The highest effective tax rates were concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest, led by Illinois (1.84 percent), New Jersey (1.58 percent), Vermont (1.4 percent), Connecticut (1.36 percent), and Ohio (1.32 percent).

Economist James Bohn recently documented the breathtaking resultsof that experiment in which Wisconsin — for a century a high-tax, high-regulation state atrophying in a straitjacket of antique progressivism —

Politicians in Michigan and Illinois are pushing for help to build barriers and blast annoying sounds to repel the fish. Meanwhile, boaters are taking matters into their own hands.

Pritzker: “This is not foreign policy, it’s a deranged mad man threatening to wipe out an entire country. It’s past time. The 25th Amendment must be invoked.”

llinois’ bond sales would total $3.2 billion in fiscal year 2027 under provisions of Gov. JB Pritzker’s executive budget, the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability found in its analysis of the spending plan. The state’s outstanding principal would climb to $29.9 billion and debt service would hit $3.8 billion for general obligation bonds and $435 million for Build Illinois bonds, CGFA said in its analysis, released last week.

Illinois consumers who bought health insurance on the state’s Affordable Care Act exchange are paying 26% more for coverage, on average, than they did last year, and the number of people who enrolled in the plans dropped nearly 4%, according to the state. Though that 26% average increase in monthly premiums is surely tough for many, it’s a far cry from the 78% average jump that state regulators previously said could occur if the federal government didn’t renew enhanced premium tax credits and people stayed on their plans from last year.

Since 2020, the state has gotten $15.6 billion in federal aid related to the COVID-19 pandemic. While that funding was temporary, Illinois has permanently increased what it spends. That has caused a fiscal problem for the state, with projected budget deficits totaling nearly $21 billion during the next five years. Expenditures are forecasted to grow nearly 20 percent in that time, but revenues only 11 percent in that time.

House Bill 5408 would take advantage of an under-used provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires insurance plans that offer coverage for abortions in instances that go beyond rape, incest and life of the mother to collect at least $1 a month from enrollees to cover the cost of abortion claims.

“Senate Bill 4175 would allow municipalities to establish OPEB trusts to fund retiree fringe benefits. These trusts allow municipalities to invest the funds more broadly than typical municipal accounts and can help improve credit ratings. I’ve worked to put guardrails in place to protect municipalities, ensuring financial responsibility is a priority,” Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton, D-Western Springs, told The Center Square.

Now another virus is on the rise in Chicago, and this time it’s HIV. Infections rates grew nearly 30 percent between 2022 and 2024, and it’s likely thanks once again to the Democrats’ love of illegal immigration.

March turned out to be another good month for state revenue collectors. Driven by increases in personal income and sales tax payments, the March totals jumped by $233 million (4.8 percent) over the same month in 2025. That makes two consecutive months of increased revenue after a bad start in January. February revenues increased by 9 percent.

“The hardest part about Friday was to see all those people there, and the tears were because they knew it was over; they go back to the life they had before,” said Yvette Ewing, executive director at The Community Works, a nonprofit that helps recruit candidates for the CEJA hubs. “The hardest part, I’ll be honest, is knowing that there’s no job at the end specific to clean energy.

Illinois lawmakers are advancing legislation that would significantly curtail where federal immigration detention facilities may operate in the state, further demonstrating the state’s willingness to obstruct federal law enforcement operations. The proposal, House Bill (HB) 5024, would prohibit immigration detention centers from being located within 1,500 feet of residential areas and numerous community locations, including schools, parks, daycare centers, forest preserves, cemeteries, and places of worship.

Read that again. A Walmart General Manager is the top leader at a facility responsible for billions of dollars in inventory and hundreds of employees. That person earns $218,317, which is at the high end for that role. Meanwhile, the Vice President of Operations at the Greater Chicago Food Depository—who has a much less demanding logistical role—earns $353,845. That’s

The report, authored by ILEPI’s Frank Manzo and UIUC professor Robert Bruno, found that a 3% surcharge on income over $1 million would generate $3.8 billion in its first full year and $4.2 billion by 2030 — revenue estimates the researchers labeled as “conservative.”

Illinois-based providers performed nearly one out of every four abortions for patients seeking the procedure outside of their home state, often as a result of outright abortion bans or prohibitive restrictions where they live.

Fat salaries, taxpayer funded.

The “Adequate and Equitable Public University Funding Act,” proposes a yearly increase over 15 years of $135 million to state university funding, each public university getting a specific percentage, with priority given to universities that are the most in need.

An Illinois state senator, responding to an investigation by The Center Square, suggested Wednesday that the state’s highly paid diversity commissioners should be required to work full time in light of their poor job performances.

Illinois lawmakers failed this year to advance a bill that would have forced fossil fuel companies to pay for climate resilience after a coalition of business and labor groups lined up against it.

Pending class action lawsuits under Illinois’ stringent biometrics privacy law may have become significantly less lucrative, after a federal appeals court declared reforms enacted to limit financial payouts under the law don’t just apply to the lawsuits filed since the reforms took effect a little less than two years ago.

“With record investments and job creation already underway in 2026, Illinois is building on its momentum—proving that a focus on fiscal responsibility, economic growth, and opportunity is driving businesses to choose Illinois.”

Pritzker’s BUILD plan would establish statewide zoning laws — limiting the ability of local governments to intervene, hold public forums on zoning issues, or act on local residents’ objections.

Illinois business leaders pressured Illinois lawmakers Tuesday to approve billions of dollars in taxpayer‑funded child care investments, arguing that without more public spending, families and small businesses will continue to shoulder the burden of a system they say is already stretched thin.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker says property taxes are a local issue, but a county treasurer’s report says hefty tax increases are allowed by state law.

“The Republican nominee for governor won’t win, but Downstate will have a champion in its war against Chicago’s political influence over Illinois.”

Legislation in the Illinois Capitol could allow for more lax rules regarding some hormone medications. Republicans say the bill was quietly snuck through with vague language that would allow pharmacists to prescribe a 12-month supply of hormone therapy medication to minors.

The chair of the Illinois Republican Party is speaking out after a “disturbing act of vandalism” targeting a suburban GOP office, calling it a “symptom of escalating political hostility.”

The state should implement long-term saving measures, such as a spending cap. Under such a cap, annual spending cannot increase more than the 10-year average growth of the state’s nominal gross domestic product. That way, increases in spending are tied to growth in the tax base, which could mean limited tax increases.

Property taxes in Cook County soared at double the rate of inflation between 1995 and 2024, according to a new report from Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas.

“In the Midwest, Illinois stands out at $4.21 per gallon, while much of the region remains closer to the mid-$3 range.”

Blue-state leaders are swapping executive orders, legislative strategies and public warnings.

The Act imposes a range of pay and benefit requirements for covered temporary workers.

Imposing higher taxes requires having enough people to tax. It’s a balancing act that requires ensuring that those who pay the most feel they’re getting their money’s worth. Illinois apparently is failing that test, and the consequences are severe.

States with the highest taxes continue to lose the most income to other states. California lost on net $11.9 billion, mostly to Texas, Nevada and Arizona. Other big losers include New York ($9.9 billion), Illinois ($6 billion), Massachusetts ($4 billion), New Jersey ($2.6 billion), Maryland ($1.8 billion) and Minnesota ($1.5 billion).

Former Dolton mayor and Thornton Township supervisor Tiffany Henyard urged Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to accept federal assistance to help clean up crime, noting in a statement that her father had become a gun violence victim.

The plug-in solar bill allows people to install small solar panel systems that can be plugged into normal wall outlets for personal use. Instead of a rooftop, the panels could be set up on a balcony, in a yard, or on a porch or patio.

In a news conference, State Sens. Seth Lewis, R-Carol Stream, Dave Syverson, R-Cherry Valley, and Craig Wilcox, R-Woodstock, said they want to make Illinois a place where people want to live, instead of leave, by creating thoughtful policies to support businesses and individuals.

A proposal to create a new energy commission has renewed policy debate over the economic and environmental impact of state policies.

