Category: News
Daywatch: Second City changes its storied e.t.c. Stage to … improv?
Good morning, Chicago.
Del Close must be looking down in triumph from the afterlife, with or without the skull he famously wished to be donated after his death in 1999 to the Goodman Theatre’s props department for use in “Hamlet.”
Beginning today, and for the first time in its 43-year history, Chicago’s Second City e.t.c. Stage is changing over its storied revue, which launched the careers of the likes of Keegan-Michael Key and Jack McBrayer, to an all-improv show titled “Improv Supernova.”
Instead of the traditional compilation of scripted sketches, written by the cast and similar in format to the flagship Chicago Mainstage, the new e.t.c. show in Second City’s second stage in the Piper’s Alley complex in Old Town will be composed entirely of improvised scenes and structured scenarios. “Everything will be unscripted,” said Anne Libera, the new endeavor’s director. “We want to do a killer improv show.”
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Chris Jones.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including the future of hemp product sales in Chicago, five things we learned from the Bears and which local chefs and restaurants made the list of 2026 James Beard Award semifinalists.
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Teyana Gibson Brown, second from right, wife of Garrison Gibson, reacts after a federal immigration officer used a battering ram to break down a door before arresting Garrison Gibson, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Immigration officers assert sweeping power to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, memo says
Federal immigration officers are asserting sweeping power to forcibly enter people’s homes without a judge’s warrant, according to an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo obtained, marking a sharp reversal of longstanding guidance meant to respect constitutional limits on government searches.
Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino buys drinks and food at a Skokie gas station while conducting immigration enforcement sweeps on Oct. 31, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
‘I’m really confused about this’: Jurors see agents’ interview of Chicago man accused of putting bounty on Bovino’s head
Little Village construction worker Juan Espinoza Martínez, who has lived in Chicago for years but is not a U.S. citizen, is charged in an indictment with a single count of solicitation of murder for hire, which carries up to 10 years in prison.
According to prosecutors, Espinoza Martínez sent Snapchat messages to an acquaintance from the construction business, Adrian Jiménez, calling for Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino’s killing after an immigration agent shot a woman in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood on Oct. 4.
The recently raided apartment building at 7500 S. South Shore Drive has no trespassing signs on either side of the doors, Nov. 24, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois officials launch investigation into landlord’s role in South Shore raid
Nearly four months after the high-profile immigration raid of a South Shore apartment complex, Illinois officials are launching an investigation into claims that the building’s managers played a role in what became one of the most infamous moments of Operation Midway Blitz.
They were already living in one of Chicago’s worst apartment buildings. Then came the ICE raid.
Kurt Bushing, an employee of the Fox Lake Public Works Department, uses a snowblower to clear snow near the community ice rink at Lakefront Park on Tuesday in Fox Lake. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
A collapsing polar vortex brings Arctic blast to Chicago area. How long will it last?
Polar vortexes are a year-round phenomenon. But Chicago-area residents only notice them when they collapse, experts say.
That’s what’s happening starting today when dangerously frigid air from Siberia and the North Pole is forecast to plunge the Great Lakes region into subzero territory for multiple days.
Ald. Marty Quinn, 13th, speaks about his successful hemp ban after a City Council meeting, Jan. 21, 2026, at Chicago City Hall. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Hemp product sales curtailed in Chicago with City Council vote
Chicago aldermen approved a sweeping ban outlawing unlicensed businesses in the city from selling all but a few hemp products.
The ordinance passed in a 32-to-16 vote. But following the City Council meeting, Mayor Brandon Johnson said he has “serious concerns about this measure,” warning that it will hurt small businesses and “inevitably create a black market” for the products.
Rahm Emanuel, former Chicago mayor and ambassador to Japan, speaks at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 21, 2026. Emanuel, who has signaled his desire to run for president in 2028, called for a mandatory retirement age of 75 for the president, Cabinet officials, members of Congress and federal judges. (Jason Andrew/The New York Times)
Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel leans on his Chicago experience as he pitches school reform in Washington
As he explores a potential White House bid, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel told a Washington crowd the changes he oversaw in the city’s school system could be a model for the rest of the country, despite the significant blowback they caused.
