Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Tuesday, Aug 26, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

Elgin Republican Cody Holt announced that he’s seeking the GOP nomination for the 33rd state Senate district, a seat currently held by Don DeWitte, R-St. Charles. [..].

Holt will vie against Jessica Breugelmans, who lives near Geneva and who also announced she will seek the GOP nomination in the March 17, 2026, primary election. The primary winner will run in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. […]

Holt called himself the conservative choice and a millennial Republican, stating that he brings “a sense of generational urgency to the race.” […]

Holt worked at Wirepoints, which described itself on X as, “Independent research, commentary and news aggregation.”

…Adding… US Sen. Dick Durbin has endorsed Yasmeen Bankole in the race for Illinois’ 8th Congressional District. Press release…

Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin endorsed Yasmeen Bankole for Congress in Illinois’ 8th. Durbin’s endorsement of Yasmeen Bankole, Hanover Park Trustee and lifelong Illinois public servant, comes on the heels of Yasmeen receiving the first and only union endorsement to date from IBEW Local 701, as well as the support of 40 elected leaders across the district’s three counties.

“Yasmeen is the next generation of leadership we need to fight for Illinois, and I am proud to endorse her campaign for Congress,” said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin. “I’ve seen Yasmeen in action through her service in my office and through her lifelong career as an Illinois public servant. From lowering the cost of living to defending our rights and making our communities safer, Yasmeen always delivers for Illinois. She has the experience, the fight, and the heart for the job, and she’s the leader the 8th district needs in this moment.” […]

As Hanover Park Trustee, Yasmeen successfully passed programs to lower families’ water bills, install free doorbell cameras, and support good-paying union jobs, and she introduced the assault weapons sales ban to make our communities safer. She served Northeast Illinois for nearly six years in Senator Durbin’s office, helping small businesses stay in business through the pandemic, delivering on the infrastructure needs for towns and cities, and connecting Illinoisans with the services they need.

*** Statewide ***

* Alton Telegraph | Illinois Senate race: 17 file as Raja Krishnamoorthi leads fundraising: According to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), as of Aug. 20, a total of 17 candidates have begun their campaigns to take the seat that Durbin has held for nearly 30 years. These candidates consist of nine Democrats, six Republicans, and two Independents. As of June 30, the three who have received the most funds are Krishnamoorthi, Kelly, and Stratton. The remaining candidates have not raised over $100,000 as of June 30, which is the most recent filing information available from the FEC.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Press Release | AG Raoul leads 44 states in demanding companies end predatory AI interactions with kids: Internal Meta documents reveal that the company authorized its AI assistants to “flirt and engage in romantic roleplay with children” as young as 8 years old. Raoul and the coalition’s letter also cites cases where other chatbots have allegedly encouraged harmful behavior in teenagers, including suicide and murder.

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | Would The National Guard Actually Curb Crime In Chicago? Probably Not, Experts Say: Lance Williams, a professor at Northeastern Illinois University who works with numerous violence intervention groups across Chicago, said he doesn’t think the National Guard would help combat crime over the long term in Chicago — especially if, like in D.C., troops mostly focus on Downtown and tourist-heavy areas. Leaders also cited declines in violent crime categories in the city over the past year — a trend that is taking place in cities across the United States — as proof that federal intervention is unnecessary.

* Bloomberg | To Boost Housing, Chicago Kills Parking Minimums: Removing zoning regulations that mandate a minimum number of spaces is a growing trend across the US, with cities from Santa Monica to Hartford, Connecticut, striking down parking rules in an effort to reduce building costs and encourage developers to create more affordable housing. In 2024, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson launched his Cut the Tape Initiative, a push for new home construction that aimed to grease the wheels for developers by getting rid of some levels of bureaucracy; that effort also recommended eliminating minimum parking requirements.

* Bloomberg | Chicago schools’ overdue pension payment magnifies fiscal mess: While the accrued costs may appear small, any additional burden on the district — particularly related to severely underfunded pensions — exacerbates its cash crunch. The Chicago Board of Education is trying to pass a budget this week to close a $734 million deficit before the Aug. 29 deadline. Tensions are already high as Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is expecting school officials to come up with funds to cover a separate $175 million municipal pension payment for non-teacher school employees to ease the city’s own $1 billion budget hole.

