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Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan on Thursday called for a portrait of the late Illinois U.S. Sen. Stephen Douglas in the Capitol’s House chamber to be removed and replaced with one of former President Barack Obama, whom he called “a more fitting representation of the modern-day Democratic Party.” Madigan also called for the removal of statues on the Illinois State Capitol grounds of both Douglas, a defender of slavery, and Pierre Menard, the first lieutenant governor and a slaveholder. The speaker’s call to take down the portrait and statues is part of a movement to remove memorials of historical figures...

CHICAGO (CBS) — Touting his response to the coronavirus, Illinois’ governor had sharp words for the federal government in its “failure” to hit the ground running and help states grapple with COVID-19 crisis. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker was part of a virtual hearing to address the Congressional Committee on Homeland Security’s “Examining the National Response to the Worsening Coronavirus Pandemic.” Pritzker criticized the government for what he said how little it did as the pandemic unfolded.

The volleys started when Carlson, in a nearly 14-minute segment, included Duckworth’s answer on CNN over the weekend when she was asked whether she also supported removing monuments honoring historical figures in U.S. history who were slave owners, such as George Washington. In her response, which went on to criticize President Donald Trump’s recent appearance at Mount Rushmore, Duckworth said there should be a national dialogue on the issue at some point. When pressed, Duckworth said, “I think we should listen to everybody.” On his show Monday night, Carlson noted that Duckworth is among the contenders to be Democrat Joe...

Late last week, Illinois Circuit Court Judge Michael McHaney of Clay County ruled in a lawsuit that “all citizens of Illinois” are free from Governor J.B. Pritzker‘s tyrannical orders. This comes after arguably unethical tactics by the Illinois Attorney General to delay the case by trying to remove it to federal court, and the United States Department of Justice filing a Statement of Interest in the case in support of the lawsuit.

It is more than a possibility, and slightly less than a likelihood, that Joe Biden will be elected president in November. Biden has made it clear that a woman will be his running mate. What is becoming equally apparent is that he may be cornered into choosing a socialist or progressive as that person. As he runs his campaign from his basement, allowing President Trump to stomp his feet and shout as he tries to mount a more traditional campaign, Biden has shown little inclination to take on his own foot-stomping base. Thus the socialist/progressive wing of the Democratic Party...

The violence in Chicago over Independence Day weekend may not have been quite as bad as the massacre that John wrote about two weeks ago, but it was still pretty awful. There were crowds of people out and about in the Windy City, but not all of them were looking to celebrate our nation’s independence. By the middle of the day on Sunday, the Associated Press reported that there were “at least” 13 people killed and nearly 60 more shot around the city. And as it turns out, the AP was lowballing the figures.

Over 70 people have been shot, at least 14 of them fatally, by Sunday night over the Fourth of July weekend in Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s (D) Chicago. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that 74 were shot, 14 fatally, by 6:45 p.m. Central Time on July 5, 2020. The Chicago Tribune reported the numbers as 80 shot, 17 fatally, by 5:29 p.m. July 5. The fatalities included a seven-year-old Natalia Wallace, who was “shot in the head around 7 p.m. Saturday in the South Austin neighborhood while outside at a family gathering.” A 14-year-old boy was among four victims fatally shot later...

... In all, nine children under 18 have been killed since June 20 as Chicago reels from another wave of gun violence. The last two were killed on Saturday evening. A 14-year-old boy was shot to death on Chicago’s South Side. A seven-year-old girl was struck in the forehead by a bullet when three gunmen opened fire on a July 4 street party on the city’s West Side, police said. “The Windy City is becoming the Bloody City,” said the Rev. Michael L. Pfleger of Saint Sabina Church, calling it the worst period in the 45 years he has worked...

President Trump’s unyielding push to preserve Confederate symbols and the legacy of white domination, crystallized by his harsh denunciation of the racial justice movement Friday night at Mount Rushmore, has unnerved Republicans who have long enabled him but now fear losing power and forever associating their party with his racial animus. Although amplifying racism and stoking culture wars have been mainstays of Trump’s public identity for decades, they have been particularly pronounced this summer as the president has reacted to the national reckoning over systemic discrimination by seeking to weaponize the anger and resentment of some white Americans for his...

Video at link. President Donald Trump's 4th of July speech at Mt. Rushmore Friday night focused on the United States' history and legacy in the world. He also addressed the issue with cancel culture advocates trying to completely shatter American history by pulling down monuments and statues. But, according to Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), the president's speech should have focused on the 130,000 Americans who died as a result of the Wuhan coronavirus and the bogus story about Russia putting a bounty on American troops' heads. "Where does it end? Should statues, for example, of George Washington, come down?" CNN's...

