Politics

The price of a gallon of diesel fuel is shown electronically on a pump at a QuikTrip station Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Greenwood Village, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Trump strikes deal with Putin to get diesel

By Michelle L. Price

October 9, 2026 at 6:26 p.m.

Trump’s shocking announcement was in stark contrast to a sweeping Russia sanctions law he signed...

Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at a City Club of Chicago event at Maggiano's Banquets on Sept. 30, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/baiduhai)

Mayor Brandon Johnson vetoes debt issuance rule backed by aldermen

By Jake Sheridan

October 9, 2026 at 6:06 p.m.

Mayor Brandon Johnson issued a veto late Friday to an ordinance passed by aldermen to...

The Cook County Board of Commissioners meets in the County Board room on Oct. 5, 2023. (Trent Sprague/baiduhai)

Appointed Democrat Kisha McCaskill faces Republican Richard Nolan in Cook County Board 5th District

By Evy Lewis

October 9, 2026 at 12:04 p.m.

Democrat Kisha McCaskill, appointed last year in Cook County's 5th Dist, faces Republican Richard Nolan...

Michael McCuskey, then-chair of the board of trustees for Illinois State University, in Normal on April 22, 2014. (Zbigniew Bzdak/baiduhai)

Illinois’ top legislative ethics watchdog resigning following investigation into Springfield sexual harassment

By Rick Pearson

September 8, 2026 at 9:23 p.m.

The tenure of Michael McCuskey, the Illinois legislature's top ethics watchdog, has become clouded by...

Lonnie Bunch, the founding director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, in Chicago on Nov. 6, 2014. (Zbigniew Bzdak/baiduhai)

Lonnie Bunch to retire from Smithsonian leadership following clash with Trump administration

By Meg Kinnard

September 8, 2026 at 1:05 p.m.

Lonnie Bunch is stepping down from the leadership of the Smithsonian Institution following a tumultuous...

Workers remove scaffolding from columns at the North Portico of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump’s White House North Portico project nears completion

By Bill Barrow

September 8, 2026 at 11:01 a.m.

Restoration work on the White House North Portico appears to be nearing completion before Chinese...

Screengrab from Trump’s Truth Social account of “next generation” Space Force uniforms (Truth Social)

President Donald Trump posts Space Force uniforms derived from fascist-inspired ‘Starship Troopers’ outfits

By Steven Lemongello

September 8, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.

President Donald Trump posted an image of dark “next generation” U.S. Space Force uniforms on...

FILE – This undated photo taken through a microscope and provided by the CDC shows Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts found in a fresh stool sample which had been prepared with a formalin solution and stained with safranin. (CDC via AP, File)

Cyclospora outbreak followed years of declining FDA foreign inspections

By Matthew Perrone

September 8, 2026 at 7:45 a.m.

A nationwide outbreak of cyclospora tied to contaminated lettuce has heightened safety concerns about imported...

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks with members of the media as he arrives at the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council in Ottawa, on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

What to know about Canada’s escalating trade war with the US as Prime Minister Mark Carney retaliates with tariffs

By Rob Gillies

September 8, 2026 at 8:00 a.m.

Canada struck back at U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday with tariffs on about $20...

FILE – At left, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks in McKinney, Texas, May 19, 2026, and at right, Texas state Rep. James Talarico, after voting, in Austin, Texas, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero and Eric Gay,File)

The GOP was confident about keeping its Senate majority. Now the fight for control is wide open.

By Joey Cappelletti

September 8, 2026 at 6:09 a.m.

Republicans appeared to have a firm grip on the Senate heading into the final two...

Karla Leon stands in front of a mural about immigrants obtaining access to higher education on the UIC Latino Cultural Center at the University of Illinois Chicago campus, Aug. 31, 2026. Leon is an undocumented senior at UIC majoring in accounting. (Eileen T. Meslar/baiduhai)

‘Knowledge is free’: Students without permanent legal status navigate Illinois in-state tuition changes

By Kate Perez

September 8, 2026 at 11:41 a.m.

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights estimates that 7,000 to 10,000 students across...

State Rep. Mary Beth Canty, left, and Illinois Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford greet each other at an event in Chicago on Sept. 1, 2026, to celebrate the passage of the Protecting Innocent Families Act. The legislators are sponsors of the bill. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

Illinois law aimed at wrongful abuse claims follows years of debate between advocates and doctors

By Jeremy Gorner

September 8, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Family rights advocates were perceived by some as not taking a strong enough stand against...

Co-leader of Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, Alice Weidel, leaves for a press conference in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

AfD party’s landslide win in eastern Germany tests country’s ‘firewall’ against the far right

By Kirsten Grieshaber

September 7, 2026 at 10:03 a.m.

Alternative for Germany, or AfD, won a landslide victory in Sunday’s election in the eastern...