* Tribune | Despite DNA match, no new charges in 1994 slaying as wrongful conviction suits advance: While the suits continue to work their way through the civil court system, the lack of new criminal charges has drawn criticism from Coleman and his lawyer, who say justice is being left undone. Bridgeman disappeared in April 1994 after celebrating her 20th birthday and was found dead more than two weeks later. Coleman and Fulton were convicted in 1997 and freed after two decades when DNA testing did not find a match with either of them, or with Bridgeman’s boyfriend. Instead, the DNA matched the man later identified as Neal, according to court records.

* CEO of Urban Growers Collective Erika Allen | Chicago doesn’t have to choose between jobs and health: The proposed Hazel Johnson Cumulative Impacts Ordinance will make sure that the neighborhoods absorbing the most polluting industry have a greater voice in decisions that impact their health. The ordinance will ensure transparency, public engagement and common-sense environmental review. In 1979, Hazel founded People for Community Recovery to address tenants’ rights in Chicago’s Altgeld Gardens housing development where she lived, including the need to address her community’s suspiciously high cancer rates. She coined the term “toxic donut” to describe the landfills and industrial corridors surrounding Altgeld Gardens and neighboring waterways — which meant breathing air and drinking water contaminated with heavy metals and noxious chemicals.

* Crain’s | UIC medical school under congressional scrutiny in antisemitism probe: The college was one of three medical schools to receive letters from Education & Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg, R-Mich., for allegedly failing to address antisemitism under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The two other letters were sent to the University of California, San Francisco and University of California, Los Angeles Geffen School of Medicine.

* Crain’s | Chicago Reader gets a lifeline with acquisition by Seattle-based Noisy Creek: The Reader joins Portland’s The Mercury and Seattle’s Pulitzer prize-winning The Stranger at Noisy Creek, which aims to lift the Chicago outlet’s business model with a diverse stream of revenue to make it more financially sustainable. “The Reader is an iconic publication and part of the fabric of Chicago. We’re thrilled to help grow and invigorate the Reader,” wrote Noisy Creek Founder and former Grist CEO Brady Walkinshaw in a press release. “Also, I love Chicago.”

* Crain’s | Restaurant group bringing Italian trattoria to Bally’s casino in River North: One Off’s Chef Paul Kahan created the menu for Tre Denari, and the restaurant group will train the casino’s staff at its commissary before handing off restaurant operations to Bally’s. The bar manager at Avec River North created the cocktail list for Tre Denari, and will train the bartenders, Alexander said. The restaurant will serve bread from Publican Quality Bread.

* Block Club | The ‘Mayor Of Mayfair’ Has Been Cleaning Up His Northwest Side Neighborhood For 26 Years: The Air Force veteran usually starts his work about 8 a.m., walking around Mayfair armed with his metal grabber and bucket, collecting trash and surveying the neighborhood. Every couple of weeks, Eliason brings his riding lawnmower to the grassy area near the Montrose Blue Line Station to trim the grass. He’s also helped fundraise for neighborhood improvement projects. But now that he’s 90, Eliason said he is ready for someone else to take the reins.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Evanston Now | Alders move to keep grocery tax: While voicing much reluctance, Evanston city council members opted Monday night to move forward with plans to impose a 1% local tax on groceries to replace an identical state tax the state legislature has repealed. Their move drew support from Therese McGuire, a Kellogg School of Management, who specializes in state and local government finance. During public comment at the meeting, McGuire suggested that maintaining the grocery tax was the least bad of a bad set of options.

* Tribune | Oak Park and River Forest High School removes bathroom doors to prevent student vaping: When the change was announced at the senior class assembly during the first week of school, some seniors reportedly booed. “Our jaws dropped,” said Ryan Burns, a senior at OPRF. “We were like, that’s crazy. People were booing. They were upset, frustrated.” Though not much of the bathroom can be seen from the hallways and stall doors remained, the move is concerning to some students.