House Bill 4743 would allow the more than 100,000 contract employees of ride-share services – such as Uber and Lyft – in the state to organize, requiring a minimum of 10% of active drivers to begin the process. The bill also sets a threshold of 30% of active drivers signing union authorization cards to begin any negotiations with the ride-share industry.

The Chicago Bears will have to wait until at least April for action on a property tax measure that would boost their efforts to build a domed stadium in Arlington Heights. State Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, the top House Democratic negotiator, confirmed to Capitol News Illinois that the bill won’t move before the House adjourns Friday.

Aaron Del Mar is stepping down as the Palatine Township Republican committeeman and Cook County GOP chairman to focus on his run for lieutenant governor.

“When leaders become dependent on outrage, solutions become threats to their power. Chicago, the adopted hometown of both Jackson and Mr. Obama, proves the point. Jackson rose in a political culture of entrenched corruption, where moral accountability was too often weakened by ethnic loyalty and party interest. Rather than resist this culture, Jackson and other civil-rights veterans were absorbed by it.”

After decades of drift, the troubled city has a chance to restore public order and competitiveness.

He has also come out squarely against federal immigration agents in Cook County, a stance likely to resonate with voters following last fall’s “Operation Midway Blitz. “The whole ICE situation should’ve looked a lot different and better coordinated,” Bailey said. “And I’ll even go so far as to say there shouldn’t be federal agents in Cook County doing this work.”

Jim Dey: “A quarter-cent hike isn’t much, but voters wanted nothing to do with it then and even less to do with any more tax hikes now. … A second (referendum) involving property taxes went down by a margin of 10,199 to 6,042.”

“This all began because of my family,” he said. “When I began to crack open some of my son’s information, his computer, I got his passwords. Unbeknownst to us, when we got into his computer, we discovered emails, he was considering a run as a state representative. When I saw that, I realized, he got it.” He went on to say he had to run for Zach.

Illinois will return to market with about $1.4 billion of general obligation bonds next week, with proceeds funding accelerated pension benefit payments, Rebuild Illinois capital expenditures, information technology projects and other capital projects.

Illinois, Kentucky, and New Jersey are the states with the poorest pension funding, all having saved up only about half of the assets needed to pay for promised benefits.

Voters showed their support for school choice, and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) had a bad night.

With barely 24 hours to go before Republican voters in Illinois choose a nominee for governor from four candidates, one thing they agree on is that he must be able to defeat two-term Democrat incumbent JB Pritzker.

Financed in part by malign foreign powers who seek to defeat the United States, radical left activists have co-opted the Democratic Party. Rep. Brad Schneider of Illinois, head of the supposedly centrist New Democrat Coalition, typifies the illogic.

No one has ever bothered to study the way 1,396 localities authorized by the state to enact zoning actually deploy that zoning authority. In other words, Governor Pritzker and the supporters of the BUILD Plan are missing key information that could help them show why their Plan is sorely needed—or how it would play out on the ground. As it stands today, they can’t even tell their constituents whether these localities have chosen to enact zoning—much less whether they allow accessory dwellings or duplexes, impose large lot sizes, or issue parking mandates.

Foundation officials told Fox News Digital the volunteers will complement about 300 full- and part-time employees at the long-delayed center, which the organization is promoting as a $3.1 billion economic catalyst for the Windy City’s South Side.

Former gun store owner Jeff Regnier and wife Greta Keranen say prosecutors abused their power when they used Illinois’s civil asset forfeiture laws to try to take ownership of their property even though they weren’t convicted of crimes. A judge called the tactics “authoritarian,” but prosecutors say they were following the law.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s deep financial involvement in his state’s U.S. Senate primary on Tuesday has angered potential allies for his possible 2028 presidential bid.

With a few days left until the 2026 Primary Election, the Bailey/Del Mar campaign bus made a stop in Metropolis on Thursday, March 12. While Darren Bailey, a Republican candidate for the office of Illinois governor, was unable to attend due to family matters, his lieutenant governor running mate Aaron Del Mar met with voters at La Pizza di Shane.

Illinois Democrats have a rare opportunity to help send a Black woman to the Senate this year — though it’s an opportunity that may be blocked by a splintering electorate and competing political loyalties.

“In a state dominated by one party and one powerful incumbent, an opposition candidate must be able to turn the campaign into a referendum on governance itself.”

The model used in the study indicated a more than 25 percent increase in the frequency of large hailstones of at least 1.8 inches if planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from human activities do not significantly reduce by mid-century.

Interview starts at the 15:00 mark.

“September 2025 incident in Chicago deserves an explanation.”

The legislative forecaster expects the state to end the year with revenue $755 million higher than the last estimate released by Pritzker’s budget office. The growth may be short-lived, however. COGFA projects FY27 revenue will decline $458 million from the current year.

The danger is that politicians will react predictably and try to subsidize jobs that are no longer viable and industries that are being dramatically downsized. At the same time, they are likely to expand model programs in Democratic cities for universal basic or guaranteed income. Democrats have moved forward with more than 60 bills creating such programs, and this week, Cook County, Ill. (the second-largest county in the U.S.) made permanent the universal basic income program it had originally launched with federal COVID-19 relief funds.

“With a well-known name statewide and a new campaign message, Darren Bailey is ahead in the four-way Republican primary race for Governor. Bailey has little to say about his opponents, instead looking ahead to November and what would be a rematch of the 2022 contest. This time, Bailey hopes for a different outcome.”

“With virtually no financial support this time, and unwilling to appear for GOP debates, Bailey will carry the Republican banner straight to the garbage heap in November if he prevails in the GOP primary.”

“There is one candidate whose particular identity, politics, and prominence put him above all the others on this issue: Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.”

Illinois’ combined state and local taxes are over 50% higher than the national average.

The local leaders, mostly Democrats who have routinely opposed the Trump administration’s policies on nearly every front, argued the strikes against Iran were not legally justified and circumvented congressional authority for war.

Illinois recently expanded the state’s prohibitions on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in employment. In 2020, Illinois enacted the Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act (AIVIA), which regulates employers’ use of AI in the interview and hiring process. Under this Act, employers are obligated to inform applicants when AI technology is used during the course of a video interview, provide an explanation of the AI technology’s mechanics, and obtain prior consent from the applicant.

The Passenger Rail Planning Act was introduced in January by state Reps. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan) and Kam Buckner (D-Chicago). It does not include funding for expanded service or infrastructure, but seeks to define the plan for more frequent operations.

While no one has calculated exactly how many federal and state dollars both Republican and Democratic elected officials have sent to that green sector, experts RealClearInvestigations consulted fixed the total north of $100 billion. Currently, Rivian builds its EVs at an Illinois plant, but the company has been losing roughly $39,000 per EV it sells.

“For Illinois, the strong-arm approach by Trump has meant regular threats to a range of federal funding streams, which add up to a minimum of $61.5 billion over the coming decade, according to a review by Crain’s of both threats to cut funding and actual cuts implemented under the Trump administration.”

Illinois is worst, with lots of detail by city and county.

The ad is here.

“Ted Dabrowski knows how the state got off track, but he’s the underdog in the GOP primary for governor…. Mr. Pritzker has been a frequent target of Wirepoints’ unflattering statistics, and he once lashed out at Mr. Dabrowski’s firm, calling it a ‘carnival-barker organization’—a phrase that drew a rebuke from the people of the circus and carnival culture.”

“F— Trump, vote Juliana,” one person after another says in the new TV ad. The ad also features Gov. JB Pritzker and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth.

Darren Bailey’s campaign faces scrutiny in some Republican circles over its response to an incident where a woman was hospitalized and filed a police report after attending his launch event.

After his name was printed incorrectly on primary election ballots in Champaign County, Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski has filed a lawsuit against the county clerk and called out ballot errors in at least five other counties around the state.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey denounced a social media post made by his party last week that denigrated Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

JB Pritzker will propose a plan during his State of the State address to drastically limit local governments’ authority to restrict the types of structures that can be built on property zoned residential.

Update: Dabrowski has now filed a lawsuit over the error in his name on the Champaign County ballot. Details coming.

Illinois is fifth worst.

