December 19, 2025/
WATCH: Commission makes ICE accountability referral; Rep says Pritzker wrong on prices
(The Center Square) – In today’s edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square Editor Greg Bishop provides moments and reaction from and around the first Illinois Accountability Commission hearing. Appointees of Gov. J.B. Pritzker heard testimony and public comment about the impact of federal immigration enforcement in a state with migrant sanctuary policies.
Bishop also shares more perspective from legislators on both sides of the aisle about prices and the policies that drive them, and the cost of energy with Illinois lawmakers discussing policies around planned coal and natural gas plant closures and the focus on alternatives like battery storage.
Subscribe to Illinois in Focus Daily with The Center Square on YouTube. You can also subscribe to the Illinois in Focus podcast to get the entire show uninterrupted.
Today Jun 17
75° 57°
Isolated Rain Showers
Latest News Stories
Lake Land College Invests Over $360,000 in Allied Health Program Technology
Article Summary: The Lake Land College Board of Trustees approved a series of major purchases totaling more than $360,000 to enhance the college’s Allied Health and nursing programs. The investments...
Colorado tops nation for millennial migration, report finds
By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Millennials are flocking to Colorado, according to a recent report that looked at migration rates nationwide. In 2024, nearly one in every 10 millennials in...
Congress unmoved by imminent government shutdown threat
By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square Only four days remain until the federal government runs out of money and partially shuts down, but Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress refuse to...
Illinois quick hits: DHS apprehends ICE protester with firearm; bill allows campaign funds for security
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square DHS apprehends ICE protester with firearm The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says more than 200 rioters blocked access to a...
Exclusive: BlackRock pressured ‘woke’ ideology on companies
By Andrew RiceThe Center Square The nonprofit Consumers’ Research urged the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to conduct tougher enforcement efforts on investment firms like BlackRock in...
Trump’s tariffs on imported drugs could raise prices
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square Analysts are warning that U.S. consumers could face higher prices after President Donald Trump promised it will hit imported drugs with a 100% tariff next...
Lawmaker responds to IL’s push for adult COVID shots against CDC guidance
By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois health officials recommend all adults get the COVID-19 vaccine this fall, defying recent U.S. Centers...
Immigration advocates sue Trump administration over ‘unlawful’ ICE arrests
By Andrew RiceThe Center Square A coalition of immigrants rights advocacy organizations filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its immigration enforcement in Washington, D.C. The advocacy organizations, which...
18% of med schools receive F when judged by academic excellence, DEI rejection
By Tate MillerThe Center Square Of 154 medical schools analyzed, 28 received a grade of “F” from a new ranking system launched by medical group Do No Harm that ranks...
Plastics industry one of ‘most powerful economic engines’ thanks to nation’s shale gas, ingenuity
By Tate MillerThe Center Square The American plastics industry is one of the “most powerful economic engines” in the U.S. due to the nation’s ingenuity and its abundant and affordable...
Congressional candidate defends ‘dark humor’ video about Kirk assassination
By Elyse ApelThe Center Square A Michigan Democrat candidate for the U.S. House is doubling down after posting a video in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination stating: “Hey,...
Trump tells parents to get vaccines not available in U.S.
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square President Donald Trump told parents Friday to break up measles, mumps and rubella vaccines and not get them in combinations, a preference not possible in...
Grocery tax stalls in Chicago council, measure approved in Bloomington
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Bloomington has joined hundreds of Illinois municipalities by reinstating a one-percent grocery tax that will soon be...
GOP leader argues against Democrats’ descriptions of ICE
By Dave MasonThe Center Square California Democratic officials are accusing masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers of being a “secret police” force spreading terror in immigrant communities. But the...
Illinois quick hits: Guatemalan national guilty of illegal presence; ‘peacekeeper’ arrested for battery
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Guatemalan national guilty of illegal presence A Guatemalan national has pleaded guilty to being illegally present in the United States after...