* ICYMI: In House committee testimony, Pritzker will defend TRUST Act, point finger at ‘abuses of power.’ Sun-Times…

- Gov. JB Pritzker plans to tell House Oversight committee members Thursday that the state of Illinois isn’t a place for violent criminals who lack legal status — and it will not tolerate “violations of the law or abuses of power.”
- The Democratic governor will also staunchly defend the state’s TRUST Act, which was signed by his predecessor, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.
- Pritzker will also blame both Democrats and Republicans for lacking a comprehensive immigration policy, which he outlined in an October 2023 letter to President Joe Biden as a failure that “created an unprecedented strain on Illinois’s resources.”

Click here to read the governor’s opening statement and click here to watch Pritzker’s testimony at 9 am.

* Related stories…

∙ Tribune: Gov. JB Pritzker set to testify before congressional committee about sanctuary states amid immigration turmoil
∙ NBC Chicago: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker testifies in DC about state’s immigration policies
∙ Fox Chicago: Pritzker to testify before Congress on Illinois sanctuary laws
∙ Capitol News Illinois: Pritzker to tell Congress ‘both parties are to blame’ for broken immigration system

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*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | Mt. Prospect probed for sharing Illinois license plate reader data in Texas abortion case: Mount Prospect police have also shared license plate data in hundreds of immigration-related cases in violation of a state law that took effect last year, Giannoulias’ office says — and they’re probably not alone among Illinois departments cooperating with out-of-state law enforcement when they shouldn’t be. That’s why the state is launching an audit to make sure police across Illinois are following the law that’s intended to shield people seeking abortions or lacking legal status from out-of-state prosecution, officials announced Thursday.

* Sun-Times | Michael Madigan is being sentenced Friday. Here’s what you need to know.: U.S. District Judge John Blakey will have a lot of options when he sentences Madigan. Federal prosecutors have asked him to sentence Madigan to 12 ½ years. Madigan’s attorneys have asked for probation. Blakey is more likely to come down somewhere in the middle. Madigan is 83. And his circumstances are remarkably similar to that of ex-Chicago Ald. Edward M. Burke, who was sentenced to two years behind bars for racketeering last year amid the same investigation.

* Tribune | New paper sheds light on experience of Black prisoners in infamous Illinois prison malaria experiments: “They haven’t been properly acknowledged in the past, and their participation in these studies was really foundational in launching the field of pharmacogenetics and, later on, precision medicine,” said Allen, who recently completed her doctorate at the University of Utah. Starting in the 1940s, researchers infected inmates at the Joliet-area prison with malaria to test the effectiveness of drugs to treat the illness as part of a U.S. military-funded effort to protect American troops overseas, according to the paper. A University of Chicago doctor was the principal investigator. The inmates consented to being part of the studies and were paid for their participation.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WCIA | Illinois lawmakers allocate $35M to after-school programs: After months of demands from after-school advocates and tough budget decisions, lawmakers have allocated $35 million for after-school programs in the budget they passed at the end of May. Now, programs like the Central Illinois Boys and Girls Clubs are counting on the distribution of that funding and hoping to restart some of the services they lost. The lack of funding has had a ripple effect on many programs across the state, according to ACT Now.

* WJPF | Former IL State Senator Ken Buzbee passes away: Buzbee, a Democrat, was first elected to the state senate in 1972, where he served on several powerful committees, including Appropriations and Higher Education. In 1984, he chose not to seek re-election to the senate in order to run for Congress. Buzbee lost that primary election to the late Ken Gray.

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club Chicago | Chicago Braces For Surge In Immigration Raids As Mayor Brandon Johnson Urges City To ‘Resist’: Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s chief of staff, said to reporters Wednesday city officials have been told federal agents received notice a day earlier that they had 48 hours to deploy to five Democrat-led cities, including Chicago. Pacione-Zayas said that the tactical teams would be “targeting workplaces in terms of the raids.” It comes as another anti-Trump rally is again expected to draw thousands Downtown this weekend.

