What had been predicted early on by political experts and others in-the-know, such as old men sitting together for an early morning coffee at a McDonalds, the tearful split between Elon Musk and Donald Trump has finally happened. Darn! Now let the name-calling-blame-game begin. Musk seems to have the upper
By John & Nisha Whitehead President Donald Trump’s plan to fuse government power with private surveillance tech to build a centralized, national citizen database is the final step in transforming America from a constitutional republic into a digital dictatorship armed with algorithms and powered by unaccountable, all-seeing artificial intelligence. This
By Ben Szalinski & Jerry NowickiCapitol News Illinoisnews@capitolnewsillinois.com Giving almost no time for public review, Illinois Democrats pushed through a $55.2 billion budget for next fiscal year late Saturday, bolstering coffers with new taxes on sports bets, nicotine products and businesses. The $55.2 billion spending plan is supported by $55.3
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear an appeal on a lawsuit led by Illinois Republican U.S. representative Mike Bost challenging Illinois’ mail-in voting law. Bost and a pair of Illinois primary delegates for president Donald Trump sued the Illinois State Board of Elections
The City of Aurora’s new alderman at-large, Will White, was officially sworn in to office by mayor John Laesch, Tuesday, June 3. White’s appointment to the role, which was created when former alderman at-large John Laesch, was elected as the City of Aurora’s 60th Mayor, was unanimously approved by the
State representative Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, condemned the Donald Trump Administration’s proposed sweeping cuts to Medicaid and other healthcare assistance measures to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy with her support of a formal resolution opposing these cuts and calling on the United States Senate to immediately table the measure.
In response to the passage of the Fiscal Year 26 budget, State representative Jed Davis (R-Yorkville) released the following statement: “Illinoisans should be absolutely appalled by the FY26 budget. Not just in content, but in the way this $55 billion budget was passed,” said Davis. “Once again, this budget was
“National security” has been a bugaboo since the end of World War II. The “threat” to the United States was the Soviet Union and “international communism.” Successive administrations were urged to beef up our defense posture in order to prevent the “Commies” from taking over the world. We entered into
By Bela Suhayda Of the $29 billion American Universities have received from foreign governments these last four years, Harvard has been on the receiving end of over $100 million per year. Harvard is already awash with endowments to the tune of $52 billion. So why is the world, along with
By John & Nisha Whitehead The Deep State is not going away. It’s just being replaced. As we stand on the brink of a new technological order, the machinery of power is quietly shifting into the hands of algorithms. Under Donald Trump’s watch, that shift is being locked in for
By Ben Szalinski & Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois lawmakers have one week to pass a new state budget with little room for new spending and Congress presenting further challenges and uncertainty. Revenue projections had already been declining as the spring session has progressed. Now, lawmakers who have long feared
By Jade AubreyCapitol News Illinoisjaubrey@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois lawmakers passed two bills this week that aim to support mothers in the state. One bill requires employers to give paid time off to employees who pump breastmilk at work. The second allows midwives to help with home births, which is the latest attempt
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council unanimously approved a Resolution granting the advice and consent of mayor John Laesch’s appointment of Will White to fill the vacancy in the office of alderperson at-large. White was one of four finalists selected out of the more than 130 applications that were
By Jim Edgar and John Shaw American politics is as contentious now as it has been in any recent period in our history. As a response to this acrimony and conflict, it is tempting to turn off the TV, stop reading the newspaper, put down the phone, and forget about
By Ahmadou Dramé The state of Illinois has a duty to deliver public safety to all residents in a manner that is fiscally responsible, equitable and effective. An analysis of current government spending, however, raises concerns whether policymakers and elected officials are meeting their responsibilities. State and local governments in
By John & Nisha Whitehead Few modern political figures have done more to prompt spontaneous national discussions about the Bill of Rights and constitutional limits on government power than Donald Trump—if only because he tramples on them so frequently. Indeed, president Trump has become a walking civics lesson. Consider some
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Governor JB Pritzker’s office is now projecting state revenues to come in about a half-billion dollars below the baseline projections assumed during his February budget address. The latest downward revision comes as lawmakers are entering the final two-week stretch to approve a budget before their
By Simon Carr & Sonya DymovaMedill Illinois News Bureaunews@capitolnewsillinois.com A growing number of state lawmakers are moving to repeal a 2015 Illinois law penalizing companies that boycott Israel to protest its policies toward Palestinians. Amid concerns about Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, lawmakers in Springfield supporting human rights for Palestinians
Thousands of Chicago-area participants line sidewalks from Aurora to Little Village along Ogden Avenue and 26th Street across Chicagoland in a peaceful protest against the Donald Trump Administration’s alleged illegal and authoritarian actions.
At Tuesday night’s Committee of the Whole Meeting, the city of Aurora honored a longtime City staff member, community stalwart, and Aurora advocate as he embarks on the next chapter of his star-studded career. Clayton Muhammad, Aurora’s chief engagement and equity officer, is set to depart from City Hall May
