Donald Trump returns to the White House and immediately exercises his executive powers. And the Chicago Bears name a new head coach.

What’s on the line as Election Day approaches. And Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget pitch includes property tax hike.

The entire CPS board calls it quits. Early voting gets underway in Chicago. And the presidential contest comes to the Midwest.

Tensions run high during former President Donald Trump’s brief Chicago visit. Kamala Harris clinches the presidential nomination — who will be her running mate? And CTU pushes for more education funding. 

Questions of transparency after emails show the mayor’s early knowledge of conditions at a Pilsen migrant shelter. And presidential campaigning moves to New Hampshire after Trump takes Iowa.

The city moves forward on plans to build a tent base camp in Brighton Park despite pushback. And Chicago police Supt. Larry Snelling vows to remove extremists from the department.

Trump arraigned on four felony counts tied to Jan. 6. Mayor Johnson defends police response to teenage troublemakers last weekend. Northwestern hires the former U.S. attorney general. And Cubs bat the team into playoff contention.

Donald Trump makes history as he becomes the first former U.S. president to face federal charges. That story and the other biggest news items of the week. 

Gubernatorial candidates punch hard in a final debate. Bailey scores big deposit from conservative billionaire and we dig into other big races. In sports, the Bulls tip off the season as the Bears try to stave off collapse.

What the just-unsealed affidavit shows about the FBI’s search of Mar-A-Lago. The mayor’s between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the Columbus statue. And student loan debt relief.

Former Lightfoot allies falling off the bandwagon. Unearthed Darren Bailey Holocaust comments cause bipartisan blowback. Outgoing prosecutors blast Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. And the Cubs and Sox largely stand pat at the trade deadline.

Another alderperson decides to retire before her term is up. Rep Adam Kinzinger leads an explosive Jan. 6 hearing. NASCAR is coming to Chicago. And Pritzker catches COVID-19 after a trip to Florida.

Donald Trump was at the center of primetime hearings on the Jan. 6 insurrection. Mayor Lightfoot makes it official — she wants another term. And a new poll shows a seismic shift in the GOP race for governor. 

Chicago schools shut down in a dispute between teachers and administrators. Arne Duncan teases a potential mayoral run. Remembering Jan. 6. And Lightfoot vows a reset on crime in 2022.

Jussie Smollett on trial again for alleged fake hate crime attack. City ward remap deadline comes and goes as Black and Latino alderpeople still at odds. COVID-19 cases skyrocket with Omicron variant now in the U.S., and more.

Are the Chicago Bears bound for Arlington Heights? The Obamas finally break ground in Jackson Park. Chicago R&B singer R. Kelly is convicted for sex trafficking. And two local media giants plan to merge.