Good morning, Chicago.
Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino praised Chicago and Evanston police departments for “assistance” yesterday as he and federal immigration agents drove through Chicago and the suburbs, prompting elected officials and residents to criticize police for alleged cooperation.
Chicago and Evanston police denied helping federal authorities with immigration enforcement as Bovino and his agents drove around for hours, appearing to make few arrests on their second day of the enforcement surge.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Rebecca Johnson, Caroline Kubzansky and Gregory Royal Pratt.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including the diminishing options as Mayor Brandon Johnson enters the final budget stretch, why the Bears say they’re looking into a new stadium in northwest Indiana and what to do in Chicago this weekend.
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In prime-time address, President Trump insists the economy is stronger than many voters feel
President Donald Trump delivered a politically charged speech yesterday carried live in prime time on network television, seeking to pin the blame for economic challenges on Democrats while announcing he is sending a $1,776 bonus check to U.S. troops for Christmas.
Illinois Republicans in Congress urge President Donald Trump not to pardon ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan
Illinois’ three Republican members of Congress are urging President Donald Trump not to use his pardon powers to grant clemency to imprisoned former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Pardoning Madigan, a Southwest Side Democrat who for decades was arguably the state’s most powerful politician, “would send a dangerous message that public officials can betray the public trust with impunity,” U.S. Reps. Mike Bost of Murphysboro, Darin LaHood of Peoria and Mary Miller of Hindsboro wrote in a two-page letter to Trump.
In a break with federal guidance, Illinois will continue recommending hepatitis B vaccine for newborns
Illinois will continue to recommend that nearly all newborns receive hepatitis B vaccines in a break with federal guidance, the state health department announced yesterday.
Mayor Brandon Johnson enters final budget stretch with diminishing options
To veto, or not to veto?
That is the question facing Mayor Brandon Johnson as an alternative budget plan from defiant aldermen marches toward a vote. And his public absence yesterday spoke volumes.
Lead prosecutor in Bovino murder-for-hire case unexpectedly leaving US attorney’s office ahead of trial
The federal prosecutor heading up a high-profile case alleging a Chicago gang member solicited the murder of Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino announced he’s leaving the U.S. attorney’s office just weeks ahead of a scheduled trial.
Chicago Bears say they’re looking into building a new stadium in northwest Indiana
The Bears are considering a move to northwest Indiana amid growing concerns that Illinois lawmakers will not approve the financial incentives needed to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights, a top team official told the Tribune.
In an exclusive interview, Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren confirmed the possibility of crossing state lines, but said the organization also would consider sites in other parts of Illinois.
- What to know about the Bears’ possible move from Soldier Field to suburban Arlington Heights
- Bears short-staffed at wide receiver as Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III remain sidelined
- Bears LB D’Marco Jackson continues his Cinderella story with NFC Defensive Player of the Week honor
PWHL tour brings women’s pro hockey — and Olympic gold medalist Kendall Coyne Schofield — to Rosemont
The Professional Women’s Hockey League’s 2025-26 Takeover Tour will make a stop at Allstate Arena in Rosemont at 1 p.m. Sunday, the league’s first game in the Chicago area. The back-to-back Walter Cup champion Minnesota Frost will take on the Ottawa Charge in a rematch of last season’s finals.
Chicagoan of the Year in Theater: Glenn Davis is helping lead Steppenwolf into a new era
Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre had its struggles emerging from the pandemic, especially with the added burden of a costly new campus that opened on Halsted at a less-than-ideal moment for a company that needed to scale back production for financial reasons. But 2025 saw not just a recovery but a banner year for Chicago’s most famous theater company, long an emissary for this city that bespeaks of intense acting, ensemble commitment and serious theatrical craft.
The man behind much of this success was this year’s Chicagoan of the Year in Theater.
Anthony Rapp has an eclectic mix of songs for ‘Home for the Holidays’ at Lookingglass Theatre
Actor Anthony Rapp originated the role of Mark Cohen in the 1996 Broadway production of “Rent” and went on to appear in such Broadway shows as “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” (first seen in Skokie in 1998) and “If/Then.”
This weekend, he’s appearing at Lookingglass Theatre in an all-new seasonal cabaret show titled “Home for the Holidays,” which he has put together for the first time. He spoke over Zoom from his new home with his family in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood, where they recently moved from New York.
What to do in Chicago: Music by Shaquille O’Neal and Anthony Rapp, bull riding and holiday craft fairs
Here are our picks for events in and around Chicago this weekend.
