WATCH: Commission makes ICE accountability referral; Rep says Pritzker wrong on prices
December 19, 2025/
(The Center Square) – In today’s edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square Editor Greg Bishop provides moments and reaction from and around the first Illinois Accountability Commission hearing. Appointees of Gov. J.B. Pritzker heard testimony and public comment about the impact of federal immigration enforcement in a state with migrant sanctuary policies.
Bishop also shares more perspective from legislators on both sides of the aisle about prices and the policies that drive them, and the cost of energy with Illinois lawmakers discussing policies around planned coal and natural gas plant closures and the focus on alternatives like battery storage.
Subscribe to Illinois in Focus Daily with The Center Square on YouTube. You can also subscribe to the Illinois in Focus podcast to get the entire show uninterrupted.
Sun Jul 26
89° 70°
Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Latest News Stories
Vance says Milwaukee mayor protesting ‘too much’ over election probe
By Benjamin YountThe Center Square Vice President JD Vance isn’t buying the outrage from Milwaukee’s mayor over the Trump Administration’s investigation into the 2020 election in Milwaukee. "I will say...
Illinois Quick Hits: $63M construction research center completed
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – State officials have marked the completion of the $63 million Materials Testing and Research Center at Illinois...
Illinois attorney general has paid private attorneys $2 million in recent years
By Jared Strong | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois' top state attorney has paid more than $2 million in the past three years to private...
Platner drops campaign for Maine’s U.S. Senate seat
By Christen SmithThe Center Square Graham Platner, the controversial Democratic nominee for Maine’s U.S. Senate seat, dropped out of the race Wednesday amid intense scrutiny over new sexual assault allegations...
Hundreds of thousands of acres burn as fires spread in West
By Liam HibbertThe Center Square Fires across the southwestern U.S. have picked up early this year, with over 400,000 acres burning just between Utah and Colorado. The quick and early...
Feds buy two immigration detention centers for $1.5 billion
By Chris WoodwardThe Center Square Private prison operator CoreCivic has sold two Southern California immigration detention centers to the federal government for $1.5 billion. Under the deal, the U.S. Department...
Chicago court tosses order blocking Florida from suing over kids’ transgender meds
By Jonathan Bilyk | Legal NewslineThe Center Square In a seeming rebuke to a controversial decision handed down and supported by a group of Obama- and Biden-appointed judges, the rest...
Toyota set to construct $3.6 billion expansion in San Antonio
By Robert MattesonThe Center Square Toyota announced that it will invest in a $3.6 billion expansion at its San Antonio manufacturing campus, creating 2,000 new high-quality jobs. The investment will...
Republicans silent, Democrats irate at Iran ceasefire collapse
By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square With military hostilities between the U.S. and Iran resuming only weeks after the nations signed a peace deal, Democrats in Congress are demanding that the...
Chicago aldermen consider election reforms, cost savings
By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The Chicago City Council is considering new election reforms that supporters say could increase voter access and...
U.S. launches more strikes against Iran
By Andrew RiceThe Center Square The U.S. military is launching more strikes against Iran at the direction of President Donald Trump. U.S. Central Command said the military started launching additional...
Trump calls American military operation in Iran a ‘tremendous military success’
By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square President Donald Trump called the American military operation in Iran a “tremendous military success” on Wednesday at a news conference concluding his time at the...
U.S. Energy Department finalizes $3.3B loan to Texas utility
By Alton WallaceThe Center Square The U.S. Department of Energy Wednesday announced it has finalized a $3.26 billion loan to utility AEP Texas, a subsidiary of American Electric Power, or...