“Rather than having a nuanced discussion on ICE tactics, the left’s position is to abolish ICE and reward illegal immigration. Here’s what Pritzker Democrats won’t tell American voters: If Illinois, Minnesota, and other states had simply cooperated with ICE and other federal agencies, they could have deported the worst criminal offenders in a matter of weeks, and then they could have left.”

“Polling released last month could show that Bailey is one of the most recognizable names in Republican politics, but he lost to Pritzker by 12 percentage points in 2022 — leaving Republican voters with a key question on March 17: Should they renominate Bailey or choose a political newcomer to take on Pritzker in November?”

The debate will air live on Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. and you can watch on Fox Chicago, Fox32Chicago.com, and on the FOX LOCAL app.

“My home state of Illinois, and others across our country, have failed to properly maintain their voter rolls and implement basic election security practices such as requiring voter ID. By establishing clear, consistent standards to verify voter eligibility, this legislation helps ensure that only the American people decide our elections,” U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood said.

“If Illinois politicians truly wanted to reduce overtime, they would hire more officers. They don’t. Because overtime isn’t the problem — honesty is.”

“It’s one thing for purple-state governors to remain on the fence. But when even California, New York and Illinois are debating whether to give their parents access to choice dollars—in a nod to the danger of giving the GOP a wedge issue—the unions have a big problem.”

The word “threshold” matters: It’s not a true exemption. If an estate is valued at $4 million or less, there is no Illinois estate tax. But if the value exceeds $4 million by even a single dollar, Illinois will tax the entire estate, not just the amount above the threshold. This is known as the Illinois “cliff tax.” At an estate value of exactly $4 million, the tax is zero. But at $4 million plus $1, the entire estate is taxable.

Since launching his campaign in earnest last month, Heidner has worked to position himself as the MAGA candidate in the race. His first campaign ad even branded himself a “Trump Republican for governor.”

Change Research, a respected national polling firm for progressive causes, recently conducted a statewide survey that shows 75% of voters would vote yes on the amendment and just 10% would vote no, with the remaining voters undecided, they said.

Trump: “I even invited the SLOB of a Governor, JB Pritzker, and horrendous California Governor, Gavin Newscum, to the Dinner, despite the terrible job that they are doing.”

He’s the second GOP candidate for governor to sit for Capitol News Illinois’ election podcast series. Capitol News Illinois will publish a feature and full interview with each of the four GOP governor candidates in the coming weeks.

From McLean County Republican Party press release: Illinois State University is reported to have maintained an agreement with NSLVE similar to the one currently under review at Tufts University. U.S. Reps. Mary Miller, Darin LaHood and Mike Bost are introducing legislation aimed at preventing third-party organizations, such as NSLVE, from having unrestricted access to private student data.

Pritzker is calling for additional funds for Tier 2 public employees, those hired on or after Jan. 1, 2011. Some have suggested that the so-called Tier 2 pension benefits fall short of federal safe-harbor requirements because they may be less than those provided by Social Security. But no one has proved that Tier 2 benefits fall short of Social Security, or by how much. Better to answer those questions than commit major funds to solve a problem that does not exist.

Those wanting to see a review of Gotion Illinois by the United States Treasury’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) were disappointed after Manteno trustees voted against the request at the January 20 village board meeting.

LaHood expressed reservations about some enforcement activities in urban areas such as Minneapolis and Chicago but said, “I think we’re headed in the right direction in terms of some of those problems we’ve seen in the past.”

Buyer wants to reorient the paper toward the political middle.

“For years, Ted Dabrowski wielded influence behind the scenes in Illinois Republican circles, serving as a go-to source for conservative research and commentary through his stewardship of thinktanks Wirepoints and the Illinois Policy Institute. With Republicans largely relegated to the policymaking sidelines in Democrat-dominated Springfield, Dabrowski’s efforts have mostly proven an academic exercise. That could change this year.”

6,000 at U of I; 300,000 nationally.

With the border effectively closed, the populations of states like California, Hawaii, and New Mexico are declining, and they’re stagnating in New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts. The great Scottish Enlightenment thinker Adam Smith once observed that “there is a great deal of ruin in a nation.” Today, you might describe the process as “managed decline.” It’s a feat that many Democratic states are pulling off quite convincingly.

If recent trends in population growth and migration continue, the Brennan Center projects that Texas would gain four seats, Florida three, and Georgia, Arizona, Utah, North Carolina and Idaho one each in the reapportionment after the 2030 Census. California would lose four, and New York two. Oregon, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island would give up one apiece.

Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot also announced that she is spearheading a project to reveal the names, personal information, and locations of ICE officers while pro-migration activists are trying to block law enforcement operations. Also in Illinois, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has warned ICE officers and other federal law enforcement not to remove or obscure the license plates on official vehicles because he claims it is a violation of state vehicle operating laws.

“Our renewed vigor in many ways, following his lead, has made Illinois a state that is truly open for business now,” Pritzker said.

Top Republican candidates for Illinois governor faced were all onstage at a forum Tuesday night in Mt. Vernon.

Journalist and historian Garrett Graff testified before the panel and discussed issues that affected U.S. Customs and Border Protection long before President Donald Trump took office. Graff cited CBP discipline reports from 2005 to 2024 and said CBP has been the most troubled federal law enforcement

Rahm Emanuel wants his party to stop focusing on ‘resistance’ to Trump. So far he’s getting few takers.

Video gambling magnate Rick Heidner is unapologetic about taking $1,000 from the president of D & P Construction Co., Inc., saying he’s not going to return it “to grandstand because you say something to me.” The FBI once alleged the waste hauler was secretly controlled by late mob figures John and Peter DiFronzo.

Ensuring “domestic tranquility” is among the six express goals of government stated in the Constitution. But for many protesters, the goal “seems to be to deliberately disrupt domestic tranquility as a tactic to undermine the president’s popularity. It’s working. Tranquility is a peaceful, calm state, without noise, violence, or worry. That’s not what we have in Minneapolis or, on any given day in Chicago and a handful of other cities in states controlled by Democrats.”

Comment: Wirepoints will be writing soon on this astonishing story.

“The costs with climate change are going to be extravagant, and it’s going to end up on the backs of the taxpayers, and the oil companies continue to walk away with huge profits,” said Gabel, an Evanston Democrat, the bill’s sponsor. “Polluting companies should be responsible for the damage they cause.”

Supporters say the bill is urgently needed after this week’s arctic blast, when schools closed, transit shut down, and cities opened warming centers while thousands of workers still had to show up to load baggage on frozen tarmacs, deliver packages, and work in warehouses that felt like refrigerators. …. “Climate change is not some far away or future health threat. It is harming Illinois workers now,” said a supporter.

Five states lost population, according to the new Census Bureau estimates released Jan. 27 covering changes between mid-2024 and mid-2025. The changes suggest Texas and Florida could gain congressional seats at the expense of California, Illinois and New York.

Landlord who tipped off ICE about illegal alien gang members faces investigation.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is calling to abolish ICE, while Gov. JB Pritzker is calling for a stop of funding for the agency.

Trump’s administration has been focused deeply in recent weeks on the idea that federal money is being used fraudulently in blue states.

“In 1960, my parents immigrated to Chicago, Dad from communist Poland, Mom from Ecuador. They came here for a better life. Today, politicians like JB Pritzker are behaving just like those politicians my parents fled,” Dabrowski said in the ad, which was aired after the third quarter of Sunday’s Chicago Bears game.

2022 GOP nominee Darren Bailey, former Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski, businessman Rick Heidner and DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick participated in a candidate forum at GAT Guns in East Dundee Monday evening.

Once a dicey political proposition, an increasing number of established Democrats are calling for a dissolution of the federal Immigration and Customs and Enforcement agency.

In terms of cash, the top two Republican gubernatorial candidates were Ted Dabrowski, a conservative researcher, and Rick Heidner, a real estate developer. They both ended the quarter with more than $1 million in the bank.

