Stories by CNN
White House Orders Federal Government DEI Employees to be Placed on Leave Effective Immediately
| CNN
Slashing jobs in federal DEI positions is one move in a series of actions taken by the new administration, after Donald Trump promised to wage a war against such programs and take on the practice on Day 1.
Justice Department Directs Prosecutors to Probe Local Efforts to Obstruct Immigration Enforcement for Potential Criminal Charges
| Associated Press
The memo, written by acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, also instructs the Justice Department’s civil division to work with a newly formed Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group to identify state and local laws and policies that “threaten to impede” the Trump administration’s immigration efforts and potentially challenge them in court.
Donald Trump’s Planned Immigration Raids Leaves Some Families Weighing Risk of Sending Kids to School
| Associated Press
In many districts across the country, educators have sought to reassure immigrant parents that schools are safe places for their kids, despite the president’s campaign pledge to carry out mass deportations.
Donald Trump Administration Shuts Down White House Spanish-Language Page and Social Media
| Associated Press
Hispanic advocacy groups and others expressed confusion at the abrupt change and frustration at what some called the administration’s lack of efforts to maintain communication with the Latino community, which helped propel him to the presidency.
Jan. 21, 2025 - Full Show
| WTTW News
How the state is bracing for mass deportations. And he never holds back — one on one with Michael Eric Dyson.
Illinois Sues Over Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order as Pritzker Says No Word on Raids Targeting Chicago
| Amanda Vinicky
Illinois is suing to block President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship, while state leaders brace for potential raids aimed at removing individuals in the U.S. without legal documentation.
Michael Eric Dyson on Affirmative Action, DEI and a 2nd Trump Presidency
| Brandis Friedman
Author and university professor Michael Eric Dyson is known for his rapid-fire commentary — threading hip-hop lyrics with Bible verses in his signature alliteration to make points about politics, pop culture and racial justice in America.
Remembering Rich Hein, Master Chicago Theater Photographer
| Hedy Weiss
Rich Hein, an intensely gifted photographer who spent four decades working at the Chicago Sun-Times, died Sunday. He was 70.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker Signs Bill to Phase Out Subminimum Wage for Disabled Workers
| Ben Szalinski — Capitol News Illinois
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday signed a long-awaited bill to stop Illinois organizations from paying less than the minimum wage to workers with disabilities.
Donald Trump Touts Political Firings and Retribution as He Begins a Government Overhaul at DOJ, FBI and State
| CNN
President Trump and his team wasted little time reassigning nearly two dozen senior Justice Department officials and dismissing career DOJ officials who oversee the nation’s immigration courts, State Department diplomats and the commandant of the Coast Guard.
‘Jaja’s African Hair Braiding’ is a Celebration of Black Hair and Sisterhood: Review
| Shelby Hawkins
“Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” is a celebration of Black hair and salons, a kind of sanctuary for Black women where societal expectations on how to present and perform no longer exist.
‘Bozo the Plown’ Leads List of Winners in Chicago’s Snowplow Naming Contest
| Patty Wetli
According to Streets and Sanitation, thousands of people voted in the contest, now in its third year.
Ben Johnson Officially Becomes Next Head Coach of the Chicago Bears
| Associated Press
Ben Johnson finalized an agreement to become Chicago’s head coach, the Bears announced on Tuesday.
Chicago Warming Centers: 190 Places to Escape the Cold This Winter
| Erica Demarest
From public libraries to community centers, the city of Chicago offers more than 190 public facilities where anyone can go to keep warm this winter.
Donald Trump Rolls Out Border Security Blueprint, but His Orders Will Face Legal Challenges
| Associated Press
Some of the orders revive priorities from his first administration that his predecessor had rolled back, including forcing asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico and finishing the border wall. Others launched sweeping new strategies, like an effort to end automatic citizenship for anyone born in America.
No Snow Could Be Keeping Chicago From Record-Setting Cold
| Patty Wetli
If there were snow pack on the ground, Tuesday's temperatures could be closer to approaching record lows.
US Congress Members From Illinois on Trump’s Immigration Plans, Environmental Concerns
| Abena Bediako
With his opening rounds of memoranda and executive orders, Trump repealed dozens of former President Joe Biden’s actions, began his immigration crackdown, withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate accords and sought to keep TikTok open in the U.S., among other actions. He pardoned hundreds of people for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Donald Trump Commutes Sentences of Proud Boys and Oath Keepers Leaders as He Pardons Over 1,000 US Capitol Rioters
| CNN
The commutations cover the sentences for 14 far-right extremists from the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys who were convicted or charged with seditious conspiracy. With the pardons, Trump has granted full clemency to hundreds of people already convicted of felony crimes like assaulting police and destroying property as part of the effort to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.
Retracing Martin Luther King’s Time in Chicago With Shermann ‘Dilla’ Thomas
| Joanna Hernandez
Almost six decades later, urban historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas is making sure new generations know the details of Martin Luther King Jr.’s time in Chicago through his educational tours of the city’s neighborhoods.
Jan. 20, 2025 - Full Show
| WTTW News
Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president — a look at his priorities. And local reaction to his first day plans.
Ben Johnson, Lions Offensive Coordinator, Agrees to Become Chicago Bears Head Coach: AP Source
| Associated Press
The Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator has agreed to become the Chicago Bears head coach, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday.
Subzero Chicago Temperatures Expected With Wind Chill Approaching Minus 20 Degrees Through Tuesday
| Dan Lambert
After Monday’s daytime temperatures hovered in the single digits, they are expected to dip to minus 10 to minus 3 degrees overnight, according to the National Weather Service. Flurries and isolated snow showers are also expected in the Chicago region.
Fact Check: From the 2020 Election to Panama Canal, a Look at False and Misleading Claims in Donald Trump’s Inaugural Address
| Associated Press
In his first address after being sworn in on Monday, President Donald Trump repeated several false and misleading statements that he made during his campaign. They included claims about immigration, the economy, electric vehicles and the Panama Canal.
Donald Trump, a Populist President, Flanked by Tech Billionaires Bezos, Musk and Zuckerberg at Inauguration
| Associated Press
Some of the most exclusive seats at President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday were reserved for powerful tech CEOs who also happen to be among the world’s richest men.
Donald Trump Returning to Power After Unprecedented Comeback, Emboldened to Reshape American Institutions
| Associated Press
Donald Trump will act swiftly after the ceremony, with executive orders already prepared for his signature to clamp down on border crossings, increase fossil fuel development and end diversity and inclusion programs across the federal government.
Joe Biden Pardons Fauci, Milley and the Jan. 6 Committee in Effort to Guard Against ‘Revenge’ by Donald Trump
| Associated Press
The decision by Biden comes after Donald Trump warned of an enemies list filled with those who have crossed him politically or sought to hold him accountable for his attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss and his role in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
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