Daywatch: Gaming Board stops construction at Bally's Chicago casino site
The Illinois Gaming Board issued a stop work order yesterday at the planned Bally's Chicago casino site in River West after it was discovered that the construction project was using an unauthorized subcontracted waste hauler previously alleged to have had ties to organized crime.
D&P Construction, a Melrose Park company which provided dumpsters used at the 30-acre site, was hired by the Chicago Community Builders Collective, a minority-led general contracting partnership constructing Bally's Chicago $1.7 billion permanent casino complex.
'Today we were informed by IGB that the contractors working on the Bally's Chicago site were utilizing an unapproved vendor and were issued a stop work notice,' a Bally's spokesperson said in a statement yesterday evening. 'We appreciate the diligence and action of IGB. This is the process at work. We look forward to working with the IGB to eliminate the possibility of it happening again.'
Read the full story from the Tribune's Robert Channick.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including a look yesterday's May Day rally, a deal over Chicago's Columbus statues and a homecoming for Chicago Sky players.
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It's the latest move by Trump and his administration to utilize federal powers to control or hamstring institutions whose actions or viewpoints he disagrees with.
Thousands gathered for a rally on May Day, a celebration with Chicago ties that commemorates the labor movement. The group marched to Grant Park in the afternoon, as hundreds of thousands turned out for rallies around the world, many united in anger over Trump's agenda, including aggressive tariffs and immigration crackdowns. This year's rally and march comes nearly 140 years after the Haymarket Affair and just over 100 days into Trump's second term.
Related:
Photos: Thousands march through downtown Chicago for May Day
The Chicago Park District announced yesterday they reached a deal to end a lawsuit brought over the removal of Christopher Columbus statues from city parks during 2020 protests.
A pair of Cook County Jail detainees are alleging sheriff's deputies encouraged a third inmate to tie them up and sexually assault them at knifepoint after one of them complained about forced sexual encounters with a guard in the jail complex.
The alleged misconduct is outlined in a lawsuit filed yesterday, which contends the attack came after one of the inmates had made a prior complaint about a nonconsensual sex with a female correctional officer.
A federal judge yesterday postponed the retrial of of ex-AT&T Illinois boss Paul La Schiazza on bribery counts related to former House Speaker Michael Madigan, allowing the new U.S. attorney in Chicago to consider next steps in the case and avoiding the possibility that Madigan would be sentenced in the same courthouse while La Schiazza's jury was deliberating.
A Harvey alderwoman has been charged with misdemeanor offenses after being forcibly removed by police during Monday's City Council meeting, according to the city.
The driver of a car that barreled through a building used for a popular after-school camp in central Illinois, killing three children and a teenager, was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and may have had a medical emergency, police said yesterday.
The biggest day of the Chicago White Sox season finally is at hand.
After an 8-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers yesterday, the Sox will debut their new Chicago Bulls-themed alternate uniforms, celebrating what the team's website described as two 'iconic' franchises.
Like the vintage Reese's commercial in which someone accidentally gets peanut butter in his chocolate while another person gets chocolate in his peanut butter, this is a melding of two franchises that was bound to happen.
The Chicago Cubs have touted a diverse offense that isn't reliant on home runs to win games.
But long balls certainly help and were pivotal in the Cubs' 8-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday at PNC Park.
The Chicago Sky's preseason opener in Baton Rouge, La., will offer a rare return to the past for three of their youngest stars.
The game is part of a new WNBA series to bring preseason games to college markets of its top stars. This year's slate will include games hosted at Iowa, Oregon and Notre Dame to feature top alums such as Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd, Arike Ogunbowale and Jackie Young.
After Blue Island officials temporarily shut down Harry's Long Bar following a fight involving patrons outside the establishment, the owners are stepping up evening security measures.
Also around the area this weekend, comedian Laura Peek is at Zanies and the farmers markets open for summer.
