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Helen

@hurricanehelen.bsky.social
423 followers 253 following 335 posts

Advocate. Human. Music.

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Reposted by Helen
WBEZ @wbez.org · 10/10/2026
“Threads of a Nation” underscores how laborious it is to care for the fragile relics — and how hard it can be to verify their authenticity.
wbez.org
Mary Todd Lincoln’s blood-soaked cape goes on view in new Chicago History Museum exhibit about presidential artifacts
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The TRiiBE @thetriibe.com · 07/10/2026
NEW — “An article published in The TRiiBE last week, titled ‘PERSPECTIVE: Caregiving is Black America’s new health crisis,’ speaks to a reality I know personally.” This TRiiBE reader shares her experience as a caregiver to her mom and aunt. thetriibe.com/2026/10/pers...
thetriibe.com
PERSPECTIVE: The caregiver needs care, too • The TRiiBE
I want to help make this a conversation we can have openly, with practical support and compassion for both the person receiving care and the person providing it.
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unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 28/08/2026
The future is pervert glasses and ICE robot dogs. Are we having fun yet
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Angry @angrystaffer.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
So, I completely understand secreting POTUS away from a credible assassination attempt. But leaving the entire Air Force One crew, press pool, etc. to play decoy is some sick shit.
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Scott MacFarlane @macfarlanenews.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
FLASH: Justice Dept seeks to dismiss Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool criminal case against former Olympian David Hearn Trump Admin acknowledges: "Damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in June 2026 was the result of flawed installation by the contractor"
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 26/07/2026
The success of the U.S. vaccination system depends on two fundamental pillars: parents trusting in vaccines and children having access to them. Under RFK Jr., both are in peril. (Published March)
propublica.org
How Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Vaccine Agenda Risks a Resurgence of Deadly Childhood Plagues
The health secretary is spreading doubts about vaccine safety and considering changes that could prompt manufacturers to flee the U.S. market. History has shown how plagues from the past can roar back...
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
After ICE shot and killed Lorenzo Araujo, the FBI leaked to Fox News a claim that he was found with possible meth in the van. His family said it was a total falsehood; it was a bag of salt to be used to make an electrolyte drink. And they were right. It was not drugs.
Harris County District Attorn... • X.com
@Harris CountyDAO
We can confirm the substance found in Lorenzo Salgado Araujo's van tested negative for narcotics/ illicit drugs.
We are not commenting further on the test results, as the investigation is pending.

