Daywatch: Date of Pope Francis' funeral announced
Good morning, Chicago.
Saying Chicago's already-precarious financial state is 'at a crossroads' with President Donald Trump threatening to cut billions in funding to the city, Mayor Brandon Johnson yesterday took steps to try to get buy-in from residents and community leaders to make tough upcoming budget decisions.
Johnson signed an executive order directing his Office of Budget and Management to host public meetings and make a 'comprehensive' review of all city spending. The order also launched a new working group of business and labor leaders, community groups, aldermen and mayoral staffers tasked with making far-reaching budget recommendations.
The mayor's announcement comes after a bruising budget process last fall during which aldermen soundly rejected Johnson's push for a property tax increase as the mayor swore off — and avoided — layoffs and service cuts.
Read the full story from the Tribune's Jake Sheridan.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including the state representative who spent thousands on legal fees amid a federal investigation, Walgreens' settlement with the Department of Justice and a review of the complicated story on stage at Drury Lane.
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Pope Francis will be laid to rest Saturday after lying in state for three days in St. Peter's Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history's first Latin American pontiff.
The cardinals met today in the Vatican's synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis' successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10.
The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10 a.m. in St. Peter's Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. U.S. President Donald Trump said he and first lady Melania Trump plan to attend, and Argentine President Javier Milei is also expected.
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In the hours following Pope Francis' death yesterday, leaders from Illinois — including former President Barack Obama and Gov. JB Pritzker — offered their condolences and urged the world to embrace the 88-year-old pontiff's legacy of humility and compassion. Here's what they had to say.
The Education Department will begin collection next month on student loans that are in default, including the garnishing of wages for potentially millions of borrowers, officials said yesterday.
Currently, roughly 5.3 million borrowers are in default on their federal student loans.
State Rep. Thaddeus Jones, who's also mayor of Calumet City, paid tens of thousands of dollars in the first quarter of this year to a law firm that specializes in criminal defense, records show, amid a multiyear federal investigation into tax issues involving his campaign funds that sources said is ongoing.
The U.S. attorney's office more than three years ago issued a grand jury subpoena to the Illinois State Board of Elections pursuant to an 'official criminal investigation' for records on three campaign funds controlled by Jones. No charges have been filed against Jones, but two people with knowledge of the issue said recently the investigation was still active.
Walgreens Boots Alliance has agreed to pay $300 million to settle allegations that it filled millions of invalid prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances and illegally billed federal programs such as Medicare for those medications, the U.S. Department of Justice announced yesterday.
Aurora Mayor-elect John Laesch, a current city alderman at-large, announced yesterday the team of people who will help guide his transition into the mayor's office.
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Aurora may soon restrict commercial vehicle parking citywide
Chase Meidroth's setback is the latest for the White Sox.
Given the offensive craziness of the Chicago Cubs' 13-11 win Friday, it was easy to forget that starting pitcher Colin Rea had a strong outing.
'Happy Easter to everyone,' President Donald Trump said, flanked on the White House balcony by his wife, first lady Melania Trump, and an Easter bunny mascot. 'It was a beautiful day yesterday, and it's a beautiful day today. We don't have to worry about sunburn but … it looks like it's not going to be raining.'
The American Egg Board, which has participated in the Easter egg roll for nearly 50 years and has been a lead sponsor for the past decade, donated 30,000 eggs that were hand-dyed by board staff and volunteers, said Emily Metz, board president and CEO.
Kanye West detailed a years-long, incestuous relationship with an unnamed cousin in his latest social media post.
In a post on X, Ye claims his new song 'Cousins' is about how he and a now-incarcerated cousin sexually experimented with each other when they were children.
If you are a fan of the novel or the film and want to be reminded of your experience, you'll likely enjoy at least some of this show, staged with an experienced cast.
