered from Lake Michigan Sunday morning near Promontory Point.

Firefighters responded to a call or a person in distress who had fallen in the water about 7 a.m. near the 5400 block of South Shore Drive, according to a Chicago Fire Department spokesperson.

After nearly an hour of searching, firefighters pulled out the body of a man in his 30s, fire officials said.

He hasn’t been identified.

No other details were immediately available.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Sunday the U.S.-led evacuation of Americans, at-risk Afghans and others from the Kabul airport accelerated this weekend, although it remains vulnerable to threats posed by the Islamic State extremist group.

One week after the Taliban completed its takeover of Afghanistan by capturing Kabul, Biden said discussions are underway among military officials about potentially extending the airlift beyond Biden’s Aug. 31 deadline. “Our hope is we will not have to extend, but there are discussions,” he said, suggesting the possibility that the Taliban will be consulted.

Since Aug. 14, one day before the Taliban entered Kabul, the airlift has evacuated 28,000 people, Biden said. He did not elaborate, but that number appeared to include not just U.S. military flights but also charter and non-U.S. military flights.

Speaking at the White House, Biden said 11,000 people had been airlifted from Kabul in a 36-hour period this weekend, but he did not provide details. The number appeared to include flights by charter and non-U.S. military aircraft as well as the U.S. Air Force C-17 and C-130 transport planes that have been flying daily from the capital. Tens of thousands of people remain to join the airlift, which has been slowed by security issues and U.S. bureaucracy hurdles.

Biden asserted, without a full explanation, that U.S. forces have managed to improve access to the airport for Americans and others seeking to get on flights. He suggested that the perimeter had been extended, widening a “safe zone.”

“What I’m not going to do is talk about the technical changes we’re making to make sure we maintain as much security as we can,” he said. “We have constantly, how can I say, increased rational access to the airport, where more folks can get there, more safely. It is still a dangerous operation but I don’t want to go into the detail of how we’re doing that.”

Later Biden added: “We discussed a lot with the Taliban. They’ve been cooperative in extending some of the perimeter.”

He said groups of Americans in Kabul are being moved more efficiently and safely to the airport, but he did not provide details.

“Any American who wants to get home, will get home,” he asserted.

Earlier Sunday, administration officials said the U.S. military is considering “creative ways” to get Americans and others into the Kabul airport for evacuation from Afghanistan amid “acute” security threats, and the Pentagon on Sunday ordered six U.S. commercial airlines to help move evacuees from temporary sites outside of Afghanistan.

Addressing a criticism cited by many Republicans, Biden said no Afghan evacuees are being flown directly to the United States from Afghanistan without prior screening. He said they are being screened in third countries.

Biden and his top aides have repeatedly cited their concern that extremist groups in Afghanistan will attempt to exploit the chaos around the Kabul airport.

“The threat is real, it is acute, it is persistent and something we’re focused with every tool in our arsenal,” said Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan.

Sullivan said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that 3,900 people had been airlifted out of Kabul on U.S. military flights over the past 24 hours. A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public, said those people were flown on a total of 23 flights — 14 by C-17 transports and nine aboard C-130 cargo planes.

That represents an increase from 1,600 flown out aboard U.S. military planes in the previous 24 hours, but remains far below the 5,000 to 9,000 that the military says it has the capacity to airlift daily. Sullivan also said about 3,900 people were airlifted on non-U.S. military flights over the past 24 hours.

The Biden administration has given no firm estimate of the number of Americans seeking to leave Afghanistan. Some have put the total between 10,000 and 15.000. Sullivan on Sunday put it at “several thousand.”

Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” Austin said that as Biden’s Aug. 31 deadline for ending the evacuation operation approaches, he will recommend whether to give it more time. Tens of thousands of Americans and others have yet to be flown out of the country.

Austin’s interview with ABC aired Sunday but was taped Saturday. In a notice Sunday, the State Department urged people seeking to leave Afghanistan as part of an organized private evacuation effort not come to the Kabul airport “until you have received specific instructions” to do so from the U.S. Embassy’s flight organizer. The notice said that others, including American citizens, who have received specific instructions from the embassy to make their way to the airport should do so.

Austin said the airlift would continue for as long as possible.