Thirteen people have been killed and at least 54 others injured in shootings across Chicago so far over the Fourth of July weekend. Nine of the weekend’s victims were minors, and two of the children died from their injuries. A 14-year-old boy was among four people killed in a shooting that wounded four others Saturday night in Englewood on the South Side. They were at a large gathering in the street about 11:35 p.m. in the 6100 block of South Carpenter Street when four males walked up and started shooting, according to Chicago police. The 14-year-old boy was hit in...

An Illinois police chief is retiring 39 years after he stopped an assassin’s bullet intended for former President Ronald Reagan with his chest. Tim McCarthy was part of Reagan’s Secret Service detail at the Washington Hilton Hotel when Reagan was shot in a lone-gunman assassination attempt on March 30, 1981. After retiring from the Secret Service, McCarthy became the police chief in Orland Park. He announced his retirement this week, saying that after 26 years on the job in the Chicago suburb, he wanted to spend more time with his wife, children and grandchildren. His retirement date is Aug. 1....

downstate judge has ruled in favor of a Republican legislator in his lawsuit against Gov. J.B. Pritzker over whether the Democratic governor exceeded his legal authority in issuing a stay-at-home order in March to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Just hours earlier, Pritzker notched a win in federal court against the Illinois Republican Party, which sued the governor claiming he violated the GOP’s constitutional rights to assemble during the coronavirus outbreak. In the downstate lawsuit, state Rep. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, and his attorneys fought hard to keep it in state court. And Clay County Judge Michael McHaney ruled in favor of...

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced Thursday that she would block the promotions of 1,123 senior military officers until Defense Secretary Mark Esper promises that he will promote Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who is believed to have communicated with the “whistleblower” that sparked Trump’s impeachment. Her office called the move “unprecedented” but said it came in response to reports of “political interference in military matters” by Trump — the commander in chief.

Volo Auto Museum director, Brian Grams says the General Lee display is not going anywhere. The display features the last surviving 1969 Dodge Charger from the first season of the "Dukes of Hazzard" television show, The Daily Herald reports. Grams says the vehicle is a symbol of television history. This comes as Confederate flags and statues are being taken down across the country. "We feel the car is part of history, and people love it," Grams said. "We've got people of all races and nationalities that remember the TV show and aren't offended by it whatsoever. It's a piece of...

How many more babies will be murdered in Chicago’s street gang wars? It’s time to stop the bleeding, Mayor Lightfoot. Stop the bleeding. And lead your city. She’s thrown her police under the bus, but on Wednesday she announced a 180-degree change. She needs them. Now she wants her exhausted cops to sweep problem areas and make arrests, even if social justice warriors complain. She’s been mugged by reality and knows virtue signaling and rhetoric won’t stop the gangs. Yes, that stuff excites national media and networks. They get tingles when she rips on President Donald Trump. He’s snarky, she’s...

As the number of murders in Chicago soared in June, there was a huge slowdown of police activity that the police union blames on rock-bottom morale and distrust of Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Police Supt. David Brown said Monday that police activity slowed because fewer people have been on the streets “because of COVID.” But John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said Tuesday it’s more than that. “I’m not telling them not to do police work,” Catanzara said of his members. “But I hope they just slow down and decide ‘Is this necessary?’ before they do it.” Catanzara...

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx confirmed Tuesday that her office will err on the side of dismissing charges stemming from arrests at demonstrations and for citywide curfew violations during the week of protests and civil unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Between May 30 and June 6, about 5,000 people across the county were arrested. Half of those resulted in misdemeanor charges, a quarter resulted in felony charges and the rest were curfew violations and disorderly conduct cases. More than 800 of those misdemeanors will be reviewed and likely will be dismissed, the top prosecutor told the...

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is preparing to drop charges against many of those arrested for violating curfew earlier this month during days of protest and civil unrest, according to a local media report. How many of these cases will be dismissed or what criteria will need to be met for these cases to be dropped is not known, but internal emails obtained by Fox 32 shed light on the plan. “Cases are to be nolled (dismissed) where curfew violations or city disorderly conduct was the basis of a stop that led to a felony or misdemeanor case,” First...

CHICAGO - Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, according to an internal email obtained by FOX 32, plans to drop most if not all charges against many of those arrested for curfew violations during protests earlier this month, including felony charges filed after police followed up. FOX 32 obtained the internal email last week from First Assistant State's Attorney Joseph Magats, reading in part: "Cases are to be nolled (dismissed) where curfew violations or city disorderly conduct was the basis of a stop that led to a felony or misdemeanor case....(i)f there are misdemeanor disorderlies where the conduct that was...