Gov. JB Pritzker met with Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV in Rome on Wednesday, discussing the recent Trump immigration raids and inviting the pontiff to visit Illinois. @brendenmoore.bsky.social reports. Get the full story here: https://loom.ly/ziVwb24

Pritzker often talks about the impact of losing his parents young. I didn’t know until reporting this, but Caprara also lost her mom at a young age. That shared loss helped build their connection — and the empathy they say is at the root of many of the administration’s decisions.

My final story for Lee Enterprises is out today — a profile of Gov. Pritzker's chief of staff, @annecaprara.bsky.social. She’s helped shape his "Team Fight" approach to dealing with President Trump while using her own agency to enlist others in the battle. Read here: pantagraph.com/news/state-r...

Sen. Dick Durbin said he couldn’t justify “playing with other people’s lives” as millions missed paychecks & benefits, and his vote to end the shutdown wasn’t coordinated or orchestrated by Chuck Schumer. @brendenmoore.bsky.social reports: https://loom.ly/uEFuVek

Golden hour glow up. ✨

Gov. Pritzker will be in Little Village tomorrow for a Veterans Day ceremony.

All it took was the first hint of a Chicago winter. Nice scoop from @jmetr22b.bsky.social and @ckubzansky.bsky.social: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/10/f...

Gov. Pritzker is taking a similar “Team Fight” stance here as he did with the GOP government funding deal that passed in March with the votes of a handful of Democratic senators.

After @mandophotos.bsky.social photographed federal agents pointing rifles at 26th/Lawndale yesterday, I inquired with DHS about what threat had prompted them to pull weapons on a busy commercial strip (pictured). This is the response I got from a representative of the United States government.

@govpritzker.illinois.gov sounds like a hard NO on the House-proposed transit reform bill: "There's got to be a lot of discussion between the House and the Senate in order to come up with a final bill — because it isn't going to look like what the House has put forward." #twill

The war of words between President Donald Trump and Gov. JB Pritzker escalated dramatically this week as Texas National Guard troops arrived in Illinois. https://loom.ly/_J0xM9o

Standing room only for the Broadview, IL village board meeting this evening. Like it’s 2022 again — follow along, yes?

A federal judge declined to issue a restraining order against sending troops to Illinois, but she gave the U.S.DOJ 2 days to respond to request. @hannahmeisel.bsky.social @brendenmoore.bsky.social report. https://loom.ly/9GnMeYA

“Soon” is today! Thrilled to share that I’ve joined the @capitolnewsil.bsky.social team. Grateful to work alongside such a talented group of reporters and editors — all of whom I count as friends. Exciting things to come.

Illinois and Chicago are suing the federal government for what JB Pritzker described as an “invasion” of the state and city. @benszalinski.bsky.social @brendenmoore.bsky.social, and Hannah Meisel report. https://loom.ly/MI6oEvM

Chaos in Brighton Park. This is representative of the amount / direction of pepper and smoke sent into the neighborhood, in this case, for no reason I can discern other than because they were leaving. Feds had a clear path out in a different direction, and residents were vocal but not violent here.

Kedzie and Pershing. 3 p.m. Feds v. Protesting civilians

Friday news dump: today was my last day at Lee Enterprises. More soon on what’s next for me, so stay tuned! For now, I’m just feeling incredibly grateful for the experiences I’ve had and the talented colleagues I’ve been lucky to work with over the past five years.

It's not clear whether the troops will be Illinois National Guard, another state's guard or regular army. But when President Trump invoked Title 10 in Los Angeles this summer and in Portland yesterday, California and Oregon National Guard troops, respectively, were federalized.

One observation on language: Gov. Pritzker has repeatedly used the term "Department of War" in this presser. President Trump signed an executive order earlier this month reviving use of the term in reference to the Department of Defense, which remains its official name.

@ilattygeneral.bsky.social Kwame Raoul has this message to Illinoisans regarding the deployment of federal officers to the Loop: "Don't take the bait. There is no emergency in Chicago. Don't help him create one."

Gov. Pritzker said that ICE and Border Patrol activity in Chicago and Broadview was about "creating a pretext to send armed military troops into our communities" and "about consolidating power in Donald Trump's hands." More plainly, he labels it authoritarianism.

@govpritzker.illinois.gov: "Moments ago, the Illinois National Guard received word that the Department of Homeland Security has sent a memo to the Department of War seeking the deployment of 100 military troops to Illinois, claiming a need for the protection of ICE personnel and facilities."

Everyone needs a hype person like CK in their corner.

New: @govpritzker.illinois.gov signed an executive order this morning directing state agencies to identify up to 4% in FY26 appropriations to reserve, citing the impact of Trump Administration economic policies. Reports due to GOMB on 30 days. Doesn’t impact pension payments or K-12 funding.