“We’re gonna try our very best to get everybody, every American citizen who wants to get out, out,” Austin said in the interview. “And we’ve got — we continue to look at different ways to — in creative ways — to reach out and contact American citizens and help them get into the airfield.”

The British military said Sunday another seven people had been killed in the unceasing crush of crowds outside the airport.

Republicans in Congress stepped up their criticism of Biden’s response. “If the Taliban is saying that Americans can travel safely to the airport, then there is no better way to make sure they get safely to the airport than to use our military to escort them,” GOP Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, an Army veteran, said on ABC’s “This Week.”

Ryan Crocker, who served as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan under Presidents George W, Bush and Barack Obama, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” that Biden’s management of the withdrawal was “catastrophic” and had unleashed a “global crisis.”

A central problem in the evacuation operation is processing evacuees once they reach other countries in the region and in Europe. Those temporary waystations, including in Qatar, Bahrain and Germany, are sometimes reaching capacity, although new sites are being made available, including in Spain.

In an attempt to alleviate that, and to free up military aircraft for missions from Kabul, the Pentagon on Sunday activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet. The Defense Department said 18 aircraft from American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines, Omni Air, Hawaiian Airlines and United Airlines will be directed to ferry evacuees from interim waystations. The airlines will not fly into Afghanistan. The six participating airlines have agreed to assist for a little less than two weeks, which roughly coincides with the currently planned duration of the airlift, which is to end Aug. 31.

The civil airline reserve system was last activated in 2003 for the Iraq War. The commercial airliners will retain their civilian status but the military’s Air Mobility Command will control the flights.

___

Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani, Lolita C. Baldor, Ellen Knickmeyer, Hope Yen and Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

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Half-speed is no way for the White Sox to be operating, but that’s what we saw from them Sunday in an ugly 9-0 loss to the Rays that left them five games behind the defending American League champs in the race for home-field advantage in the playoffs.

It wasn’t just Eloy Jimenez in left field, either, though he was a primary culprit. He came in extra slowly on a first-inning blooper by Ji-man Choi and played what probably should’ve been a single into a double. In the second inning, Jimenez jogged toward a lazy fly off the bat of Francisco Mejia that would’ve been a fairly routine play for most, but instead landed foul.

How much did it matter in what became a rubber-match blowout? Maybe not a lot. Same could be said of first baseman Jose Abreu hanging back on a three-hopper in the third and letting it skip off the bag for an infield hit. Or of Luis Robert going back to second base in slow motion on an infield liner in the eighth and being doubled off the bag.

The little things always seem to matter to the Rays, though, which must be how they unfailingly add up to more than the sum of their parts.

Jimenez might be under orders not to get himself hurt (again) out there, but there’s a line between careful and careless and — Sunday, anyway — the Sox were on the wrong side of it. Will that change? Hey, it’s only late August.

Here’s what’s happening:

MON 23

White Sox at Blue Jays (6:07 p.m., NBCSCH)

The only second-half road series the Sox have taken was at Wrigley Field, where “Ws” are practically free. Let’s see if Lance Lynn can keep his belt on long enough in the opener of a four-game set to outduel impressive Jays rookie Alek Manoah.

Jaguars at Saints (7 p.m., ESPN)

No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence going against old-enough-to-be-his-daddy Drew Brees would’ve been terrific preseason theater. Instead, Jameis Winston steps under the spotlight needing a strong performance to beat out Taysom Hill as Saints QB1.

TUE 24

Sky at Dream (6 p.m., ESPN3, The U)

If we’ve learned anything about the Sky this season, it’s that they can’t function without Candace Parker. But with her? We’re still trying to get a handle on that one.

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (10 p.m., HBO)

Segments include an examination of a recent explosion in the sports-card industry, which has seen a run on seven-figure sales involving eight of the top single-card sales ever. Alas, it’s probably still too soon to unload those 2021 Frank Schwindel babies.

WED 25

Rockies at Cubs (1:20 p.m., Marquee)

How bad has it gotten at Wrigley? So bad, fans actually miss watching the Cubs scratch out one measly run against the Rockies in the 2018 NL wild-card game.

Dodgers at Padres (9 p.m., ESPN)

The Padres have lost some shine, but they’re still in the wild-card hunt and can heave a wrench into Walker Buehler’s NL Cy Young plans here.

