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CHICAGO (AP) — "Star Wars" creator George Lucas has selected Chicago to house his much anticipated museum of art and movie memorabilia, a spokesman for the mayor's office said Tuesday.

The decision is a major victory for the nation's third-largest city, which was locked in a battle for the museum with San Francisco. Bill McCaffrey, a spokesman for Mayor Rahm Emanuel, confirmed that Lucas had selected Chicago but did not immediately have any details.

A spokesman for Lucas did not immediately return a call seeking comment. A message was also left with the San Francisco mayor's office.

The selection was somewhat of a surprise, given Lucas' close ties to San Francisco and California: He is a native of the state, Lucasfilm's visual effects division is based in the city and the headquarters for LucasFilm and Skywalker Sound is across the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County. Los Angeles had also bid for the museum.

But Emanuel, President Barack Obama's former chief of staff, pushed hard for Chicago, just as he is pushing hard to persuade his former boss to build his presidential museum in the city. Chicago was always given a good chance, in large part because Lucas' wife, Mellody Hobson, a prominent businesswoman, is from Chicago and Chicago closed down Promontory Point on the lakefront so the couple could host a star-studded party to celebrate after Lucas' California wedding.

And even Lucas called Chicago his "second home."

The city offered up a slice of real estate along the Lake Michigan shore that is near other attractions, including the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum of Natural History. At the same time, San Francisco suffered a setback when the city rejected Lucas' first choice of a location near the Golden Gate Bridge.

Emanuel has long been trying to portray Chicago as a global destination, and throughout the decision process, a spokesman for Lucas praised Chicago for the attention it heaps on culture, architecture, innovations and education — some of which are the themes Lucas' museum will seek to promote.

NATAL, Brazil (AP) — Biting opponents, racist comments — all that looked to be behind Luis Suarez, as soccer's bad boy was maturing into a star for his club and country. Then, the old habit that most people leave behind in nursery school cropped up again in front of an audience of millions.

Faced with a smothering and frustrating Italian defense in a must-win World Cup game Tuesday, the Uruguayan superstar responded with his front teeth.

It came about the 80th minute when Suarez and Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini got tangled up in front of the Italy goal. The apparent chomp happened in an instant, but caught by television cameras, it became a worldwide sensation and could lead to Suarez being kicked out of the World Cup.

The referee didn't see a bite, and no foul was called despite Chiellini pleading and pulling down his jersey to show a red mark on his shoulder.

About a minute later, Uruguay scored the winning goal in a 1-0 game that sent Italy home.

Uruguay will continue playing, but the federation that runs the World Cup will investigate and may suspend Suarez, who has twice before been disciplined for biting opponents in league games.

Suarez didn't confirm or deny the bite, but said he was angry that Chiellini — one of the best defenders in the world and known for his physical play — had hit him in the eye during the game.

"These are things that happen on the pitch, we were both in the area, he thrust his shoulder into me," Suarez said in Spanish. "These things happen on the pitch, and we don't have to give them so much (importance)."

Suarez, 27, should be celebrating a career year. After asking to be sold before the season, he stayed with Liverpool, won the scoring title and was named English Premier League's player of the year.

Now, he'll have to try to start rehabbing his reputation again.

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez and Suarez's teammates immediately defended their star.

"I want to say that if he's attacked, as it has begun in this press conference, we'll also defend him, because this is a football World Cup, not of cheap morality," said Tabarez, who said he didn't see a bite.

Suarez was suspended following biting incidents in the Netherlands in 2010 and in England in 2013. He also was suspended for racially abusing an opponent. British tabloids have teasingly called him a vampire, and social media artists have had fun manipulating his photo into images of Dracula and Hannibal Lecter.

And he was responsible for one of the most talked-about moments of the 2010 World Cup, when he purposefully used his hand to prevent a Ghana goal near the end of the quarterfinals. Suarez received a red card and was banned for the next game, but Ghana missed the penalty kick and was eliminated.

Uruguay defender and team captain Diego Lugano suggested Suarez was a victim of his past.

"You need to show me because I didn't see anything. Did you see it today or did you see what happened in other years?" Lugano said. "The worst of all was Chiellini's attitude ... as sportsmen leaving the field, crying and appealing against a rival."

On the field immediately after the match, Suarez looked relieved to have pulled out the victory in the heat of this tropical coastal city. If Uruguay had lost, it would have been knocked out of the World Cup

After taking off his jersey, Suarez walked to a corner of the stadium, clapped and flashed his toothy smile as he waved to the thousands of Uruguay fans chanting and cheering his name.

FIFA, soccer's world governing body, can sanction players with bans of up to two years. FIFA had no immediate comment.

FIFA Vice President Jim Boyle said on British television that Suarez had let himself down again.

