WATCH: Pritzker says Trump’s first year a failure; Raoul discusses prosecuting fraud
January 21, 2026/
(The Center Square) – In today’s edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square’s Greg Bishop discusses some of the highlights President Donald Trump provided from his first year in office of his second non-consecutive term. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Trump’s first year has been a “failure,” while Republicans in Illinois say Pritzker’s policy are not making the state safe or affordable.
Bishop also delves into the start of an investigation into overpayments in the state’s child care funding operations, with reaction from Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul saying fraud should be prosecuted.
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.
Fri Jun 5
86° 65°
Showers And Thunderstorms Likely
Latest News Stories
Candidates advance in redrawn congressional districts
By Andrew RiceThe Center Square Several candidates across altered congressional districts in California are projected to head to November’s general election. California voters passed Proposition 50, a measure that altered...
Illinois slaps limits on non-lawyer investor power in law firms
By Jonathan Bilyk | Legal NewslineThe Center Square Illinois has become the latest state to restrict the involvement of private equity and other non-lawyer interests in owning or running law...
Law firm: California’s gender policies violate Constitution
By Chris WoodwardThe Center Square A law firm is putting California Attorney General Rob Bonta on notice about keeping parents in the dark about their children's gender transitions. Liberty Justice...
Group challenges gender policies in New Mexico schools
By Esther WickhamThe Center Square As New Mexico students continue to rank among the lowest in the nation in academic proficiency, some parents are questioning why gender ideology has become...
Supreme Court rules for Texas in Rio Grande River lawsuit
By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square The U.S. Supreme Court has handed Texas a win in a lawsuit first brought by Gov. Greg Abbott when he was attorney general. Abbott was...
Trump appoints housing regulator as acting spy chief
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square President Donald Trump on Tuesday named Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte as acting director of national intelligence, placing a housing-finance regulator with no...
Mullin defends $118B Homeland Security budget request
By Andrew RiceThe Center Square Markwayne Mullin, secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, defended the agency’s $118.3 billion budget request Tuesday. Mullin, a former U.S. Senator from Oklahoma,...
Bill loosens in-state tuition requirements
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Some students from outside the Land of Lincoln may soon pay in-state tuition at Illinois public universities...
Illinois Quick Hits: Nine arrested during Naperville teen gathering
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Naperville Police say they arrested nine people and issued almost three dozen citations after large groups of...
Rubio provides few answers to Congress on Iran conflict timeline
By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square With the U.S.-Iran conflict approaching the 100-day mark, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the Trump administration’s military strategy before a committee of U.S. lawmakers...
Pritzker housing proposal partly stalls amid overreach concerns from localities
By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Though the entire affordable housing initiative from Gov. J.B. Pritzker didn’t make it through the General Assembly...
HUD shifts $4B homelessness program from ‘Housing First’ to treatment
By Tim ClouserThe Center Square The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a $4 billion funding opportunity for homelessness services on Monday, shifting away from the Housing First...
Poll: Democrats hold slight edge over Rogers in Michigan U.S. Senate race
By Elyse ApelThe Center Square New polling in Michigan's open U.S. Senate race shows each of the leading Democrat candidates narrowly ahead of Republican Mike Rogers in potential general election...
