A federal judge is set to decide Thursday whether to block President Donald Trump from deploying 200 members of the Texas National Guard alongside 300 members of the Illinois National Guard to the Chicago area.

The Department of Homeland Security is looking to purchase more buildings in Chicago to operate out of, Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday.

“While recognizing that appropriate policies are necessary to keep communities safe, I encourage you to continue to advocate for society to respect the human dignity of the most vulnerable,” Pope Leo XIV said.

“We’re headed into pretty tough waters here, turmoil,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said. “And I would anticipate … next year, and particularly the years after next, we’re going to be in a very difficult place as the federal government reduces its support.”

Chicago-area public transit agencies are facing a fiscal cliff. The budget gap for CTA, Metra and Pace is at $200 million, according to the Regional Transportation Authority.

Trump’s comments, posted to his social media platform, came a day after 200 Texas National Guard troops under the command of federal officials arrived at a military facility near Joliet over the vehement objections of Pritzker and Johnson.

The friendly match was supposed to be played on Oct. 13 at Soldier Field in Chicago but will be moved to Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, the home stadium of Argentina and Inter Miami star Lionel Messi.

The federal government shutdown has entered its second week, and already shortages of air traffic controllers have strained operations and disrupted flights at some U.S. airports.

Rep. Michael Bost’s appeal at the Supreme Court isn’t focused on the ballot issue itself but rather it raises the question of whether federal candidates may sue over election regulations — even if, as in Bost’s case, they represent a safe district and are highly favored to win election.

The funding freeze, which came despite a full funding agreement executed earlier this year, comes amid a broader anti-DEI push from the administration. In announcing the pause, federal officials said they’d be examining whether the Red Line Extension involves “race-based contracting” that Trump officials claim are discriminatory.

While the number of officers carrying the gun “decreases daily,” CPD officials told the judge there is no firm timetable for all CPD officers to stop carrying the gun because of delays obtaining a new CPD-approved weapon or holster.

National Guard troops arrived in Illinois as part of an unprecedented deployment with a directive to protect federal immigration agents “in places where there are violent demonstrations. So where might that be?

Local organizers who have been working on the project for more than 30 years said the Red Line extension is essential for those who live in “transportation deserts” on the Far South Side of the city.

The federal government entered its sixth day of a shutdown Tuesday, leaving hundreds of thousands of employees furloughed.

President Donald Trump’s efforts to send National Guard troops into U.S. cities — including Los Angeles; Portland, Oregon; and Chicago — over the objections of Democratic mayors and governors have prompted a host of questions about the president’s authority and who controls the Guard.

Botched raids by the Chicago Police Department have cost taxpayers more than $5.5 million since 2020, according to a WTTW News analysis.