* NBC Chicago | Woman speaks after she was struck by vehicle during Chicago immigration protest: “At one point I look behind and I saw a red car accelerating towards us my husband was able to jump out of the way but the next thing I knew people were getting me to the sidewalk and asking me if I needed an ambulance and I said yes because I hit my head,” she said. In addition to her fractured arm, Blair said she will have follow-up appointments for her teeth and face, but is thankful that a bad situation didn’t turn out worse.

* The Athletic | Sky’s Ariel Atkins says Angel Reese’s ‘crown is heavy,’ urges media to show more respect: “Whatever questions y’all got like about our team, basketball-wise, we appreciate it, but all the other nonsense, like it’s irrelevant. This is a 23-year-old kid who handles herself with grace. Her crown is heavy.” Atkins, 28, was acquired by the Sky in February to bring her defensive-minded leadership to the young Chicago roster. The two-time All-Star helped the Washington Mystics win the 2019 WNBA title.

* ABC Chicago | Pope Leo XIV wears Chicago White Sox hat at the Vatican: There’s now a mural at Rate Field near where he sat for that game. On Saturday, a video message from Pope Leo will play during a sold-out celebration and Mass at the ballpark. The big celebration starts around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. You can watch it live on ABC7’s website and wherever you stream.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Plaintiff in FOIA lawsuit won’t accept former Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard’s affidavit: An attorney for former Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard agreed Wednesday to amend an affidavit Henyard filed stating she does not possess documents sought through the Freedom of Information Act after the organization suing her claimed it did not meet state standards. Henyard’s attorney, Beau Brindley, reached the agreement ahead of Wednesday’s hearing held via Zoom after Cook County Judge Kate Moreland said Henyard would be fined $1,000 for each day she failed to either produce documents requested by the nonprofit Edgar County Watchdogs, or submit an affidavit explaining she didn’t possess them.

* Daily Herald | District 15 budget operating deficit could reach $7.2 million in 2026: Palatine Township Elementary District 15 is projecting a $7.2 million deficit in its operating revenues for the 2026 fiscal year and could see shrinking reserves. School finance officials presented the sobering forecast as they unveiled the tentative budget at Tuesday’s board meeting, attributing the shortfall to several key factors. That included the loss of dollars previously received from federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds and the Corporate Personal Property Replacement Tax.

* Daily Herald | Barrington officials say progress is being made on pedestrian gates at UP crossings: All parties agreed on a draft interim order to reimburse the village for engineering design costs, which is expected to be approved later this month. Union Pacific will begin its engineering design work soon, with an estimated completion time of four months, after which they will determine project costs and material needs, village officials said.

* Daily Herald | Arlington Heights mayor pushes for EV charger restrictions in basement garages: Prompted by nationwide instances of long-burning lithium ion battery car fires sparked during the charging process, village officials are in the early stages of drafting a local ordinance that would limit the locations of EV chargers in new construction properties. One of the example ordinances they’re looking at is from Rosemont, which placed a temporary moratorium on the installation of parking garage chargers in March. The local prohibition — prompted by a large electric vehicle fire on the first floor of the Fashion Outlets of Chicago garage in January 2024 — is believed to be the first approved by a municipality in Illinois.

* Daily Herald | New era, old name? Debate grows over honoring former mayor at new Schaumburg village hall as construction nears: Family members of Schaumburg’s influential early mayor Bob Atcher see no reason the new village hall shouldn’t carry his name like the recently demolished building. But current Mayor Tom Dailly isn’t so sure that will be the case when the paint dries and the doors are opened. “It’s not the old building,” Dailly said, referring to the 52-year-old Robert O. Atcher Municipal Center demolished in April. “It’s not a building that Mayor Atcher ever attended or had anything to do with its design.”

* Crain’s | North Aurora warehouse sale shows industrial property strength: The price at roughly $135 per square foot is well above the recent average for local industrial property sales, particularly ones along the outer edges of Chicago’s suburban collar. Rising rents along the Interstate 55 corridor that warehouse users have coveted have pushed more companies to lease industrial space even farther from the city. And with a lack of available sites closer to Chicago for large-scale industrial projects, investors see value in owning warehouses like Park 88 that might have been considered too far off the beaten path several years ago.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | Trump administration derails McLean County’s ‘equity’ initiative for digital literacy: McLean County Assistant Administrator Anthony Grant said the county appeared to be in great shape to get a nearly $1 million federal grant. He became concerned when he saw a social media post from President Trump in early May saying he was going to end the Digital Equity Act. Trump called the program a “racist and illegal $2.5 billion dollar giveaway.”