THU 26

White Sox at Blue Jays (2:07 p.m., NBCSCH)

It’s getaway day to wrap a seven-game trip and a four-game series in Toronto, one of those days that can test a team’s concentration. Are the Sox as locked in as they ought to be?

FRI 27

Cubs at White Sox (7:10 p.m., Marquee, NBCSCH)

Are the Sox as locked in as they ought to … oh, wait, never mind. We can worry about that again next time they’re facing a major-league opponent.

Sky at Storm (9 p.m., NBA TV, The U)

The Sky won the teams’ last meeting in overtime — with Seattle superstars Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird resting. It’s a whole different ballgame this time.

SAT 28

Nebraska at Illinois (noon, Fox-32)

Lovie Smith joined a long list of coaches who couldn’t get it done in Champaign. Maybe Bret Bielema can? All eyes — nation-wide, baby — are on Game No. 1 of the entire college football season.

Bears at Titans (6 p.m., Fox-32)

Preseason finales are a lot more relaxing to watch when your team looks even vaguely prepared for the start of the regular season. Any chance Week 1 can be pushed back a skosh?

SUN 29

Cubs at White Sox (1:10 p.m., Marquee)

Look, we don’t mean to make so many wisecracks at the Cubs’ expense. They’ve been doing the best they can since making their September call-ups.

Little League World Series final (2 p.m., Ch. 7)

With no international teams in this year’s field, it’s hotdog vs. apple pie for all the glory. One hopes pizza parties — forget those lame orange slices — await both the champions and the runners-up.

Dolphins at Bengals (3 p.m., Ch. 2)

A head-to-head matchup of QBs Tua Tagovailoa and Joe Burrow might not move the needle that much in NFL circles, but college football fans are loving it. Winner gets an early leg up in the SEC West.

Browns at Falcons (7 p.m., Ch. 5)

Here it is, folks — the last game of the NFL preseason. It might be tempting to shut off the TV when Atlanta takes a 28-3 lead, but you should know better.

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The Cubs’ 2021 season will forever be defined by the 11-game losing streak that changed the direction of the franchise. But that skid, even though it was extremely consequential and set the stage for what the roster looks like now, is far from the only dubious run this year.

On Sunday, the Cubs’ losing made more history. By losing 9-1 to the Royals, the Cubs dropped a franchise-record 13th straight game at home, besting a mark set by the 1994 team that ended up 49-64.

That bygone roster with Sammy Sosa, Mark Grace and 57 games of Ryne Sandberg before his first retirement had the good fortune of their season being cut short in the middle of August by the strike. The current group will enjoy no such luck, and will have to finish a lost season while trying to evaluate players during a non-competitive stretch run.

“You’re just looking for good baseball players that can sustain consistency and success,” manager David Ross said. “Then you put the pieces around and you trust that each individual player’s going to be the version of themselves you saw.”

Paying customers at Wrigley Field – at least the ones cheering for the Cubs that are still invested in the final score – haven’t seen much to be happy about recently. Since July 26 when the Cubs picked up their most recent home victory thanks to Javy Baez’s game-winning hit off the Reds’ Amir Garrett, they’ve been outscored 99-33 at Clark and Addison.

In front of a disinterested crowd of 29,640, Sunday was more of the same.

Trying to avoid getting swept by a Royals team that started the day 14 games below .500, Alec Mills and the Cubs bullpen combined to let Kansas City score two runs in four straight innings, a string that was broken by Adrian Sampson’s scoreless seventh. Mills, who was drafted by the Royals in 2012, allowed seven runs (six earned) and 11 hits over four innings.

Kansas City finished with 16 hits.

The Cubs’ lone run came in the fourth when Matt Duffy’s single brought in Ian Happ. But all that did was cut the Royals’ lead to 5-1 as the countdown to the Cubs’ record-breaking defeat was already underway.

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Before Sunday’s game against the Royals, manager David Ross was asked how long he expected Nico Hoerner to be on his rehab assignment.

“We’re going to wait and make sure he gets through today and then we’ll see if he can get through tomorrow and then we’ll see if he gets through the next day,” Ross said. “When he looks healthy, we’ll bring him back up.”

Unfortunately, Ross’ caution was prescient.

Recovering from a right oblique strain, Hoerner began his rehab stint Sunday at Single-A South Bend but left the game in the middle of his third-inning at-bat after an awkward-looking swing. The Cubs said Hoerner felt increased tension along his right oblique and took himself out as a precaution, and the team will reassess Monday.