Harris County District Attorn... 9.1h O
We have notified Salgado Araujo's family because we felt they had the right to know.
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The TRiiBE @thetriibe.com · 23/07/2026
NEW — The circumstances surrounding Nolan Wells’ death and subsequent investigation reminds many of a mother’s crusade for justice for 14-year-old Chicagoan Emmett Till, who was abducted and brutally murdered in Money, Mississippi, in 1955. thetriibe.com/2026/07/a-mo...
thetriibe.com
A mother’s search for answers: Nolan Wells’ family wants to know exactly what happened to him • The TRiiBE
Nolan Wells' family came to Chicago, the home of Emmett Till, to put pressure on Mississippi officials to get it right this time. They left supported by a community of people committed to seeking just...
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Reposted by Helen
South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
southsideweekly.com/sixteen-minutes… Based on FOIAs and leaked records, this story describes what we know about how Martinez Duncan died in Cook County Jail last November. ✍️: Micah Clark Moody and Harley Pomper Illustration: Riley Hannon Read more here:
southsideweekly.com
Sixteen Minutes in a Burning Cell
What we know about Martinez Duncan’s death in Cook County Jail
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Reposted by Helen
CBS News Chicago @cbschicago.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Mexico has requested criminal charges in the deaths of 17 Mexicans who died either in ICE custody or during immigration enforcement operations by the Trump administration.
cbsnews.com
Mexico seeking criminal charges in death of Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, 16 other ICE deaths
Mexico has requested criminal charges in the deaths of 17 Mexicans who died either in ICE custody or during immigration enforcement operations by the Trump administration.
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Reposted by Helen
Chicago Tribune @chicagotribune.com · 21/07/2026
Food icon: Buritt Bulloch, the Donut King at Old Fashioned Donuts in Chicago
chicagotribune.com
Food icon: Buritt Bulloch, the Donut King at Old Fashioned Donuts in Chicago
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Reposted by Helen
Steve Held @peoplesfabric.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
The family followed the law, attended an asylum hearing, and ICE still detained this young father. He was legally working at Farnsworth Elementary on Chicago’s Northwest Side.
chicagotribune.com
ICE detains Chicago Public Schools custodian at immigration appointment: ‘Everyone’s just devastated’
ICE detained Josue Isai Pire-Hidalgo, 31, on July 17 at an immigration appointment.
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Heather Cherone @heathercherone.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
NEW: Chicago police brass agreed to fire eight police officers who improperly obtained loans from a federal program designed to help small businesses endure the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report released Wednesday by the city’s watchdog. @wttw.bsky.social
news.wttw.com
CPD Agrees to Fire 8 Police Officers Who Lied to Get COVID-19 Relief Loans: Watchdog
The eight officers obtained loans worth approximately $283,000 after making “materially false statements in their applications for forgiveness of the loans,” according to the report.
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Reposted by Helen
Miami Herald @miamiherald.com · 14/07/2026
NEW: A 28-year-old man died Tuesday morning following an encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations agents in St. Augustine, marking the third death involving ICE in a week.
miamiherald.com
Man dies during immigration encounter in Florida, the third ICE-involved death in a week
Third ICE-involved death in a week confirmed after fatal St. Augustine crash during joint agency operation. National outrage grows over enforcement and deaths
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Reposted by Helen
Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 14/07/2026
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer has fatally shot a motorist in Maine, the second ICE-related fatality by force this week. Protesters took to the streets of Maine, demanding accountability.
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Reposted by Helen
unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 14/07/2026
Decades of dehumanizing copaganda have primed people to see a Black man allegedly fleeing law enforcement as deserving of death, as expendable. ICE has the same script writers now trying the same tactics. The only way to challenge their narrative is to challenge all of it, every time:
actionnews5.com
Community organizer claims yet-to-be-released video contradicts MPD account of Tyrin Johnson shooting
A community organizer representing the family of Tyrin Johnson said Sunday that multiple videos exist showing the 20-year-old’s death at the hands of Tennessee National Guard soldiers — and that the f...
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Reposted by Helen
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
KEY: all three witnesses are being detained apart, and their story is consistent. They say that there were agents along the side of the vehicle but none in front. When you add the videos showing a lack of evidence of damage to the front despite ICE's ramming claim, ICE's story is falling apart.
“That is a lie,” wrote Jose Trinidad Rojas, 51, in a handwritten statement. “It is impossible for them to say that they were going to get run over … there were no officers in front of or behind the vehicle. They were on the sides.”

Balderas-Ibarra spoke to Rojas, Daniel Tirado Pantoja, 43, and the shooting victim’s brother, Victor Salgado, 44, and said he heard the same story from each as he interviewed them separately. The men are not being housed together, the attorney said. All three are undocumented Mexican immigrants who are now facing removal proceedings.

“All of them reiterated that there were never any ICE agents in front of the van,” Balderas-Ibarra said. “They came in and started shooting from the sides.”
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Reposted by Helen
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
New at Can We Still Govern: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed on July 4, 2025. It is the blueprint for Trump's second term. A year on, Gabriel Scheffler explains three major lies at the heart of the law's Medicaid provisions. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/one-year-o...
donmoynihan.substack.com
One Year On from the One Big Beautiful Bill:
Separating Fact from Trump’s Medicaid Fictions
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Trump claim 1: The OBBBA does not cut Medicaid. Reality: the OBBBA is projected to wipe away nearly 3/4ths of the health insurance coverage gains made under the Affordable Care Act. Graph: projected increase in the uninsurance rate. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/one-year-o...
graph showing uninsured rate gradually declining but significantly increasing after passage of OBBBA
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
The claim that Medicaid will not be cut is the big lie at the heart of the OBBBA. The bill's core function is repurposing safety net spending into tax breaks. It did this largely via administrative burdens that make benefits inaccessible. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/one-year-o...
As I outline in a forthcoming article, the OBBBA does just this in three main ways:

imposing a variety of new administrative burdens (including, most notably, work requirements in Medicaid) that make it more difficult for people to enroll in Medicaid and the ACA Marketplaces;