Chicago Bears’ head coach Ben Johnson speaks with the media at Halas Hall on Jan. 21, 2026, in Lake Forest. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
5 things we learned from the Chicago Bears, including Caleb Williams’ second-year evaluation
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Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese is seen in street clothes on the bench as her team prepares for a game against the Liberty on Sept. 11, 2025, at Wintrust Arena. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese lands co-starring role on Netflix murder-mystery ‘The Hunting Wives’
It’s no secret that the Chicago Sky forward is a fan of the sexy, soapy, Texas-set drama. Angel Reese declared the series a “CRAZYYY but good watch” on X in August (despite being unsatisfied with the first season’s cliffhanger finale). This caught the attention of “Hunting Wives” creator Rebecca Cutter, who made clear the admiration was mutual and thanked the basketball star for “watching [their] lil ol show.”
“(J)ust let me know if you need me for season 2,” Reese wrote in her response to Cutter with a winking emoji.
Conrad Ricamora and Cole Escola in “Oh, Mary!” at the Lyceum Theatre in New York. (Emilio Madrid)
Hit Broadway comedy ‘Oh, Mary!’ is coming to Chicago in 2027
“Oh, Mary!” is a dark comedy about an unhinged and miserable Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. It was written by Cole Escola, who starred as Mary when the play first opened on Broadway in summer 2024. Nominated for five Tony Awards, it won best actor for Escola (the first nonbinary winner in the category) and best direction for Sam Pinkleton.
Tim Flores and Genie Kwon at their restaurant Kasama in Chicago, Feb. 17, 2022. Kasama is up for Outstanding Restaurant. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
More than 20 Chicago chefs and restaurants are 2026 James Beard Award semifinalists
The James Beard Foundation announced its 2026 Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists yesterday and nearly two dozen Chicago chefs, restaurants and bars are in the running for a coveted nomination.
$6,000 Gold Ahead As Trump-Treasury & Fed Will ‘Run It Hot’ In 2026
$6,000 Gold Ahead As Trump-Treasury & Fed Will ‘Run It Hot’ In 2026
Via Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com,
Financial writer, market analyst and precious metals expert Craig Hemke predicted at the beginning of 2024 that the US would add a whopping $2 trillion in debt. It did.
At the beginning of 2025, Hemke predicted the US dollar would take a big hit. It did, and record high gold and silver prices score Hemke another bullseye.
At the beginning of 2026, Hemke is predicting the Trump Treasury and Fed are going to put the pedal to the metal in running the economy. Hemke explains:
“Japan had yield curve control for years. They have taken it off, and interest rates have skyrocketed.
This is where we are heading in the US.
In May, Trump is going to appoint a ‘yes man’ to the Fed. He’s going to replace (Jay) Powell, who will work with Scott Bessent (Treasury Secretary) and do his bidding and meld operations together.
Why would they need to do that?
Because they are going to run it hot.
Remember, it was austerity a year ago. DOGE was going to cut $2 trillion in spending. They were going to balance the budget and all that kind of stuff. They quickly figured out that dog was not going to hunt. Now, it’s all about growing our way out of this.
Scott Bessent was on TV this weekend saying we are going to grow fast enough that the interest expense, which is around 6% of GDP, is going back down to 3% of GDP.
They think they can grow GDP that fast. They are going to grow GDP that fast by Trump’s ‘yes man’ cutting the short end, and if interest rates on the long end start going higher because of the inflation that it’s going to cause, they are going to come back in with yield curve control here in the US. They have done this before after World War II, and they are going to do it again as soon as this year.
That is the most bullish thing that can happen for gold and silver. This is also why gold and silver have been rallying so strongly in the last 24 months.”
Hemke predicts gold will hit at least $6,000 per ounce, and silver will easily hit $130 per ounce in 2026. The industrial demand for silver is not going to let up anytime soon.
Also, central bank demand is going to continue. Hemke contends:
“Two weeks after the start of the Ukraine war, the US kicked Russia out of the SWIFT system and froze its foreign currency reserves. That sparked, at the same time, global central bank gold demand that has run record buying for four years in a row.
It started in 2022. Countries looked around and said, ‘Wow, if we get sideways with the US, they will do the same thing to us.’
So, they started selling their Treasuries and dollar reserves and started buying gold. There were record amounts in 2022, 2023, 2024 and another big year in 2025 for physical gold buying by central banks. We just got news today that the Polish central bank is buying another 150 metric tons of gold.
