January 23, 2026/
WATCH: Pritzker IDs half billion in ‘reserves;’ SCOTUS considering gun ban challenge
(The Center Square) – In today’s edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square’s Greg Bishop discusses a recent announcement from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office of nearly $500 million in “reserves.” The announcement comes after Republicans criticized the governor’s handling of taxpayer money.
Bishop also discusses the status of several Second Amendment challenges in the federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court still considering whether to take a challenge from Illinois calling the state’s gun and magazine ban unconstitutional.
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.
Latest News Stories
Supreme Court rules against company lawsuit over unlawful regulations
By Andrew RiceThe Center Square The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision on Thursday, said private companies do not have an automatic right to sue over unlawful contracts. The...
Aldermen say lawmakers failed to address illegal cannabis sales near schools
By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – As the Chicago City Council’s public safety committee moved forward with an ordinance that would increase penalties...
Strikes on Iran to continue, Trump threatens to take Kharg Island
By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square After trying to negotiate with Iran through talks for over two months, President Donald Trump is back to using bombs to pressure the Islamic Republic...
Nonprofit working on gender, climate issues got millions in federal cash
By Mark StricherzThe Center Square The federal government gave about $2.5 million in two years to a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that says it aims to be a “trusted bipartisan source...
Illinois Quick Hits: Oak Park woman charged with child care fraud
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – An Oak Park woman is charged with defrauding the state of Illinois out of more than $30,000...
Medical watchdog urges Congress to protect children from transgender procedures
By Tate RosentreterThe Center Square Medical watchdog Do No Harm is urging Congress to “codify safeguards” to protect children from transgender ideology after a member of the group testified Wednesday...
Education Department admits it violated court order in Title IX cases
By Tom JoyceThe Center Square The U.S. Department of Education confirmed a whistleblower’s allegations that the agency violated a federal court order while handling Title IX cases tied to gender...
Florida attorney general appeals Chicago judge’s ‘lawless’ transgender ruling
By Jonathan Bilyk | Legal NewslineThe Center Square Saying a Chicago federal judge overstepped his constitutional authority, Florida's state attorney general has asked a federal appeals court to quickly reverse...
HHS investigating CAIR in response to Texas-led congressional delegation request
By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is investigating the Council on American Islamic Relations-California in response to a request made by a congressional...
U.S. lawmakers discuss Social Security, have no plan to prevent insolvency
By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square One day after federal trustees warned Congress that Social Security’s retirement trust fund will go insolvent by 2032, a U.S. House subcommittee met to question...
Congressman calls out Chicago schools’ academic woes
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Chicago Public Schools Superintendent Macquline King testified before Congress that math and reading proficiency rates for CPS...
Trump: 100M barrels of oil passed through Strait of Hormuz
By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square A secret U.S. military mission has enabled more than 100 million barrels of oil to traverse the Strait of Hormuz in roughly the past month,...
Over 500 hospitals warned of fines if they continue hiding prices from patients
By Tate RosentreterThe Center Square The Trump Administration put over 500 hospitals on notice for failure to comply with the president’s executive order requiring price transparency, with continued noncompliance resulting...