A baby Jesus lays in a manger in the snow, wrapped in a silver emergency blanket with his wrists zip-tied. Mary stands nearby outside the Lake Street Church in Evanston, wearing a plastic gas mask and flanked by Roman soldiers in tactical vests labeled “ICE.”

Illinois is now the 12th state to allow doctor-assisted suicide.

Incredibly unusual, the use of U.S. forces to seize a merchant ship was a sharp escalation in the Trump administration’s pressure campaign on President Nicolás Maduro, who has been charged with narcoterrorism in the United States.

The president has urged GOP-led states to gerrymander their U.S. house districts ahead of the midterms to create more winnable seats for Republicans. It’s an unusual move, since the district boundaries are usually adjusted based on the census every 10 year.

The Department of the Interior, which oversees national parks, announced recently it was unveiling “commemorative new designs” for park passes — one of which features Trump’s face alongside George Washington.

Senators rejected a Democratic bill to extend the subsidies for three years and a Republican alternative that would have created new health savings accounts — an unceremonious end to a monthslong effort by Democrats to prevent the COVID-19-era subsidies from expiring on Jan. 1.

Top military officials faced questioning over the deployments for the first time at the hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. They were pressed by Democrats over the legality of sending in troops, which in some places were done over the objections of mayors and governors.

The legislation was designed to favor GOP candidates in the next year’s midterms. Republicans control the state Senate, but many have been hesitant or openly opposed to the idea of mid-decade redistricting.

Over the objections of the mayor, the Chicago City Council agreed to meet Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Dec. 23 in an attempt to hammer out a deal over the $16.6 billion spending plan.

The measure is the third attempt by Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward) to expand the Chicago Police Department’s power in an attempt to deter teens from gathering in large numbers.

Illinois’ consolidation of suburban police and fire pension funds is beginning to pay off, with records showing improved investment returns and significant cost savings for some local governments. While challenges remain, the overhaul has boosted funding levels and eased financial pressure on communities long burdened by rising pension obligations.

In March 2024, Gov. JB Pritzker announced the closure and rebuild of both Stateville and Logan correctional centers, allocating $900 million for the projects. The decision came after a state-commissioned report found that the two prisons accumulated more than $402 million in deferred maintenance costs.

The law, which takes effect immediately, also provides legal steps for people whose constitutional rights were violated during the federal enforcement action in the Chicago area, including $10,000 in damages for someone unlawfully arrested while attempting to attend a court proceeding.

U.S. labor laws can’t help new unions force companies to reach a deal. The laws only require employers to bargain in “good faith,” meaning there are basically no penalties if companies drag out negotiations for years.

In letters sent to both Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker, the Federal Transit Administration on Sunday issued a special directive calling for “immediate, measurable corrective actions” aimed at reducing violent crime.

The current proposal would impose a $33 per employee tax on companies with 500 or more employees to generate $82 million to fund violence prevention and youth employment programs.