Ahead of America’s 250th anniversary,Trump wanted to erase any “disparaging” history in the national parks. We documented + visualized the vast scale of this unprecedented censorship campaign. Very proud of this months-long team effort for @us.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

this AM the last Prairieland 9 defendant Ines Soto was sentenced to 50 years — so he and his partner, Liz Soto, got effectively life sentences. they have 3 kids. those who took non-cooperating plea deals, Rowan Gibson and Rebecca Morgan, got 15 each. total time sentenced in this case: 530 years

Sotomayor, joined by Kagan and Jackson, agrees that the trans plaintiff's Title IX claim fails, but accuses the majority of reaching an overly broad conclusion about Title IX's tolerance of anti-trans discrimination. The three fully dissent on equal protection. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...

Who were the Midway Blitz Border Patrol agents? Most were veteran immigration officers. blockclubchi.co/4eD8XMr

(AP) — More than 100 Venezuelans who were deported from the U.S. hours before the earthquakes are missing after their hotel collapsed. apnews.com/article/earthquake...

A California cyclist is currently suing Waymo after a passenger opened the door when the vehicle parked in a bike lane, hitting the cyclist and throwing her off her bike, only to be hit by another Waymo dropping off another passenger in the bike lane.

Fire survivors say “it’s morally reprehensible,” and experts worry the wagering could lead to arson.

Puerto Rican Cultural Center takes the lead at the 55th annual Pride Parade “We might have to Act Up again to preserve our human rights… We’re coming here united to make sure what happened before doesn’t happen again.” chicago.suntimes.com/lgbtq/2026/0...

Heading out for Chicago’s Pride Parade today? Here’s what you need to know between the best transit options, ADA accessible viewing areas, pedestrian crossings and more!

Sox pound out 23 hits, including homers by Vargas, Gonzalez, Benintendi, Teel and Peters

Visitors say arbitrary and changing rules prevent visitation and cause stress to families and their detained loved ones

For Ludovic Comeau, this week has been loaded with emotional whiplash. He celebrated Haiti’s appearance in the World Cup Wednesday, only to learn Thursday that refugees from his country were denied temporary protected status by the nation’s highest court. chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

New: The U.S. federal judiciary says it is going to hike fees to download documents from its online court records system known as PACER in order to accelerate the development of a new, more secure case management and public ​access system. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

this sox game 👀

6.24.26 union rat's log this morning, the reader union returns to the table with noisy creek management. noisy creek's recent counterproposals suggest many policies & benefits worse than our current contract. but we know our worth, & we won't accept unnecessary concessions. ttyl, union rat <3

Two ICE agents tracked down a woman *inside a polling place* yesterday. Why? They demanded that she take down an Instagram post in which she named Jonathan Ross as the man who shot & killed Renee Good (after the Star Tribune identified Ross). www.syracuse.com/news/2026/06...

Very confusing press release about a teen trend yesterday at Navy Pier that never manifested. The Chicago Public Media's offices are at Navy Pier so it was very easy for us to check in on if anything was happening.

Liz Soto and Savanna Batten are 2 of those sentenced to 50 years in prison for Prairieland. I visited them in a north Texas jail—11 months into their incarceration over a July 4 noise demo—to meet the Trump admin’s “Antifa terrorists”. from behind glass, Soto said, “They didn’t like my book club.”

Far harsher sentences than the worst J6ers, who are free today: “Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys who was convicted of seditious conspiracy, was sentenced to 22 years in prison. Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the far-right group the Oath Keepers, was sentenced to 18 years in prison.”

In a statement, WPATH said the FTC was "acting out of pure retaliation as part of the federal government’s relentless and targeted campaign to undermine gender-affirming care." “It really does feel like they’re grasping at straws," said Asher McMaher, head of Trans Up Front Illinois. 🧵/6

U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros announced plans to review nearly 20 years of grand jury proceedings involving the prosecutor at the center of the tainted “Broadview 6” case as he moved to permanently drop charges in another matter. From @chicago.suntimes.com: chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/0...

U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros' filing lays out plans to review "all available grand jury minutes of the prosecutor who indicted this case (Sheri Mecklenburg)," which he said "will likely lead to the review of grand jury minutes in more than 100 grand jury cases."

Over the past 13 years police in the United States have killed approximately 16,000 people. Over the same period in the UK, the figure is 34

Piece by me this week - looking at the surging number of killings by police in the United States: www.economist.com/united-state...

Drivers keep running over warning signs at a North Side intersection, but the city is planning no major changes. blockclubchi.co/4xJQghl

NEW: Chicago U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros moves to permanently drop charges in another case handled by a key "Broadview Six" prosecutor. This motion appears to have been filed by Boutros himself. Full filing: cst.brightspotcdn.com/ed/a6/a9243f...

