Daywatch: DuPage County, sheriff agree to $11M payout for jail death
DuPage County and county Sheriff James Mendrick have reached an $11 million settlement with the estate of Reneyda Aguilar-Hurtado, a 50-year-old mother who died in June 2023 after being held in the county jail for 85 days while awaiting transfer to a state-run mental health center.
The settlement caps a federal lawsuit brought by Aguilar-Hurtado's daughter, Cristal Moreno Aguilar, accusing the county, Mendrick and 11 jail medical staff members or corrections officers of repeatedly failing to act as her mother's health rapidly deteriorated.
A county pathologist determined her death was due, in part, to 'medical neglect.'
Mendrick, who recently announced his intent to forgo a third term as sheriff and instead seek the Republican nomination for Illinois governor in 2026, declined to comment through his spokesperson. So, too, did County Board Chair Deborah Conroy.
'Reneyda's tragic death never should have happened,' said Michael Mead, an attorney for the family, in a statement. 'It was preventable and the loss that her family experienced cannot be made whole. We hope that the settlement provides justice and some closure for her family.'
Read the full story from the Tribune's Jonathan Bullington.
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As the Department of Government Efficiency continues to make cuts, one Northwest Indiana agency is affected.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Griffith lease will be terminated, according to DOGE's website. The Griffith location's annual lease is $85,467, according to the agency, and the cancellation will lead to $370,357 in total savings.
Top US health agency makes $25,000 buyout offer to most of its employees
Scholars stranded in America and abroad amid funding freeze of state department programs
As the five-year anniversary of the pandemic approaches, the threat of the virus has been drastically reduced, with low rates of transmission and hospitalization across much of the nation.
Yet local medical experts and scientists caution against letting down the nation's guard against the ever-evolving virus as well as other health epidemics — and even another potential pandemic — that might emerge in the future.
Across the Chicago area — and, indeed, the country — thousands of people are ramping up their political activity in response to the whirlwind early days of the second Trump administration. Some members of Congress are feeling the public outrage in the sheer volume of people calling their offices, attending virtual gatherings and appearing at rallies and public events.
Information from hundreds of thousands of current and former Chicago Public School students has been exposed following a data breach, according to district officials. In a letter to parents Friday, they said there was no evidence suggesting any information had been misused.
Gray wolves represent a success story for conservationists after the species almost went extinct in the lower 48 states by the mid-20th century due to rampant hunting and trapping. They are also an example of how the Endangered Species Act of 1973 has become a political football.
Last week, Republican lawmakers in the U.S. Committee on Natural Resources argued at an oversight meeting that the Endangered Species Act was an overreach of federal authority and an ambiguous statute, as part of a broader reexamination of conservation laws.
Unrivaled offers WNBA players plenty of perks — warm weather, shiny new facilities, a lucrative contract without the need to play abroad. But for Angel Reese, the league's most important benefit is the opportunity to develop her game ahead of her second season with the Sky.
Reese is dominating in her comfort zone in Unrivaled, averaging 13.3 points and a league-high 12.1 rebounds. But with only one week left in the Unrivaled season, Reese faces a new question: Can that success translate to the WNBA?
The Chicago Cubs enter 2025 as the consensus favorites to win the National League Central, thanks to the addition of Kyle Tucker and a general lack of offseason spending by their division counterparts.
While it should be a given considering the team's many resources and big-market status, this is a new feeling for some in the organization, writes Paul Sullivan.
Rule 5 draft pick Gage Workman, infielder Vidal Bruján informed they are part of Cubs' Japan roster
Cubs notes from camp: Pete Crow-Armstrong shows off power — and Justin Steele's track for Tokyo start
Grab your banners and get ready for some English football, Chicago.
The Premier League announced it is coming to Soldier Field in July for its Summer Series exhibition tournament, the first time its storied teams will meet head-to-head in Chicago, and the latest high-profile event to put the city on the international sports stage.
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed.