rendering certain categories of legal immigrants (e.g., refugees, asylees) ineligible for Medicaid, subsidized coverage in the ACA Marketplaces, and Medicare; and

imposing new constraints on certain complex mechanisms—provider taxes and state directed payments—that states use to finance their Medicaid programs and pay providers.
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Reposted by Helen
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Last year ICE said a man tried to murder a female ICE officer while she was trying to arrest him. They swore under oath he grabbed her by the neck and tried to choke her to death. He was even indicted for attempted murder. Problem is, it never happened! Bystander video unraveled the lie.
nebraskapublicmedia.org
A Venezuelan man was accused of attempting to choke an ICE officer to death in Bellevue. Bystander video tells a different story
Gabriel Hurtado-Cariaco was referred to by DHS as a “criminal illegal alien” and a “known Tren de Aragua terrorist.” The agency said he “violently attacked an ICE agent” by slamming her head into the ...
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Reposted by Helen
George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
“The Trump family’s earnings, experts said, have moved him into an echelon of enrichment more associated with strongmen in Russia and Turkey” {gift link} www.nytimes.com/2026/07/02/w...
nytimes.com
Trump’s Huge Windfall Has Few Known Global Precedents
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Amanda Kolson Hurley @amandakhurley.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
It gets better. His company’s name: Greenwater Services. Did he once pay a bribe to Jim Traficant: yes, of course
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Dave Byrnes @djbyrnes1.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
FBI agent testimony from the Broadview Six grand jury transcripts has been unsealed. Highlights: Law enforcement sourced much info from social media; apparently googled "guitar girl Broadview ICE" Pros. Sheri Mecklenburg said, "Just so you understand, this case has nothing to do with 1A rights."
FBI agent grand jury transcriptFBI agent grand jury transcriptFBI agent grand jury transcriptFBI agent grand jury transcript
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Reposted by Helen
Chicago Tribune @chicagotribune.com · 17/06/2026
From the Editorial Board: Illinois puts too many burdens in the way of independent candidates.
chicagotribune.com
Editorial: The challenge to Byron Sigcho-Lopez’s petitions shows what’s wrong with Illinois ballot access
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Reposted by Helen
Josh Gerstein @joshgerstein.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
JUST IN: DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin won't commit to abide by court orders. via @JAscholtes www.politico.com/live-updates...
politico.com
Mullin refuses to commit to following court orders for DHS
The Homeland Security secretary said he could answer the question "if we didn’t think courts were politicized.”
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Reposted by Helen
Steve Held @peoplesfabric.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
So, basically, all the same inappropriate and unethical behavior we’ve heard about from DOJ prosecutors in other grand juries around the nation under Trump.
Before two separate grand juries last year, a federal prosecutor repeatedly stepped over the line, including "vouching" about the strength of the evidence, dismissing panel members who disagreed with the prosection's theory of the case, and having "ex-parte" communications with other grand jurors outside the proceedings, according to a series of bombshell revelations in court Thursday.
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Reposted by Helen
shawn @mulchy.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
hm i wonder why governor pritzker would be opposed to regulating data centers… www.prnewswire.com/news-release... gov-pritzker-newsroom.prezly.com/gov-pritzker...
"I couldn't be happier to welcome our new neighbors at Prime Data Centers to Illinois as they break ground on their Chicago data center campus," said Governor JB Pritzker. "We aren't just the heart of the Midwest—we are a national leader in innovation and business growth, in large part thanks to companies like Prime. From the outset of my administration, I have prioritized attracting companies in the rapidly growing data center industry. Thanks to those efforts and our reputation as a globar tech hub, we have 15 operating data centers investing more than $4.6 billion in our communities-all while creating hundreds of jobs. This data center brings with it economic opportunity at every turn-for residents of Elk Grove, greater Chicago, and throughout our great state. Congratulations to the entire Prime team on this extraordinary groundbreaking."AURORA- Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined the CyrusOne team, ComEd, and local elected officials to break ground on the new data center in Aurora. The new campus, which consists of two buildings totaling 446,000 square feet, will serve local communities and national networks through the creation of state-of-the-art digital infrastructure solutions.

