* ICYMI: Illinois Joins 11 Other States in Suing the Trump Administration Over ‘Tax Hikes’ Through Tariffs. CNN…

- The lawsuit seeks a court order to halt the tariffs under International Emergency Economic Powers Act, saying Trump does not have the authority he claims he does.
- “In the nearly five decades since IEEPA was enacted, no other President has imposed tariffs based on the existence of any national emergency, despite global anti-narcotics campaigns spearheaded by the United States and longstanding trade deficits,” the lawsuit argued.
- The coalition of states joins other groups that have sued the Trump administration on tariffs. A group of small U.S. businesses filed a lawsuit last week.

* Related stories…

∙ WAND: Local businesses feeling the impact of coffee and tea tariffs
∙ Pantagraph: A dozen states, including Illinois, sue Trump administration to stop tariff policy

* The race is on: Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton announced she will run for Durbin’s Senate seat this morning. Our coverage is here.

* BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | Stellantis still on track to reopen Belvidere plant, as automakers adjust for tariffs: “The launch timing for the plant has not changed,” Stellantis spokesperson Jodi Tinson said in a statement. “We’ll honor the timing indicated in the 2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement, so still expecting to launch in 2027.” The reopening of the idle Belvidere plant was announced in January, alongside plans to build a new Dodge Durango at its Detroit Assembly Complex. In addition to Dodge, Stellantis owns brands such as Chrysler, Jeep and Ram.

* Sun-Times | Jurors say they are stuck in bribery trial of Illinois Sen. Emil Jones III: “At this point, it doesn’t look like the jury can reach a unanimous agreement on Counts 1 and 3,” one of their notes read. “Is there any assistance that can be provided?” Prosecutors have leveled three criminal charges against Jones. Count 1 is the substantive bribery charge. Count 2 accuses the senator of using an email account to facilitate bribery. And Count 3 accuses him of lying to the FBI.

* Sen. Dick Durbin | Why I chose to retire: The challenges facing the Senate with this new administration are historic. They go to the heart of our democracy, and I am anxious to be part of that debate. I can assure you that I will continue to do everything in my power to fight for Illinois and the future of our nation every day of my remaining time in Senate service.

*** Statehouse News ***

* NBC | Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker takes steps to boycott El Salvador in protest of Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s detention: In a release, Pritzker’s office said that it had directed various Illinois pension funds to review whether they are invested in any companies that are based in El Salvador and that it had ordered the Illinois Department of Central Management Services to evaluate whether any state procurement contracts have been granted to companies based in or controlled by El Salvador.

* Center Square | Calls grow for reforms to Illinois’ mass transit systems before awarding funding: With a massive funding shortfall on the horizon, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce is calling on state lawmakers to enact reforms for the state’s mass transit systems before considering funding. The chamber released a report that contains business principles for mass transit reform. Some of the recommendations include prioritizing public safety and making sure the business community has a seat at the table in future policy making.

*** Statewide ***

* Illinois Times | A loss for Illinois farmers and food banks: The decision to eliminate federal funding for programs that support farmers and food banks goes against the Trump administration’s commitment to “Make America Healthy Again” according to advocates for local producers and nonprofit hunger abatement organizations. The U.S. Department of Agriculture in February cut two federal programs, the Local Food for Schools program and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement, that collectively received about $1 billion in funding nationwide. The LFPA buys fresh products from farmers at a fair market value, then distributes the food to communities through local food pantries. The USDA has since decided to let the remaining 2024 LFPA contract be spent but has canceled the LFPA contract for July 1 through June 30, 2026.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | McLean County health providers worry about Medicaid cuts: “I’m concerned. I’m alarmed. I’m scared by what I hear, by what this administration is trying to do,” said Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, who represents parts of Bloomington-Normal and Greater Peoria. […] Chestnut Health Systems CEO Dave Sharar said federal money is 60% of Chestnut’s budget, and 70% of its clients are on Medicaid. He said that could threaten Chestnut’s integrated care model.

* Capitol News Illinois | State reports first measles case in southern Illinois: The measles diagnosis involving an adult in far southern Illinois was confirmed through laboratory testing, according to a press release sent out by IDPH. […] “This is not considered an outbreak at this time. IDPH will update the public should there be any notable developments,” the release stated.

* WSIL | Mt. Vernon Airport honors Everett Atkinson; WWII hero passes at 102: The Mt. Vernon Airport is mourning the loss of Evertt Atkinson, a cherished member of the community. Airport officials said Atkinson passed away on Easter Sunday at the age of 102, marking the end of an era for the airport and its community. Airport officials shared some details about his life. Atkinson was a distinguished World War II aviator who started with just a high school education and worked his way up to become an Aircraft Commander in the Boeing B-29 “Superfortress.”