Following a stay in South Bend, Hoerner was ticketed for Triple-A Iowa before coming back to the Cubs, where the plan was for him to play shortstop.

“Look how fast he picked up second base and how special he was there,” Ross said. “I have no doubt in my mind that he can be a big-league shortstop on a regular basis. If he can stay healthy and on the field, he’s a really big piece to this team moving forward.”

Staying power
Entering Sunday’s game against the Royals, Patrick Wisdom’s 20 homers led all National League rookies, a total that ties him with the 1993 Marlins’ Orestes Destrade for the NL record for homers in a season by a rookie 29 or older. Wisdom has gotten a chance and run with it, putting himself squarely in the picture for the 2022 Cubs.

Perhaps most importantly, Wisdom’s been able to produce even as opposing pitchers have made adjustments.

“It’s who he is. He’s got real thunder in his hands… when he touches the baseball it jumps,” Ross said. “The more contact he makes the more he gets familiar with the pitching staffs, the divisions and the league and how guys pitch him and making his proper adjustments. I think that he’ll continue to even get better than he’s doing now.”

What about Willson?
Ross said Willson Contreras (right knee sprain) is doing well but not moving 100%. Before Sunday’s game, Contreras got some work in, testing the knee (with a brace) running the bases. As for what else he’s doing, Ross said Contreras is doing some catching but not blocking just yet.

When Contreras returns, it might be as a designated hitter first. The Cubs visit the White Sox this weekend before going to Minnesota to see the Twins, potentially giving Contreras a chance to DH.

Responding to Matheny
Royals manager Mike Matheny was upset about Saturday’s 34-minute weather delay, one that didn’t include a lot of rain but did mess with the flow of pitcher Kris Bubic, whose no-hit bid was broken up after play resumed.

Cubs spokesman Julian Green explained that if there’s lightning within five miles of the stadium, the team will clear the seating bowl, which happened Saturday. If there’s lightning within three miles, the playing field will be cleared, which also occurred as Green said there was a strike a mile from Wrigley.

“The safety of the players on the field supersedes anything that is going on at the field at the time,” Green said.

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Curie coach Mike Oliver has done it again. The Team Rose Classic has become the best two-day high school basketball event in the area over the past decade. This season’s match ups carry on the tradition. Oliver has assembled a schedule with a nice mix of suburban, city and private schools to face off over two days at Mount Carmel.

The shootout is one of the few high school basketball events that still attracts a large numbers of college coaches. This year’s event is loaded with college prospects and top-ranked teams.

Oliver released the schedule on Sunday.

Saturday, Dec. 11

Riverside-Brookfield vs. Romeoville, 11 a.m.

Westinghouse vs. Oak Forest, 12:30

Lincoln-Way East vs. North Lawndale, 2

Evanston vs. Bloom, 3:30

Hyde Park vs. Yorkville Christian, 5

Glenbard West vs. Hillcrest, 6:30

Sunday, Dec. 12

Mount Carmel vs. Lane, 11 a.m.

Leo vs. Tinley Park, 12:30

De La Salle vs. Farragut, 2

Orr vs. Joliet West, 3:30

Brother Rice vs. Curie, 5

Notre Dame vs. Clark, 6:30

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White Sox manager Tony La Russa went out of his way to lament his decision to remove Craig Kimbrel from Friday’s 7-5 win over the Rays Friday. It kind of took the joy out of the victory, he said.

Kimbrel, an eight-time All-Star characterized by La Russa as a Hall of Fame closer, was anything but joyous about being pulled but said he and La Russa talked it over and are moving on.

“We’ve spoken since the other day and gotten things talked out,” Kimbrel said Sunday before the Sox played the Rays at Tropicana Field. “And I told him how I felt, and he told me how he felt. We move on and get ready to play the next day. That’s part of this game.”

Acquired at the trade deadline to give the Sox two of the best closers in the game, Kimbrel has pitched mostly in the eighth inning with Liam Hendriks handling the ninth, accepting any role La Russa gives him. Since coming from the Cubs, Kimbrel has underwhelmed allowing five runs over nine appearances covering 81/3 innings for a 4.49 ERA. Two of the eight hits allowed were home runs.

