Stories by Associated Press

The 39-year-old Ohio senator is a relative political unknown. In his first primetime speech since becoming the nominee for vice president, Vance spoke of growing up poor in Kentucky and Ohio, his mother addicted to drugs and his father absent, and how he later joined the military and went on to the highest levels of U.S. politics.

Brookfield Zoo Chicago is planning an expansion that, over the next 15 years, will see traditional exhibit spaces transformed into multi-species “eco-regions” designed to mimic natural environments.

President Joe Biden, 81, tested positive following his first event in Las Vegas, where he was expected to later speak at the UnidosUS annual conference. 

Among the “Never Trumpers” who spoke was former Illinois Republican congressman and longtime Trump critic Joe Walsh, who called on attendees to vote for any Democratic candidate who can keep the former president from a second term in office.

“We will adhere to the Republican platform, we are a party of the people and freedom,” Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi said, declining to say whether she personally supports a national abortion ban. 

It’s Day 3 of the Republican National Convention. We’re live from Milwaukee, where Trump’s vice president pick, J.D. Vance, is set to take the stage — that and more on what to expect.

U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (R-Illinois) said excessive regulations are hurting agriculture, blaming the so-called “communist environmental movement, the ‘Green Bad Deal’ that Donald Trump has called out as a sham issue. And I want to tell you as a farmer, we love CO2 – and trees and plants love it too. They have demonized the miracle molecule that causes things to grow.”

“Well, I'll tell you your blue funk is over,” newly elected chair of the Illinois Republican Party Kathy Salvi said. “We're going to make Illinois red again.”

WTTW News examined some of the claims made during the second day of the RNC, looked at criminal justice research and spoke to an expert about how research supports — or doesn’t — the campaign rhetoric.

Before the Republican National Convention draws to a close in Milwaukee, Chicago police officials are in town to learn more about the safety and security measures in place ahead of next month’s Democratic National Convention.

Pitchfork Music Festival returns Friday for its annual three-day weekend. Since 2006, the homegrown fest has built a brand as Chicago’s eclectic summer sampler of alternative rock, pop, hip-hop and stimulating sound.

From brats to cheese, downtown Milwaukee businesses are hoping for a boost from the Republican National Convention. So far, business has been on the slow side. 

The National Weather Service has so far confirmed 11 tornadoes on Monday, and 17 total between Sunday and Monday.

“No one, absolutely no one, wanted this outcome and I anticipate a full as well as thorough investigation,” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said early Wednesday morning. 

We’re live in Milwaukee, where Day 2 of the RNC is wrapping up. Public safety and immigration took center stage — as did many of former President Donald Trump’s primary rivals.

WTTW News reporters are spread out across Milwaukee covering the 2024 Republican National Convention and Illinois’ delegation. Check back throughout the day for continuous updates.

“The Republican party isn’t a scary place for Black folks,” said Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin to a gathering under the auspices of the Black Republican Mayor’s Association, an organization he founded and chairs.

According to Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, police officers from Columbus, Ohio, fatally shot the man around 1:10 p.m. Tuesday near King Park.

We’re live from the Republican National Convention as Day 2 kicks off with former Trump rivals as tonight’s speakers. We’ll have more on what to expect and local reaction.

The shooter who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump on Saturday normally would have been at work that day, but he told his boss he needed that the day off because he had “something to do,” according to multiple law enforcement officials.

The Illinois delegation to the RNC got a message they might not have been expecting at their daily breakfast on Tuesday – early voting and mail-in ballots are your friends.

Here’s what a second term for former President Donald Trump could mean for Chicago.

Brooks, a Republican, posted on social media that he is “grateful for this opportunity and looking forward to giving a shoutout to Chicago and Opportunity Block,” a reference to Brooks’ efforts to remake one of Chicago’s most violent blocks.

Multiple tornado warnings were issued throughout the region, and the weather service will send out survey teams to confirm how many tornadoes actually touched down Monday. 

“We’re at a crossroads here,” U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, said. “The contrast couldn’t be more stark.”

The jury’s verdict followed a nine-week trial in which prosecutors said the Democrat abused the power of his office to protect allies from criminal investigations and enrich associates, including his wife, through acts that included meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials and helping that country access millions of dollars in U.S. military aid.