* WJBD | Salem’s new Police Chief sworn in: After being sworn in, Boles addressed those gathered in the city council chambers. “My family is from here,” he said. “My parents were born and raised here. It’s an honor to be here. It’s kind of why I chose here, and we’re going to raise our son here. Thank you for the welcome, and everybody showing up. Everybody’s been great. I love the town and the small town vibe, and I’m happy to be here.”

*** Chicago ***

* ABC Chicago | ABC7 I-Team gets exclusive 1st look at massive Illinois solar farm powering Chicago: On a swath of land about three-and-a-half hours southwest of downtown Chicago, on what was once soybean fields, sits a farm of a different kind: 1.6 million solar panels sprouting up, now helping to power the city. Considered the largest solar park east of the Mississippi, Double Black Diamond’s nearly 4,000 acres straddles both Sangamon and Morgan counties in central Illinois.

* WTTW | Long-Stalled Push for Reparations in Chicago Moving Forward, Johnson Says: A task force formed by Mayor Brandon Johnson nearly a year ago to determine whether and how the city should pay reparations to Chicagoans who are the descendants of enslaved African Americans will start meeting this summer to craft a plan to tackle the thorny issue. 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.

* Sun-Times | ‘How can we help?’ Go to Little Village and chow down on great Mexican food: ICE raids have frightened Little Village residents away from local businesses. Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza is asking their neighbors to fill the void.

* Block Club Chicago | West Side Legal Center’s New HQ Includes Apartments For Restorative Justice Program: The Lawndale Christian Legal Center’s Dr. Dennis Deer Community Justice Center opened Tuesday at 1449 S. Keeler Ave. The $22.5 million multi-use location will function as the central office for the free legal practice to meet with clients and provide referrals to social services. On average, the legal practice sees 300 clients annually. The Deer Center will also offer 20 free apartments to men ages 18 to 25 years old who are sentenced to probation in Cook County Circuit Court as an alternative to incarceration.

* Sun-Times | Steve McMichael, former Bears star and Hall of Famer, dies at 67: In a statement, Bears chairman George McCaskey said it was a “cruel irony that the Bears’ Ironman succumbed” to ALS. The man known as “Mongo” and “Ming the Merciless,” a player with crackling energy and a nonstop mouth who played a record 191 games for the Bears, was robbed of the ability to speak and move. It was almost as though he was being mummified, fellow Hall of Famer Dan Hampton said.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Sun-Times | Highland Park parade shooter’s sentencing to extend to second day: The daylong hearing also included testimony from over a dozen victims and their families about how their lives had been irreversibly changed since the attack on July 4, 2022, which left seven dead and 48 people wounded. “How do you rebuild a life when it’s been shattered?” Sheila Gutman, who was struck by a bullet in her foot in the attack, told the court.

* Daily Herald | ‘Heavy and heartbreaking’: Highland Park survivors testify as sentencing begins: In a statement read by his daughter, the widower of victim Jacquelyn “Jacki” Sundheim described the pain of his wife’s loss as “fresh, visceral and sometimes too much to bear.” Bruce Sundheim also berated the absent murderer for his “wanton cruelty” and wished him “a life filled with torment, pain and regret.”

* Daily Herald | Barrington breaks ground on long-awaited Route 14 underpass: Several Barrington area dignitaries attended the groundbreaking for the underpass, which will stretch from Valencia Avenue to Hough Street, running underneath the Canadian National Railway tracks. The underpass aims to alleviate traffic congestion and improve emergency response times by separating vehicle and rail traffic. Construction is expected to conclude by July 2027.

* Daily Herald | Smackdown at village hall: Elk Grove mayor wrestles with trash talk, agrees to tag team match: In a spectacle that had all the theatrics of professional wrestling, Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson accepted a challenge at a village board meeting this week to a summer slugfest. The battle royale involving the colorful seven-term mayor — a former high school wrestling coach — will be part of a series of matches in the ring at this summer’s Elk Grove Rotary Fest.

* Shaw Local | Downers Grove native still on road to COVID recovery: In the five years since the U.S. first reeled from COVID-19, leaving no one unscathed, the novel coronavirus has remained all too familiar to one Downers Grove native, former village commissioner Rich Kulovany. “Family became so much more important after all of this,” Kulovany said.

*** National ***

* WaPo | Trump orders changes to civil rights rules, college accreditation: Separately, Trump signed another order that also dealt with the enforcement of civil rights law as it relates to racial disparities in school discipline. The Biden administration had advised school districts that they may be in violation of civil rights law if they unfairly discipline students from different groups. The new executive order revokes the Biden-era discipline guidance.

* The Atlantic | Tesla’s Remarkably Bad Quarter Is Even Worse Than It Looks: Yesterday evening, Tesla reported first-quarter earnings for 2025, and they were abysmal: Profits dropped 71 percent from the same time last year. Musk sounded bitter on the call with investors that followed, blaming the company’s misfortune on protesters who have raged at Tesla dealerships around the world over his role running DOGE and his ardent support of far-right politicians. “The protests that you’ll see out there, they’re very organized. They’re paid for,” he said, without evidence.