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Newsweek
32 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Map Shows US Cities Where Homicide Rates Are Highest
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 has said multiple cities could face federal action to deal with their violent crime, after he declared a public safety emergency in Washington, D.C. Newsweek has produced a map showing homicide rates in cities across the country. Baltimore and Chicago—both mentioned by Trump as possible targets—feature in the map as cities with the second and tenth highest homicide rates respectively, while Washington D.C. comes in at 19th. The data, compiled by the civil rights group Freedom for All Americans, does not present a complete and current nationwide picture, as not all cities have compiled complete figures for 2024. Why It Matters Homicide rates shape policy debates over policing, federal intervention and community investment, especially when presidential action and local officials clash over the meaning of the numbers. Crime levels in cities are making headlines in the wake of Trump's concerns about Washington, D.C. on Monday, when he invoked emergency powers to place the city's police department under federal control and deploy around 800 National Guard troops. What To Know The 10 cities with the highest homicide rates, according to Freedom for All Americans' 2024 data, are: St. Louis, Missouri (69.4 per 100,000 people) Baltimore, Maryland (51.1 per 100,000 people) New Orleans, Louisiana (40.6 per 100,000 people) Detroit, Michigan (39.7 per 100,000 people) Cleveland, Ohio (33.7 per 100,000 people) Las Vegas, Nevada (31.4 per 100,000 people) Kansas City, Missouri (31.2 per 100,000 people) Memphis, Tennessee (27.1 per 100,000 people) Newark, New Jersey (25.6 per 100,000 people) Chicago, Illinois (24.0 per 100,000 people) The group compiled is data from multiple sources, including AreaVibes, NeighborhoodScout, city police reports and public safety databases. Newsweek has contacted mayors' offices' for Chicago, St. Louis, Baltimore, New Orleans, Detroit and Cleveland, via email, for comment. Washington D.C. comes in at 19th, with a murder rate of 17.0 per 100,000 people. Violent crime in the capital hit a 30-year low in 2024, the district's U.S. Attorney Office said in January, citing police data. District Council member Charles Allen and District Attorney General Brian Schwalb both cited this statistic in their criticism of the president's federal intervention in the capital, with Allen calling Trump's actions a "dangerous abuse of power." Mike A. Males, a senior researcher at the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice in San Francisco, told Newsweek that urban crime was down across the country. "D.C. has a high rate because it is the only district wholly comprised of a city, but trends for all states mostly are down," he said. Analystsat the Council on Criminal Justice reported year-end 2024 declines in homicides across a set of 40 cities, noting a 16 percent drop in homicides overall. What People Are Saying Trump suggested other cities may face similar federal action to Washington, telling a press conference on Monday: "We have other cities also that are bad. Very bad. You look at Chicago, how bad it is. You look at Los Angeles, how bad it is. We have other cities that are very bad. New York has a problem. And then you have, of course, Baltimore and Oakland. We don't even mention that anymore there." "They're so far gone. We're not going to let it happen. We're not going to lose our cities over this." Washington D.C. District Attorney General Brian Schwalb responded to Trump's move in a post on X: "The Administration's actions are unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful. "There is no crime emergency in the District of Columbia. Violent crime in DC reached historic 30-year lows last year, and is down another 26% so far this year. "We are considering all of our options and will do what is necessary to protect the rights and safety of District residents." The Administration's actions are unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful. There is no crime emergency in the District of Columbia. Violent crime in DC reached historic 30-year lows last year, and is down another 26% so far this year. We are considering all of our options and… — AG Brian Schwalb (@DCAttorneyGen) August 11, 2025 What Happens Next Some jurisdictions reported declines in homicide in 2024 and early 2025, but national and local trends vary by city and by the data source used. The Council on Criminal Justice and the FBI have both signaled overall declines in violent crime through 2024. Monitoring will continue to see if this pattern continues.