Here's a timeline of events surrounding the couple's deaths.
Long before women could vote, the Chicago Woman's Club was a vocal champion of social reform. In 1904, its president offered a newspaper reporter an assessment of the organization that must have seemed candid, or self-serving, depending on the eye of the beholder.
'While men's clubs spend their time drinking, smoking, telling stories, and perhaps gambling, women are planning in their organizations for the establishment of kindergartens and for caring for their unfortunate sisters,' Ellen Martin Henrotin wrote in the Tribune under the headline, 'Superiority of Women's Clubs.'
With the annual St. Patrick's Day parade and Chicago River dyeing happening at 10 a.m. Saturday and the actual holiday falling Monday, the Windy City is going to be spending a long weekend celebrating its Irish heritage this year. Bars and restaurants are getting into the spirit by serving traditional food, hosting bashes with spectacular riverfront views and bottomless drinks and bringing in Irish musicians and dancers. Wear something green and celebrate St. Patrick's Day Chirish style at one of these 57 spots.
30 best corned beef sandwiches around Chicago in 2025, featuring That Jerk at The Corned Beef Hideout
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Newsweek
3 days ago
- Newsweek
Trump's Approval Rating With Medicaid Recipients Takes a Nosedive: Poll
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump's approval rating with Medicaid recipients has dropped a staggering 16 points since January, a new poll from Morning Consult shows on Thursday. Why It Matters The shift occurred as Republicans advanced major cuts to Medicaid in the party's signature budget legislation, a bill the president dubbed "the big, beautiful bill." Medicaid covers more than 71 million low-income Americans and serves as a cornerstone of health coverage for vulnerable populations. Recently, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reached an agreement that provided U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to certain Medicaid user data, a move that raised privacy and access-to-care concerns among advocates and some officials. Critics warned that such measures could deter eligible patients from seeking care. What To Know In the poll, the president's approval rating with the group is 36 percent, a drop from 52 percent during the president's first week in office. Trump's disapproval mark is 55 percent, soaring from 34 percent during the same time frame. Morning Consult conducts the surveys weekly among 14,695 U.S. adults, including 3,134 Medicaid recipients. The poll has a margin of error of 1 percent to 2 percent. The survey noted that "The biggest political question facing the Republican Party ahead of the next couple of election cycles is whether it can consolidate gains made in recent years among lower-income Americans. In the wake of those Medicaid cuts, that sure looks like a very steep climb," Cameron Easley, Morning Consult's head of U.S. Political Analysis, wrote. The president's overall approval rating with U.S. adults in the poll is 44 percent compared to a 50 percent disapproval rating. President Donald Trump speaks at the Kennedy Center on August 13 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by) President Donald Trump speaks at the Kennedy Center on August 13 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by) What People Are Saying Political analyst Craig Agranoff told Newsweek via text message on Thursday: "The notable decline in his approval rating among Medicaid recipients, signals growing discontent within a key demographic reliant on public health programs. This drop, sharper than among the general public, appears tied to Republican led efforts to cut Medicaid funding through legislation like the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which accelerated the slide when proposed in March and enacted in July. "It's particularly concerning for the GOP, as it erodes support even among Republican and independent Medicaid users, potentially complicating efforts to maintain gains with working class voters ahead of midterms. If unaddressed, this could highlight vulnerabilities in Trump's coalition where policy impacts clash with economic promises." Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont posted to X on Wednesday: "Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' is a direct attack on the 1 in 3 Americans with disabilities who rely on Medicaid for their health care. It cannot stand. We must work together until every American with a disability has the freedom, opportunity and respect that they deserve." Trump wrote on Truth Social in May: "Republicans MUST UNITE behind, 'THE ONE, BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL!' Not only does it cut Taxes for ALL Americans, but it will kick millions of Illegal Aliens off of Medicaid to PROTECT it for those who are the ones in real need. The Country will suffer greatly without this Legislation, with their Taxes going up 65%. It will be blamed on the Democrats, but that doesn't help our Voters. We don't need 'GRANDSTANDERS' in the Republican Party. STOP TALKING, AND GET IT DONE! It is time to fix the MESS that Biden and the Democrats gave us. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" What Happens Next The president's approval rating will continue to be tracked by numerous outlets and pollsters leading up to the 2026 midterm election season.
