logo
Afternoon Briefing: Cook County prosecutors seek to unionize

Afternoon Briefing: Cook County prosecutors seek to unionize

Yahoo11-02-2025

Good afternoon, Chicago.
In the first major union drive to reach the office in decades, a group of assistant state's attorneys have asked the office to voluntarily recognize a bargaining unit that would represent hundreds of government lawyers working for the country's second largest prosecutor's office.
A majority of Cook County assistant state's attorneys in the proposed bargaining unit have signed union authorization cards with Teamsters Local 700, according to a letter sent to State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke. Representatives declined to say what percentage of attorneys signed cards. The prosecutors are motivated by a desire to improve wages and working conditions in a notoriously grueling job, union representatives said.
Here's what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History
An autopsy by the Cook County medical examiner's office ruled Dalilah's death a homicide. This morning, Chicago police said a 14-year-old boy was charged with manslaughter in her death. Read more here.
More top news stories:
DuPage County Board votes to strip US Rep. Henry Hyde's name from courthouse
Chicago says it hopes to open city-owned market instead of city-owned grocery store
Air traffic control facilities at the city's two airports, plus two other regional centers, failed to meet a working group's target staffing levels as of September 2023, according to the most recent published numbers. Read more here.
More top business stories:
Key things to know about how Tesla could benefit from Elon Musk's assault on government
Naperville 5-bedroom home with dual cherrywood staircases: $2M
As the Stars begin a new era of club history, the team is continuing to pursue the possibility of practicing in their own facilities — and playing games in Chicago. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
The big question going into NBA All-Star weekend: Will the new format work? There is some skepticism.
Soccer star Sam Kerr found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment
Buttermilk wants to sell specially-branded bourbon at its Naperville restaurant but needs city approval for a variance and a code amendment before it can proceed. Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
Sheryl Crow will play the Illinois State Fair this summer
Review: In Lookingglass Theatre's 'Circus Quixote,' the magical parts don't always make a whole
Pope Francis issued a major rebuke to the Trump administration's mass deportation of migrants, warning that the program to forcefully deport people purely because of their illegal status deprives them of their inherent dignity and 'will end badly.' Read more here.
More top stories from around the world:
Netanyahu threatens to resume fighting in Gaza if hostages aren't released Saturday
Google Maps now shows Gulf of America for US users

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Tesla shareholders face staggering new hurdle after company enacts controversial policy: 'A formidable barrier'
Tesla shareholders face staggering new hurdle after company enacts controversial policy: 'A formidable barrier'

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Tesla shareholders face staggering new hurdle after company enacts controversial policy: 'A formidable barrier'

Tesla raised the bar for shareholders to sue the company board or executives for breach of fiduciary duties. The change took effect May 15 and requires an investor or group of investors to hold 3% of the electric vehicle maker's stock "to institute or maintain a derivative proceeding," CNBC reported. Tesla's market cap is $1.123 trillion, so a plaintiff would have to own shares worth $33.7 billion. "Obviously, for a company of Tesla's size, that would be a formidable barrier to anyone bringing a lawsuit for breach of fiduciary duty," Tulane Law School's Ann Lipton told CNBC in an email. The change was enabled by a Texas law that "allows corporations to limit shareholder lawsuits against insiders for breach of fiduciary duty," the outlet added. With shareholder approval, Tesla moved its incorporation site from Delaware to the Lone Star State in June 2024. An investor who owned nine shares of Tesla stock sued the company in 2018, and CEO Elon Musk's $56 billion compensation package was revoked in January 2024. Musk is by far the richest person on the planet, and his wealth makes him nearly untouchable. He helped to pioneer the EV movement by becoming an early investor in Tesla in 2003, and the company has been known for innovative technology and industry-leading breakthroughs. Recently, however, the South African has drawn criticism for straying into American and European politics, including spending lavishly on the U.S. presidential election campaign of Donald Trump, leading government spending cuts as the head of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, and supporting the far-right Alternative for Germany party. Activists have protested these actions, and Tesla charging stations, vehicles, and dealerships have been vandalized. Sales have plummeted, and Tesla stock spiraled downward, too, though it has regained much of its value. This upheaval and the larger perception change of Musk from groundbreaker to villain could stifle the uptake of EVs, which is one of the many things necessary to slow the rapid rise of global temperatures caused by the burning of fossil fuels for energy. It would take a massive coalition of shareholders to fight back against this move by Tesla, though companies are generally amenable to public pressure — especially when it comes to consumers' spending power. Tesla, for example, is shifting its focus from EV manufacturing to a robotaxi service and robotics to stabilize its future. Musk has a history of not delivering on outlandish promises, but it has not significantly slowed the company or deterred its supporters. What do you think of Tesla and Elon Musk? Elon is the man Love the company; hate the CEO I'm not a fan of either I don't have an opinion Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