Heidner, a controversial Barrington Hills business executive who put $1 million into his own campaign and who has a new digital ad in which he

Heidner found himself on the defensive Thursday night when opponent Ted Dabrowski criticized Heidner’s business operation contributing $2,500 to the campaign of former Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and $25,000 to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson — two progressive

Despite a continued downturn in wagering, Illinois sportsbooks notched all-time monthly highs in revenue and handle for November. (“Handle” means total amount wagered.)

In the year that just ended, sales of high-end homes surged to a new record in the Chicago area, climbing past the old benchmark by almost 15%.

A former Illinois attorney general candidate says the state’s first civil hate crime lawsuit, while based on “horrendous” conduct, sets a troubling precedent by allowing the attorney general to punish criminal behavior through civil fines that may exceed constitutional limits.

Two Republicans running for Illinois governor this year are calling for Springfield to clean up its act in the wake of Minnesota’s rampant fraud scandal, citing multiple areas of alleged vulnerability under incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker.

“When U-Haul released its latest “Growth Index” this week, it made us wonder if blue states will ever get a clue…. From 2012 to 2022, California lost more than 1.6 million people to net domestic migration; New York almost 1.8 million; Illinois nearly 900,000, according to Unleash Prosperity’s “Vote with Your Feet” analysis of IRS data.”

Bailey, a former legislator from southern Illinois who is again seeking the Republican nomination, sent out a weekend fundraising e-mail, saying one of his first actions as governor would be to “launch DOGE for Illinois.”

“So, let’s be clear here – of the $4.4 million they needed to raise to open up the grocery store, over $1.5 million (35%) came from taxpayers. This store is a for-profit store. It is a competitor to every other store that offers the same product. I don’t think Jewel, Mariano’s, Target, Walmart, or any other grocery seller had the taxpayers fund 35% of their development costs. This is a socialist model, and they are lying about locally

The legislation would let local governments issue STAR bonds to help finance developments that would create at least 300 new jobs and use the state’s portion of sales tax revenue generated from the development to repay those bonds.

“JB and Penny Pritzker are scions of the Hyatt family dynasty. Each has, on paper, had an impressive career of public and private service. Both are destroyers. While they are not twins, they both seem to employ the same techniques to ruin whatever they can get their hands on.”

The image shared on Truth Social depicts Pritzker in a city, surrounded by flames and homeless encampments around him, with people lying on the ground.

“While Ocasio-Cortez likely would not have to worry about competing against a fellow democratic socialist, she may have to worry about getting crowded out of the progressive populist lane, and by a billionaire no less: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. Unlike Newsom and some other Democrats, Pritzker hasn’t tried to recalibrate at all on immigration or trangender issues.”

“I’m emailing you today about New Hampshire’s Senate race because this is serious: Senate Republicans’ hand-picked candidate, John Sununu, jumped in to defeat Chris Pappas and flip this open Senate seat red,” Pritzker wrote in a fundraising email.

“The billionaire and potential 2028 presidential candidate is backing his lieutenant governor to succeed Sen. Dick Durbin, who is set to retire, and she is struggling to outshine two main rivals. The winner of the primary in the deeply blue state is likely to be its next senator.”

The move comes as homeowners’ insurance rates are under fire from lawmakers following a series of rapid increases in the state, which providers have claimed are necessary to continue to operate.

In Illinois, Democrats have taken up the cudgel of compelled speech on the issue of abortion. Again, over objection that the law was unconstitutional, Democrats and Gov. JB Pritzker passed a law that said that all healthcare providers, including pro-life and religious pregnancy help centers, must extoll to their patients the “benefits” of abortion, even if they have faith-based objections to abortion.

Even with the price drop, Illinois remains the most expensive state in the Midwest for motor fuel.

The new law (SB 1950) makes Illinois the 12th state to authorize the practice allowing terminally ill, mentally capable adults to request and receive medication to end their lives.

“Illinois. Where do I start.”

“I put my money in short-term rates, and it should have been safe no matter what happened, right? Wrong. Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Gianoullis lost 38% of its value. Why? Because he was unprepared. He was inexperienced and didn’t understand financial markets. He didn’t grasp risk-reward, and he was more into himself as a career politician than he was at being a steward of taxpayer money.”

“If people have been surprised by costs going up recently, just you wait,” said a local expert.

“Illinois has reemerged as a hub of national political activity — and a focal point of Democratic resistance. What once felt like a quieter chapter has given way to a renewed sense of Illinois politics.”

“The evidence presented in this report is unambiguous: electricity affordability is a function of state-level policy choices. States that have embraced aggressive renewable mandates, 100% “carbon-free” targets, premature coal and nuclear retirements, rooftop-solar cost shifting, and restrictions on natural gas infrastructure routinely deliver the nation’s highest electricity prices.}

“Remember: Schools are a part of a larger political system. As such, education, at its core is inherently political,” the slide says. “School is a political place because so many adults (e.g., educators, policymakers, parents) have a vested interest in the future generation.”

“We are lifelong Illinois residents. Our own governor could not spare a moment to acknowledge that a young woman in his state was killed by someone protected by policies he defends. Compassion from state leadership is selective. Our family did not qualify.”

Jerry Costello II, director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, said this week the latest aid package is less than half the size of the one offered in response to trade disputes during Trump’s first administration. He said the money being offered now is not nearly enough to make up for the losses farmers are suffering.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi’s Senate campaign sent emails purporting to be from Rep. Ted Lieu — but Lieu didn’t know and hasn’t endorsed his colleague’s campaign.

Illinois has for the first time in 17 years managed to stem the tide of outbound migration, with roughly the same number of residents in 2025 moving into Illinois as those moving out. That’s according to the annual Migration Patterns Study released this week by Indiana-based moving company Atlas Van Lines. The same report found that about 50% of Illinois residents would choose to leave the state if they could for tax reasons alone.

Rather than attempt to defend a longstanding state-funded scholarship program against claims in court that it intentionally discriminated against white applicants, the state of Illinois has rewritten the law to end explicit racial preferences in the program altogether.

Don Tracy, US Senate candidate from Illinois: “Memphis said yes to federal help. Chicago said no. The results tell you everything you need to know about what happens when politics overrides public safety.”

Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Schaumburg, reintroduced the HIRE Act to double the H-1B visa cap from 65,000 to 130,000.

A comprehensive look by Illinois’ Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.

A growing wave of property tax reforms is underway across multiple U.S. states, driven by homeowner frustration over soaring housing costs and rapidly rising tax bills.

Rising steel demand, expected outages at other mills owned by the company will enable expanded use of the Granite City Works.

Bill sponsor Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) said, “If you live in Illinois and are pursuing higher education, you should have access to the same opportunities as your peers.”

“Illinois’ business-class donor community — defined by its wealth, pragmatism and preference for policy-focused politics — appears to be consolidating behind Republican Ted Dabrowski in his run for governor, marking a shift away from President Donald Trump’s MAGA wing of the party that backed Darren Bailey in 2022.”

Columbia University’s teacher preparation program includes “Making Change: Activism, Social Movements and Education.” It has students “learn from the examples … the Chicago Teachers Union, the Tucson Unified School District fight for ethnics studies, BLM at Schools,” and other progressive movements. The Chicago Teachers Union and BLM are among the worst possible examples of education leadership. The former has delivered some of the worst academic achievement in the country and has refused to release a financial audit for five years running.

H.R. 1 expands work rules for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs), narrows waiver flexibility, and shifts substantial costs to the state through a lower federal administration match and a new benefit cost-share tied to payment accuracy.

Based on an analysis of states with clean energy and renewable energy mandates have sought 32 percent higher rate increase requests since 2020 than states without mandates—and mandate states have higher electricity prices as a result, which are growing at almost double the rate as no mandate states. Mandate states with the highest rate increase requests from 2020 through 2025 include California, New York, Michigan, Virginia, and Illinois, while the non-mandate states were led by Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, and Pennsylvania

“CPS teachers and NEA members cannot serve as role models for children or teens. And Chicago Public Schools will not improve until the death grip of leftists is pried loose from the institutions of power and the public purse.”

“Democrats now celebrate the very nullificationist tactics they once decried, embracing a neo-Confederate defiance of federal authority to undermine a president they despise.”