NBC News
32 minutes ago
- NBC News
Transgender Marine speaks out against Trump's ban on trans servicemembers
On Jan. 27, Trump announced an executive order titled 'Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness.' It states that, 'expressing a false 'gender identity' divergent from an individual's sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.' The order then continues to say, 'beyond the hormonal and surgical medical interventions involved, adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual's sex conflicts with a soldier's commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one's personal life.' On May 6, after a court challenge, the Supreme Court granted the Trump Administration the ability to move forward with the order. That same day, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, delivered a keynote speech at Special Operations Forces Week 2025, that was clipped and posted in a public video on the verified X account for DOD Rapid Response, and said, 'We are leaving wokeness and weakness behind. No more pronouns. No more climate-change obsession. No more emergency vaccine mandates. No more dudes in dresses.' The following week, on May 15, a memo was sent to every branch of the military from the U.S. Department of Defense that stated that all transgender personnel would need to self-identify and begin a voluntary leave process by Jun. 6 for active duty and Jul. 7 for those in the reserves. A transcript posted on the DOD's website on the same day, that cited a 'Senior Defense Official' without listing their name, explained that those who chose to leave would be compensated based on 'rank as well as time in service.' The DOD transcript explained further, that all transgender personnel who leave because of this will receive some benefits, but that it is greater for those who start the process on their own accord. 'So, for involuntary category separation, an E-5 with 10 years of service, we estimate that that involuntary separation payment would be just under $51,000. For an O-3 with seven years in service that involuntary separation pay would be approximately $62,000. The way the voluntary separation pay is calculated is a multiple of two from the involuntary, so that E-5 with 10 years would be approximately $101,000 and the O-3 with seven years in service would be approximately $125,000,' the transcript said. On Aug. 7, however, it was reported by NBC News that the Air Force is denying early retirement to all transgender service members with between 15 and 18 years of military service, opting instead to force them out with no retirement benefits, according to a memo seen by Reuters. The DOD transcript also explained that, 'for those that elect not to voluntarily participate, the primary means of identification for the involuntary process will be through medical readiness programs. Individual medical readiness programs are a long-standing program and policy in the department. They are not new. They are not tied specifically to the implementation of this policy.' Savoie told NBC San Diego they chose to stay, and not begin that voluntary separation process, as an act of resistance. 'There's a lot of reasons to that,' Savoie said. 'I don't have dependents that are specifically banking on me having a paycheck. I know you're probably familiar with the buyout option that they gave, so double what your normal separation pay would be. For me, to be transparent with you, that was about $100,000, so a significant chunk of income. That's about a year's worth of income for me; it wasn't worth it.' 'I didn't commission to make the easy choice, and in this position, when you're faced with choices like these, are you going to make them on principle or are you going to make them on what the easy way out is. That's not everyone's scenario, but it is for me,' Savoie continued. 'I should caveat and say anyone who's taking this right now is under duress. Like it is a forced thing and, again, it does not come without risk. We don't know what they're going to do to us right now.' Savoie said they do have concerns for the future, including which separation code will be used for them if they are forced to leave the Marines and how that could impact their future employment opportunities. NBC San Diego reached out to Savoie's command and the public affairs team for the USMC Manpower and Reserve Affairs office for more information on their status, as well as the status of other transgender servicemembers. They forwarded the request to the Pentagon, where the on-duty public affairs officer referred NBC San Diego to the department's May 15 transcript. When it comes to how many servicemembers, including Savoie, may be impacted by Trump's executive order, in that transcript, the unnamed senior defense official said, 'the Department has cited a previous study that estimated approximately 4,200 service members with gender dysphoria. I have not seen a more recent study the department is relying on. So, that would be the most recent study that we would rely on. And of course, that may not be current as of today because service members are entering and departing service in the normal course of events all the time.' Savoie echoed that, saying 'there's not great numbers on how many transgender people are in the military." "From the communities that I am a part of and my experience working and connecting with other trans service members, I would guesstimate there's maybe seven or eight transgender officers in the Marine Corps," they said. "Some of those I know are not out right now and others, they fly under the radar. Others are taking the retirement and just kind of want to gracefully exit because they've already done their part and they've had to fight their fights under the first ban, and they're tired.' If it were up to Savoie — who has continues to show up for work each day, unsure of what comes next — they said they would serve until their EAS, or end of active service, in 2028.