They are building their gold holding to 700 metric tons. So, this global central bank demand is underpinning gold.”
In closing, Hemke says:
“The Fed is saying they are going to cap interest rates. The Fed is going to be a buyer of 10-year Treasury notes at let’s say 4%. . .. With locking in rates while inflation is up there, you will have negative real interest rates.
The most bullish factor for gold prices are negative real interest rates.
That’s the path, and that’s where the US is headed. It will be yield curve control.”
There is much more in the 39-minute interview.
Join Greg Hunter of USAWatchdog as he goes One-on-One with Craig Hemke of the popular website TFMetalsReport.com for 1.20.26.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 01/22/2026 – 07:20
https://www.zerohedge.com/precious-metals/6000-gold-ahead-trump-treasury-fed-will-run-it-hot-2026
Cooper Page’s tenacity galvanizes Naperville Central. ‘We just need a guy to put his heart on the line.’
Naperville Central senior guard Cooper Page’s game is played entirely below the rim.
Sometimes way below it.
“Cooper is one of the toughest kids I’ve seen,” Naperville Central coach Mike Wilson said. “He hits the ground more than any player I’ve ever seen.”
That’s not an exaggeration. Page’s teammates readily attest to his grittiness.
“It’s true,” Naperville Central senior point guard TJ Hillman said. “Even on Saturday mornings at practice, he’s the first guy to get on the ground.
“If there’s a ball on the ground, he’s going to get it, and that takes heart. That’s what you can’t coach.”
Naperville Central’s Cooper Page (10) defends against Plainfield North’s Judah Kalvig during a nonconference game in Naperville on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (Jon Cunningham / Naperville Sun)
The 6-foot-1 Page said he models his scrappy style of play on his father, David, who played basketball and baseball at York and baseball at Valparaiso University.
“I take pride in my defense more than I take pride in my offense,” Page said. “My dad was the same, and I guess that’s who I got it from.
“He coached me growing up in YMCA and young travel. We’d always do rebounding drills, and there would be a no-fouls rule, so whoever gets the ball wins.”
Wilson said Page, who averages nearly seven rebounds, easily outrebounds his size.
“He’s always had the energy and that tenacity, but defensively now, he’s had stretches where he’s guarded Division I player, Division II player, Division I player,” Wilson said. “We know when we watch film that whoever the opposing team’s best player is, it doesn’t matter their size, that’s Coop’s matchup, and then we’ll figure it out from there.”
Page and the Redhawks had things figured out Wednesday. Hillman scored a game-high 22 points, while Page added three points, six rebounds and two assists and helped hold visiting Plainfield North to 17% shooting as the Redhawks snapped a five-game losing streak with a 48-28 win in Naperville.
“He’s been huge,” Hillman said. “His biggest improvement is on the defensive side of the ball. I know that’s hard to do, but he gets their best player every game we play, and he always stops them.
“Whenever he gets on someone, he’s not going to let them score.”
Naperville Central’s Cooper Page, left, drives past Plainfield North’s Ryan Barriball during a nonconference game in Naperville on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (Jon Cunningham / Naperville Sun)
Hillman isn’t immune from Page’s tough-as-nails defense.
“He guards me every day in practice,” Hillman said. “It’s a tough day for me every day. He makes me better.”
As Page usually does, he focused most of his energy on defense. Early in the game, he got a defensive rebound, raced down the court, was fouled and split a pair of free throws to give the Redhawks (8-12) a 4-0 lead.
Page later assisted on Hillman’s layup that made it 9-2. It was part of an opening 17-4 run against the Tigers (4-15).
Page made his only shot of the game, taking a pass from senior forward Casey Cooperkawa and banking a short shot off the glass to extend the lead to 26-11 at the 6:11 mark of the third quarter. In an era when many players ignore the backboard, Page made good use of it.
“He’s definitely a throwback in that sense,” Wilson said. “He’ll do some things that we’ll say, ‘Oh, we used to do that in the ‘90s.’”
Page’s willingness to sacrifice his body by going for loose balls inspires the Redhawks the most.
“It gets the boys going,” Hillman said. “Obviously, scoring is good. Filling up the stat sheet is great and all.
“We just need a guy to put his heart on the line and go on the ground and get that ball. It means a lot to the guys on the bench and the guys on the court. It makes you want to play a lot harder.”