* Daily Herald | More personnel changes in Wheeling Police Department as new deputy chief named: Cmdr. Joseph Kopecky was promoted to deputy chief Monday, effective immediately, village officials said. He will succeed Deputy Chief Al Steffen when Steffen retires Jan. 1, Village Manager Jon Sfondilis said. Until then, Kopecky will serve alongside Steffen and Deputy Chief Michael Conway under Interim Chief Bill Murphy. Kopecky joined the department as a patrol officer in 1997. He’s also served in investigations and in command-level positions, according to the village’s news release.

*** Downstate ***

* WAND | Case IH debuts new equipment, technology at Farm Progress Show: Kurt Coffey, Vice President of Case IH North America, said the show is a special one for him. “I’ve been coming to these shows my whole life. I grew up down in Coles County,” he said. “So, I’m obviously excited to always come out here to the Farm Show and see a lot of locals and people we’ve worked with.”

* WAND | Everything you need to know before going to the 2025 Farm Progress Show: The Farm Progress Show will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. August 26-28. This year, the Farm Progress Show returns to Illinois, celebrating two decades in Decatur and its first event at the semi-permanent sites.

* WAND | Mattoon releases report on response to July algal bloom events: The report outlines the full timeline of events, water distribution, water delivery, a summary of actions taken, lessons learned, and next steps and recommendations, which will be added at a later time. Those interested can check out the full report online.

* Journal Courier | Republican Club member plans precinct committee campaign: Ryan Zipprich, the media chairman for the Morgan County Republican Club for almost 10 years, said he’s running to be a Republican precinct committeeman. A precinct committeeman’s responsibilities include educating people about election matters as well as recommending people to fill certain vacancies, such as for a county board. […] Zipprich, 45, said he has endorsements from Congressman Darin LaHood, state Sen. Steve McClure and state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer. He said he wants to organize more meet-and-greets between voters and constituents.

* WGN | Illinois WWII veteran’s Purple Heart, Bronze Star returned to family: An Illinois family has been reunited with a deceased World War II veterans military honors that had been missing for several years. In a special ceremony last week at VFW Post 1301 in Marion, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs turned over a lost Purple Heart and other medals to relatives of the late Stephen J. Grabowski. Grabowski, a Chicagoan and son of Polish immigrants, fought in the European theater during the war. Army Private Grabowski was a rifleman in Company B, 473rd Infantry.

* Pantagraph | Bloomington taps firm to perform concept plan for future public works campus: At Monday’s regular meeting, the council approved a $154,740 contract with Kluber Architects and Engineers, an Aurora-based firm with an office in Bloomington, to perform a concept development plan on the site of the former home of Owen Nursery, at 10 Finance Drive, which would house the new campus. Deputy City Manager Sue McLaughlin said the concept plan is the next logical step to converting the facility. The campus would include space for administrative offices; solid waste, streets and sewers staff and equipment; fleet vehicles; the Citizen Convenience Center; and stormwater detention.

* WGLT | How to cook 240 ears of corn in 10 minutes: Delightfully mild weather helped to bring out big crowds for this year’s Sweet Corn Circus in Uptown Normal – enough to gobble up 3,600 ears of corn. Can you imagine a more beautiful thing? WGLT visited the corn-cooking crew at North and Broadway to learn how they cook 240 ears of corn in 10 minutes using the power of steam.

* WAND | Upgraded security measures coming to Memorial Stadium entrances: University of Illinois Athletics said in a press release Monday that the University’s Division of Public Safety and the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics have added walk-through metal detection services to all stadium entrances. Fans will keep their belongings on them while passing through the system, and anyone who triggers it will receive a secondary check with a security wand. The clear bag policy, which began in 2018, remains in effect, and fans entering with bags must pass through the existing bag check before entering metal detection.

*** National ***

* Lexis Nexis | Lawmakers Aim to Cut Utility Returns: To help ratepayers, lawmakers in at least six states have introduced legislation this year to limit utility companies’ ROE. Pending bills in New York (SB 5687) and Rhode Island (HB 5018) seek to cap utility profit margins at 4%. Proposals in four other states eschew a hard cap in favor of revised guidance to existing utility regulators.