See our own column on this here, linking to the background on this matter that we covered in detail from the start.

Foreclosure activity across the U.S. ticked up from the previous month and remained elevated compared to a year ago. States with the worst foreclosure rates: Florida, South Carolina, Illinois, Delaware, and Nevada. Illinois was third worst.

Published reports indicate Tom Pritzker, a Hyatt Hotels executive and cousin of Gov. JB Pritzker, is repeatedly referenced in the latest tranche of documents released by the estate of Jeffrey Epstein.

“You truly cannot script irony like this…. And now, the violence they allowed to flourish is coming back home, right into Democrat offices, onto their streets, and into their own communities.”

In their preliminary findings, the NTSB report points to an in-flight structural or component failure at low altitude as a potential key factor. An eyewitness who was on the ground said she saw something fall from the chopper as it descended, then attempted to climb.

The Illinois Gaming Board has reported a 15% drop in September sports betting, after the state imposed a new tax on wagers.

The three major candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in March each used a union forum Thursday night to pledge their fealty to organized labor and vowed

The governor’s office won’t release details about how state agencies plan to cut spending and reserve funds weeks after their plans for doing so were due to be submitted. See this early warning explaining why Pritzker’s announcement could not be trusted from the start.

A new report finds Illinois lacks protection from federal overreach, with few safeguards to limit funding and mandates.

“As Chicago’s 2026 budget process moves forward, new independent analysis indicates that city leaders are debating spending priorities and long-term commitments without a complete and fully transparent understanding of the government’s true financial position.”

“What I am so upset about is that Donald Trump was fine with people not being able to travel, people not being able to get their food. He was fine, he is fine with taking away health care from people,” Pritzker said. “You can’t be so obstinate about every little element of whatever your program is, and refuse to have the government work unless you get your way, when you’re in the minority, too,” said Richard Porter, a former Republican national committeeman from Illinois.

“Trump is a liar,” Pritzker said. “He cannot steal credit from our violence prevention and law enforcement efforts that have reduced crime for four years straight — long before his masked agents showed up.”

State Senator Dave Koehler: “We have to add more supply and battery storage adds supply,” he said. “We know that we have to put more energy onto the grid if we’re going to bring prices down. It’s a simple fact of supply and demand, and we know that demand is high in the summertime.”

“I think that is the crudest form of political weapon that I can imagine — and that’s why I came to the conclusion that we had tried to find a bipartisan agreement, and we reached it,” Durbin said.

“Good and decent men like Ald. Lopez think of compromise. But shameless weasels like Pritzker and his violent radical left wing unions ruin the idea of common ground, they take over the streets, ramming I.C.E. vehicles and shooting at law enforcement isn’t about seeking common ground. It is about violent demands, like the old Confederate slave owners at Ft. Sumpter firing on union troops to protect their slave trade.”

Pritzker, widely seen as among the top potential Democratic presidential contenders in 2028, also directed some of his sharpest criticism at members of his own party. He said the decision by seven Democratic senators and one independent to side with Republicans in a Senate vote to end the government shutdown was an “enormous mistake” that played right into Trump’s hands.

Tracy: “My extremist Democrat opponents, Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton, Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, have condemned Senator Durbin for putting country over party. Their reaction speaks volumes about their true priorities.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson said that he was going to actively oppose the enforcement of federal law within his jurisdiction in Chicago. ICE, as we remember, two weeks ago, were blockaded, under siege. And local Chicago area law enforcement—which was requested by ICE to help them get out from being surrounded by these Antifa-like protesters—refused to come to their aid. JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, on numerous occasions, has characterized these federal officers as Gestapo, Nazis. And they are acting, in his view, illegally and will be held to account by his state authorities. “This is all very dangerous.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is urging states like Illinois to redraw congressional maps, but voting rights group CHANGE Illinois warns that such pressure risks undermining transparency and public trust in the redistricting process.

The governor of Illinois discusses what ice is doing in Chicago, how the Trump Administration has created a “secret police,” and what to do when the federal government is breaking the law.

Illinois joined the rest of the U.S. today in applying for a piece of the $50 billion the federal government will allocate to rural health over the next five years, with a plan that seeks $1 billion. The $50 billion was a late addition to HR 1, the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, following concerns that health care cuts in the GOP-led spending measure would hit rural hospitals particularly hard. CMS is set to decide on how the awards will be doled out by Dec. 31.

Amending ERISA will eliminate playing politics with pensions. It will bring transparency and accountability to the promises being made to public workers, who deserve to know the truth about their pensions.

“If I’m governor, I’ve got the bully pulpit,” he said. “Expose it. Persuade, persuade, persuade. People don’t want to pay the highest taxes. He added he would not shy away from challenging members of his own party on fiscal issues. “There’s no leadership in the Republican Party,” he said. “We need principles at the top — lower taxes, more jobs, less government.”

He’s spending the week of Nov. 4 visiting the communities of Jonesboro, Thebes, Mounds, Marion, Pinckneyville, Murphysboro, Harrisburg, Shawneetown and others. The tour, he said, is allowing him learn more about the issues that affect Illinois’ residents.

Established in 2023 and initially announced in Venice, the Illinois Grocery Initiative is a multipronged policy designed to mitigate and eliminate food deserts across Illinois. The initiative consists of two key grant programs—the New Stores in Food Deserts Program and the Equipment Upgrades Grant Program. To date, DCEO has awarded a total of $18.1 million statewide, which includes $16.5 million for new grocery stores and $1.6 million for equipment upgrades.

Loved ones have paid their respects to members of gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey’s family at a celebration of life in southern Illinois. Darren’s son Zachary Bailey, Zach’s wife Kelsey, and their children, 12-year-old Vada Rose and 7-year-old Samuel died in a helicopter crash Oct. 22 in Montana.

The suit is now before the Supreme Court in one of the most economically important clashes in the country’s history. In arguments Wednesday, the court will consider striking down most of the tariffs Trump has imposed since taking office, potentially affecting trillions of dollars in trade.

Pritzker earlier said, “I’m sorry to be vulgar, but Donald Trump and his cronies can fuck all the way off.” Republican gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski released a statement saying “Such language debases the office of the governor of Illinois. I am also disappointed that the audience of teachers gave Pritzker’s comments a standing ovation…. You will hear no such language from me when I am governor. I will restore common decency to the office, and that will include language I use to address even my most staunch opponents. I will defeat Pritzker and succeed as governor

Almost 3 in 4 voters (72%) decry today’s polarizing political rhetoric as a cause of contemporary violence, and over 4 in 5 state it is unacceptable for their own political party to use violence to achieve its aims…. Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois and others are villainizing the ICE agents in dire language that is an open invitation to violence.”

Illinois now claims the right to dictate where federal authority can be exercised and makes federal authorities liable for violating specified state safe zones. “Good luck with that.”

Illinois soybean farmers face a potential market shakeup if public sentiment, and eventually policy, turns against seed oils, experts warn.

Doxxing is directly tied to coordinated efforts by rioters to harm ICE agents and by cartel affiliates that have placed bounties on them. DHS earlier this month exposed a cartel bounty system operating in Chicago that is similar to those that have been used in Texas for years, The Center Square reported. This month, a Latin Kings member was arrested after he allegedly put a hit out on Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino.

State Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, said the bill is “Example 1A” of everything that is wrong with how the state of Illinois functions.

Illinois legislators approved an energy bill that includes billions in battery storage in hopes of heading off future electricity increases.

The group allegedly “banged aggressively” on the government vehicle and pushed against it to impede its movement. They etched the message “PIG” into the body of the car and broke both a mirror and a windshield wiper, the indictment says.

Senate Democrats on Tuesday voted for the 13th time to block a House-passed bill to reopen the federal government, despite a plea this week by the nation’s largest federal workers union toend the 28-day shutdown. Only three members of the Democratic caucus voted to advance the bill: Sens. John Fetterman (Pa.), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.) and Angus King (Maine), an independent who caucuses with Democrats.