Naperville Central’s Cooper Page takes aim from 3-point range during a nonconference game against Plainfield North in Naperville on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (Jon Cunningham / Naperville Sun)
Although the Redhawks have struggled with inconsistency at times, Page said they have played hard, which has made his final season of basketball his most enjoyable one.
“It’s been real fun,” he said. “A lot more competitive games than last year, for sure. Everyone plays a lot harder this year. It’s like a butterfly effect — one guy plays hard and brings the energy, and then everyone else follows along.”
Page is that guy for the Redhawks.
“Our message is always ‘play as hard as you can, get better and enjoy the game,’ and I think he bought into the ‘enjoy the game’ part,” Wilson said. “There’s nothing he likes more than competing hard.
“When I’m saying, ‘Ouch,’ he’s saying, ‘This is a good time.’”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/basketball-naperville-central-cooper-page/
Ben Johnson on his Chicago Bears assistants getting opportunities with other teams: ‘I’m all for it’
With 10 NFL teams firing their head coaches — almost a third of the league — there will be an unprecedented level of movement among the coaching ranks this winter. Each new head coach will need to hire coordinators and a dozen position coaches.
In the NFL, success comes with attrition. Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson knows it’s possible he could lose several assistant coaches.
Already, the Bears are set to lose running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, who NFL Network reported Wednesday will take over as Andy Reid’s offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. That’s the same role Bieniemy held from 2018-22 after taking over for Matt Nagy, who left to become the Bears head coach.
For Johnson and the Bears, that might not be the end of it.
“I know we already have some slips coming through that other teams would like to interview some of our guys, and I’m all for it,” Johnson said.
NFL coaching and GM tracker: Chicago Bears DBs coach Al Harris interviews with Green Bay Packers
Al Harris, who holds the dual titles of defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator, drew notice for the job he did managing the secondary despite missing cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon for most of the season. Harris reportedly interviewed with the Green Bay Packers on Wednesday for their defensive coordinator job and is expected to interview for the same role with the Washington Commanders.
Antwaan Randle El, the wide receivers coach and assistant head coach, could be another name to watch. Would a team consider making him its offensive coordinator? Randle El is a Chicago-area native and was overjoyed to return to his hometown last year, but what if his old team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, offered him a chance to run the offense?
Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle could be in a similar position. While he already holds the coordinator title, Johnson calls the plays in Chicago. Could Doyle be interested in going elsewhere to call the shots on offense?
Many teams still need to finalize their head coaching hires first, but the coaching carousel won’t end there.
Bears wide receivers coach and assistant head coach Antwaan Randle El yells out to his team in the third quarter against the Saints on Oct. 19, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
“I told the players this just a week or two ago, that it’s rare in Year 1 that you feel like you have a five-star staff, and yet that’s what I believe,” Johnson said. “Over the course of the season, seeing how they conducted themselves, what they sacrificed, the time they put in — we’ve got a great collection of coaches.
“It’s the right mix of experience, energy, ideas, and so I think they’re a big reason for the success that we were able to have and the games we were able to win. I see future head coaches on this staff, I see future coordinators.”
Additionally, the Bears front office could see some reshuffling. National reports Wednesday indicated that assistant general manager Ian Cunningham will interview for the GM role with the Atlanta Falcons.
Cunningham interviewed earlier this month for Atlanta’s president of football position, but the job went to former Falcons quarterback and league MVP Matt Ryan. Now the Falcons are looking for a GM who would report to Ryan.
Cunningham was a finalist a year ago for the Jacksonville Jaguars GM job, a reported finalist for the Commanders job in 2024 and turned down the Arizona Cardinals job in 2023, among other interviews.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/chicago-bears-ben-johnson-assistant-coach-opportunities/
A closer look at Luisangel Acuña and Truman Pauley, the new Chicago White Sox acquired in Luis Robert Jr. deal
Luisangel Acuña had been on the Chicago White Sox’s radar for a long time.
General manager Chris Getz described the infielder/outfielder as “a young, exciting player that plays all over the diamond, a strong defender, an elite defender, elite base runner, can make contact, very strong instincts for the game.”
“To get a chance at bringing in a player like that and gain some more flexibility with moving (center fielder) Luis (Robert Jr.) seemed like something we needed to strike on and we went ahead and did that,” Getz said during a videoconference call Wednesday.