"There is no doubt Luis Suarez is a fantastic footballer but, once again, his actions have left him open to severe criticism," Boyle, who is also chairman of the FIFA referees' committee, said from his home in Northern Ireland. "FIFA must investigate the incident seriously."

Chiellini said Suarez should have been kicked out of the game.

"Not sending off Suarez (was) ridiculous," Chiellini said. "It was absolutely clear. There's even a mark."

Suarez's status for the World Cup had been in doubt after he had left knee surgery just a month before it started. He missed Uruguay's 3-1 opening loss to Costa Rica, but returned with a flourish to rescue Uruguay with both goals in a 2-1 win over England.

After the victory, he claimed vengeance against some of the British media he accused of treating him badly.

This was supposed to be the World Cup where Suarez repaired his reputation. He tried to rebrand himself as a family man after the birth of his two children, a son and daughter.

Suarez said he regretted his previous biting incidents, telling the Mirror newspaper in London recently that he worried what his children will think.

"That thought almost hurts me more than the actual deed. The fact, as well, that I will have to explain one day to my kids that it was me, their father," Suarez said. "That has kept me awake at night many times ... I want to be a father they can be proud of."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and its European allies are finalizing a package of sanctions on Russia's key economic sectors that could be levied as early as this week, though the penalties might be delayed because of positive signals from Russian President Vladimir Putin, administration officials and others close to the decision-making said Tuesday.

Penalizing large swaths of the Russian economy, including its lucrative energy industry, would ratchet up the West's punishments against Moscow over its threatening moves in Ukraine. The U.S. and Europe have already sanctioned Russian individuals and entities, including some with close ties to Putin, but have so far stayed away from the broader penalties, in part because of concern from European countries that have close economic ties with Russia.

But with the crisis in Ukraine stretching on, a senior U.S. official said the U.S. and Europe are moving forward on "common sanctions options" that would affect several areas of the Russian economy. A Western diplomat said those options included Russia's energy industry, as well as Moscow's access to world financial markets.

The U.S. and Europe have been eyeing a European Council meeting in Brussels later this week as an opportunity to announce the coordinated sanctions. However, the enthusiasm for new sanctions, particularly among European leaders, appears to have waned in recent days as countries evaluate whether Putin plans to follow through on a series of promises that could ease the crisis, officials said.

The Russian leader acted Tuesday to rescind a parliamentary resolution authorizing him to use the Russian military in Ukraine. He also urged the new Ukrainian government to extend a weeklong cease-fire and called for talks between Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels that are widely believed to be backed by the Kremlin.

Putin's moves came one day after he talked by phone with President Barack Obama, their first known conversation in more than two weeks.

The threat of sector sanctions may be driving Putin to try to avoid penalties that could have a devastating impact on the already shaky Russian economy. However, there were no guarantees that Moscow would abide by the West's requests to pull back its troops from the Ukrainian border, stop arming separatists and negotiate seriously with Kiev.

Indeed, there were signs Tuesday of just how fragile the situation on the ground remains. Hours after Putin called for the cease-fire to be extended, pro-Moscow separatists shot down a Ukrainian military helicopter, killing nine servicemen.

Vice President Joe Biden spoke to Ukraine's new president, Petro Poroshenko, for the third time in as many days and offered his condolences for the deaths. The White House said Biden also underscored the importance of having monitors in place in Ukraine to verify violations of the cease-fire, as well as the need to stop the supply of weapons and militants from flowing across the Russian border.

At the State Department, spokeswoman Marie Harf described the situation on the ground as "two steps forward, one step back."

"We do see some positive signs on the ground," she told reporters. "The cease-fire, some separatists have accepted it, but the same day some other separatists shot down a helicopter. That President Putin says he'll go to the Duma, that's good, but then they continue the military buildup."

At the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest said that if Russia were to make positive changes, it would make additional sanctions "less likely."

Even if the U.S. and European Union decide not to levy sector sanctions this week, they could outline clearer intentions to ultimately take that step. In Europe, the 28 nations that form the EU may at least agree on the details of a package of sanctions so the penalties could be levied quickly, according to the Western diplomat, who like other officials insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the internal deliberations by name.

An industry expert and legislative aides with knowledge of the sanctions said the penalties being readied by the U.S. are expected to focus on energy and aim to hurt the Russian economy without causing undue harm for U.S. industry — a shared concern among administration officials, business lobbies and members of Congress.

Although American officials have examined the possibility of unilateral action, they are still trying to do everything in concert with European countries. Officials said implementing restrictions on American companies exporting oil and gas exploration technology to Russia, for example, without similar rules for European competitors, risks harming major U.S. players in Russia's burgeoning energy sector such as ExxonMobil and Halliburton.

Several U.S. businesses are worried about the prospect of imminent sector sanctions on Russia and have held meetings with senior administration officials over the past 10 days.

