The U.S.-China trade war has been ratcheting up for nearly a month now. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on almost all U.S. trading partners April 2 in what he declared “Liberation Day,” with China becoming the main target.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin announces he won’t seek another term — setting off a scramble for the rare open seat. And Mayor Brandon Johnson is sounding the alarm on city finances.

A judge sentences the gunman in the Highland Park parade shooting. Pushback against federal funding cuts to university research. And Juliana Stratton launches her campaign for the U.S. Senate.

“We’re cutting off the pipeline to the workforce in science in the United States,” said Dr. Linda Forst, a professor at UIC. “So, it’s bad news for these students immediately, but it’s bad news for the United States over the long haul because we don’t have a new workforce coming through.”

“For too long, the middle class has been centered on the campaign trail but sidelined when it comes to real governance,” newly announced U.S. Senate candidate Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton said.

Robert Crimo III, 24, on Thursday was handed seven consecutive life terms, along with the maximum of 50 years in prison on each of the 48 counts of attempted murder he faced.

The 40-member task force will be charged with developing “Chicago’s first comprehensive reparations study, a critical step forward in acknowledging, addressing and repairing generations of harm experienced by Black communities,” according to a statement from the mayor’s office.

The president’s fight to end birthright citizenship is headed to the Supreme Court. And possible signs of life on a faraway planet.

President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship for the children of people who are in the U.S. illegally has been halted nationwide by three district courts around the country. Appeals courts have declined to disturb those rulings.

The task force, formed in February, has met twice, and the next meeting is set for Wednesday, Deputy Mayor Garien Gatewood said.

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers said they were able to detect signs of sulfur-based molecules called dimethyl sulfide or DMS, which on Earth are only produced by life, primarily marine phytoplankton.

Remembering the life of Pope Francis. And why some advocates are speaking out against the Trump administration’s approach to autism research.

In a speech last week, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed kids with autism will “never pay taxes, hold a job,” play sports or participate in the arts.