Column: The end of the Luis Robert Jr. era gives the Chicago White Sox a clean slate for 2026
The Sox acquired Acuña and minor-league right-handed pitcher Truman Pauley late Tuesday, sending Robert to the New York Mets.
Acuña learned about the trade after playing in a Venezuelan Winter League game.
“I’m happy with this trade, I’m happy with this opportunity,” Acuña said through an interpreter during a videoconference call Wednesday.
Acuña, 23, has a career .248/.299/.341 slash line with nine doubles, one triple, three home runs, 14 RBIs, 36 runs and 16 stolen bases in 109 games during parts of two major-league seasons with the Mets. He slashed .234/.293/.274 with seven doubles, eight RBIs and 16 stolen bases in 95 games in 2025.
“At the end of the year in New York, he and the coaches and their head of hitting, they were working on some swing adjustments, some swing changes that allowed him to get the ball in the air a little bit more because he had heavy ground ball tendencies,” Getz said. “They started to see those strides.
“He’s been able to take that into winter league in Venezuela — that’s not always an automatic it’s going to translate, we have to acknowledge that. There are some indicators he is headed in the right direction, and you put that on top of the fact that he’s going to come to a club where we can give him consistent at-bats to test and get early feedback on those adjustments. If he needs to make more, you rinse and repeat.”
Acuña — the younger brother of 2023 National League Most Valuable Player Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves — describes himself as “the kind of player that plays hard, hustles, that likes to enjoy the game.”
The Mets’ Luisangel Acuña bats against Blue Jays during the home opener at Citi Field on April 4, 2025, in New York. (Elsa/Getty Images)
He has connections through the Venezuelan Winter League with Sox outfielder Everson Pereira and infielder Lenyn Sosa. And he heard from Sox third baseman/first baseman Miguel Vargas on Tuesday night.
“He texted me last night and he said whatever I need, I can reach out to him and that he’s here to help me,” Acuña said.
Former Sox shortstop and manager and current analyst and fellow Venezuelan Ozzie Guillén also reached out to Acuña.
“He called me last night saying that he was very happy for me and that it was a very good opportunity,” Acuña said.
Robert’s departure creates a shake-up in the outfield. Left fielder Andrew Benintendi returns along with the versatile Brooks Baldwin. Outfield options listed on the 40-man roster also include Derek Hill, Pereira and Tristan Peters.
Acuña has made major-league starts at second base, shortstop and third base. This winter, he has played at shortstop and in center field. Center will be an option for him this season with the Sox.
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“You look at the defensive projection, he grades out above average in all places, including center field,” Getz said. “He’s been playing center field in Venezuela. He’s plus, maybe even plus-plus in every infield position, and I would imagine in time he’s going to be plus in center field if he isn’t already. But the beauty of this is the versatility. When you’re looking to optimize your defense, he slides in pretty much anywhere on the field.
“So just to have that valuable piece is going to make (manager) Will (Venable’s) job a lot easier in optimizing a lineup on a regular basis. You look at the next five-plus years with Acuña hopefully on our club, you’re looking at a guy that can play at any of these positions. He’s played the most at shortstop and second base and has showed elite defense there. But the ability to really move other guys around with his ability to fill in everywhere is extremely valuable for us.”
Acuña has six minor-league seasons in the Texas Rangers (2019, 2021-23) and Mets (2023-25) organizations under his belt. Pauley, 22, got his first taste of professional baseball in 2025, making three starts for Class A St. Lucie. He had a 2.08 ERA, allowing one earned run in 4 1/3 innings while striking out three.
The Mets selected Pauley in the 12th round of the 2025 draft out of Harvard, where he studied mechanical engineering.
“You look at the stuff, the ability to spin the baseball just allows us to really hone in on his development and his arsenal to tap into some real upside,” Getz said. “It’s still a work in progress. They paid him a fair amount of money with the round he was taken in.
“He’s a guy we are familiar with, certainly have been tracking him for a while. Our (research and development) were really high on him, and the scouts were there to support it as well. We felt as if it was a nice addition. There were a pool of players we were discussing, we decided to go with him.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/chicago-white-sox-luisangel-acuna-truman-pauley/
Column: Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson already locked in on 2026. ‘We go back to square one.’
The setting at the end of a Chicago Bears season, when Halas Hall’s top decision makers field questions, generally has spawned even more questions — and punchlines — than it has provided clarity.