* WAND | Sangamon County regional morgue facility officially opens Wednesday: The new $6 million facility is located in the Sangamon South building, which was formerly the State Journal-Register building. Sangamon County says it “brings autopsy, storage, investigative, and administrative functions under one roof, creating a modern, centralized hub for coroner services in Central Illinois.” In response to growing case volumes, the facility also has a refrigerator that can hold up to 50 bodies, and a freezer that can hold an additional 12.

* WGLT | Bloomington mayor says proposed massage therapy ordinance needs input from businesses: Bloomington Mayor Dan Brady thinks there is a need for more regulation of massage businesses to prevent sex trafficking, and agrees the city council did the right thing in postponing consideration of an ordinance to achieve that. Brady said the city needs to do more work to see how local regulation fits with existing state rules governing such businesses. “There has been movement in Peoria, Springfield — when I say movement, I mean ordinances similar to what Bloomington is trying to do. And I think there is a need for it,” Brady said in an interview on WGLT’s Sound Ideas.

* WMBD | McLean County Executive Committee approves $1.34 million grant for non-congregate shelter village: The McLean County Executive Committee unanimously approved a proposal for grant funding for the non-congregate shelter village project. The $1.34 million will go towards The Bridge shelter village. The committee sat through a presentation showcasing the plan for The Bridge. There will be 48 units, 40 for single occupancy and eight for double occupancy. Residents will also have a clubhouse with a kitchen, gathering spaces and an off-leash dog area for pets.

* WAND | Former coach named in lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct at Paxton-Buckley-Loda: The 14-count civil lawsuit was filed on Friday, June 6, by civil rights attorney Bhavani Raveendran on behalf of three plaintiffs: a former student, a parent of a former student, and a parent of a current student. The lawsuit seeks over $50,000 in damages for each count.

* WGLT | ISU looks for a consultant to create master plan for campus housing and dining: The project description envisions a three-phase assessment of housing and dining operations. Phases I and II will consist of an assessment of the current conditions and operations of residential facilities on campus. The goal of phase III is to produce a 10-year master plan for both housing and dining at ISU.

* WSPD | WPSD temporary set to be upgraded in July: The new, state-of-the-art set will have a wall that will wrap around a majority of the studio. It will have the WPSD Local 6 logo and various LED lights built into it. Large monitors will provide space for journalists to report in the studio, instead of at the anchor desk like with the temporary set. Michael Wright, owner of Wright Set, worked to produce the WPSD Local 6 set design for nearly one year. He has previously worked on two set updates for WPSD in the past, but has never completely rebuilt it. Upon the design completion, the design was given to Culton Companies, who have been working on constructing the set pieces since May of 2025.

*** National ***

* Military.com | Bragg Soldiers Who Cheered Trump’s Political Attacks While in Uniform Were Checked for Allegiance, Appearance: Internal 82nd Airborne Division communications reviewed by Military.com reveal a tightly orchestrated effort to curate the optics of Trump’s recent visit, including handpicking soldiers for the audience based on political leanings and physical appearance. The troops ultimately selected to be behind Trump and visible to the cameras were almost exclusively male. One unit-level message bluntly said “no fat soldiers.”

* WaPo | RFK Jr. picks new members of influential vaccine committee after purge: His picks for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices include a well-known pediatric infectious-diseases expert and at least three people who have criticized the use of mRNA coronavirus vaccines. Some of the more notable selections include Martin Kulldorff, the co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, which called for herd immunity through mass covid infection in 2020, and Vicky Pebsworth, who is listed on the board of the nation’s oldest anti-vaccine group.

* WaPo | Fulbright board resigns over alleged Trump administration interference: The board accused the White House of denying Fulbright awards to a “substantial” number of individuals who were selected for the 2025-2026 academic year through a rigorous, merit-based process. The board also alleged that the administration is putting an additional 1,200 foreign Fulbright recipients through an “unauthorized review process” that could lead to the termination of their awards.