Politics

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle looks on during a press conference Sept. 23, 2026. (Arthur Maiorella/baiduhai)

Preckwinkle proposes stop-gap fixes, shrinking budget to address Cook County’s $550M shortfall

By A.D. Quig

October 7, 2026 at 10:30 p.m.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle will propose “sweeping the cupboards bare” to close a...

Sandhill cranes congregate in a coal ash pond next to R.M. Schahfer Generating Station, a coal-fired power plant, while it operates, Feb. 9, 2026, in Wheatfield, Indiana. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

U.S. Rep. Mrvan introduces legislation against federal power plant orders

By Maya Wilkins

October 7, 2026 at 4:44 p.m.

Mrvan introduced legislation to prevent utility consumers from paying costs for reopening or preventing the...

FILE – A Medicare Advantage PPO card rests on top of a Medicare card in Portland, Ore., June 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

President Trump’s $90 Medicare rebate rolls out, but millions aren’t eligible. Critics see a political stunt.

By Fatima Hussein

October 7, 2026 at 2:32 p.m.

President Donald Trump says his administration will make one-time payments of $90 per person to...

Gov. JB Pritzker speaks at La Villita Community Church in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood on Sept. 15, 2026. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

Gov. JB Pritzker turns to Illinois lawmakers to act on data center regulations

By Olivia Olander

September 24, 2026 at 6:20 p.m.

Gov. JB Pritzker said he isn’t pursuing a moratorium on new data centers in Illinois...

South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority president and CEO Phil Taillon is dwarfed by a graphic as discussion turns to the Chicago Bears coming to Indiana during the Lake County Advancement Conversation hosted by the the Legacy Foundation and the Lake County Advancement Committee at the South Shore Convention & Visitor Authority in Hammond, Indiana on Thursday, September 24, 2026. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)

Tourism chief: Northwest Indiana thankful for focus in Chicago Bears stadium search

By Michelle L. Quinn

September 24, 2026 at 4:24 p.m.

No, South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority President and CEO Phil Taillon still can’t tell...

The U.S. Capitol is seen Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Senate rejects resolution to halt the Iran war as gas prices upend midterms

By Lisa Mascaro

September 24, 2026 at 3:56 p.m.

Despite increasing political anxiety over Iran war, senators narrowly rejected a war powers resolution.

FILE – The Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)

Trump administration asks the Supreme Court to allow quick third-country deportations to continue

By Lindsay Whitehurst

September 24, 2026 at 3:28 p.m.

President Donald Trump's administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow continued quick deportations of...

State Rep. Theresa Mah and Cook County Commissioner John Daley attend a community meeting to discuss a proposed Amtrak maintenance facility in the Bridgeport neighborhood on Sept. 17, 2026, at the Carpenter Training Center in Chicago. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

Preckwinkle and Cook County Board, most aldermen oppose Amtrak-Ishbia plan

By A.D. Quig

September 24, 2026 at 7:55 p.m.

The Cook County Board Thursday opposed a proposed new Amtrak maintenance facility in Bridgeport tied...

Heidi Overton testifies during her nomination to be Commissioner of Food and Drugs at the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

President Trump’s FDA nominee voices support for vaccines at Senate hearing

By Matthew Perrone

September 24, 2026 at 3:02 p.m.

President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration is voicing support for...

Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, speaks at the Chicago City Council meeting on Sept. 23, 2026. (Arthur Maiorella/baiduhai)

Aldermen advance Chicago parking meter system sale

By Jake Sheridan

September 24, 2026 at 5:17 p.m.

Aldermen gave initial approval Thursday to the sale of Chicago’s infamously privatized parking meter system...

FILE – President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and others tour “Alligator Alcatraz,” a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

ICE is wasting tens of millions of dollars on ‘uninformed’ detention projects, report finds

By Ryan J. Foley

September 24, 2026 at 11:56 a.m.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies have wasted tens of millions of dollars...

President Donald Trump, right, greets China’s President Xi Jinping on the South Portico of the White House, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Trump lays out the pomp for President Xi but says little about the significant tensions in US-China relations

By Aamer Madhani

September 24, 2026 at 5:50 p.m.

President Donald Trump on Thursday hailed the “truly great friendship” he has forged with Xi...

Anna Wittcoff exits the voting booth at the Chicago Loop Super Site, 137 S. State St., Chicago, on March 17, 2026. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

Illinois voter guide to the 2026 midterm elections in November

By Kori Rumore

September 24, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Illinois voters will soon decide their party’s nominees for races at the federal and state...