So Wednesday morning’s session with coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles was a refreshing contrast. Coming off an 11-6 season, the franchise’s first division crown since 2018 and its first playoff victory in 15 years, Johnson opened his remarks with the same level of intensity, attitude and forward focus that defined his first 365 days on the job.
“We go back to square one,” he said. “It’s back to the bottom again and we’ve got to build this thing back up.”
Too often the Bears have been there — actually at the bottom — and talking about building it up with little evidence they understood what that process entailed. Now they’ve done it, improving by six regular-season wins in Year 1 under a new coaching staff. With quarterback Caleb Williams, the future looks bright in the rugged NFC North, the only division that had all four teams above .500.
“I’m really encouraged about the steps he took this year,” Johnson said. “I’m Caleb Williams’ No. 1 believer.”
Long gone are the days when “everything else is there” but the quarterback — and, you know, having enough wins. Johnson reiterated what he said many times late in the season, that this group of players and coaches was special, and then he made it clear he isn’t taking any sort of victory lap and doesn’t believe anything the organization accomplished in 2025 is particularly applicable to next season.
“There is no building off of this,” he said. “If you feel otherwise, you’re probably missing the big picture. We’re back at it. We’ve got to start from scratch, we’ve got to start from the fundamentals. A lot of guys talked about how difficult this training camp was. I didn’t feel like it was anything out of my ordinary. They know what the expectation is. They know what the process is that we believe in as a coaching staff.
“I think more than anything else they’re going to know what they’re getting themselves into. And yet we’ve got to dig a little bit deeper, we’ve got to work a little bit harder, we’ve got to give a little bit more if we want to take this thing over the top. We did a nice job this year, but it’s not enough. We’ve got to do more.”
If there is any carryover to the spring — the Bears can open their voluntary offseason program April 20 — it’s that returning players will understand the identity that has been shaped in terms of physicality, sound fundamentals and playing with poise, something that was highlighted in seven fourth-quarter comebacks, including the wild-card victory over the Green Bay Packers.
“They thrive in those circumstances and that showed up for us in a big way,” Johnson said. “Our coaching staff tried to apply pressure on them early on, in the springtime and throughout training camp. And I’m not saying they grew numb to it, but it’s almost like they embraced it and that they were at their best in those moments.”
Interestingly, Johnson made reference to too many dropped passes, an issue that expanded during the second half of the season and in the divisional-round loss Sunday to the Los Angeles Rams. He then talked about difficult decisions that must be made after the staff has a chance to take a step back in order to have a clear review.
Poles noted there will be more constraints. The salary-cap situation remains fluid, but the Bears don’t have what seemed like unlimited space to operate as they did in recent years. That’s where they will need to be calculated in determining how to create extra room, whom to keep and which areas need upgrades.
Left tackle looms as an area of need, with Poles saying rookie Ozzy Trapilo’s recovery from a torn patellar tendon in his left knee could carry “deep” into next season.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles speaks with the media at Halas Hall on Jan. 21, 2026, in Lake Forest. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Poles praised defensive coordinator Dennis Allen for his ability to adjust to injuries throughout the season. Presumably the team will look to fortify that side of the ball after stockpiling the offense last March and April. Poles made it clear he’d like to bring back All-Pro free safety Kevin Byard III but called it a “challenge.”
The Bears enjoyed their most productive rookie class in years, and if that’s an example of how the front office and coaching staff can collaborate on drafting and developing, it bodes well for the future even with the team picking far from the top 10 — No. 25 — for the first time in a while.
It will be a fascinating offseason because the Bears have reached the point, after two days of exit interviews, where they already are working to build it back up. There was a sense of urgency and sharpened focus Wednesday that, quite frankly, had been difficult to discern after previous seasons, when the task ahead appeared so massive, you would walk out of the building wondering, “Where in the world are they going to start?”
“You see it across the league all the time: You panic and you want to do crazy things that everybody else wants you to do,” Poles said. “It leads you to some situations you can’t get out of. We want to stay flexible. We want to stay open-minded. We want to stay committed to building this team the right way because I think that’s the best way to sustain success. We’re always going to be opportunistic.”