Gov. Pritzker put on his lawyer hat to answer this question from @tahmanbradley.bsky.social about why he won’t ask President Trump for civilian resources to address crime. “He’s going to end up in court. And that will be a fact that they will use in court— that the governor called to ask for help.”

President Trump, speaking at a news conference, said he was planning to send the National Guard to Chicago. Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois said the state was ready to fight the Trump administration’s plan in court. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/u...

As Trump repeats his idea that D.C. will be a "template" for federal takeovers of Chicago and other cities, it's worth looking at what life in D.C. has been like under that takeover. Check out my piece for the @chicagotribune.com on Sunday: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/31/t...

Pritzker on raids during celebrations: "This is an aim of this government. They don't actually care if you're here and undocumented. They just care if your skin color is a little off of theirs, and that you're Latino. They're going to just target you without knowing anything."

@govpritzker.illinois.gov responds to POTUS: "First, I want to address the President's unhinged remarks a few minutes ago begging me to call him. No, I will not call the president asking him to send troops to Chicago. I've made that clear already."

Trump: "And I would love to have Gov. Pritzker call me, I'd gain respect for him, and say, 'we do have a problem, and we'd love you to send in the troops'" ... He adds: "We're going to do it anyway. We have the right to do it because I have an obligation to protect this country."

President Trump, at the White House now, on sending National Guard troops to Chicago: "Well, we're going in." But he doesn't say when.

@govpritzker.illinois.gov on President Trump: “He's defunding police. He's defunding our efforts to fight crime so that he can send troops into the city of Chicago. For one reason… It's about the elections in 2026 and about interrupting our ability to have a fair and free election in 2026.”

“Relieved" was how Emma’s mother, Cathy Schwartz, felt when asked by the SJ-R’s Steven Spearie. His initial write-up on a welcome update that comes more than two years after Emma’s death: www.sj-r.com/story/news/c...

@govpritzker.illinois.gov on President Trump's threat to send troops to Chicago: "This is not about fighting crime. This is about Donald Trump searching for any justification to deploy the military in a blue city in a blue state to try and intimidate his political rivals." #twill

Neither will I!

New from me: Former Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy is "taking a hard look at" seeking the GOP nomination for governor in 2026. Final decision expected before the Illinois State Fair. #twill pantagraph.com/news/state-r...

Hard to find the words for my disappointment in management or rage (but definitely not surprise) toward Alden. One person laid off — housing reporter Lizzie Kane — had a screamer, front-page scoop last week. Defies reason to send that kind of talent out the door. This cut will have ripple effects.

With a beer in hand, Gov. @jbpritzker.bsky.social enters to a rousing applause from his supporters in Springfield. #twill

With a pledge to "keep Illinois moving forward," Gov. @jbpritzker.bsky.social officially launched his long-expected campaign for reelection Thursday morning. He's the first Illinois governor in more than four decades to seek a third term. Story: pantagraph.com/news/state-r...

@govpritzker.illinois.gov officially kicks off his campaign for reelection tomorrow with a series of events around the state. He’ll start with a rally on Chicago’s South Side and then make stops in Rockford, Peoria and Springfield. He’ll make stops Friday in Belleville and West Frankfort. #twill

About half the Tribune is currently on call for massive protests and possible immigration raids. Our owner's response? A round of buyouts. It's a vivid illustration of the fact that Alden Global Capital could not care less about journalism, news or the city of Chicago. They just want money.

@govpritzker.illinois.gov in his opening statement: “We will not participate in abuses of power. We will not violate court orders, we will not ignore the constitution. We will not defy the Supreme Court. We will not take away people's rights to peacefully protest." #twill

@govpritzker.illinois.gov plans to say that Illinois has "had to shoulder the consequences of a broken immigration system.” He’ll defend the state’s TRUST Act, but make clear that he wants violent criminals who are undocumented “out of Illinois and out of our country.” pantagraph.com/news/state-r...

Tonight's story here — hours of marching, a couple tense confrontations with police, not clear how many arrests yet. Photos by @mandophotos.bsky.social and @jkimpictures.bsky.social www.chicagotribune.com/2025/06/10/c...

@brendenmoore.bsky.social in Lee >> www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...

More on the state's $55.2 billion spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1. It relies on more than $1 billion in new revenue that'll come from tax hikes on tobacco products and sports betting companies, among other sources. pantagraph.com/news/state-r...

Illinois lawmakers approved $8.2B in new capital spending in the state's FY26 budget. Included is $300M for "Surplus to Success," an initiative of @govpritzker.illinois.gov's to take state-owned sites that've sat idle for years and prime them for economic development: pantagraph.com/news/state-r...

It’s bigger on the inside!