CNBC
32 minutes ago
- CNBC
How Big Tech is paying its way out of Trump's tariffs
Top tech executives are at the forefront of a recent swathe of unprecedented deals with U.S. President Donald Trump. In just the last few days, the White House confirmed that two U.S. chipmakers, Nvidia and AMD, would be allowed to sell advanced chips to China in exchange for the U.S. government receiving a 15% cut of their revenues in the Asian country. Apple CEO Tim Cook, meanwhile, recently announced plans to increase the firm's U.S. investment commitment to $600 billion over the next four years. The move was widely seen as a bid to get the tech giant out of Trump's crosshairs on tariffs — and appears to have worked for now. Altogether, analysts say the deals show just how important it is for the world's largest companies to find some tariff relief. "The flurry of deal-making is an effort to secure lighter treatment from tariffs," Paolo Pescatore, technology analyst at PP Foresight, told CNBC by email. "In some shape or form, all of the big tech companies have been negatively impacted by tariffs. They can ill afford to fork out on millions of dollars in additional fees that will further dent profits as underlined by recent quarterly earnings," Pescatore said. While the devil will be in the detail of these agreements, Pescatore said that Apple leading the way with its accelerated U.S. investment will likely trigger "a domino effect" within the industry. Apple, for its part, has long been regarded as one of the Big Tech firms most vulnerable to simmering trade tensions between the U.S. and China. Earlier this month, Trump announced plans to impose a 100% tariff on imports of semiconductors and chips, albeit with an exemption for firms that are "building in the United States." Apple, which relies on hundreds of different chips for its devices and incurred $800 million in tariff costs in the June quarter, is among the firms exempt from the proposed tariffs. The Nvidia and AMD deal with the Trump administration has meanwhile sparked intense debate over the potential impact on the chip giants' businesses and whether the U.S. government may seek out similar agreements with other firms. Some strategists described the arrangement as a "shakedown," while others suggested it may even be unconstitutional and comparing it to a tax on exports. White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the legality and mechanics of the 15% export tax on Nvidia and AMD were "still being ironed out." She also hinted deals of this kind could expand to other companies in future. Ray Wang, founder and chairman of Constellation Research, described the Nvidia and AMD deal to pay 15% of China chip sales revenues to the U.S. government as "bizarre." Speaking to CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Monday, Wang said what is "really weird" is there is still some uncertainty over whether these chips represent a national security issue. "If the answer is no, fine OK. The government is taking a cut out of it," Wang said. "Both Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Lisa Su at AMD both decided that OK, we've got a way to get our chips into China and maybe there is something good coming out of it." While investors initially welcomed the deal as broadly positive for both Nvidia and AMD, which once more secure access to the Chinese market, Wang said some in the industry will nevertheless be concerned. "As an investor, you're worried because then, is this an arbitrary decision by the government? Does every president get to play kingmaker in terms of these deals?" Wang said. "So, I think that's really what the concern is, and we still have additional tariffs and trade deals to come from the China negotiations," he added. Looking ahead, Dan Niles, founder and portfolio manager at Niles Investment Management, said the question for investors is whether the Trump administration's "hands-on" approach is positive or negative for U.S. companies. "I think for each company, it is very different. So, it certainly it is something I take into account. The bigger thing for me is do you have some stability of policy? Do you have a policy one week and then it flips the next?" Niles told CNBC's "Closing Bell: Overtime" on Monday. "Right now, that is what concerns me a little bit more."
