Stories by Associated Press

The Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that it plans to weaken limits on some so-called forever chemicals in drinking water that were finalized last year, while maintaining standards for two common ones.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson came into office with a list of progressive priorities for the city of Chicago. He looks back on the last two years and what lays out his goals are for the next two years.

The fourth season of the FX series will premiere June 25 at 7 p.m., with all 10 episodes being available on Hulu, and on Disney+ internationally, FX announced Tuesday.

Hasan Piker, who has 2.8 million followers on Twitch, recounted his experience online Monday saying he was questioned for hours a day earlier despite being born in the U.S. and enrolled in Global Entry, a federal program allowing low-risk passengers to travel through customs and passport control quickly.

Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson were reinstated by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday, making both eligible for the sport’s Hall of Fame after their careers were tarnished by sports gambling scandals.

Starting in July, about 3,000 early childhood professionals at 86 early childhood care and education agencies funded by the city will see a cost-per-child increase in their salaries, averaging to a 5-10% increase in wages, according to city officials.

Raoul and 19 other Democratic attorneys general announced a pair of new lawsuits against the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Transportation and their respective secretaries claiming they’re attempting to illegally coerce states into enacting sweeping immigration enforcement.

Federal prosecutors argued that former Ald. Carrie Austin would be able to stand trial as long as she was given additional medical care and breaks when necessary.

A 3.3 magnitude earthquake struck Illinois shortly before midnight Monday, with an epicenter roughly 75 miles southeast of Springfield.

Meet one of the candidates hoping to succeed Sen. Dick Durbin. And a bill that would allow community college in Illinois to offer some four-year degrees.

New proposed legislation in Illinois aims to increase those rates by offering some four-year degrees at community colleges, but critics say efforts should instead be made in improving the transfer process — and are concerned it could cut into some universities’ enrollment.

The race to replace retiring Sen. Dick Durbin is heating up. U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly joined “Chicago Tonight” to discuss the changes coming to Illinois politics and her candidacy for the U.S. Senate.

Despite Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s trademark optimism, the unrelenting turmoil of the past two years, and his missteps in handling problems both new and old, has weakened his political standing, ensuring that if he runs for and wins a second term in office in 2027, he will have to do it the same way he won the first time: as an underdog.

Democrat Pritzker, who has been one of the more vocal critics of Trump’s second administration, signed the order last week, saying he wanted to protect “dignity, privacy, and the freedom to live without fear of surveillance or discrimination.”

The hiring surge is focused on staffing up its 13,000 US restaurants as the company prepares to open 900 new locations over the next two years. McDonald’s made the announcement Monday at a restaurant in Ohio with Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

This year’s survey asks for input on commuting habits, passenger rail, ice and snow removal, planning priorities, electric vehicles and more. The survey will be available through May 30.

The Qatari government said a final decision hadn’t been made. Still, Trump defended the idea — what would amount to a president accepting an astonishingly valuable gift from a foreign government — as a fiscally smart move for the country.

Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan is joining NBC Sports as a special contributor to its NBA coverage when the 2025-26 season begins.

As part of its commitment to conserve the endangered southern California sea otter, Shedd Aquarium is a partner in a groundbreaking surrogate mom program.

Stakeholders in the construction industry are closely following a lawsuit filed by Chicago Women in Trades, an organization founded in 1981 to help women enter the skilled trades. Other similar groups said they were considering litigation.

Officials are asking for help identifying the body of a person pulled from Lake Michigan along the Indiana Dunes shore over the weekend.

Leo received a standing ovation as he entered the Vatican auditorium for his first meeting with representatives of the general public. The 69-year-old Augustinian missionary, elected in a 24-hour conclave last week, called for journalists to use words for peace, to reject war and to give voice to the voiceless.

Sea Rocket, who mated with Imani in 2024, has landed at Montrose Beach. Blaze and Pepper, who raised three chicks last summer, are also back on a Waukegan beach.

Several family members and advocates with loved ones incarcerated in prisons across Illinois told WTTW News that their in-person visits have been canceled by the Illinois Department of Corrections due to short staffing or lockdowns. Those visits are crucial for those inside and their loved ones, serving as a connection to the outside world and relationships.

In his first formal meeting with cardinals, which began with a standing ovation, the new pontiff said he chose his papal name to continue down the path of Pope Leo XIII, who addressed “the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution.”

In the breathless day since Pope Leo XIV’s election as the first American pontiff, the memes, doctored images and tongue-in-cheek references have piled up deeper than Chicago’s pizza and more loaded than its hot dog, seemingly irresistible to comics and commoners alike.