"When I became governor, I pledged to make Illinois a home for the high-tech, high-growth industries of the future," said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. "This groundbreaking is the culmination of years of work with our partners at CyrusOne, and secures hundreds of construction jobs as well as over twenty data center positions for the people of our state. CyrusOne's new data center joins the ecosystem of high-tech sectors that are flourishing in Illinois- from electric vehicles to quantum computing to chip manufacturers - that form the foundation of sustainable economic growth."
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Reposted by Helen
Gregory Pratt @royalpratt.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Trump administration is deporting DACA recipients and delaying DACA renewals. Advocates spoke about the growing problem in DC and Chicagoans told us they’re fearful. Story @chicagotribune.com with @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social and Allison Kiehl www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/14/c...
chicagotribune.com
Chicago ‘Dreamers’ say they’re fearful of job loss and deportations
The rising chance of arrest, job loss and deportation for ‘Dreamers’ was the focus of a Senate spotlight forum on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
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Dave Byrnes @djbyrnes1.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
The rapid response/immigrant advocacy group Hijos de Migrantes has released a summary of yesterday's surge of federal immigration agents through the Chicago area, incl. ICE presence at 4 Cook County courthouses and an arrest outside one of them. The group reports 5 confirmed ICE detentions total.
Written summary of the ICE surge in Chicagoland on May 7, 2026, from Hijos de Migrantes. 

Link: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=122145272559079202&set=a.122102031921079202
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Stereogum @stereogum.com · 06/05/2026
Hear of Montreal's melancholy new single "Already Dreaming"
stereogum.com
of Montreal Shares New Song "Already Dreaming": Listen
Last month, Kevin Barnes announced a new of Montreal album called aethermead and unleashed “When,” an infectious, intense anthem boasting sexual bravado. Now he’s switching gears for the melancholy, ’...
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Steve Held @peoplesfabric.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Another person has died in ICE custody. 33-year-old Denny Adán González died on Tuesday in Georgia. Authorities claim he died by suicide. González is the 18th person to die in ICE custody this year—this is also the 18th week of 2026.
theguardian.com
Cuban immigrant dies in Georgia detention center, ICE tells Congress
Denny Adán González, 33, whose death is being investigated as suicide, is 18th person to die in ICE custody this year
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Steve Held @peoplesfabric.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Four Illinois Dems here: Quigley, Budzinski, Schneider, and Sorenson.
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Dave Byrnes @djbyrnes1.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
The Cook County State's Attorney's Office has issued its statement on the Illinois Accountability Commission's Midway Blitz report. The CCSAO says it will will "work with our local, state, and county law enforcement to review the material" but does not commit to investigations or prosecutions.
CHICAGO — We commend the bravery of every witness who testified about their harrowing experiences before the Illinois Accountability Commission. There is no doubt that Operation Midway Blitz has traumatized and harmed our communities. We look forward to receipt of the full report and will work with our local, state, and county law enforcement to review the material. 

We take any reports of harm seriously. That’s why the CCSAO developed a comprehensive and first-of-its-kind protocol to support law enforcement agencies as they investigate federal immigration officers. This critical guidance has been adopted by every locally elected prosecutor in the state and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. 

Under Illinois statute, our Office can bring charges only after receiving a completed investigation from a law enforcement agency. At that point, we review the available evidence and determine whether criminal charges are warranted in state court. Allegations received from other sources are referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency for investigation. This process protects the integrity of our cases and helps ensure that any resulting conviction will stand.  

BACKGROUND 

-   State law limits the CCSAO from serving as a lead investigator into alleged criminal conduct. The CCSAO can play a supporting role in investigations that are initiated and led by a law enforcement agency.
    
-   The federal government, including its law enforcement entities, are not required to comply with any subpoena issued by a state prosecutorial body, and CCSAO does not have jurisdiction or authority to mandate subpoena compliance.
    
-   The CCSAO reviews evidence that is presented by law enforcement after an investigation has been conducted and makes a charging decision based on the facts and the law.
    