Illinois schools 🤝 Major League Baseball DOJ civil rights investigations over support for trans people

Five people get the same heart test at the same hospital yet get five wildly different prices. The price for one person is $973. The price for someone else is $1,721. UChicago data scientists helped me pull back the veil to explain why. (No paywall!) (1/3) chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog...

Ahead of a planned construction project, Chicago closed a Logan Square homeless encampment that was a haven for queer Black residents. I wrote about how, with support from the community (and an unusual move from the alder’s office), the residents are rebuilding elsewhere in the ward.

It's Juneteenth, and I've got a special edition of the @chicago.suntimes.com morning newsletter for you. Leading today: Sweet hope, Chicago: Obama Center opens Plus: Juneteenth commemorations, Chicago's legacy of Black churches and more. newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-C0C36860...

ICE arrests on the rise around Chicago, attorneys and advocates for immigrants say. Story by @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/19/c...

Andersonville’s first pedestrian plaza, Elise Malary Plaza, will bear the name of a local Black trans activist who worked to expand mental health care access and economic opportunity for the trans community. "It brings us closer to the Chicago we believe in, in Elise’s name.”

Statement from the Office of U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros:

Toho is really going all out on the branding this year between new games, movies and severe weather

On the other hand, when Jennicet Gutiérrez asked Obama to end the abuse of trans women in ICE detention and stop all deportations, while at a White House Pride event in 2015, Obama mocked her to her face and she was thrown out and briefly detained.

Street Vendor Ticketed By Chicago Police, Then Detained By ICE: 'We Don't Know Who We Can Trust' blockclubchicago.org/2026/06/18/i...

ICE said the man and woman were Venezuelan nationals charged with shoplifting. The woman was detained by agents on her way to the first hearing in a shoplifting case; the man has only been accused of driving w/o a license. When asked if agents had warrants, an ICE spox told me to file a FOIA.

The Tiny Desk Contest Tour is headed to Chicago on 6/28! Join WBEZ to catch the 2026 winner, Cure for Paranoia, plus Illinois locals Tromblau & Friends and Lamis. Be there to discover your next favorite artist. 🎟️ Tix selling fast: https://mrf.lu/W96R

For example, the vouching at the start of the session on 10/9/25 is blacked out in the original version the feds gave to Judge Perry (there also appear to be pages missing):

BREAKING: The Federal Trade Commission and four states sue the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and other associations in ... the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Justices Gorsuch, Sotomayor, and Jackson concur in Hunter v. US to get pretty close to saying that plea bargaining is unconstitutional. Worth a read.

ICE agents detained a man at Bridgeview’s courthouse Wednesday, telling sheriffs they had a warrant but never showing one. Arrests on civil warrants are barred by state law at courthouses, prompting questions of if the detainment violates it — and if so, who will hold them accountable. 🧵/10

Another update per @andrefor40th.bsky.social op-ed in the Trib today: CPD didn't submit an incident report for the crash (a requirement when an outside agency is involved, per the mayor’s “ICE on Notice” executive order) raising "concerns that [CPD] has not fully operationalized" it, he said.

JUST IN: Former "Broadview Six" defendants seek special counsel to investigate, and possibly prosecute, Chicago U.S. Attorney's Office officials for criminal contempt. Full filing: cst.brightspotcdn.com/ca/86/6e85af...

Specifics are sparse — city agencies don't have the report yet. But they're set to use its findings to influence policy/training regarding housing, inclusive workplace practices, health care access, community org partnerships and collecting more data (like how many trans people the city employs).

Our analysis found a Chicago-area school district paid ~$360,000 to fend off the aftermath of a federal complaint/investigation and lawsuit last year. And Awake IL just filed five more federal complaints last month against many of the schools targeted in 2025. 🧵 w/ @unclosetedmedia.bsky.social

Illinois lawmakers eye nation's first ban on AI-powered smart glasses for drivers chicago.suntimes.com/politics/202...

Per video shared to social media, the same federal agent in a skull mask who on May 31 brandished a baton at onlookers while ICE detained 2 people outside the Kane County Sheriff's Office, today broke a person's car window while conducting another arrest outside the Kane County Judicial Center.

Officials have banned reporters covering protests at Delaney Hall from wearing gas masks and carrying bags with other protective gear. These kinds of bans are dangerous and wrong. We spoke to journalists who told us why.

After a decade of covering some of the most odious people in our politics, this dude is among the most odious I’ve ever had the displeasure of researching - and ICE is giving him a front row seat for its immigration sweeps. My piece on Ben Bergquam for @ms.now www.ms.now/news/ice-mag...