Stories by Nick Blumberg

Mayor Brandon Johnson moves to oust the head of the Chicago Housing Authority’s board. And the U.S. Supreme Court casts a skeptical eye on the president’s plan to curtail birthright citizenship.

After years of litigation, the state of Illinois faces one final lawsuit over how it rolled out licenses to “social equity applicants” under the 2019 law legalizing recreational cannabis.

NASA released the crew’s first downlinked images Friday, 1 1/2 days into the first astronaut moonshot in more than half a century.

“It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare — all these individual things,” President Donald Trump said. “They can do it on a state basis. You can’t do it on a federal.”

Chicago recorded an increase in both the number of homicides and people shot throughout March 2026 compared to the same month last year.

To address “long-standing registration frustrations,” the district announced the first wave of improvements to the process, set to take effect this year.

The man charged in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman now faces additional firearms charges in federal court.

Chicago’s police oversight board pressed Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling on Thursday about why Chicago police officers did not do more to stop federal agents from carrying out aggressive immigration raids across the city.

Chicago’s police superintendent faces questions over claims of officers collaborating with ICE. And local reaction to a legal challenge of birthright citizenship.

Music, art and movies are woven into Chicago’s history. But the city’s cultural landscape is constantly evolving. Many well-known institutions have undergone changes — from sales to renovations to closures — with a number of spaces trying to stay afloat.

Conservative and liberal justices on Wednesday questioned whether Trump’s order declaring that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens comports with either the Constitution or federal law.

The Chicago Palestine Film Festival runs April 11-25 at the Gene Siskel Film Center. This year, the festival has more than 50 films in its lineup, including feature and short films.

Cook County prosecutors on Thursday announced Joseph Brooks, 22, had pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 55 years in prison.

Over 100 Peoples Gas customers and utility watchdog advocates gathered in the cold in Chicago on Wednesday to protest a $202.3 million requested rate increase. If approved, the rate hike would begin adding $10-11 per month to typical residential bills in 2027.

The announcement follows months of scrutiny over the Justice Department’s handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation that made Bondi the target of angry conservatives even with her close relationship with Trump.

The Responsible Gun Manufacturers Act, versions of which have been introduced into both the Illinois House and Senate, would prohibit the manufacturing and sale of pistols that can be easily converted into illegal “machine guns.”

This week marked Transgender Day of Visibility, an international day dedicated to uplifting members of the trans community while showing support for the protection of transgender rights.

There was no legislative resolution Thursday after both the House and Senate met for just a few minutes in pro forma sessions.

Over the past five years, 59 petitions have been filed with the Illinois Department of Corrections from those incarcerated in Illinois state prisons requesting transfers all over the world. Only two people have been approved, and two more are pending.

Every Thursday, WTTW News newsletter producer Josh Terry highlights his picks for the week’s must-see cultural events.

President Donald Trump is in attendance as the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on birthright citizenship. And Republican Don Tracy on his bid for U.S. Senate.

Former Illinois Republican Party Chair Don Tracy won the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate in last month’s primary election, pushing him closer to his goal of taking over longtime U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat. Tracy is facing Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton in the Nov. 3 general election.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced Wednesday what they are calling a path forward to fully funding the Department of Homeland Security and ending a record partial government shutdown.

“CHA residents deserve leadership decisions that are transparent, lawful and grounded in their lived experiences, not a process that prioritizes expediency over accountability,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

The Chicago White Sox home opener scheduled for Thursday was postponed due to weather. Thunderstorms are in the forecast for most of Thursday afternoon.

If the weather holds, NASA will send four astronauts into space today on a 10-day mission to the moon and back, something the agency hasn't done in more than 50 years.