Politico
4 days ago
- Politico
The MAHA wave
Driving the Day IN THE STATES — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again campaign to combat chronic disease is reshaping state legislatures, with hundreds of bills introduced this year echoing his agenda in both red and blue states, POLITICO's Amanda Chu reports. A POLITICO analysis of state legislatures found more than 130 pieces of legislation aimed at limiting access to ultraprocessed foods and improving nutrition, over 60 measures restricting the use of pesticides and other chemicals and more than 130 measures expanding vaccine exemptions or prohibiting mandates were introduced this year. Lawmakers also introduced dozens of bills to promote the use of psychedelics, authorize sales of raw milk and the antiparasitic drug ivermectin and ban the fluoridation of drinking water. The advances seen in state capitols, often considered laboratories for federal rulemaking, offer a glimpse into how a Kennedy-run Department of Health and Human Services might turn MAHA priorities into regulation. The White House is set to release a final MAHA report, which will include recommendations to fight chronic disease. Details: POLITICO tracked nearly 900 measures on MAHA-aligned subjects that were introduced in 50 states this year — a 45 percent increase from the previous year and measures introduced in 2023 among the four states that meet every two years. Measures ranged from banning the use of food dyes to limiting children's access to social media over mental health concerns to restricting the use of mRNA, the technology behind the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines. The surge in state activity underscores the growing political clout of the MAHA base, which cuts across party lines, and offers MAHA supporters a chance to secure policy wins outside a White House navigating competing interests. Following intense pressure from agricultural lobbyists, the Trump administration assured farm groups earlier this summer that the final MAHA report would include no new policy around pesticide use despite linking the chemical to cancer in a May draft report. Bipartisan appeal? Blue states New York and New Jersey led the country in the number of MAHA-aligned measures introduced this year, followed by Republican-led Texas. While some topics, like ending vaccine mandates, were predominantly backed by one party, a few themes had bipartisan traction: Roughly a third of measures to improve nutrition and restrict food additives were sponsored by at least one member of each party this year. 'We see so much state activity. … It's bipartisan. They're tapping into something that most Americans know intuitively. MAHA will persist when Kennedy is gone in the future,' said Joel White, a Republican health care strategist and founder of Horizon Government Affairs, a Washington lobbying firm. WELCOME TO THURSDAY PULSE. Adults in the U.S. are drinking less and worrying more about alcohol's health effects, according to new numbers from Gallup. Send your tips, scoops and feedback to khooper@ and sgardner@ and follow along @kelhoops and @sophie_gardnerj. At the White House PRASAD BACKSTORY — White House chief of staff Susie Wiles advocated to bring back the FDA's top vaccine regulator, Dr. Vinay Prasad, after he was pushed out following social media attacks from MAGA influencer Laura Loomer, POLITICO's David Lim, Dasha Burns and Tim Röhn report. Wiles' decision to advocate on Prasad's behalf, as described to POLITICO by two senior administration officials granted anonymity to discuss sensitive details, came after pleas from both Prasad's boss, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. They insisted that Prasad is part of Kennedy's broader Make America Healthy Again movement to combat chronic diseases and integral to the Trump coalition. Loomer did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The FDA referred questions to the White House. 'Secretary Kennedy and the entire HHS team are doing a terrific job as they deliver on President Trump's mandate to Make America Healthy Again,' White House spokesperson Kush Desai said. 'Scores of prominent restaurant chains and food brands dropping artificial ingredients from our food supply and historic reforms at the FDA to fast-track lifesaving drugs and treatments prove that the entire HHS team is delivering for the American people.' Background: President Donald Trump forced Prasad out of his FDA job less than two weeks earlier after the Cambridge, Massachusetts, pharmaceutical manufacturer Sarepta Therapeutics, joined by GOP allies and Loomer, sought his ouster. He abruptly returned last week. Read the full story here. DRUG STOCKPILE EO — President Donald Trump issued an executive order Wednesday aimed at bolstering the domestic supply of drugs by ordering his health department to fill a drug-ingredient stockpile he established during his first term, POLITICO's Lauren Gardner reports. The directive builds on the Strategic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Reserve that Trump