Given their reliance on Moscow for fuel supplies and far deeper economic integration with Russia, European countries are unlikely to go along with any far-reaching energy sector action. So if the U.S. moves ahead on its own, the Obama administration fears Russia would be able to escape punishment by shifting business from U.S. firms to European energy giants such as BP, Total or Royal Dutch Shell.

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Follow Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC, Klapper at http://twitter.com/bklapperAP and Lee at http://twitter.com/APDiploWriter

NEW YORK (AP) — The United States' 2-2 World Cup draw with Portugal is almost certainly the most-watched soccer game ever in the U.S., an emphatic confirmation of the sport's rising popularity in a country slower to embrace it than the rest of the world.

The Nielsen company said that Sunday's gripping game was seen by an average of 24.7 million viewers on ESPN and Univision. That matches it with the 24.7 million U.S. viewers who watched the 2010 World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands.

ESPN said an additional 490,000 people streamed coverage of the game on their mobile devices through the company's app. Streaming numbers for 2010 weren't immediately available, but it's very unlikely they were that high because streaming apps were not as sophisticated then.

Many factors were in place to make it so popular: It was an exciting game, interest in the U.S. team was high because of the first-game victory against Ghana and World Cup viewing in general has been high. The Sunday evening time slot also meant many Americans were available to watch.

"It indicates that a large group in our audience is really following the story of the World Cup, which is really terrific," said Scott Guglielmino, ESPN senior vice president of programming.

Guglielmino said he's always amused to be asked when soccer will arrive as an attraction in the United States. He's not likely to be asked much anymore.

American players sense the support back home, as well as in stadiums in Brazil, and appreciate it. Viewing parties have pulled thousands of people into bars, public parks, movie theaters and other locations since the tournament began.

"When we get back to the hotel and we hear about Grant Park in Chicago having 10,000 fans out to watch the game and friends and family are sending pictures and videos of what's going on, it can't help but push you on because we want to make every person watching back home proud of us and proud to watch our team," said midfielder Michael Bradley.

The game has continued to grow steadily ever since the U.S. hosted the World Cup in 1994. "People know our players, people know what's going on, people get excited to watch the games and to support their team, their country," Bradley said. "I think as players we can't ask for anything more."

Alejandro Bedoya said he checks social media to see the attention the team is getting.

"It's awesome to see this and we are part of this movement I guess that is growing soccer in the States," said Bedoya, a midfielder. "It's really cool and I'm sure everybody feeds off this energy and it's really nice to see."

Through 32 matches, World Cup games averaged 4.3 million viewers on ESPN. That's up 50 percent from the nearly 2.9 million for matches in the 2010 World Cup. Sunday's match was the most-watch event ever on ESPN that did not involve American football.

Interest is also growing fast on the Spanish-language Univision, where soccer has long been the top sport. The 6.5 million people who watched the U.S.-Portugal match represented the biggest audience ever for a U.S match on the network. Overall, Univision said an average of 3.4 million watched the World Cup on the network through the first 32 matches, up from 2.3 million in 2010.

For many people with Latin-American roots used to following their home country's matches on Univision, the United States has become their second-favorite team, said Juan Carlos Rodriguez, president of Univision Sports.

Both networks invested in driving up interest in the World Cup, since big ratings translates into big profits. ESPN spent time telecasting qualifying games for the tournament and has benefited from new attention paid to European soccer leagues. Univision started in a 24-hour sports network where soccer is the major topic of conversation.

The players have done their part, too. There have been plenty of well-played games with higher scoring than is often seen in conservatively-played, high-stakes matches, Rodriguez said.

"It's a combination of many good things," he said. "The planets are aligning."

Worldwide, several World Cup games have already qualified as the most-watched sporting events in their country this year. They include the 42.9 million people in Brazil who watched the home team against Croatia, the 34.1 million in Japan who saw Japan play Ivory Coast, and the 26.4 million in Germany who saw the home team beat Portugal, according to FIFA.

The social media site Facebook, through one week, has already seen more people having interactions about the tournament than it had for the Sochi Olympics, Super Bowl and Academy Awards combined.

Twitter hasn't released overall figures on World Cup activity, but said the two games that generated the most activity on its site involved Brazil. The game with Croatia resulted in 12.2 million tweets, and the match with Mexico made for 8.95 million.

The last-minute goal by Portugal Sunday may have disappointed U.S. fans, but not television executives. It means Thursday's U.S. match against Germany, instead of being relatively meaningless, is likely to decide whether the team advances. Because it will air during the daytime, it's not likely to match television ratings for the Portugal game, but ESPN is expecting big numbers for its mobile app.

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AP Sports Writer Ron Blum in Brazil contributed to this story.

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David Bauder can be reached at dbauder@ap.org or on Twitter@dbauder. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/david-bauder.

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