Appearing Monday on MSNBC’s The Best People podcast, Pritzker told host Nicolle Wallace that he has “never suggested Donald Trump is Hitler.” Wallace didn’t push back on the lie. Instead, she backed his claim, saying, “I don’t think any Democrat has.” She then added that accusations of that are “a smear that they project back onto critics.”

Richard Porter: “In the Illinois Democratic Party electorate, circa 2025, the fringe has gone mainstream.”

“Here are two minutes straight of Democrat leaders comparing Trump to Hitler and Nazis.”

Illinois at the very bottom, projected to shrink by 8% by 2050.

“The demagogic, anti-ICE bluster of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson is nullificationist and state-rights supremacy to the core…. The escalating violence in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland bears an eerie resemblance to the precursors to the “Bleeding Kansas” madness of the late 1850s, in which, eventually, local law enforcement often ignored or joined in the violence of ad hoc thugs, sometimes in opposition to the federal government.”

“Our officers have been shot at and assaulted. They have faced death threats, doxxing and confrontations at their homes. Spotter networks in Chicago linked to street gangs and Mexican cartels track the movements of officers for Customs and Border Protection as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, relaying locations and enabling ambushes during routine enforcement operations. This month [in Illinois] a member of the Latin Kings gang was charged with putting <a class="ekxajjj0 css-i0lbhy-OverridedLink" href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/10/06/latin-kings-gang-member-arrested-illinois-after-placing-hit-commander-large-border" target="_blank"

Let the reality of what the Democratic Party has become fully sink in. The consequences cannot be overstated.

“At some point, [Chicago] will go the way of Detroit in an irreversible plunge toward insolvency…. With the rise of Democratic Socialists in California, Illinois, and New York, these economic policies are likely to spread only to major cities. I fear that the result will be disastrous for our great cities. There is a perverse incentive for some of these politicians. Wealthy Republicans and conservative residents are fleeing these states, leaving Democrats more solidly in control. However, they are cutting off the top income earners and job creators. With the cutting off of subsidies under the Trump Administration, they must

In one such email highlighted by Libs of TikTok, Illinois State Rep. Margaret Croke, currently running to be the state’s comptroller, shared details about numerous vehicles said to be used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in what the official deemed “unlawful and undemocratic actions.”

Dr. Carrie Mendoza, Lt. Governor Candidate, explains how policies and profit-driven medicine are fast-tracking kids into life-altering procedures while silencing parents, doctors, and therapists. State leaders, including Gov. Pritzker, are quietly promoting this agenda under

Illinois received an upgrade Thursday from Moody’s Ratings, which lifted its issuer rating to A2 from A3. Gov. JB Pritzker celebrated the latest in a series of upgrades for the state since he took office in 2019. “Our tenth credit upgrade speaks volumes to the state’s commitment to consistent fiscal discipline ? even as the Trump administration creates widespread economic uncertainty,” he said in a statement Thursday. “With each credit upgrade, Illinois saves taxpayers millions of dollars in interest payments and further demonstrates the benefits of long-term improvements to our fiscal position.”nIllinois remains an outlier among states for exposure to

But Gotion is proceeding with its project in Manteno, Illinois, subsidized with $530 million from the state.

But Gotion’s project in Manteno, Illinois continues on.

Governor:

Ted Dabrowski – 53.7%
Darin Bailey – 33%

U.S. Senate:

Don Tracy 51.8%
John Goodman 19%

“Talk about failing up. Stacy Davis Gates, the Chicago Teachers Union president who has presided over the educational failures of Chicago public schools, has been elected to lead the Illinois Federation of Teachers. Here we have in a single event the problem that is ruining Illinois.”

The Chicago mayor accused President Donald Trump of wanting a ‘Civil War’ rematch during a No Kings protest. Mayor Brandon Johnson ignited the crowd on Saturday by telling liberals to be ‘ready to defend this democracy’ and to be ‘ready to fight fascism.’ ‘Are you prepared to destroy authoritarianism once and for all? We’ll let the world hear you, no kings!’ he said

“The past decade may rank as one of the worst in the history of American education.” The “Mississippi miracle” should force a reckoning in less successful states and, ideally, a good deal of imitation. But for Democrats, who pride themselves on belonging to the party of education, these results may be awkward to process. Not only are the southern states that are registering the greatest improvements in learning run by Republicans, but also their teachers are among the least unionized in the country. And

“This is wokeism on steroids,” said Corry Bliss, a Republican strategist who advises House and Senate candidates. “I think it will be used in almost any race.” Few Democrats have broken from their party’s progressive base when it comes to transgender rights. Rahm Emanuel, who is considering a 2028 presidential bid, is one of the exceptions.

Illinois lawmakers urge Gov. J.B. Pritzker to join a new federal school scholarship tax credit program, saying the state “cannot afford to sit on the sidelines.”

“Pritzker’s high-roller gambling proclivities seem to mirror the same reckless abandon he brings to managing Illinois’ finances. Just as he shrugs off the odds in a Las Vegas casino, he’s been gambling with taxpayers’ money here at home — spending billions the state doesn’t have, driving up debt, and doubling down on failed let-wing schemes.”

“There is no way Pritzker made $1.4 million playing blackjack on one trip to Las Vegas. It’s statistically and mathematically impossible.”

He attributed a tight schedule to being partly responsible for ending up ahead.

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-post-image aligncenter" style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" src="https://i0.wp.com/capitolnewsillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/251016-GOP-GOV-CANDIDATES-JN.jpg?resize=1140%2C570&quality=89&ssl=1" alt="Darren Bailey, Ted Dabrowski and James Mendrick." width="560" height="280" data-full-width="1140" data-full-height="738" data-attachment-id="86128" data-permalink="https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/dabrowski-sets-fundraising-bar-at-1-5m-in-gop-primary-for-governor/251016-gop-gov-candidates-jn/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/capitolnewsillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/251016-GOP-GOV-CANDIDATES-JN.jpg?fit=1140%2C738&quality=89&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1140,738" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="251016 GOP GOV CANDIDATES-JN" data-image-description="<p>Darren Bailey, Ted Dabrowski and James Mendrick.</p> " data-image-caption="<p>The Republican candidates for governor who are leading the fundraising race include former state Sen. Darren Bailey, conservative researcher Ted Dabrowski and DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick. (Capitol News Illinois photos and illustration by Jerry

In a new interview, the Illinois governor lets loose on the president’s decision to send troops to Chicago.

In an interview with SiriusXM host Zerlina Maxwell, the Democrat said Trump’s allies “benefit from him having those diminished capacities” and may be laying groundwork for military involvement in the 2026 midterms, comparing the moves to Germany in the 1930s.

The GOP nominee from four years ago, Darren Bailey, placed a distant third.

Pritzker: “This advancement will make rail systems nationwide more reliable, more efficient, and more resilient – all while solidifying Illinois leadership in the industry and creating jobs in our communities.”

In Chicago, ICE agents involved in a collision while apprehending a suspect were falsely accused of misconduct after viral photos distorted the truth. The media ran with the narrative without fact-checking, and the Chicago Police Department reportedly sent a commander to ensure officers followed the directive not to assist.

As part of a string of recent lawsuits seeking to enforce the 1996 law, President Trump’s Department of Justice recently sued the state of Illinois, which offers illegal immigrants comprehensive access to in-state tuition. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is fighting the lawsuit.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit granted the Trump administration’s request for an administrative stay in part, meaning the president is allowed to federalize the National Guard in Illinois. The appeals court, however, denied the administration’s request to be able to deploy the National Guard. Unless further ordered by the court to do so, troops do not need to return to their home states, the order also reads.

Full report from Governors Office of Management and Budget linked here.

Hegseth responds: “Governor, you might try a pushup or two… (In the meantime, our troops will do the job you refuse to do.)”

“If they can reach a cease fire agreement in Gaza of all places, can’t our leaders somehow craft a deal to end the deepening war over Chicago immigration raids?”

JB Pritzker, Brandon Johnson and Tammy Duckwoth cited.

“Let’s be clear: Neither Pritzker nor Newsom deserves to win even a single swing state in 2028 with their respective records. Most average Americans would wonder how they’ve even won reelection in their states.”