established in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic when shortages of medical supplies and devices hampered the pandemic response. The U.S. relies largely on China, India and the European Union for APIs, particularly those that go into commonly used generic medicines like antibiotics and chemotherapies that are manufactured on low margins. Details: The order directs the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response — the HHS agency that focuses on emergency readiness — to develop a list of 'approximately' 26 drugs considered critical to domestic health and security interests. It calls for an accounting of available funding that can be used to open the stockpile and to secure and maintain a six-month supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients needed to make the critical drugs. In Congress PRO MEDICAID CUTS — An influential group of Republicans has invited a key proponent of slashing Medicaid to brief congressional aides as the GOP mulls a potential second reconciliation bill, POLITICO's Benjamin Guggenheim and Meredith Lee Hill report. Brian Blase, president of the conservative think tank Paragon Health Institute, is set to address staff Thursday at a briefing on health care reform hosted by the Republican Study Committee, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO. Blase was allied with conservative hard-liners earlier this year in pushing for significant cuts to Medicaid in the first GOP package. He was the initial author of a letter arguing for 'structural' changes to the program that Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and 19 other hard-right members later sent to their House Republican colleagues. Details: An RSC spokesperson declined to comment on Thursday's briefing. But a person granted anonymity to discuss plans in advance said the meeting is set to cover enhanced tax credits for Affordable Care Act health insurance premiums, which are due to expire at the end of the year, as well as rules governing the percentage of Medicaid expenditures covered by the federal government and reimbursed to states. Not unprecedented: The RSC, composed of 189 House conservatives, has been a key force pushing for a follow-on to President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' that was signed into law last month. The group has invited several conservative experts to address staffers in recent weeks, though it has yet to endorse any specific health care policies for any forthcoming package. Those staff-level meetings continue as House GOP leaders try to plot a way forward amid skepticism over whether another sprawling domestic policy bill is even possible, given the difficulties Republicans had coming to an agreement on the first bill. Looking forward: It's still unclear what health topics a possible second package would address. Some House GOP factions are discussing further slashing Medicaid as well as possibly targeting Medicare funding. AROUND THE AGENCIES MAHA REPORT TIMELINE — The White House told several agricultural industry representatives to expect the latest Make America Healthy Again report to be publicly released in September, according to two people familiar with the conversation, POLITICO's Grace Yarrow reports. Some farm groups were recently invited to the White House and given 20 to 30 minutes to view a hard copy of a draft strategy report, said the two people, who were granted anonymity to share private details. The draft report that groups have seen is roughly 15 pages and has only 'light' mentions of pesticides, one of the two people said. But given that officials plan to wait for weeks before publishing the report, anything could change. Farm groups are crossing their fingers that the MAHA Commission won't scale up plans last minute to crack down on pesticides. 'If the ag community felt like they'd had some success in mitigating some of the worst language, or even taking some of that stuff out, an extra month may not feel like an opportunity,' said one of the people. 'It actually might feel like a bigger risk, because if they're already comfortable with where it sits now, what does an extra month mean?' 'On the other side, the MAHA folks are going to be pushing for more aggressive policy solutions across the board,' the person added. 'Maybe it would have been better for it to just pop out as it is.' Buckle up: Behind the scenes, the White House is taking extra time to review the policy recommendations to 'make sure it's not fucked up like last time,' as one person familiar with the process told our Dasha Burns, referencing the first error-riddled report from the MAHA Commission earlier this year. An HHS official told our Playbook colleagues that 'the team at the White House and HHS is ensuring that whatever is in the report is the best possible product for the American people. If they need more time, they need more time.' WHAT WE'RE READING The New York Times' Roni Caryn Rabin and Irena Hwang report on the Trump administration halting research related to racial and socio-economic disparities.