* AP | August consumer confidence dips in US with jobs, tariffs and high prices driving most unease: The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index ticked down by 1.3 points to 97.4 in August, down from July’s 98.7, but in the same narrow range of the past three months. The small decline in confidence was in line with the forecasts of most of the economists who were surveyed. A measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for their income, business conditions and the job market fell by 1.2 points to 74.8, remaining significantly below 80, the marker that can signal a recession ahead.

* NYT | A Teen Was Suicidal. ChatGPT Was the Friend He Confided In.: And at one critical moment, ChatGPT discouraged Adam from cluing his family in. “I want to leave my noose in my room so someone finds it and tries to stop me,” Adam wrote at the end of March. “Please don’t leave the noose out,” ChatGPT responded. “Let’s make this space the first place where someone actually sees you.”

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Trump hedges again about sending troops to Chicago without an invitation (Updated)

Tuesday, Aug 26, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background from yesterday is here if you need it. Today…

Trump: We will do the same thing in Chicago. I would like to be asked, as opposed to going in and doing it pic.twitter.com/QAWBryUU4f

— Acyn (@Acyn) August 26, 2025

Transcript…

[Washington, DC] is going to be so safe. It’ll be the safest place on Earth.

And we’ll do the same thing in Chicago. But I’d like to be asked, as opposed to just going in and doing it. Because you know, when you go in and do it, then they start screaming, ‘Oh, he shouldn’t be, we don’t need him.’ We’re doing so well. And then the better we do, they take credit for it. So it’s really pretty unfair.

Again, he says so many things that your guess is as good as anyone’s about what he ends up doing, so I’m not gonna bother trying.

…Adding… Later in the press conference…

So I would have much more respect for Pritzker if he’d call me up and say, ‘I have a problem. Can you help me fix it?’ I would be so happy to do it. I don’t love - not that I don’t have I would the right to do anything I want to do. I’m the President of the United States. If I think our country is in danger, and it is in danger in these cities, I can do it. No problem going in and solving, you know, his difficulties - But it would be nice if they’d call and they say, ‘Would you do it?’

* You may have missed it late yesterday afternoon, but Derek Douglas, the President of the Civic Committee and the Commercial Club of Chicago (which counts among its membership some of the most successful businesspeople in the city) listed some good reasons for why the idea of just barging in with the military is a bad idea. Excerpts from his remarks yesterday…

Deploying federal troops or federalizing the National Guard without engaging state and local government, business, philanthropic and community leaders - the ones who understand Chicago’s needs and are on the ground working daily to make our city safer - is unprecedented and unwarranted. […]

That said, we do believe there is a critical role for federal support that could benefit our city. What we need is aligned action. That’s what we have going on in Chicago.

What we don’t need are disruptions to our economy and our businesses. Active duty military patrolling the streets of our city sends the wrong message and risks slowing our economy and disrupting the progress we’ve made together. It will impact businesses’ bottom lines and ability to operate efficiently. It will impact tourism and employees getting to their jobs. It will impact morale.

The kind of sweeping, uncoordinated, indiscriminate action being threatened sets a dangerous precedent, and we stand with our city and all Chicagoans to encourage the administration to productively engage with us, to help us continue to make progress on this critical issue.

* By the way, CNN debunked some of President Trump’s claims about DC crime. Via Mediaite…

BORIS SANCHEZ: Really important point to keep in mind. Kim, please stand by. I want to bring in CNN’s Senior Reporter, Daniel Dale, to fact check some of the claims that Trump specifically made about crime across the United States and in the nation’s Capitol. Daniel, Trump said that it’s the first time in many years that D.C. has gone a week, I think he said 11 days, without a murder. Is that accurate?

DANIEL DALE: It is not accurate. So of course, it’s fantastic. There has currently been the 11-day stretch without a reported homicide, but that also happened earlier this year. In February and March, there was a 16-day stretch with no reported homicides in the district. So the president is exaggerating again, and that wasn’t his only false claim, guys, on the subject of D.C. crime. He said that it was an all-time crime high when he took office. He said the worst day was the day he came back, not even close to true. D.C. has not been even close to the all-time highs of the early 1990s.