The president and Illinois governor have had a tense relationship their entire political careers.

Pritzker’s remarks come just one week after he said it was dangerous for the Trump Administration to label Democrats as “fascists.”

A lawsuit filed by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul underscores the risks to Chicago’s economy and finances. Among the areas where the deployments may harm Chicago finances are tourism and hospitality, core planks of the city’s economy and significant revenue sources for Chicago; police overtime costs; and investor perceptions of a downward slide, even if such perceptions aren’t rooted in reality.

Pritzker’s open and obvious attempts to frustrate federal law enforcement, promoting and protecting obstruction by protestors, flirts dangerously with insurrection. Not since segregationists defied federal civil rights laws have we seen anything like this.

Lawsuit is the latest escalation between the administration and Democratic-led states.

Richard Porter: “The governor wants Illinois to go to the mat to protect illegal immigrants from being deported and prevent the feds from fighting violent crime in Chicago. To champion his misguided priorities, Pritzker is willing to sacrifice federal dollars and increased jobs, while ensuring Illinois residents will pay higher taxes. Think about that. It’s slightly less stupid than going to war to protect slavery.”

Progressivism isn’t just an ideology; it’s also becoming a mental health condition. Take Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s recent denunciation of “White House senior aides” for “sowing fear, intimidation and division” by, among other things, calling Democrats “fascists.”Given not just his party’s but his own frequent use of such rhetoric – comparing ICE agents to Nazis who disappear immigrants and vowing that Republicans “cannot know a moment of peace” – the jaw-dropping irony of his complaint was lost on no one, except, apparently, Pritzker and his allies. It raises the question: How did he think he could get away with this?

Pritzker’s widely heralded budget directive has no teeth and he has pulled this stunt often before, even as the budget soared.

Duckworth: “If anybody is targeting anyone, it is out of control ICE agents targeting, again, zip-tying children, throwing reporters onto the ground, separating children from their mothers, trying to convince schools to turn over kids from public schools. They are raging through the streets of Chicago, trying to intimidate everyday, ordinary citizens, or just trying to go to school and go to work. That’s not acceptable…. They took money away from law enforcement officers, child prevention effort- violence against children prevention efforts. They- they’ve literally, this president, has defunded the police. She went on, as shown in the <span style="text-decoration:

Governor J.B. Pritzker has publicly dismissed a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) account of a violent confrontation involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents near a facility in Broadview, a Chicago suburb, calling the description “propaganda.”

After giving millions of dollars to Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey’s unsuccessful 2022 campaign, megadonor Richard Uihlein of Lake Forest is backing a different candidate in the 2026 contest. When asked about the prevalence of big donations to Dabrowski’s campaign, DuPage County Republican Party Chair Kevin Coyne said the candidate’s former employer, Wirepoints, is “very, very popular” among Republicans in the business world.

Illinois elections are broken — with roughly half of legislative races uncontested after politicians drew maps to lock in power. Now, two political veterans, one a Democrat and one a Republican, think they’ve found a way to fix it.

“This is a public building. The Village of Broadview receives at least $1 million in federal funding every year. This is how JB Pritzker and his cronies treat our law enforcement. Absolutely shameful.”

The good news is there are textbook approaches available to guide the design of this needed tax reform that would simultaneously eliminate the structural deficit and more fairly impose tax burden on people. The bad news is it’s always difficult to generate the political will required to get tax reform, no matter how needed, passed into law.

Gov. JB Pritzker said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “should no longer be able to step foot” in Illinois without accountability “for the Trump Administration’s gross misconduct” amid reports she’ll be here Friday.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said Friday she and her staff were denied entry to a government building in Broadview, IL where they attempted to stop for a “bathroom break” as federal agents clashed with protesters outside a nearby immigration facility.

During a more than four hour virtual hearing Thursday, the Illinois Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee heard an amendment to a sweeping energy bill that focuses on renewables. State Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, said wind, solar and battery storage isn’t going to cut it.

:We think it’s worth reflecting on superintendent pay in light of how much regular taxpayers in that district earn, as well as the property tax burden they’re forced to shoulder.:

On Friday, Vought in a post on X wrote, ”$2.1 billion in Chicago infrastructure projects–specifically the Red Line Extension and the Red and Purple Modernization Project–have been put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting.” More info to come soon from @USDOT, Vought added, referring

A comprehensive look at legal gambling in the State of Illinois. In FY 2025, the State’s share of tax revenues from wagering in Illinois totaled $2.234 billion, a 6.8% increase over FY 2024 levels.

Largest-ever plan covers roads, bridges, waterways, airports, transit and more.

After Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the biggest infrastructure spending plan in state history, a transportation policy director says Illinois taxpayers are not getting great returns on their investments.

“It’s probably six weeks ago when I got up early one morning and Cindy [his wife] came in the office at five before I left for work, and I just told her, I said, ‘Cindy, I got this burning in my heart. I just can’t walk away from it.’ I’m one of those people that I don’t want to leave any stone unturned.

Dan Proft interviews Ted Dabrowski on recent gains and how to win statewide.

Democratic attorneys general from 21 jurisdictions sued the Trump administration Wednesday for denying federal funds to help victims of violent crimes who are illegal immigrants.

And Pritzker’s diagnosis came just as we learned that Biden needed a palm card with pictures to recognize Pritzker and other key Democrats.

“You can’t relentlessly call your political enemies ‘Nazis’, ‘fascists,’ and ‘tyrants’ without giving license to homicidal leftists to do what they do best: Attack their perceived existential threats…. American politics is a tinder box right now, and leftists like California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker keep striking matches.”

A ticking bomb that Illinois’s political establishment is content to see explode.

When the Obama Foundation snagged a sweetheart deal to build its beleaguered Obama Presidential Center in a Chicago public park, it pledged to create a $470 million reserve fund to spare taxpayers should the project ever go belly up. But new tax filings show the foundation has only deposited $1 million into the fund and has not added to it in years, with critics saying the empty promise could potentially leave Chicagoans on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars.

A state lawmaker who also serves as a police officer says the recent stabbing of non-police first responders in Champaign underscores his criticism of a new state law. The Illinois Community Emergency Services and Support Act, signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2021, limits police presence unless violence or criminal activity is anticipated.

Chicago has long been one of the top markets for data centers, but it’s losing ground because of fears that BIPA could leave AI companies vulnerable to costly class-action lawsuits If they gather or use biometric information without consent in operating or training their software. The shift threatens Chicago’s status and could cost it thousands of jobs and billions in investment at a time when construction activity is weakening.

Miller also criticized policies Democrats implement in public schools and attempts to interfere with home schooling, and criticized Illinois rescinding parental notification of minor children getting abortions.

Conservative downstate framer Darren Bailey on Thursday kicked off another bid for Illinois governor with the same theme: Fire Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. “People just can’t afford to live and work here. Pritzker has caused all that, and I think we’re going to bring the cure,” Bailey said. WGN’s video report here.

“In my decades of service, I have never witnessed such a reckless campaign targeting federal law enforcement officers,” said Weitzel. “The Chicago Sun-Times’ public portal mapping ICE operations and soliciting citizen photos crosses the line from journalism into doxing. This endangers agents and undermines public safety.”

Republican Gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski held a press conference Wednesday outside the ICE facility in Broadview. Dabrowski spoke on how, if elected, his first call of duty is to repeal sanctuary city status across Illinois.

Pritzker’s meddling in the Republican primary worked beautifully for him four years ago. History rhymes, they say. Are Bailey and Pritzker about to prove it?

“I believe that one of the reasons Donald Trump wants to send troops into American cities is because he wants to be able to take control of the 2026 elections,” Pritzker said.

A viral video showing an Illinois Democratic congressional candidate being shoved to the ground during an anti-ICE protest in suburban Chicago has sparked online debate, with people on the left expressing outrage toward ICE and conservatives placing blame squarely on the protesters disrupting law enforcement operations.

The Department of Homeland Security has escalated its clash with so-called sanctuary states this week, warning California, New York, and Illinois in letters obtained by CBS News that refusal to honor immigration detainers could trigger federal legal action.