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Newsweek
Another State Looks To Ban Junk Food From SNAP Benefits
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves has said his state may block the purchase of unhealthy foods using SNAP benefits. Newsweek has contacted Reeves' office for comment via email outside regular working hours. Why It Matters So far in 2025, a slew of states have either barred or are in the process of restricting what Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries can buy using their benefits. Advocates for restricting SNAP purchases argue that cutting unhealthy foods from the program will improve public health, with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement leading the charge. Opponents counter that such limits dictate the diets of low-income Americans while overlooking deeper problems related to accessing affordable, nutritious food. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, in Mississippi, some 384,800 people collect SNAP benefits, representing 13 percent of the state's population. What To Know Reeves, a Republican, said of restricting SNAP benefits, "It is on my radar," SuperTalk Mississippi Media reported on Wednesday. According to the outlet, he also discussed the idea with Health and Human Services Secretary Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has spearheaded the MAHA movement, at the National Governors Association summer meeting. "I spent some time with my fellow governors a week or two ago," Reeves said. "We also had meetings with Secretary Kennedy while we were at the conference, very productive meetings, and that is something we are looking into." Republican Governor Tate Reeves speaks with supporters during an election night watch party at the Refuge Hotel & Conference Center in Flowood, Mississippi, on November 7, 2023. Republican Governor Tate Reeves speaks with supporters during an election night watch party at the Refuge Hotel & Conference Center in Flowood, Mississippi, on November 7, 2023. Brandon Bell/GETTY SNAP Changes Across the U.S. So far this year, 12 states have approved plans to restrict SNAP benefits. While the program is administered by states, it is overseen and largely paid for by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). To make amendments to SNAP, states are required to send waiver requests to the federal agency for approval. Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia have all had their waiver requests approved. Tennessee and South Carolina have indicated that they are in the process of making similar requests to the USDA. Beginning in 2026, the approved waivers are set to prohibit certain foods from being purchased with electronic benefit transfer cards, which are reloaded monthly for use at participating grocery stores nationwide. Not all the new restrictions are the same. For example, in Colorado, Utah and West Virginia, only soft drinks and/or soda would no longer be purchasable with SNAP. In numerous other states, the restriction also extends to candy. What People Are Saying USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said in an August 4 news release regarding states with approved waivers: "It is incredible to see so many states take action at this critical moment in our nation's history and do something to begin to address chronic health problems. President Trump has changed the status quo, and the entire cabinet is taking action to Make America Healthy Again. At USDA, we play a key role in supporting Americans who fall on hard times, and that commitment does not change. Rather, these state waivers promote healthier options for families in need." Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in the news release: "For years, SNAP has used taxpayer dollars to fund soda and candy—products that fuel America's diabetes and chronic disease epidemics. These waivers help put real food back at the center of the program and empower states to lead the charge in protecting public health. I thank these governors who have stepped up to request waivers, and I encourage others to follow their lead. This is how we Make America Healthy Again." Valerie Imbruce, the director of the Center for Environment and Society at Washington College, previously told Newsweek: "Controlling how the poor eat is a paternalistic response to a problem that is not based in SNAP recipients' inability to make good decisions about healthy foods, it is a problem of the price differential in choosing healthy or junk foods. Soda and candy are much cheaper and more calorie dense than 100 percent fruit juices or prebiotic non-artificially sweetened carbonated beverages, thanks to price supports and subsidies by the federal government to support a U.S. sugar industry." What Happens Next Reeves' comments suggest that Mississippi has not formally requested a waiver from the USDA. It remains to be seen whether the state will do so.
