Stories by paul caine

An illustration of Qikiqtania wakei (center) in the water with its larger cousin, Tiktaalik roseae. (Credit: Alex Boersma)

New Fossil Discovery Shows Evolution Isn’t Always Linear

A team lead by a University of Chicago paleontologist says a fossil that was found years ago — and for years largely ignored — could shed more light on that pivotal time in the evolution of life.

(Gayatri Malhotra / Unsplash)

States’ Rights, the Supreme Court, and a History of Discrimination

The concept of federalism — the idea that the federal government’s authority is limited, and other powers retained for the states — is a cornerstone of modern conservatism. But historically, states’ rights have also been used as cover to allow southern states in particular to discriminate against African Americans and other marginalized groups.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle at the White House on July 11, 2022. (Credit: Nick Shields / Cook County)

Toni Preckwinkle Backs President Joe Biden’s Call for Assault Weapons Ban

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle spoke to WTTW News following Biden’s White House celebration of the passage of a federal gun safety law that was attended by elected officials, gun control advocates, gun violence survivors and the families of victims.

Eric Holder appears on “Chicago Tonight” on July 7, 2022. (WTTW News)

Former AG Holder Says Jan. 6 Hearings ‘Extremely Close’ to Making ‘Indictable Case’ Against Former President Trump

In an interview with WTTW News, former Attorney General Eric Holder, who served as President Barack Obama’s Attorney General from 2009 to 2015, said that Donald Trump “clearly had the intent to try to steal the election to foment a coup.”

(WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Pritzker Gets Opponent He Wanted in Trump-Backed Bailey

Darren Bailey routs the Republican field to take on Gov. Pritzker in the general election. Recapping all the other winners and setting the scene for November. Plus, could Google buy the Thompson Center?

Darren Bailey speaks after his primary election victory in the Republican race for governor on June 28, 2022.

Spotlight Politics: Trump-Backed Bailey to Face Pritzker in Fall

Our Spotlight Politics team has much more on last night's primaries, and how the key races are shaping up for November. We'll also get their take on yet more explosive revelations from the Jan. 6 hearings in Washington.

Demonstrators protest about abortion outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, June 24, 2022. (CNN via WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Supreme Court Strikes Down Federal Abortion Rights

The Supreme Court overturns the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade. Plus, former President Trump stumps in Illinois. And the governor's race heats up with election day right around the corner.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks at a press conference after a City Council meeting on June 22, 2022. (WTTW News)

Spotlight Politics: Throng of Candidates Vie to Replace Bobby Rush; Lightfoot’s Aldermanic Pick

Our Spotlight Politics team discusses damning revelations from the Jan. 6 hearings; the latest on some key primary races with elections less than one week away; And the City Council vote to replace retired Ald. Michael Scott Jr. with his sister, Monique, to represent the 24th Ward.

Witnesses testify before the House 1/6 committee on June 21, 2022. (CNN)

Jan. 6 Hearings Focus on Trump’s Efforts to Intimidate State Officials to Overturn Election

More witnesses testified before a select committee of Congress about the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol. The fourth day of hearings today focused on the efforts of President Donald Trump and his campaign to pressure state officials in key states to overturn the election results.

(WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Polls Show Sen. Darren Bailey Leading Richard Irvin

Prime time for the primary: Campaigns enter the final stretch. Illinois loses Caterpillar. And revelations from hearings on the Capitol insurrection. 

(Engin_Akyurt / Pixabay)

OPEC Agrees to Hike Oil Production Amid Soaring Gas Prices

According to AAA, the current price of a gallon of regular gas in the Chicago Metro area is now $5.56, up from $3.37 one year ago. The price of premium is well over $6.00.

(WTTW News via CNN)

The Week in Review: Outrage Grows Over Slow Police Response in Texas Shooting

Outrage, fear and questions surrounding Uvalde. Chicago’s cast the die for a Bally’s casino. And the GOP candidates for governor debate.

Nneka Jones Tapia appears on "Chicago Tonight" on May 19, 2022. (WTTW News)

Former Cook County Jail Warden Advocates for More Holistic Criminal Justice System

Do inmates in Illinois prisons and jails have a right to safety? That’s the central question raised in a new publication written by former Cook County Department of Corrections Warden Nneka Jones Tapia.