Illinois governor and obvious presidential candidate JB Pritzker said that ABC’s decision was “an attack on free speech and cannot be allowed to stand.” But Kimmel’s show wasn’t suspended because of Trump, Carr or the Big Bad Wolf. Kimmel’s ratings were in steep decline already, and ABC would have surely looked past the blunder if there was any sense that he could still generate an audience.

The Broadview ICE processing facility has become a flashpoint for clashes between protesters wanting to see the building shut down and federal agents doing their jobs. It is also regularly drawing politicians and others running for office.

The Trump administration flexed its new authority over U.S. Steel, blocking the company’s plan to shut down production at an Illinois plant this fall.

“Despite Illinois’ agreement to the 2013 SEC cease-and-desist order, aspects of Governor Pritzker’s public statements may warrant further scrutiny to determine whether the state is providing accurate, complete, and non-misleading information regarding its pension obligations and funding practices.”

Dabrowski recently appeared on “Our Daily Show!” with C.J. Nasello to talk about his main concerns for the State of Illinois as he prepares for the primary in March 2026. Hoping to secure the Republican nomination, Dabrowski spoke about taxes, immigration, the SAFE-T Act, education, and more.

“The case for Pritzker is easy to make.” However, in a podcast setting, Pritzker “was an amiable but not especially compelling guest. The coin of the realm on such shows is small-talk riffing and discursive, big-ideas bullshitting, and he excelled at neither. He does not have the podcast juice, or at least does not have it yet.”

He couldn’t care less about what he has said before.

Wisconsin will be home to the largest number of GPUs under one roof. One facility is in Mount Pleasant and the other in Racine, both close to the Illinois border.

During his monologue on Monday, Kimmel said: “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

What Pritzker didn’t say was his own budget included misleading claims about state pension obligations being “fully funded.” Such statements may well violate a “Cease and Desist” order issued in 2013 by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) due to Illinois’s history of chronic misrepresentations of its massive unfunded state pension obligations.

Dabrowski: “Gov. Pritzker is not telling the truth. He is denying his own words, words that Illinoisans heard for themselves.”

Illinois television reporter Beni Rae Harmony has resigned after being suspended for delivering an emotion on-air tribute to Charlie Kirk.

Sen. Bill Cunningham, a Chicago Democrat with a reputation for taking charge of energy and climate change legislation, will step down at the end of his current term.

Panelists include Wirepoints founder Mark Glennon, Collin Corbett, State Rep. John Cabello, and Cor’s political experts Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak.

This past weekend, members of the State Freedom Caucus—a network of outspoken fiscal and social conservative lawmakers who pressure Republican leadership in their states—gathered for their annual summit. Some hailed from deep-red states such as Missouri, South Carolina, and Wyoming, but others came from Democrat-dominated states, such as Maryland and Illinois, where advancing conservative legislation is often all but impossible.

“A disgracefully ill-timed comment” by Pritzker” — Washington Post editorial

“Zeus is the Democratic Party of Illinois and Prometheus is young buck Kevin D. Ryan, a United States Marine Corp veteran, teacher, Oxford and Georgetown graduate, who is running in the Democratic primary for the Illinois Senate.” When he returned from Afghanistan he left his teaching job to study at the University of Oxford. “I earned a graduate degree in diplomacy that took me to assignments across Europe, The Pentagon, and the U.S .Treasury Department including an assignment working directly for the commanding general of the Marine Corps.” And oh yeah, while he

And from a statement by The Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern (CAAN); CAAN “is shocked but not surprised by revelations from the Middle East Forum (MEF): Northwestern University currently employs Ibrahim Abusharif, a professor who co-founded and served as treasurer of the Quranic Literacy Institute — a group a federal jury found liable for laundering over $1 million to Hamas, with a $156 million judgment in the Boim terrorism financing case. Abusharif teaches the mandatory “Doha Seminar” for all American exchange students at Northwestern’s Qatar campus. Further, House testimony released last week confirmed Northwestern has extended Gaza professor

The school board votes down his payday loan for pension costs.

“[Northwestern President] Schill’s agreement stands as a monument to the lunacy that governed college campuses across the nation during that moment, which included coddling protesters and failing to protect students from blatant antisemitism.”

Changes to multiple laws in Illinois, including the elimination of fact-finding conferences under the Illinois Human Rights Act, changes to the Nursing Mothers in the Workplace Act, Equal Pay Act, and Family Military Leave Act, which can be accessed here, changes to the Employee Blood and Organ Donation Leave Act, and creation of a new law, the Neonatal Intensive Care Leave Act.

After touring the Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago on Friday, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth said they gained some clarity but are still largely in the dark on details of President Donald Trump’s plan to use the base for an immigration roundup over the next month.

Democrats question why they are underperforming with young men. If only Republicans had a serious candidate for governor to speak out on these issues… For a Republican perspective, joining Collin Corbett on Smoke-Filled Room this week, along with Cor’s political experts Michael Butler and Chris Jackowiak, are former State Representative Dan Caulkins and policy expert Carolyn Schofield.

Shooting victims in Chicago are just collateral damage in JB Pritzker’s quest for the White House.

There was no Labor Day holiday for Chicago criminals, who murdered nine people and wounded another 51; most (if not all) were black or brown people with names and stories we will never know.

Chicago’s chronic crime problem belongs to Mr. Pritzker and Mr. Johnson, the country’s worst mayor. Mr. Trump can’t duplicate there or elsewhere what he’s doing in D.C., because there’s no place in America that is like the nation’s federal capital.

Panelists on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Tuesday called for Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to work with President Donald Trump to stop crime in his state after more violence occurred in Chicago.

“This is a moment for me to try to persuade people that the way I look at things are more appropriate,” Dabrowski continued. “I dream of an Illinois that’s competing in the top five—competing with Tennessee and the Carolinas and Texas for growth and opportunity, and our governor doesn’t think that way.”

“Chicagoans have always come together to ensure the story of our great city is not driven by fear but by strength, and we are committed to do it once again to defy the president’s unprecedented and unwarranted action.”

“Bailey isn’t palatable to most regular folks, especially in the Chicago area he loves to trash. No serious candidate can win the job of governing Illinois if they isolate our largest regional voting base.”

He also called the idea “an attack on the American people.”

“Tribunals, trials, punishment, prison, and the running to ground and defunding of the entire Trump syndicate” are needed, and Pritzker is the candidate bold enough to call for that.

In the interview, Bailey indicated he would announce his decision on the governor’s race “probably a few weeks” from now, as he continues to evaluate the political landscape and potential opposition to Pritzker’s bid for a third term.

“It’s unclear whether Pritzker has ever visited here. What is clear, however, is that anyone seeking the presidency cannot rely solely on places like Chicago to carry them. More importantly, they must demonstrate a willingness, like Shapiro does, to show up in communities where they may not win a single vote, and to listen and learn from those voters.”

Jackson Potter, the vice president of the Chicago Teachers Union who is among the organizers, told that organizer May Day Strong teamed up with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) to “bring a Labor Day that’s representative and reflective of best parts of our tradition.”

Bond proceeds will fund accelerated pension payments and major capital projects.

Democrats are turning to governors for a shot in the arm, at a time when their party has been rudderless and looking for leadership.

The uplifting story of Chicago Hope Academy. Learn what it’s doing for families on the West Side of the Windy City…the worst neighborhood in America. Across the country, parents, educators, and concerned citizens join forces to create innovative, loving, and effective models of true education…and those efforts deserve a fair share of the massive tax dollars we already spend on education.

More than most Americans, Chicagoans really lived the full arc of decline from Obama’s election in 2008 until the end of his term, and right into the present day.

“Since becoming U.S. Attorney, my office has charged nearly $2 billion in health care fraud schemes involving alleged criminal conduct that has stretched across the country, and even transnationally,”US Attorney Boutros said in a statement. “The newly created Healthcare Fraud Section that I’ve launched will bring greater focus, efficiency, and impact to our efforts in this important program area, which often involves the exploitation of patients through unnecessary and/or unsafe medical tests and procedures.”