January 29, 2026/
WATCH: Congressional seat at stake; Pritzker on Medicaid costs, school choice, ICE
(The Center Square) – In today’s edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square’s Greg Bishop continues to unpack data from this week’s release of U.S. Census estimates that shows the prospect of the state losing more seats in Congress.
Bishop also airs Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s response to questions about increased Medicaid costs for children without Social Security Numbers, ongoing immigration enforcement and whether the state is going to opt in to the national school choice scholarship tax credit program.
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
Trump’s ‘historic’ visit to China yields some economic, less geopolitical fruits
By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square President Donald Trump returned Friday from his first diplomatic visit to China since 2017, heralding the ‘historic’ nature of the trip. Former President Joe Biden...
GOP congressional candidate calls single-stream recycling a ‘sham’
By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Republican congressional candidate Angel Oakley says much of the material Americans place in recycling bins ultimately...
Minnesota GOP calls for removal of Rep. Gomez after ‘sickening’ exchange
By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Minnesota House Republican leaders are calling for the removal of Rep. Aisha Gomez after a verbal altercation with Rep. Elliott Engen on the House floor...
Census: Majority of fastest growing cities in U.S. are in Texas
By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Eight of the 15 fastest growing cities in the U.S. were reported in Texas, according to newly released U.S. Census Bureau data. Fort Worth also...
Michigan House Republicans demand Benson release SPLC records
By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Michigan House Republicans passed a resolution calling on Michigan Secretary of State and Democrat gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson to release records tied to her past...
Lone Tennessee U.S. House Democrat, Cohen, says he’s done
By Alan WootenThe Center Square Rep. Steve Cohen, Tennessee’s lone Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, said Friday morning he will not seek reelection in the newly drawn 9th...
Illinois Quick Hits: Madigan: ‘Accept the federal scholarship tax credit’
By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan – from federal prison over corruption charges – penned an op-ed...
Lawmakers spar with Fairfax County leaders over sanctuary policies
By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square Lawmakers held another hearing on sanctuary policies Thursday, one of a series coinciding with President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts and a nationwide crackdown by...
Advocates call on tax reform to reduce national debt
By Andrew RiceThe Center Square Advocates called on lawmakers to redesign the United States’ tax system on Thursday in order to address the rising national debt. The national debt surpassed...
Supreme Court allows mail-order abortion drugs
By Andrew RiceThe Center Square The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that women can continue to access abortion drugs through the mail without making an in-person doctor's visit, while...
McCuskey, coalition of AGs urge SEC to review OpenAI
By Chris Dickerson | Legal NewslineThe Center Square West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey has joined a coalition of 10 states in a letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange...
Springfield strains for balanced budget; Illinois revenue forecast shifts down
By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois is projected to see less tax income than state agencies previously expected due to a variety...
DOJ targets healthcare fraud in California, Arizona, Nevada
By Zachery SchmidtThe Center Square The U.S. Department of Justice has created a new task force to fight healthcare fraud in three Western states. The West Coast healthcare Fraud Strike...