A career Army officer. A career foreign service official. Both had a consistent message during Day 3 of the House impeachment inquiry, and each was troubled by the phone call between President Donald Trump and the president of Ukraine. 

How transparent is local government? See which agencies made the grade in a new report from nonprofit journalism lab City Bureau. Reporter Sarah Conway tells us more.

Two weeks ago, President Trump was poised to give final approval to a plan that would ban most flavored e-cigarettes, but he has since backed off after hearing a ban could alienate some voters, according to White House and campaign officials.

Two top national security aides who listened to President Donald Trump’s July call with Ukraine’s president are preparing to testify Tuesday at House impeachment hearings as the inquiry reaches deeper into the White House. Watch live.

Senators have been scrambling since Senate President John Cullerton made a surprise announcement that he’ll resign in the new year, leaving vacant one of the most powerful positions in state politics.

Illinois’ Senate president unexpectedly announces his retirement. Mayor Lori Lightfoot comes up empty on a Chicago casino redo. A war of words with Uber. And the Bears prepare for a prime-time matchup with the LA Rams.

Former Ukrainian Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch’s impeachment testimony on Friday spotlighted the role of conservative media in her downfall and the chilling reminder that she remains a social media target.

Twitter says its new ban on political ads will cover appeals for votes, solicitations for campaign contributions and any political content. However, it is allowing ads related to social causes such as climate change, gun control and abortion.

The House will hear from a singular witness Friday in the Trump impeachment hearings: Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine who was targeted by the president’s allies in a “smear” campaign now central to the inquiry. Watch live.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot failed to beat the odds in Springfield, with legislators on Thursday adjourning for the year without taking up a fix she says is needed before the city can move forward with a casino.

One of the most powerful figures in Illinois politics is giving up his position.

Former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh has filed for the New Hampshire presidential primary, officially giving President Donald Trump two major Republican primary challengers in the early voting state.

In an announcement video, former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick highlighted his poverty-stricken childhood on Chicago’s South Side, saying he’s running for the “people who feel left out and left back.”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot isn’t folding her cards just yet on a new casino tax structure, though a deal proved elusive Wednesday. That leaves just one remaining day in the veto session for a framework to be finalized and get through both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly.

Analysis of Wednesday’s public impeachment hearings from three local legal minds: Renato Mariotti, Martin Redish and Christine Svenson.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday alleged that ride-hailing giant Uber offered to pay off black ministers to the tune of $54 million if they would join a campaign to publicly oppose a $40 million ride-hailing tax proposal – a claim the company denies.