President Trump is out with what he's calling a "budget blueprint to make America great again." What would it mean for Illinois?

As parents rally for education funding outside of CPS headquarters, district officials prepare for an even bigger rally in Springfield.

Will they support expanding the amusement tax?

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s proposed 2016 budget plan–which includes expanding the amusement tax–could be a tough sell to a county board that narrowly approved a controversial sales tax hike to help the county tackle its $6.5 billion pension fund shortfall. We talk with three Cook County commissioners about the plan.

Living in the Chicago area is about to get even more expensive. Not only is Mayor Rahm Emanuel seeking a record high property tax increase to help shore up police and firefighter pensions. But today Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is asking for a county tax on recreational activities like golfing and cable TV to help plug the county's budget deficit. 

The mayor and top city officials are speaking to the public at this hour in the first of a series of town hall meetings on the city budget. That budget could be as much as $754 million out of whack thanks to escalating pension costs. Higher taxes and fees are almost certainly inevitable, the question is which? How are residents responding to the shortfall? Paris Schultz joins us live from Malcolm X College.

On this edition of Chicago Tonight: The Week in Review with Joel Weisman, our panel of guests discuss state and local politics, education, traffic, sports, and more.

The Chicago Public Schools budget that is short half a billion dollars is officially enacted. The fate of that $500 million assistance is in the hands of the Illinois House, where support is currently tenuous at best. Thursday, some House lawmakers sent a message to the city and Chicago Public Schools: certain things have to happen before that chamber gets on board. What are they?

We share what you had to say about some of our recent stories when we read viewer feedback from the Chicago Tonight website, and our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Mayor says he's 'ready to work' with Rauner on workers' comp reform

Gov. Bruce Rauner on Thursday said his administration would be willing to help Chicago Public Schools and the city’s pensions, provided the city helps Rauner give local municipalities the ability to limit collective bargaining with public employees. On Chicago Tonight Mayor Rahm Emanuel responds to Rauner’s challenge.

Jesse Ruiz

Interim schools chief Jesse Ruiz joins us to discuss the financial challenges facing the Chicago Public Schools. 

Lawmakers in the Illinois House on Thursday approved an emergency one-month budget which passed on July 1 in the Senate with no Republican support. But a pass in the House may not resolve the budget impasse, as Gov. Bruce Rauner has vowed to veto the temporary spending plan.

Chicago Public Schools says it will issue budgets for schools on Monday. As reported by Chicago Tonight on Wednesday, many principals throughout CPS are growing increasingly frustrated that they are expected to plan for the new school year and finalize hiring decisions with little idea of how much money they will have to spend. It now appears principals will soon get some clarity.

Credit: Amanda Vinicky

Illinois House lawmakers are back in session in Springfield a week after representatives failed to pass a one-month spending plan. The Democrat-controlled House led by Speaker Michael Madigan is scheduled to take up the temporary spending plan again despite opposition from Gov. Bruce Rauner and Republican lawmakers. We talk with Chicago Tonight's Springfield reporter Amanda Vinicky about the status of the budget and more.

We’ll talk about the latest developments in Springfield with veteran reporter Carol Marin and Springfield correspondent Amanda Vinicky. It’ll be a whooper of day as a state government shutdown appears increasingly likely because Tuesday is the final day in the state’s current budget. Meanwhile, Chicago Public Schools managed to pay its $634 million pension payment Tuesday afternoon. 

The Illinois State Board of Education has identified $450 million to fund CPS' pension contribution. Meanwhile, budget talks continue as Illinois faces a potential shutdown. Amanda Vinicky joins us tonight from Springfield while Paris Schutz has reaction from local lawmakers.

Gov. Bruce Rauner has launched attack ads against House Speaker Michael Madigan and Democrats, which have started circulating on the Internet. Chicago Tonight Springfield reporter Amanda Vinicky discusses what that could mean for budget talks.