Now, I know he’s raised questions as the D.C. Police Union has about the validity of some D.C. crime stats. But let’s just look at murder as an example, the least falsifiable kind of crime. D.C. had 187 homicides in 2024. It was over 470 in a couple years in the early ’90s. So no, nowhere close to an all-time peak.

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React to Trump’s threat of National Guard deployment in Chicago (Updated x2)

Monday, Aug 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Click here for background if you need it. Governor JB Pritzker, Attorney General Kwame Raoul and community leaders will hold a 3 pm press conference emphasizing “there is no emergency that requires President Trump to send military deployments to Chicago.” Click here to watch.

* Senate President Don Harmon…

“If Trump is dead set on spending millions of taxpayer dollars deploying the National Guard and uprooting their families, I understand that budget cuts have created a need for crossing guards in the city to keep children safe. That could be a great public service. I would encourage the president to contact CPS leadership for logistics, or perhaps he could call the CTU President, as I’m sure she’d be happy to tell him where to go.”

* The Cook County Sheriff’s Office…

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office has not been contacted by anyone regarding any plans with the deployment of the National Guard. We have longstanding relationships with Federal partners, and we have not been informed of any strategic plan involving the National Guard in Chicago.

* House Speaker Chris Welch…

“Safe communities are built on trust between local law enforcement and our neighborhoods, so there is no situation in Chicago—or in any other community for that matter—that can be improved by Donald Trump’s unprecedented federalur overreach. The real crisis the president should be focused on is the cost of living crisis that is stretching families to the breaking point because of this administration’s erratic policies and misplaced priorities.”

* Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias…

“Everyone wants safer communities. If you really want to help Chicago get crime under control Mr President, how about restoring C.V.I. grants, passing common-sense gun safety laws and stopping the cutting of funding for city/state resources that would allow us to hire more police, law enforcement and “de-escalation” officials.

The National Guard was not established nor trained for crime fighting. Let’s make all our cities safer by pursuing policies that really work, not just pretending we’re doing something as a way to divert attention from all the failures of your administration.”

* Chicago Federation of Labor, Equality Illinois, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Personal PAC and Sierra Club Illinois…

“Trump’s scare tactics are nothing new and our communities see right through them. As he well knows, our crime numbers have hit a 30-year low in this city, all while he fails to deliver on a single promise that would actually improve the lives of working people. He’s doubling down on a racist gambit to create chaos in cities to distract from his tanking poll numbers and disastrous policy agenda.

“We won’t be cowed. We won’t back down from fighting against his attacks on our fundamental rights, and we are committed to working together to ensure Illinois stays on course to protect our communities and our future.”

* Gov. JB Pritzker…

“The State of Illinois at this time has received no requests or outreach from the federal government asking if we need assistance, and we have made no requests for federal intervention.

“The safety of the people of Illinois is always my top priority. There is no emergency that warrants the President of the United States federalizing the Illinois National Guard, deploying the National Guard from other states, or sending active activity duty military within our own borders.

“Donald Trump is attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicize Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he is causing working families.

“We will continue to follow the law, stand up for the sovereignty of our state, and protect the people of Illinois.”

* Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton…

If Trump wants to take his ego trip on tour, he picked the wrong city.

Chicago doesn’t bow down to kings or roll out the red carpet for dictators. As a Black woman from the South Side, I can assure you @realdonaldtrump, your political circus isn’t welcome here. https://t.co/pb6w4STMa2

— Juliana Stratton (@JulianaStratton) August 22, 2025

* Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson…

“We take President Trump’s statements seriously, but to be clear the City has not received any formal communication from the Trump administration regarding additional federal law enforcement or military deployments to Chicago. Certainly, we have grave concerns about the impact of any unlawful deployment of National Guard troops to the City of Chicago. The problem with the President’s approach is that it is uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound. Unlawfully deploying the National Guard to Chicago has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement when we know that trust between police and residents is foundational to building safer communities. An unlawful deployment would be unsustainable and would threaten to undermine the historic progress we have made. In the past year alone, we have reduced homicides by more than 30%, robberies by 35%, and shootings by almost 40%. We need to continue to invest in what is working.