(WTTW News)

Spotlight Politics: City Council Passes New Map

The City Council passes a new ward map, avoiding the possibility of allowing voters to weigh in on a new map via a referendum. And the mayor orders a change to the city's teen curfew. Our politics team weighs in on that story and more.

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin is pictured in April 2020. (WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Candidate Called Trump ‘Bigoted Racist’

Exclusive text messages reveal Richard Irvin called Trump a “bigoted racist.” A new entrant in the race for mayor. Alderpeople approve gerrymandered new city maps. And Bally’s casino proposal revealed.

Field assistant Kylie Ruble, left, and Robert DePalma excavate a slab of fossils from the Tanis deposit. (Courtesy of Robert DePalma)

Researchers Claim They’ve Found Fossilized Remains from Extinction Event That Wiped Out Most Dinosaurs

An international team of researchers say they have found fossilized remains of fish and a dinosaur in North Dakota at a site that they believed died on the very day of an asteroid impact. That story is told in a new documentary called “Dinosaur Apocalypse” airing on WTTW.

(CNN via WTTW)

Former US Defense Secretary Hagel Expects Further Escalation of War in Ukraine

Chuck Hagel served as the United States Secretary of Defense under the Obama administration from 2013 to 2015, after two terms as a Republican senator from Nebraska. Hagel is visiting Chicago to speak on national security and global geopolitics at the University of Chicago. 

An aerial view of the proposed Bally’s casino site. (WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Lightfoot Selects Bally’s Bid for Long-Awaited Casino

The Mayor rolls the dice on a casino proposal, will alderpeople buy-in? The abortion bombshell rocks politics. Boeing takes off from Chicago. And the Bears complete the first draft under their new GM.

(WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Quigley Won’t Run for Mayor, Bulls Dumped Out of Playoffs by Dominant Bucks

Gas card giveaway a go. A big name bows out of the race for mayor. The Chicago Reader standoff resolves. The bears on the draft clock. And the Bulls bounce out of the playoffs after a successful season.

A "Holocaust is a lie" sticker on a parking sign outside of a Holocaust Museum. (Courtesy Anti-Defamation League)

Anti-Defamation League Reports Record Number of Antisemitic Incidents Across U.S. In 2021

The Midwest chapter of the ADL which focuses on Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Wisconsin reported a total of 175 antisemitic incidents in 2021, up 62% from the 108 cases it recorded the year before, and more than 200 percent higher than five years ago.

(University of Illinois Press)

New Book by Chicago Political Observer Dick Simpson Explores Democracy’s Future

Chicago has not always had the most cordial relationship with democracy over decades of machine-style politics. A new book from longtime Chicago political observer Dick Simpson aims to diagnose what’s wrong and offer prescriptions to fix it.
Egg collecting was trendy 100 years ago but today collections like the Field Museum's are rare. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Science News: Fossil Could Rewrite History of Evolution; Birds Laying Eggs Earlier

Chicago-area birds are nesting and laying eggs earlier than ever before. A mysterious meteor burns up over Papua New Guinea. A fossil could rewrite the history of the evolution of life on Earth. And a disturbing finding about microplastics.

(WTTW News)

Profits for Meat Producers Soar Amid Allegations of Price Gouging

Last year, shoppers paid roughly 6% more for their groceries than the year before. But it’s the cost of meat in particular that is behind much of the rise in our grocery bills. Beef is now some 20% more expensive than it was, while pork is up 14% and chicken around 7%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Biden’s Budget Takes Aim at the Wealthy

President Joe Biden’s proposed $5.8 trillion budget aims to provide more money for police, education, public health and housing — while at the same time slimming the federal deficit.

(WTTW News)

Sports Betting Brings Tax Windfall – And a Surge in Problem Gambling

Last year, Illinois residents wagered $7.1 billion according to the Illinois Gaming Board. Now, just in time for March Madness, Illinois has dropped an in-person registration requirement for sports bettors — making it even easier to gamble using online apps.

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs produced a foreign affairs talk show on WTTW beginning in 1955 called “World Spotlight.”

Chicago Council on Global Affairs Celebrates its Centenary

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs turns 100 this year. The organization was created in 1922 amid isolationist sentiment in the U.S. following World War I. In the years since, it has brought a long list of global leaders and experts to Chicago.