Former Wisconsin politician Cathy Stepp “will bring a fresh perspective” to the EPA, agency chief Scott Pruitt said Tuesday. But the announcement drew blunt criticism from the group’s national employee union.

Individuals often drift in and out of the SNAP system intermittently, but the number who suddenly lost benefits spiked last month to 41,000 after recipients apparently missed a Nov. 5 deadline.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel blasts President Donald Trump on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios faces a lawsuit charging racial discrimination in the property tax assessment system. And Cubs announcer Pat Hughes reveals a health scare.

While Fed Chair Janet Yellen ends her tenure on an upbeat note, are there storm clouds ahead for the economy?

Federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program expired in September. On Thursday, dozens of protesters called on Congress to reauthorize funding for the program. “Babies can’t wait,” said Ireta Gasner of the Ounce of Prevention Fund.

The Federal Communications Commission votes to repeal Obama-era protections for internet neutrality, citing the elimination of unnecessary regulations. But critics fear internet service providers may start using fees and censorship to limit access to some sites.

Does Doug Jones’ upset signal a building blue tsunami that could help Democrats retake the House – and maybe even the Senate – in 2018?

A taxpayer watchdog group releases a list of the top 200 pension earners in Chicago, and all of them make more than six figures annually. But are high benefits the only reason Chicago taxpayers are drowning in red ink?

Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday demanded with heated rhetoric that Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios step down—a call that Berrios, a Democrat, not only refused to heed, but fired back at Rauner.

The Chicago Public Schools watchdog recommends firing CPS CEO Forrest Claypool. Gov. Bruce Rauner says he’s not the one “in charge” of Illinois. And losing streaks persist for the Bulls and Hawks.

Gov. Bruce Rauner’s Republican primary opponent is calling on him to repeal a law that gives undocumented immigrants sanctuary status in Illinois. 

President Donald Trump’s announcement this week that the U.S. is formally recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital rocked the Middle East. We discuss the future of Jerusalem and the peace process.

Gov. Bruce Rauner has thus far ignored calls to commit Illinois to meeting goals set in the Paris climate agreement, which aims to slow global warming through reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster believes the U.S. is inching closer to war with North Korea.

A good chunk of the U.S. will stay in the Paris climate agreement, despite President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the accord. That was the message Tuesday from former President Barack Obama and several mayors from the U.S. and around the world. 

Thirty-four Republican Congressman, including two from Illinois, sent a letter Tuesday to U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan calling for “a permanent legislative solution” for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients before year’s end.