-   To date, the CCSAO has not received a request from law enforcement to review any investigation related to on-duty conduct of a federal immigration agent. 
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Reposted by Helen
Steve Held @peoplesfabric.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Wow To be clear here: 1. U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros has vehemently denied politics played any role in the case 2. The judge ordered the feds to produce unredacted transcripts of how the law was explained to the grand jury 3. They chose to drop the last remaining felony charge rather than do so
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Steve Held @peoplesfabric.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Federal agents “took off his pants and shirt, handcuffed him, and drove him 65 kilometers to the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, where he was fingerprinted, photographed, and jailed.” Sounds… fascist.
science.org
Guns and bulletproof vests: How federal agents arrested Fauci aide
David Morens, 78, was stripped and handcuffed for email violations
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Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
A federal judge in Illinois today ruled that the Trump administration improperly coerced Facebook and Apple to remove ICE-tracking apps in violation of the First Amendment. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 07/04/2026
It is going to be hard. It is going to hurt. You will lose things and people you care about. Not everyone will make it. But no one else is going to fight for this rock those astronauts are looking down on—except for us
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ProPublica Guild @propublicaguild.org · 08/04/2026
We’re on strike today! Support our fight for a fair contract by NOT visiting the @propublica.org website or engaging with ProPublica stories today. Tell ProPublica’s management you won’t cross the picket line: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...
We're on strike! Don't visit propublica.org on April 8
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unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 03/04/2026
Thank you to everyone who continues to support our work! Your $ helps us keep paying and training some incredible freelancers:
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Kath Barbadoro @kathbarbadoro.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
One of the stupidest and most subtly disastrous culture war battles we lost to the right was that caring about nature is pussy shit and the only respectable way to engage with the earth is to extract from it
morethanjustparks.substack.com
BREAKING: Trump Administration Orders Dismantling of the U.S. Forest Service
The headquarters is going to Utah. Every regional office is being shuttered. The research program is being destroyed.
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Dave Byrnes @djbyrnes1.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
When Midway Blitz ramped down late last year, federal officials asserted that they weren't done with the Trump admin's mass deportation campaign in Chicagoland. Activity has yet to reach the heights of last fall, but true to their word, ICE never left. My latest, for @southsideweekly.bsky.social:
southsideweekly.com
Months After Midway Blitz, ICE Activity Has Quietly Persisted
As spring begins, immigration enforcement agents are changing how they operate in the Chicago area.
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WBEZ @wbez.org · 01/04/2026
A U.S. District Court judge found that President Donald Trump's executive ordering the defunding of NPR and PBS violated the First Amendment.
wbez.org
Federal judge finds Trump violated free speech by ordering NPR defunded
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Chicago Tribune @chicagotribune.com · 01/04/2026
Commentary: The state of Illinois cannot fall for Trump’s trickery and implement his agenda of destroying the very fabric of essential services to those who need them the most. Pritzker and the Illinois legislature must invest in safety net hospitals.
chicagotribune.com
Tim Egan: Safety net moonshot would not help Chicago’s community hospitals
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CBS News Chicago @cbschicago.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
A suspect was in custody after trying to sexually assault a woman Monday morning in the Millennium Park parking garage in downtown Chicago.
cbsnews.com
Suspect arrested after attempted sexual assault of woman in Millennium Park parking garage
A suspect was in custody after trying to sexually assault a woman Monday morning in the Millennium Park parking garage in downtown Chicago.
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The Southwest Collective @swcollectivechi.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
Hey!! Have you heard about Imagination Library yet? Guadalupe is sharing details about this free book program for kids age 5 and under. Sign up here: imaginationlibrary.com
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Chicago Tribune @chicagotribune.com · 28/03/2026
A panel of Illinois Appellate Court judges on Friday reversed a Cook County judge’s order that barred the release of body-worn camera footage capturing the 2025 fatal shooting of Chicago Police Office Krystal Rivera by a fellow officer.
chicagotribune.com
Appeals court lifts protective order on Krystal Rivera shooting video
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
JUST IN: Minnesota sues DOJ, DHS for access to evidence in the killings of Renee Good, Alex Pretti www.huffpost.com/entry/minnes...
huffpost.com
Minnesota Sues Trump Admin For Access To Evidence In Alex Pretti, Renee Good Killings
Both were fatally shot by federal agents during the Trump administration’s aggressive surge of immigration enforcement officers in the state.
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@SZReports @szreports.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
It’s Sunday morning and the president posted this. What’s next?
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