With news that Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of African-American teenager Laquan McDonald, we talk with activists and faith leaders about the charge and what reactions they expect from their communities.

The city is bracing for the release of a potentially damning video that is purported to show a white police officer shooting African-American teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times and killing him.

The city of Chicago will release video this week showing a police officer shooting a teenager. We take a closer at look at the sometimes lengthy process of investigating police shootings.

Friday marks Universal Children’s Day, a global recognition of children’s welfare.

Joel Weisman and his panel of guests discuss the top stories of the week, including a Cook County judge's order that the city release a controversial police shooting video, and Gov. Bruce Rauner's announcement to temporarily halt Syrian refugees from resettling in Illinois.

Chicago officials are bracing for the release of a controversial video purported to show a white police officer shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, an African-American, 16 times and killing him. A Cook County Judge ruled today that the city must release the video despite several ongoing investigations into the shooting. 

We speak with two members of the black community as a Cook County judge orders the release of dashboard video footage of the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

Higher taxes are coming to Cook County, new rules on drones are in the works for the city of Chicago, and Mayor Emanuel has a message for aldermen in the wake of the departure of Legislative Inspector General Faisal Khan. Paris Schutz has the full rundown.

In the wake of the deadly terror attacks in Paris, many Republican governors are saying they are unwilling to allow Syrian refugees to be settled in their states, among them Illinois Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. Our panel discusses the refugee crisis and response.

Political observers widely expect a heated slugfest in the upcoming March primary race for Cook County state’s attorney. At least two well-funded challengers are seeking to unseat seven-year incumbent Anita Alvarez. Kimberly Foxx, former chief of staff to Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle, speaks with us about her campaign and vision for the office.

Gov. Bruce Rauner announced on Monday that Illinois is temporarily closing its border to the settlement of Syrian refugees in the wake of the attacks in Paris.

A manhunt is underway in Europe for the suspects behind Friday's coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris. This weekend, the French military bombed an ISIS stronghold in Syria and French President Francois Hollande earlier today addressed a joint session of the French Parliament. We discuss the attacks and their aftermath with a panel of experts.

Now that controversial Legislative Inspector General Faisal Khan is out, what will aldermen do with the watchdog office? We speak to three aldermen about whether the future should be in the hands of Chicago's Inspector General Joe Ferguson or if there's another way to investigate City Council.

A report from the City Council Office of the Legislative Inspector General concludes that 29 aldermen took in a total of $282,000 in illegal campaign donations in 2013. 

Multiple state facilities have been closed to the public due to the budget stalemate – legislation passed on Tuesday could change that.

Illinois has been without a budget for almost five months, as lawmakers and Gov. Rauner have been locked in a battle split down party lines. However, one Democrat broke ranks—to the consternation of his colleagues. Is there any hope for compromise on the budget stalemate?