JD Vance breaks his silence on Trump and Musk feud after seeing Elon's Epstein tweet during Theo Von interview
JD Vance breaks his silence on Trump and Musk feud after seeing Elon's Epstein tweet during Theo Von interview

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

JD Vance breaks his silence on Trump and Musk feud after seeing Elon's Epstein tweet during Theo Von interview

Vice President JD Vance's first reaction to Elon Musk's Trump-Epstein tweet was caught Thursday on Theo Von's podcast. On the 'This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von,' episode released Saturday, Von showed Vance one of the most viral tweets from the pair's feud, in which the Tesla CEO claimed, '@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.' 'Ok, wow. I haven't even seen this one,' Vance said, explaining he was on a plane amid Musk and Trump's online exchanges. 'First of all, absolutely not. Donald Trump didn't do anything wrong with Jeffrey Epstein,' Vance said. 'Whatever the Democrats and the media says about him, that's totally BS.' The social media exchange came just a week after Musk left his DOGE role in the Trump Administration. Vance chalked Musk's online outbursts up to him 'being new to politics' and frustrations that his 'businesses are being attacked non-stop' since he joined the White House. In responding to a clip posted on X of Vance saying that he hoped the pair could become friends again, Musk tweeted: 'Cool.' Musk's departure followed a Wall Street Journal report citing insiders who claimed that even Trump was getting frustrated with Musk and was doubtful whether his goals within DOGE could be reached. Musk has since spoken out about his disapproval of the Trump-backed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which includes various policy changes, including tax cuts, welfare reform, and infrastructure investments. 'Elon is entitled to his opinion,' Vance told Von on the podcast. 'I'm not saying he has to agree with the bill or agree with everything that I'm saying. I just think it's a huge mistake for the world's wealthiest man — I think one of the most transformational entrepreneurs ever — to be at war with the world's most powerful man, who I think is doing more to save the country than anybody in my lifetime.' Vance added, 'I just think you've got to have some respect for him and say, 'yeah, we don't have to agree on every issue.' But is this war actually in the interest of the country? I don't think so.' Despite Musk going 'so nuclear' online, Vance is hopeful that he can 'come back into the fold' within politics. 'I know the president was getting a little frustrated, feeling like some of the criticisms were unfair coming from Elon,' Vance said. 'But I think it has been very restrained, because the president doesn't think that he needs to be in a blood feud with Elon Musk. And I actually think that if Elon chilled out a little bit everything would be fine.'

Andrew Yang reaches out to Musk to collaborate on new political party
Andrew Yang reaches out to Musk to collaborate on new political party

Yahoo

time5 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Andrew Yang reaches out to Musk to collaborate on new political party

Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang said he's reached out to Elon Musk in hopes of collaborating on the creation of a new political party, according to a Saturday interview with Politico Magazine. Yang, along with mutual friends, believes the Tesla CEO has what it takes to form a new faction that propels America's strongest leaders. When asked if Musk has responded to his inquiry, Yang told the outlet 'Not yet, but I assume he's been very busy.' 'We have been of the opinion that America needed a new political party for a number of years, and so waiting another 24 hours is nothing,' he added. Musk's push for a new political caucus emerged from his public feud with President Trump over the 'big, beautiful bill.' The tech giant strongly opposed the national debt increase after months of working with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut federal spending. Yang, the founder of 'The Forward Party,' said it's political outsiders like Musk who consider non-traditional approaches to the country's problems. 'I want to work with people that recognize that America's political system has gone from dysfunctional to polarizing to even worse. And at this point, the fastest growing political movement in the United States is independents,' Yang said. 'They feel like neither party represents them, and the two-party system is not delivering what they want to see,' he continued. Many people have recently left the Democratic party, including former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who announced she became an independent after seeing political polarization throughout the campaign trail. 'If you look at Musk's politics over the last number of years, he waited in line to meet Barack Obama, he endorsed me in a Democratic cycle, and even earlier in this cycle — 2024 — he was looking for an alternative to Trump,' Yang said. 'There are a number of things that I think Elon shares in common with a lot of other folks I talk to who want to see some kind of middle ground or balance. The problem is: In our two-party system, you get whipsawed either one direction or the other,' he continued. Last year, Musk was a major donor for Republicans but has supported a wide array of candidates like Yang in the past. Now that he's severed ties with the GOP, political hopefuls have been looking to capitalize on the billionaire's powerful funding reserve for future campaigns. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store