
Good afternoon, Chicago.
The Rev. Stephen Cliffgard Lee, a pastor at Living Word Lutheran Church in Orland Park, is one of the more than 70 people included on a list of President Donald Trump pardons released yesterday by U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin.
Lee is one of several defendants in a high-profile Georgia prosecution under the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which accused Lee and 18 other defendants, including Trump, of having broken state laws in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
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Illinois and Trump brief US Supreme Court over administration’s National Guard deployment powers
Dueling legal interpretations of what constitutes “regular forces” are at the heart of briefings now positioned before the U.S. Supreme Court as the high court prepares to rule on President Donald Trump’s authority to deploy National Guard troops to Illinois. Read more here.
More top news stories:
- Chicago police report at least 3 wounded at Jewel-Osco in Douglas neighborhood
- Chicago weather: How our 2025-26 seasonal snowfall compares with previous years

There’s no timeline on when flight cuts will ease up after the government shutdown ends
Although the government appears to be moving to reopen in the coming days, airport disruptions, flight cancellations and economic losses won’t go away all at once. Here’s how the air travel network is being impacted. Read more here.
More top business stories:
- Two South Shore stations to close temporarily for construction
- Pulte could build new subdivision in Naperville with purchase of 75th Street land

Column: Suspend your disbelief and just enjoy these successful starts from the Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks
You can’t blame Chicagoans for wondering if all this recent winning by the Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks is some kind of sick joke. We haven’t seen our three winter teams win in concert in quite a while, so it makes sense to expect the bubble to burst, forcing us to return to our default settings. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
- Chicago basketball report: Coby White practices with Windy City Bulls — and Illinois is down one Ivišić
- Nick Martinelli’s 21 points leads Northwestern’s balanced attack in a 110-63 rout of Cleveland State

Column: Barry Pearce’s stories in ‘The Plan of Chicago’ give us hope about this city
Though Barry Pearce has been favorably compared to such local literary lions as Nelson Algren, Studs Terkel, Stuart Dybek and Sandra Cisneros, he is more than able to stand on his own, giving us a Chicago true to its time and troubles but also to its dreams. Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
- Review: The sweet parts of ‘Superior Donuts’ are in the conversations behind the counter
- Review: ‘As You Like It’ at Writers Theatre is a Shakespeare musical with a lot to say

The Supreme Court is expected to say whether full SNAP food payments can resume
It’s up to the U.S. Supreme Court and Congress to decide when full payments will resume under the SNAP food aid program that helps 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries, as some wonder how they will feed their families without government assistance. Read more here.
More top stories from around the world:




