Reader comments closed for the weekend
Friday, Apr 25, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Oh, wow… Let my spirit carry me
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Friday, Apr 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Subscribers were aware about this issue in March. Capitol News Illinois…
* WGN…
* Tribune…
* WAND…
* Illinois State Bar Association | Quick Takes on Illinois Supreme Court Opinions Issued Thursday, April 24, 2025: Piasa Armory, LLC v. Kwame Raoul, in His Official Capacity as Attorney General of the State of Illinois: The setting of this case could not be more efficiently described than Justice Rochford did at the outset of her opinion for the court. “Section 2-101.5 of the Code of Civil Procedure sets venue in Sangamon and Cook Counties for actions seeking declaratory or injunctive relief from a constitutional challenge to a state statute, rule, or executive order. The circuit court of Madison County ruled that the statute was unconstitutional as applied to individuals residing or injured outside of those two counties.” On this direct appeal to the Supreme Court pursuant to Rule 302(a), enabled by a finding under Rule 304(a), the Supreme Court reversed the circuit court, holding that this venue statute was not unconstitutional on this as-applied challenge. * Payments Dive | Illinois AG, Durbin defend state card fee law: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed motions Wednesday opposing the banks’ bid for summary judgment and requesting that U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall instead grant the AG summary judgment. * WBEZ | Pritzker remains quiet on future plans, despite growing national appearances: He’s not done yet: On Sunday, Pritzker is headlining the 2025 McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club dinner. It’s the largest Democratic fundraiser for New Hampshire, a state that’s held one of the nation’s first primary contests for more than 100 years. All of the appearances are helping Pritzker introduce himself to a wider Democratic audience, even though the two-term governor has not confirmed what his future plans are or if he’ll seek another term in any office at all. Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said Pritzker is doing what candidates often do if they’re exploring a presidential run: getting name recognition by latching onto an issue partisans care about. * Crain’s | Bears confront their Soldier Field landlord as they scope out Arlington Park move: Bears President Kevin Warren sent a letter to new Park District Superintendent Carlos Ramirez-Rosa detailing the team’s concern over the condition of Soldier Field and requesting documents to provide an overview of maintenance and capital spending. Also requested in the letter: monthly meetings to address the team’s concerns. […] Warren sent the letter, dated April 16 and addressed to Ramirez-Rosa, claiming the team has not had a seat at the table in deciding how capital dollars are spent improving the nearly century-old stadium. * WBEZ | Offices in the Loop and beyond are being converted to apartments. Can the city do more?: Converting offices to apartments is just one solution for bringing outmoded buildings back to life. The number of projects is higher when factoring in all office conversions: Primo’s Capri Investment Group is working with the Prime Group to redevelop the former Cboe Global Markets headquarters. The partners plan to turn the building into a data center after buying it last summer for $12 million. A report last year by the commercial real estate data company CommercialCafe said that of the 30 biggest cities in the United States, Chicago has the second-highest amount of office space that could be converted to residential use. * Block Club | Lincoln Square Car-Free Zone Extended To May As Neighbors Make The Most Of Street Closure: An unforeseen, emergency repair of ComEd infrastructure means the 4700 block of North Lincoln Avenue will remain car-free longer than expected, officials said. […] The construction delay means this Sunday’s Ravenswood Run 5K will be rerouted to avoid Lincoln Square. The planned April 28 closure of the 2200 block of West Leland Avenue will also be delayed, Mark said. * Sun-Times | Long-awaited DuSable Park takes a big step forward: At just 3.4 acres, the long-awaited $15 million Jean-Baptiste Point DuSable Park won’t be the city’s largest public green space, but it has the potential to be one of the best. As it should be. The park is planned for an absolutely prime spot east of DuSable Lake Shore Drive that is bounded by the Chicago River, the Ogden Slip and the lake. Chicagoans have waited 38 years for this park honoring DuSable, watching previous plans come and go. * Daily Herald | An immersive, panoramic view coming soon to a theater near you in Addison: SCREENX debuts in Addison on April 29 with an invitation-only preview of Marvel Studio’s “Thunderbolts,” and public screenings of the film beginning May 1. It offers panoramic views by extending some scenes onto the left and right walls of the auditorium at 1555 W. Lake St. Marcus Theatres President Mark Gramz said SCREENX uses three laser projectors, one pointed at the main center screen and two side projectors directed to opposite walls, which are treated with a reflective screen material. * WTTW | The Cubs and Bulls Have Nothing on These Champs. Check Out Cook County’s MVP Trees: From a towering 120-foot-tall black oak to a 20-foot redbud, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County has mapped the largest specimen of each tree species identified in the preserves and has made it easier for people to find these “champions.” The district’s Champion Tree Register has been updated with an interactive web tool that not only shows the location of each champion, but also includes a photo and stats like the tree’s height, circumference and the spread of its crown. * Aurora Beacon-News | Tree plantings in Aurora offer chance to celebrate the environment: “Each year, the city partners with the local school district and travels around the different places planting trees on school grounds as kind of a tribute to Arbor Day but also the seeds of growth – literally,” said Clayton Muhammad, chief communications and equity officer for the city of Aurora. “We like to focus on youth and the importance of trees and watch kids throw some dirt on some of them so they can literally watch the trees grow during their years at the elementary school. * WGLT | Congressman raises concerns about tariff ‘chaos and uncertainty’ during stop at farm south of Bloomington: Krishnamoorthi spoke Thursday at the Kindred family farm in Atlanta, just southwest of Bloomington-Normal. Owner Ron Kindred said he’s concerned about Trump’s tariffs and any retaliatory actions from China, which consumes more than half of all soybeans exported from the U.S. Illinois is the No. 1 soybean-producing state in the U.S. “With China, they’re our No. 1 customer. If you put all of our other export markets together, it doesn’t equal what China buys from the U.S. in soybeans,” Kindred said. “So, it’s a real concern when your No. 1 customer is the one who’s targeted with tariffs. * WGLT | DCFS and ISU team up for new high-tech child welfare simulation space in Normal: Illinois State University and the state’s Department of Children and Family Services [DCFS] teamed up on the new Child Protection Training Academy. Located at The Baby Fold at 614 Oglesby Ave., it’s the third of its kind in the state. The ribbon-cutting was Friday. The new space includes mock apartments, a doctor’s office, and courtroom environments where front line workers can practice interviews, assessments and even testimony. Those in training can get practice followed by immediate feedback and coaching. There are cameras and microphones everywhere so trainees can be monitored. * WCIA | ‘They’re trying to go after us,’ Candlewood Estates residents say they won’t be charged for electrical issues: “They’re trying to go after us,” said Candlewood Estates Tenant Association leader Marcia Green. And she wants the state to right the wrongs she says are happening at a mobile home park in Mahomet. Candlewood Estates’ latest issue is the more than 400 electrical violations the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has given the property. […] They’re fighting it in court. They say the property is giving out violations to the tenants while electrical boxes are out of code, and people living there say it’s not their responsibility. * BND | $300M entertainment, retail and residential project in O’Fallon gets OK: “We just have to be patient as it’s being developed,” said incoming Mayor Eric Van Hook, now a City Council member. “I wish it could be here a lot sooner than eight years, but I’m excited for what it’s going to provide to not only O’Fallon residents, but to the people that visit our community, and hopefully they’ll see what we see in it.” Park Place, located just across the street from the popular O’Fallon Family Sports Park in the northwest part of the city, will have single-family homes, duplexes, apartment buildings, townhomes, a hotel, retail facilities, restaurants, office space and entertainment venues. Those include a TopGolf-style driving range. * SIU | SIU Carbondale student elected to national honors council: An aspiring forensic anthropologist at Southern Illinois University Carbondale has been chosen to serve on the National Collegiate Honors Council Board of Directors, a spot reserved for only five students in the country. Sophomore Natalie Eves of Bloomington, Illinois, is majoring in anthropology with a minor in forensic science and is a student in the University Honors Program. She became interested in joining the 17-member NCHC board after attending a conference a few months before, where she presented her research about mental health. Another student in the SIU System, Aman Pai, a sophomore at SIU Edwardsville, also is one of five student members. Eves and Pai will serve on the board through 2027. * WICS | Illinois State University and Heartland Community College to sign transfer agreement: Leaders from Illinois State University and Heartland Community College are set to meet on Thursday, May 1, 2025, to sign an articulation agreement aimed at facilitating the transfer of students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration. The signing will take place at the Gregg Chadwick Community Board Room in the Community Commons Building. * WaPo | RFK Jr.’s absurd statistic on the spike in chronic diseases in the U.S.: In other words, this is another example of Kennedy taking a success story — longer lives and better detection of chronic diseases — to argue that something is rotten. He’s long been a purveyor of the fiction that vaccines cause autism, and one of his key points of evidence is that the percentage of people with autism has increased. But the percentage of people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder has gone up mainly because of expanded definitions and better detection. There is no blood test for autism, so a diagnosis is based on observations of a person’s behavior. Indeed, while autism diagnoses have increased, those of intellectual disability have decreased, indicating that previously, children may have been misdiagnosed with other conditions.
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The legal front
Friday, Apr 25, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Click here for the lawsuit. Wednesday press release…
* Click here for the lawsuit. Friday press release…
* AP today…
Context from Politico’s senior legal affairs reporter…
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Question of the day
Friday, Apr 25, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Now that Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton has announced she’s running for US Senate, who would you like to see Gov. JB Pritzker choose as his running mate if he runs for reelection? Explain.
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It’s just a bill
Friday, Apr 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* 25News Now…
* WAND…
Alyssa’s law did not make deadlines to get out of the House. * WAND…
SB1622 missed its extended April 11 committee deadline.
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Roundup: Mistrial declared after jury deadlocks in Sen. Emil Jones III bribery case
Friday, Apr 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here for yesterday’s coverage. Capitol News Illinois…
* Sun-Times…
* Tribune…
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Misguided Insurance Regulation Proposals Could Increase Premiums For The Majority Of Illinoisans
Friday, Apr 25, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Several bills proposed this legislative session seek to ban certain factors that insurance companies use to set fair and accurate insurance pricing for customers. The bills would ban the use of credit-based insurance scores, zip codes, age, and gender in insurance pricing. An op-ed published recently in the Chicago Tribune explains why such bans could cause insurance rates to rise for the majority of consumers. Case in point: When the use of credit was banned in Washington in 2021, more than 60 percent of Washington drivers saw an increase in their insurance premiums. Should similar legislation pass in Illinois, the majority of Illinoisans with better-than-average credit could see premium increases. With stubbornly high inflation and high property taxes, now is not the time to pass bills that could end up hiking insurance premiums for most Illinoisans. Click here to learn more.
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Durbin on his retirement decision, Pritzker to endorse Stratton (Updated)
Friday, Apr 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* WCIA…
* Meanwhile… Tribune…
The SJ-R reported Sen. Durbin saying he may endorse a candidate in an “extreme case.” …Adding… Pritzker’s endorsement video…
…Adding… Capitol News Illinois’ Hannah Meisel is on the ground…
* More…
* Sun-Times | Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton becomes first major Democrat to launch Senate bid to replace Durbin: In an interview, Stratton said she’s “not at all” worried about incoming attacks about the Pritzker administration’s policies. She also tried to differentiate herself from the sitting members of Congress who are expected to announce runs. “I certainly feel like the old playbook that we’ve had in Washington just isn’t working, and I think that people are looking for new voices, new leadership, new energy, quite frankly,” Stratton said. “I think we’re hearing that over and over again.”
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Open thread
Friday, Apr 25, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Many years ago when I was attending (yet another) college, I’d occasionally go into the library and grab its only copy of Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman” album and head to the basement listening room, where I’d blast it as loud as I could get away with. That listening room was a great escape, and it was free entertainment, which is about all I could afford in those days. Anyway, here’s an awkward video of Donovan’s title track… Superman or Green Lantern ain’t got nothin’ on me Tell us what’s happening in your part of Illinois.
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Healing Communities: Illinois Hospitals Support Individual And Community Health And Well-being
Friday, Apr 25, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Every hour of every day, Illinois hospitals provide lifesaving care to the communities they serve. Care delivery within their facilities is at the core of what hospitals do—but it’s not all they do. Illinois hospitals prove indispensable to communities by looking at healthcare, health and well-being from several vantage points. Watch our video about how hospitals are working outside their four walls. Most people don’t see the critical care hospitals provide 24/7 or how hospitals are partnering with local organizations and investing in communities. Yet their benefit to the community is everywhere. Learn more about how Illinois hospitals are healing communities.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Apr 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Illinois governor still awaiting Trump guarantee on $1.15B for invasive carp. Michigan Live…
- Trump unexpectedly pledged to “save Lake Michigan” from invasive carp during an Oval Office meeting with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and GOP House Speaker Matt Hall, calling the fish “powerful” and the project “very expensive” but necessary. - Project advocates had hoped that would be enough to end the impasse with Illinois. But, on Thursday, Pritzker said that he while he was “glad” to see that Whitmer and Trump talked about the project, “we’ve not received any assurance from the federal government, on paper, from the Army Corps of Engineers or from the White House, that they’re not going to withhold those funds once this project starts.” * Related stories… ∙ Detroit News: U.S. reps want Illinois to quit delaying project to block invasive carp from Great Lakes ∙ AP: Pritzker delays $1.2B invasive carp project over concerns Trump won’t cover federal share ∙ Wisconsin Public Radio: Illinois delays project to keep invasive carp out of Great Lakes, cites uncertainty over federal funding Stay tuned for Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Emil Jones III roundups. * The governor will be on 83rd Street at 11 am for the Green Era Urban Growers Collective Week ribbon-cutting. At 2 pm Governor Pritzker will be in Deerfield to announce investment in Illinois from healthcare company Vantive. Click here to watch. * WTTW | 12 Years Later, Lawsuit That Called Attention to Conditions at Now-Closed Stateville Prison Settled: The settlement, approved by U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood, vacated Stateville’s general housing unit in September, transferring men to other facilities across the state. “What was considered an impossible outcome at the start of this litigation—the closure of Stateville—became a reality,” filings state. * NYT | Art Institute of Chicago told to surrender drawing to heirs of man killed in Nazi concentration camp: The drawing “Russian War Prisoner” was purchased by the Art Institute in 1966, but investigators for the Manhattan district attorney’s office had asserted that it and other works once owned by entertainer and art collector Fritz Grünbaum had been looted by the Nazis during the Holocaust. Many of the works created by Schiele, the Austrian Expressionist, that Grünbaum owned ended up in the hands of museums and collectors around the world. Grünbaum’s heirs have spent years working to reclaim them. * WGEM | Solar company questioned by Adams County Board and Ursa residents: “Please don’t think of this as a ‘check the box’ application. Don’t consider the other solar farms you may have approved in Adams County. This one is different,” Ursa resident Tim Hightower said. One of the main concerns that Ursa residents have with the project is the potential property value decline that could occur if the farm is built. Ursa Creek Solar brought in a real estate appraiser who said that in similar projects, no value decline took place. * WCIA | Dead rabbit tests positive for tularemia in Douglas Co.: Tularemia is caused by a bacteria called Francisella tularensis. It’s commonly found in animals like rodents, rabbits and hares. Humans, cats and dogs can also become infected. It can be passed on through contact with infected animals, through tick or flea bites, or by inhaling or ingesting infected materials. Symptoms may include skin ulcers, swollen lymph nodes, a sudden fever, chills, headaches, diarrhea, joint pain, muscle aches, cough and weakness. * WGLT | B-N primary care providers want everyone to know they treat mental health too: “We actually do treat quite a bit of anxiety and depression and address those concerns with our patients,” Hill said. “It’s actually something that is a quality of care measure for us.” It’s a mixed bag whether people know their primary care is available for mental health struggles, Hill said. Some people are really knowledgeable and may schedule an appointment for that purpose. Others have no idea it’s something a primary care doctor can address. * WTVO | Shelly Leab, co-owner of Poopy’s biker bar, killed in murder-suicide: Police in Clinton, Iowa, identified Leab as the victim in a murder-suicide on Friday. Authorities said Brian Witherspoon, 57, shot Leab, 52, and then himself. […] The family said Leab’s body was found in the home along with her ex-fiancé. “Whether she was lighting up a room with her smile or lending a hand when someone needed it most, Shelly lived with a heart wide open. Shelly had a way of making everyone feel like family. Her warmth, her laugh, and her unwavering love for her people left a lasting impression on every heart she touched. Whether you knew her for a lifetime or just a moment, you felt her kindness,” the bar wrote on Facebook. * WCIA | Ebertfest and Race Weekend could bring Champaign Co. millions of dollars: Two of the biggest events of the year are happening in Champaign-Urbana at the same time: Ebertfest and the Christie Clinic Illinois Race Weekend. Officials said Ebertfest is expected to bring in around $350,000 while the marathon may top $5 million. * WGLT | Town of Normal goes in a new direction with Illinois Art Station staff: In a press release, the town announced three new staff members, replacing those who worked for the Normal nonprofit that donated itself to the town earlier this year. The town assumed control of Illinois Art Station on April 1. Both full-time employees, executive director Hannah Johnson and education coordinator Joey Hatch, were not retained as part of the transition. Johnson confirmed with WGLT that she had applied for the job. * BND | Disabled southern Illinois woman fears loss of home if Medicaid funding is cut: Foushee, 40, is among the thousands of people who use the public health insurance program to pay for long-term, residential care in their communities. For the last 13 years, she has lived at Clinton Manor Living Center in New Baden, a nursing home that also cares for adults like Foushee who have developmental disabilities. She is watching discussions around new budget proposals in Washington, D.C., to find out whether her fears will become reality. * NH Journal | Billionaire Pritzker Bringing Deep-Blue Illinois Politics to NHDem Fundraiser: The billionaire governor of the “Vote Early and Often!” State is bringing his progressive politics to “Live Free or Die” New Hampshire this weekend, at the invitation of Granite State Democrats. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, 60, is heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune and the second-richest politician in America, according to The Wall Street Journal. (Trump is first.) He will take center stage Sunday in Manchester at the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s annual McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club fundraising dinner. He will reportedly speak about Trump’s authoritarianism. * Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago school board approves contract with Chicago Teachers Union: The board’s Thursday vote puts the contract into effect; the union’s membership ratified the contract earlier this month with a nearly unanimous vote to approve it from 85% of union members. The four-year contract is expected to cost a total of $1.4 billion. It includes class size limits, requirements to hire hundreds of new staff, including more teacher assistants, and ten additional minutes of preparation time for elementary school teachers — which at some schools could also mean ten more minutes of recess. * Sun-Times | Oversight chief hits traffic stop rules: ‘Why would we have officers pulling people over for a light bulb?’: The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability said officers should be banned from making stops for certain violations, such as missing only a front license plate, a nonfunctioning headlight or loud music. * Crain’s | American Bar Association cuts 300 jobs after Justice Department pulls grant funding: The group said in a lawsuit seeking to restore the funding that it lost nearly $69 million in obligated federal grant and cooperative agreement funds after it issued support for federal judges who had been the target of Trump’s ire. The ABA pointed to a memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as proof the government’s motivation for canceling the grants was retaliation. Among other actions, the memo prohibited the use of funds to pay for Justice Department employees to attend ABA events or speak at those events while on duty. * Chicago Reader | Hip-hop prodigy Kaicrewsade puts community first: Kai understands chord progressions and music theory. “That comes from church,” he explains. He says that his church background—and being around “old folk” his entire life—gave him his love for music played on real instruments. “My mother is a singer. She sang in the choir. I was in choir practice growing up. Between my mama and my nana, I stayed in the church. So if I’m not telling the homies how to sing, I trust them that they already got it down,” he says. “I’m a crate-digger and I’m a composer. All I do is sit and listen to jazz all day. It’s not a hobby. It’s literally something I’ve done with my father, my mother. . . . I grew up just listening to so much music.” * WTTW | The Wrigley Building Is Iconic, But Its Stories Are Little-Known. A New Book Changes That: So an unmissable corporate headquarters was appealing to Wrigley – especially one that had a clock for everyone to look at, an unprecedented amount of electric lighting illuminating its exterior, and a site visible directly up Michigan Avenue from the south, thanks to the street’s slight jog at the river. The site may have been unusually shaped, as a trapezoid tucked into a rectangular street grid, but it allowed the building to have four unique sides that, at the time of its construction, were all highly visible. * Crain’s | Illinois revokes trauma designation at Aurora hospital now owned by Prime Healthcare: The Illinois Department of Public Health revoked the Level II trauma center designation of Mercy Medical Center in Aurora on April 20, four days before Prime Healthcare, the hospital’s new owner, announced it was “withdrawing” the designation. In an emailed statement today, an IDPH spokesman said the state revoked the trauma designation due to Mercy Medical Center’s absence of mandated essential services. * Daily Herald | District 21 approves administrative restructuring after ouster of top officials: The board action formally eliminates the positions once held by Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Micheal DeBartolo and Assistant Superintendent of Support Services Kim Cline. Both were placed on administrative leave March 21, then told not to return and given severance April 16. New records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by a parent and shared with the Daily Herald show the two administrators received bigger payouts than previously disclosed. * Daily Southtown | Orland Park, township officials question proposed vehicle repossession business: “The presence of repo lots can fundamentally change the atmosphere of our communities,” O’Grady said in a news release. “The unease and intimidation felt by residents cannot be overlooked. We want to foster safe neighborhoods where families feel secure, and that can be compromised by the intimidating presence of repossession activities.” * Daily Herald | Des Plaines enacts grocery tax to avoid losing $1.4 million annually: After some debate and public comment, the city council voted 7-1 Monday night to create the tax. As was the case when the council gave preliminary approval to the plan two weeks ago, 5th Ward Alderman Carla Brookman was the lone dissenter. Illinois is phasing out a tax on grocery items that generates revenue for the communities where the purchases occurred. It will be eliminated as of Jan. 1, 2026. * Shaw Local | Oswego village trustees debate whether to implement its own 1% grocery tax: Oswego village trustees are considering whether to implement its own grocery tax in light of the state’s 1% grocery tax expiring on Jan. 1 of next year. Like other municipalities, Oswego receives a share of that tax. The village received an estimated $1 million to $1.25 million in grocery tax revenue in 2024. * WaPo | U.S. agencies alarmed by China’s curbs on exports of rare-earth minerals: While companies search for alternative suppliers and urge the White House to cut a deal that will keep the materials flowing to U.S. manufacturers, the Trump administration is finding there are no easy solutions. China has a lock on the supply of certain elements that are essential to making such things as military drones, consumer electronics and battery-powered vehicles.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Friday, Apr 25, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Friday, Apr 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Friday, Apr 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.
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