“We know that our communities are safest when we fully invest in housing, community safety, and education. The National Guard will not alleviate the housing crisis. It will not put food in the stomachs of the 1 in 4 children that go to bed hungry every night in Chicago. The National Guard will not fully-fund our public schools or provide mental healthcare or substance abuse treatment to Chicagoans in need. The National Guard is no substitute for dedicated local law enforcement and community violence interrupters who know and serve our communities every day. There are many things the federal government could do to help us reduce crime and violence in Chicago, but sending in the military is not one of them.”

* Attorney General Kwame Raoul…

“Throughout my tenure, I have successfully collaborated with federal law enforcement partners, such as the FBI, DEA, ATF, Secret Service and Homeland Security – Investigations, to investigate and prosecute crime in Illinois, as have other local and state law enforcement partners around the state of Illinois. I appreciate the federal government’s contribution of their expertise, technology and manpower toward those efforts. In fact, violent crimes have decreased in the city of Chicago over the last year. But instead of dedicating more resources to that work, the president is focused on turning our military on American citizens in his ongoing attempts to move our nation toward authoritarianism. His actions are not just un-American. They are unwise strategically. Our cities are not made safer by deploying the nation’s service members for civilian law enforcement duties when they do not have the appropriate training.

“To be clear: We have made no such request for the type of federal intervention we have seen in Los Angeles or Washington D.C. There is no emergency in the state of Illinois.

“In fact, even as the president publicly laments the rampant crime he claims is taking over our cities, his Justice Department is threatening to withhold critical Victims of Crimes Act funding. If the president was serious about supporting victims of crime, my office would not have had to file suit this week to stop him from placing unlawful immigration conditions on completely unrelated funding that supports critical services for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, human trafficking, child abuse and other violent crimes.”

* US Sen. Tammy Duckworth…

U.S. Senator and combat Veteran Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement today amid reports that the Trump Administration is planning another inappropriate deployment of American troops into American cities, this time to Chicago, without coordinating with state or local officials and despite the state not requesting any deployment:

“It comes as no surprise Donald Trump is once again attacking Chicago, but that doesn’t change that Trump’s continuing pattern of politicizing and misusing our nation’s military for his own partisan gain and to crush dissent is deeply disturbing, is un-American and has no place in any of our cities.

“We know this isn’t about ‘law and order’ because Trump is once again refusing to coordinate with state and local officials. And if he really cared about ‘health and safety,’ he wouldn’t have cut millions of dollars in gun violence prevention funding just weeks ago. This is just another attempt to distract the American people from the price increases his own policies are causing and the various personal scandals he wants to change the subject from.

“Forcing the military, uninvited, into Chicago to intimidate Americans in their own communities does not make our nation stronger, it simply distracts the military from executing its core mission of keeping Americans safe from real adversaries who wish us harm.

“It’s yet another unwarranted, unwanted and unjust move straight out of the authoritarian’s playbook that will only undermine our military’s readiness and ultimately weaken our national security.”

* US Sen. Dick Durbin…

“What President Trump is doing in DC is purely political theater. His actions are creating chaos and sowing fear rather than making our nation’s capital safer, and now he says Chicago will be his next target. Chicago is a beautiful, vibrant city with people from all walks of life, which I see firsthand all the time. While there is more work to do, violent crime in the city has significantly declined in recent years. These unprecedented threats and manufactured emergencies from President Trump are nothing more than a power grab to distract from his disastrous policies like ripping 17 million people off their health care and raising costs for Americans. We should be focusing on proven bipartisan solutions to continue to reduce violent crime rather than using our brave men and women in uniform for political purposes.”

* US Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi…

“President Trump’s illegal attempt to militarize Chicago will do nothing but spark chaos and create spectacle. There is no emergency in Illinois that warrants federalizing our National Guard or deploying active-duty troops into our communities—just as there was no justification in Washington or Los Angeles. Donald Trump’s flagrant abuses of power must end. Our brave servicemen and women are not pawns in his political games.

That’s why I introduced legislation to block any president from unilaterally deploying the military into states without a governor’s request. If the President is serious about making Chicago safer, we’re ready to work with his Administration—but not on half-baked stunts that trample the Constitution and spread chaos. I stand with Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson in rejecting this reckless overreach and defending the rule of law.”

