Daniel C. Vock

A freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune, Daniel C. Vock was most recently a senior reporter at Route Fifty, where he focused on transportation and infrastructure. He has covered state and local government for two decades, first as an Illinois statehouse reporter and later as a national reporter based in Washington, D.C.

Border Patrol Cmdr. Greg Bovino, center, leads agents toward protesters near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview, Oct. 3, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Cost of Operation Midway Blitz: $59M and counting

January 4, 2026 at 6:30 p.m.

A Tribune review of court filings, databases and other public records detailing the scope of the incursion and typical costs shows how much the federal government has spent since September.

U.S. Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García, 4th, speaks during the American Legion Veterans Day ceremony, Nov. 11, 2025, at Manuel Perez Jr. Memorial Plaza in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

House admonishes Rep. Jesús ‘Chuy’ García over ballot maneuver as most Democrats defend Chicago congressman

November 18, 2025 at 5:48 p.m.

Twenty-three Congressional Democrats — including two from Illinois — joined with Republicans in favoring a resolution admonishing U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García for using old-school tactics to clear the way...

Texas National Guard members outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview on Oct. 9, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

Supreme Court’s deliberate review of Donald Trump’s Illinois National Guard plan signals a cautious approach

November 10, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

President Donald Trump has depended on the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority to uphold his broad use of executive power. That hasn't been the case for his plans to send...

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office at the White House on Oct. 16, 2025, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP)

‘Devil’s ideology’: President Donald Trump’s darkening rhetoric escalates attacks and often targets Illinois

October 19, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

President Donald Trump's language to discredit opponents has included Illinois and the Chicago area where protesters have been compared to domestic terrorists and the president has called for jailing Gov....

Attorney General Pam Bondi appears for an oversight hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (Allison Robbert/AP)

US Sen. Dick Durbin and AG Pam Bondi clash over National Guard in Illinois and Justice Department politicization

October 7, 2025 at 4:37 p.m.

Attorney General Pam Bondi defended herself against Democratic criticism that she had weaponized the Justice Department at a congressional hearing.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks after a meeting with congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington on Sept. 29, 2025, to negotiate funding legislation to avoid a government shutdown. Thune was accompanied by, from left, ffice of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance. (Win McNamee/Getty)

Illinois Democrats stoke fight over federal government shutdown, but their anger could backfire

September 30, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Retiring U.S. Sen Dick Durbin could be key to how long a shutdown lasts or whether it happens at all. He's sided with the GOP before but seems less likely...

Activists participate in a rally at Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 28, 2025. Activists held a rally and a march to mark Labor Day and protest the federal law enforcement surge in the nation’s capital. (Alex Wong/Getty)

President Trump’s takeover of Washington, D.C., offers insights on what could be in store for Chicago

August 31, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

As the prospect of President Trump sending a surge of federal forces to Chicago rises daily, the Washington occupation provides insights into what a Chicago incursion could entail.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., talks about Senate Republicans' efforts to roll back $1.1 billion of funding authority from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 15, 2025. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times)

Illinois public broadcasters in Chicago, and especially downstate, fear impact as Senate vote to cut funding looms

July 16, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

While Chicago-area public media outlets WBEZ and WTTW will get hurt if the Senate OK's cuts, smaller stations in rural areas would get hit harder.

Sheila Sutton stretches along the lakefront at Diversey Harbor in Chicago as a storm arrives on May 15, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago-area officials are bracing as summer storms roll in following Texas tragedy and weather service budget cuts

July 14, 2025 at 4:12 p.m.

The Chicago area has felt less of an impact from the Trump administration's National Weather Service cuts than offices in the Quad Cities and downstate Lincoln.

Michelle, who came to the United States from Mexico six years ago, worries about the future of her unborn child following the recent Supreme Court ruling that could affect her child’s birthright citizenship. She stands near her children’s day care center on July 2, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Supreme Court ruling casts doubt on birthright citizenship for immigrant families in Chicago

July 8, 2025 at 1:52 p.m.

High court's decision fuels uncertainty about whether babies born to immigrants lacking legal immigration status will be considered American citizens, despite 14th Amendment.

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