The satirical news site The Onion isn’t waiting to take possession of Infowars to launch a parody of Alex Jones ’ conspiracy platform.

Across the United States, many Americans are celebrating their country’s 250th birthday by closing their ears to all the partisan shouting. Instead, in varied ways, they are tuning into their own personal concepts of America the Beautiful.

According to Chicago Police Department data, there were 210 homicides recorded through the end of June, an increase of nearly 6% compared to the first six months of 2025 — a year that ended with Chicago’s lowest homicide total in 60 years.

House speaker’s demand of fellow Democrat comes after months of silence over sexual harassment allegations.

Every Thursday, WTTW News newsletter producer Josh Terry highlights his picks for the week’s must-see cultural events.

Chicago’s top cop, Larry Snelling, announces his retirement. And the separation of church and state is under fire from a White House commission.

A report from the Presidential Religious Liberty Commission calls for a clawback of the separation of church and state, a fundamental American legal principle for more than two centuries. President Donald Trump created the commission via executive order last May.

State lawmakers failed to pass a legislation this spring that would help the state regulate the growing data center industry, and Gov. JB Pritzker suspended state incentives for new data center projects.

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling announced Wednesday he plans to retire this month after three decades with the department and three years as its leader.

Federal prosecutors in Chicago announced conspiracy and fraud charges against a teenager with alleged involvement in a criminal cyber hacking group accused of committing dozens of “network intrusions” resulting in more than $100 million in ransom payments.

Republican Darren Bailey’s campaign for governor is embracing images made with artificial intelligence in social media posts. Gov. JB Pritzker’s campaign manager said the governor’s campaign has a policy against using AI in public-facing content.

Gov. JB Pritzker called for creating a new agency in 2023 to consolidate and streamline services for infants and toddlers under one roof.

Pavement failures, buckling and blowouts can occur with little warning during periods of prolonged heat and humidity, resulting in uneven driving surfaces, according to IDOT.

Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.

It felt like 106 degrees in Chicago Tuesday, and more of the same is expected for Wednesday and Thursday as the combination of heat and humidity continue to create dangerous conditions.