* US Rep. Robin Kelly…

“President Trump, let me be absolutely clear: you are not welcomed in Chicago. Do not send the National Guard into our city. And you have no authority to claim what Black women want. Black women have lost sons and daughters, spouses, fathers and mothers to gun violence – and experienced the horrific trauma of gun violence and domestic violence themselves – yet you have done nothing to save Black lives. In fact, bringing the National Guard into Chicago threatens Black communities that have already been overpoliced and under-invested in for generations.

“President Trump believes he can make an easy target out of Chicago – but he’s never understood our city. Crime has gone down to pre-pandemic levels due to community violence intervention organizations that have provided opportunities and safer pathways for young adults. If the President truly cared about law and order, he would keep the National Guard away – out of DC, too – pass gun safety laws, and release already-allocated funds to CVI organizations. We all know, though, that he’s too scared of the gun lobby to do anything.”

According to the Chicago Mayor’s Office Violence Reduction Dashboard, crime has decreased this year compared to 2024, including a 45% reduction in multi-victim shooting incidents, 35% reduction in fatal shooting homicides, and 49% reduction in car hijackings.

* Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot…

I know Trump is not too smart and possibly senile, so he might not remember when Chicagoans ran him out of town in 2016–but we do. We all see the distraction game he’s playing for just what it is, and Chicagoans don’t take well to being threatened. Keep Chicago out of your mouth!

— Lori Lightfoot (@LoriLightfoot) August 22, 2025

* NYT…

Rahm Emanuel, the former mayor of Chicago, said on CNN on Sunday that Mr. Trump’s threat was more a reflection of the president’s animus toward its Democratic leadership and desire to crackdown on immigration than a considered strategy to take on crime.

“When you look at what he did in D.C., he’s not going to actually deal with crime,” Mr. Emanuel said. “This is an attempt to deal with cities that are welcoming cities, known as sanctuary cities, and deal with immigration.” […]

In Chicago, Mr. Emanuel said that prosecutors should pursue penalties for gun crimes and that law enforcement should work to combat carjackings, a category of crime that he said has not fallen as sharply as others. But city leaders are treading the right path already, he said, and do not need the kind of assistance the federal government is offering.

“We have a strategy for fighting crime: more police on the beat and getting kids, gangs and guns off the street,” he said. “And that’s what has to be done.”

* NBC Chicago…

The chair of the Chicago City Council’s Public Safety Committee spoke to NBC Chicago about the need to reduce crime in the city but said Trump’s National Guard threats are misguided.

“We still see an unacceptably high number of robberies, carjackings, burglaries, break-ins. We have work to do, but we need help that makes sense,” Alderman Brian Hopkins said. “The federal National Guard isn’t going to make a difference in carjacking in Chicago. If he really wanted to help, we’re short 2,000 police officers. Unfortunately, that is not what Trump is talking about.”

…Adding… Darren Bailey…

Former State Senator Darren Bailey released the following statement blasting Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson for opposing National Guard deployment to restore order in Chicago:

“If Brandon Johnson and JB Pritzker try to block the National Guard from coming into Chicago, they should be thrown in jail. They are siding with criminals and putting politics ahead of the safety of families. Enough is enough. Chicago is bleeding, and these two are too busy playing politics.

Families are burying their children, businesses are shuttering, and entire neighborhoods live in fear. For Pritzker and Johnson to say there’s no emergency is disgraceful. They’re not just failing Chicago—they’re enabling the chaos.

Chicago is a world class city. The City and our state do not need weak politicians making excuses. We need leaders with a backbone who will fight for law and order. Pritzker and Johnson have failed. It’s time to put families first and restore this city to greatness.”

…Adding… Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke…

“The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office works with local, state, and federal law enforcement officers every day to get illegal guns and violent criminals off our streets. We prosecute crimes in collaboration with our law enforcement partners when they are properly presented with appropriate jurisdiction and sufficient evidence. Federal intervention in our public safety efforts will never result in a deviation from our core mission of following the law and representing all victims of crime in Cook County.”

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