On Friday, Kimbrel’s first seven pitches were balls, putting La Russa on edge. After Kevin Kiermaier lined out, Kimbrel struck out Mike Zunino, but not before a stolen base and wild pitch. That’s when La Russa took the ball from Kimbrel and went to lefty Aaron Bummer, who gave up two hits and two walks and recorded one out.

“There are going to be things that happen that sometimes you agree with or disagree with,” Kimbrel said. “But if you can talk about it after the fact and get things worked out, that’s always a positive. I would take it as a positive because we talked, got things worked out and move forward from there. I’m not going to be upset and carry it over into my next outing or the next day or anything like that. We had a great conversation.”

La Russa suggested after the game that he put Kimbrel in an unfair spot, not having pitched since four days previously, and having been away from the team for a day because of his grandfather’s death. The next day he said “it was a win that I didn’t enjoy because he got the wrong message about respect and confidence.”

“I know how great he is,” La Russa said. “And this is a unique situation, to have those two closers, we’re trying to work through them.”

Kimbrel who was dominant with a 0.49 ERA in 39 games, is adapting to a new environment and searching for his fastball command. Pitching coach Ethan Katz expects it will arrive sooner rather than later.

“I mean, Craig Kimbrel’s fine,” Katz said. “He’s one of the best pitchers in baseball with a great track record. He’s pitching in high-leverage situations, he’s gonna be fine. He’s one of our main guys. He’s going to be a big contributor down the road for us, and down the stretch.”

“Some of the things I’ve been getting beat with is a little bit of command issues,” Kimbrel said, “and kind of the way I’ve been spinning my fastball. But luckily I’ve been able to use my curveball really effectively in those outings until I find my fastball.”

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When Major League Baseball announced the Cubs are playing in the 2022 Field of Dreams Game, one of the players on the social-media graphic was Patrick Wisdom.

Not bad for a guy who had played 43 major-league games before this year.

Entering Sunday’s game against the Royals, Wisdom’s 20 homers led all National League rookies, a total that ties him with the 1993 Marlins’ Orestes Destrade for the NL record for homers in a season by a rookie 29 or older. Wisdom has gotten a chance and run with it, putting himself squarely in the picture for the 2022 Cubs, not to mention league-wide promotional materials.

“I think it’s just a guy that’s gotten to a point in his career that he’s taken advantage of an opportunity,” manager David Ross said. “I think when you get real opportunity to play on a regular basis and you’ve been through the roller-coaster of a professional player and the ups and downs and getting to know yourself a little bit better, and understanding that [in] the baseball season there’s going to be really high moments and really low moments, and it’s about sustaining the good ones when you can and trying to shorten the bad ones when they come.”

Perhaps most importantly, Wisdom’s been able to produce even as opposing pitchers have made adjustments.

“It’s who he is. He’s got real thunder in his hands… when he touches the baseball it jumps,” Ross said. “The more contact he makes the more he gets familiar with the pitching staffs, the divisions and the league and how guys pitch him and making his proper adjustments. I think that he’ll continue to even get better than he’s doing now.”

Hoerner’s role
Currently rehabbing a right oblique strain, it’s not entirely clear when Nico Hoerner will return to the Cubs. What’s more obvious is where he’ll play when he does come back to the Cubs.

“He’ll play [shortstop] when he comes back,” Ross said.

Ross said the Cubs would “sprinkle” him in around if needed, but shortstop will be Hoerner’s primary home. Hoerner has played shortstop before at the big-league level, most notably when he filled in for an injured Javy Baez late in the 2019 season.

“Look how fast he picked up second base and how special he was there,” Ross said. “I have no doubt in my mind that he can be a big-league shortstop on a regular basis. If he can stay healthy and on the field, he’s a really big piece to this team moving forward.”

What about Willson?
Ross said Willson Contreras (right knee sprain) is doing well but not moving 100%. Before Sunday’s game, Contreras got some work in, testing the knee (with a brace) running the bases. As for what else he’s doing, Ross said Contreras is doing some catching but not blocking just yet.

When Contreras returns, it might be as a designated hitter first. The Cubs visit the White Sox this weekend before going to Minnesota to see the Twins, potentially giving Contreras a chance to DH.

“I think the catching stuff, in my mind, we’ll be extra cautious on to make sure he’s right,” Ross said.

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