Politics

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., talks about the policies of President Donald Trump and Republican supporters in Congress as he holds a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

House Democrats plan vast oversight of Trump administration, with impeachment on the table

By Lisa Mascaro

September 26, 2026 at 3:39 p.m.

House Democrats are preparing a vast oversight agenda if the party sweeps control in the...

Democrat Sen. John Kennedy, left and Republican Richard Nixon, right, as they debated campaign issues at a Chicago television studio on Sept. 26, 1960. Moderator Howard K. Smith is at desk in center. (AP)

Today in History: Kennedy and Nixon face off in Chicago

By Associated Press

September 26, 2026 at 3:30 a.m.

On Sept. 26, 1960, the first nationally televised debate between presidential candidates took place as...

President Donald Trump greets supporters as he arrives on the stage at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

President Trump said he would campaign in midterm battlegrounds. He’s starting in deep red states instead.

By Jill Colvin

September 25, 2026 at 9:42 p.m.

President Trump will hold rallies next week in Durant, Oklahoma, and Mobile, Alabama, where he...

FILE – A National Park Service worker stands near a pump placed next to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Reflecting Pool’s botched repairs threaten to tarnish the National Park Service’s reputation

By Matthew Daly

August 13, 2026 at 7:45 a.m.

President Donald Trump’s botched repairs at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool have landed the National...

A sign welcomes the Chicago Bears to Hammond on June 10, 2026, outside the Pavilion at Wolf Lake Memorial Park in the area of their possible stadium site. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

What to know about the Chicago Bears’ possible move from Soldier Field

By baiduhai

August 13, 2026 at 1:50 p.m.

Arlington Heights? Indiana? Chicago? Here’s what to know about the Bears’ possible move from Soldier...

A Favorite Healthcare Staffing office along the 5500 block of North Cumberland Avenue on Oct. 11, 2023, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott/baiduhai)

Illinois audit: State agency paid staffing firm $78.5M for contractors not actively working

By Jeremy Gorner

August 13, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The Illinois auditor general found several oversight issues with the state's Emergency Management Agency-Office of...

Chicago school board members Ellen Rosenfeld, left, and Jessica Biggs, chat before a discussion about the elected school board during a City Club event on June 30, 2026. Biggs reported a $150,000 contribution from SEIU. (Eileen T. Meslar/baiduhai)

SEIU puts $1.1 million into school board race effort as feud with CTU escalates

By Kate Armanini

August 12, 2026 at 8:35 p.m.

SEIU Illinois State Council contributed $1.1 million to Chicago’s school board race as its rift...

Gov. JB Pritzker and other state officials unveiled the 2026 Butter Cow sculpture at the Dairy Building on the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield on Aug, 12, 2026. The fairgrounds host the annual Illinois State Fair beginning this week, and this year's theme of the Butter Cow is a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Route 66. (Jeremy Gorner/baiduhai)

Illinois State Fair’s 2026 Butter Cow honors Route 66’s 100th anniversary

By Jeremy Gorner

August 12, 2026 at 6:28 p.m.

The Illinois State Fair opens Thursday and runs through Aug. 23 with various food and...

New York Attorney General Letitia James, flanked by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, left, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, takes part in a press conference to announce action against ICE overreach in New York, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

ICE’s plan to give officers electric shock gloves draws outrage and fears of misuse

By Ryan J. Foley

August 12, 2026 at 5:20 p.m.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s plan to give officers gloves that deliver painful electric shocks faced...

Indiana Governor Mike Braun answers questions from the media during a press conference at the Central Fire Station in Hammond, Indiana on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)

‘Make plans for the worst’: Gov. Braun, officials give updates on NWI storm damage cleanup, power restoration

By Maya Wilkins

August 12, 2026 at 4:50 p.m.

On Wednesday, Braun assessed Northwest Indiana’s storm damage and coordinated efforts with state agencies to...

The Bally’s Chicago casino construction site is seen on Aug. 12, 2026. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

Aldermen demand Bally’s Chicago resume full construction at casino complex, call for public hearing

By Robert Channick

August 12, 2026 at 6:21 p.m.

A group of 27 aldermen issued a demand letter to the casino company Wednesday calling...

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt holds up an artist rendering of the new triumphal arch as she speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Wednesday, April 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, youngest person to hold role, to leave at month’s end

By Associated Press

August 12, 2026 at 3:51 p.m.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the youngest person to hold the role, will leave...

Michael Alfonso, a candidate for U.S. House in Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district, speaks during a campaign event, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, in New Richmond, Wis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Son-in-law of Sean Duffy wins GOP house primary in northern Wisconsin

By The New York Times News Service Syndicate

August 12, 2026 at 2:30 p.m.

Michael Alfonso, 26, clinched the Republican nomination for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District on Tuesday in...