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Highly trained units like the Green Berets and the 82nd Airborne are based there. The atmosphere resembled a state fair with military flair. Inflatable slides and attractions for children were set up in a field, with artillery, trucks and helicopters parked on another section of the lawn. Right outside the security checkpoint — but still on the base — two stands were selling Trump political hats, T-shirts and other paraphernalia. Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll were also at Tuesday's event, along with service members, veterans and their families. Hegseth, who has said he's ridding the military of 'woke,' told the crowd at Fort Bragg that the U.S. is 'restoring the warrior ethos' to its armed forces. 'We're not a college or a university. We're not interested in your woke garbage and political correctness,' Hegseth said, drawing cheers. Driscoll, who spoke to the crowd earlier in the afternoon, called Trump 'the greatest recruiter in our Army's history.' 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Follow the AP's coverage of President Donald Trump at . ___ This story has been corrected to reflect that the 82nd Airborne Division, not the U.S. Army Rangers, is based at Fort Bragg. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Chicago Tribune
16 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Trump says he will ‘liberate' Los Angeles in speech to mark the 250th anniversary of the Army
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — President Donald Trump called protesters in Los Angeles 'animals' and 'a foreign enemy' in a speech at Fort Bragg on Tuesday as he defended deploying the military on demonstrators opposed to his immigration enforcement raids. Trump, in his most aggressive language yet regarding the protests in Los Angeles, used a speech ostensibly supposed to be used to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army to denounce the demonstrators while repeating his false statements about the 2020 election being rigged and attacking the previous commander-in-chief, former President Joe Biden. The Republican president, who sees the military as a critical tool for domestic goals, has used the recent protests in Los Angeles as an opportunity to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines over the objections of California's Democratic governor to quell disturbances that began as protests over immigration raids. While protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend in Los Angeles, the demonstrations in the city of 4 million people have largely been centered in several blocks of downtown. California governor asks court to block Trump administration from using troops in immigration raids'We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy. That's what they are,' Trump said Tuesday. Trump's heated rhetoric came has he's left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, one of the most extreme emergency powers available to the president. It authorizes him to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. The president also called Los Angeles 'a trash heap' with 'entire neighborhoods under control' of criminals and said the federal government would 'use every asset at our disposal to quell the violence and restore law and order.' 'We will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean, and safe again,' Trump added. Trump also announced his administration was restoring the names of seven military bases that were given the monikers of Confederate leaders until being changed by the Biden administration. Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee will have their names changed back, Trump said. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth already brought back the names of Fort Bragg and Fort Benning in Georgia. 'Can you believe they changed that name in the last administration for a little bit?' Trump said. 'We'll forget all about that.' Before he spoke, Trump watched the U.S. Army demonstrate a missile strike, a helicopter assault and a building raid, a preview of the kind of show of American military might he's expected to display in the nation's capital for a massive military parade this weekend. Fort Bragg, which is located near Fayetteville, North Carolina, serves as headquarters for U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Highly trained units like the Green Berets and the 82nd Airborne are based there. The atmosphere resembled a state fair with military flair. Inflatable slides and attractions for children were set up in a field, with artillery, trucks and helicopters parked on another section of the lawn. Right outside the security checkpoint — but still on the base — two stands were selling Trump political hats, T-shirts and other paraphernalia. Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll were also at Tuesday's event, along with service members, veterans and their families. Hegseth, who has said he's ridding the military of 'woke,' told the crowd at Fort Bragg that the U.S. is 'restoring the warrior ethos' to its armed forces. 'We're not a college or a university. We're not interested in your woke garbage and political correctness,' Hegseth said, drawing cheers. Driscoll, who spoke to the crowd earlier in the afternoon, called Trump 'the greatest recruiter in our Army's history.' Trump has promoted the Army's anniversary as a reason to hold a military parade in Washington on Saturday, which is also his 79th birthday. Tanks and other vehicles will roll down city streets in a reminder of how the Republican president is reshaping the armed forces after returning to the White House this year. Trump has authorized the deployment of 4,000 National Guard soldiers to the city over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat. About 700 Marines were deployed to the Los Angeles area, but had not yet been sent to respond to the protests. California sued Trump over the deployment, with the state attorney general arguing that the president had 'trampled' the state's sovereignty. California leaders accused Trump of fanning protesters' anger, leading crowds to block off a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire.