Chairman George McCaskey and President/CEO Kevin Warren were seated across from the dais where Johnson and Poles spoke but were not available for comment. Sometimes they speak at end-of-season sessions like this. Their silence probably was attributable to a couple of reasons and was notable because Warren is generally eager to be in front of cameras.
First, the Bears are paying Johnson $13 million a season to be the front man, and he’s very good in that role. He’s the best pitchman the franchise has had in a long time.
Second, they don’t want to hijack any buzz from a successful season with ongoing discussion of the stadium situation and a brewing battle between factions in Illinois and Indiana.
Third, the team achieved its goal of leveraging Illinois in negotiations to build in Arlington Heights by announcing northwest Indiana is an option, no matter how likely a move across the state line is. Talking about it publicly now would probably just stir things up even more in Illinois at a time when the Bears are trying to rally lawmakers back onto their side.
It was best the team prioritized football over politics, as that’s what the city has rallied around over the last five months — and really since Johnson was officially introduced one year ago today.
“Coach hit it,” Poles said. “We didn’t reach what we wanted, the goals that we wanted to hit, and that’s to be a championship-caliber team. That will never change.
“But as we’ve moved a couple days past that, I am proud of the progress that we’ve made. And knowing that, we can’t be complacent. We’ve got to keep pushing forward. We both come from organizations that have stacked success back-to-back years.”
Johnson has been so locked into the future and beginning that process that he hasn’t gone through the tape of the overtime loss to the Rams and the interception that shifted that game. But he’ll get to it.
“I’m already looking ahead to 2026 myself,” he said.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/chicago-bears-ben-johnson-ryan-poles-square-one/
Trump Will “Wipe Iran Off The Face Of The Earth” If It Ever Tries To Assassinate Him
Trump Will “Wipe Iran Off The Face Of The Earth” If It Ever Tries To Assassinate Him
There’s no evidence that agents from Iran have ever tried to assassinate President Trump – though there have been lots of rumors and even a federal court case suggesting some kind of past plot in a “murder-for-hire” scheme.
But the topic was raised as Trump spoke to NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich Tonight, which marked the second anniversary of Trump’s inauguration. He said in the Tuesday interview that if Iran were to attempt to assassinate him, he would issue the “order to wipe it off the face of this Earth.”
“Anything ever happens, the whole country is going to get blown up,” Trump said, adding, “I would absolutely hit them so hard. But I have very firm instructions.”
Alongside the threat based on the imagined scenario, he lashed out at former President Joe Biden, arguing that the prior administration failed to respond forcefully enough to threats made by Iran against him.
“A president has to defend a president,” Trump continued, emphasizing that he would act decisively even if threats were aimed at “somebody, not even a president.”
Not only is there scant evidence of the existence of some kind of Iranian state plot past or present against the sitting president, but one would be hard-pressed to present as an example any Iranian or Shia-driven terror attack on American soil, in all of history.
Instead, almost all Islamic terror in the history of the US has been Sunni-linked. For example, the majority of the 9/11 hijackers were of course Saudis. And yet Washington has long been best friends with the hardline Sunni kingdom, where Sharia law reigns. Still, the NeoCons have long obsessed over Iran and its Shia Islamic revolution of 1979. Shia Hezbollah has also long been top in the crosshairs of both Washington and Israel.
Currently, a US carrier group and additional military assets are headed to the Middle East region. A carrier is en route from Asian waters.
The Wall Street Journal has noted that ‘options’ are still being weighed by the administration:
After pulling back from strikes on Iran last week, President Trump is still pressing aides for what he terms “decisive” military options, U.S. officials said, as Iran appears to have tightened its control of the country and targets protesters through a crackdown that has killed thousands.
This comes after a couple weeks of large-scale protests in Iran left hundreds dead. Estimates are in the thousands killed.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has accused President Donald Trump and the US of being behind the deaths of ‘several thousand’ people during weeks of anti-government protests, alleging direct foreign involvement in the violence. pic.twitter.com/kdGRBHBZuC
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 18, 2026
But amid international condemnation, Tehran has said that casualties among police and security personnel were in the hundreds.
Iranian leaders have accused violent and well-armed foreign-sponsored entities of hijacking what started out as economic-driven protests. And they say the West is using this as a justification to potentially mount a regime change war.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 01/22/2026 – 06:55
Second City changes its storied e.t.c. Stage to … improv?
Del Close must be looking down in triumph from the afterlife, with or without the skull he famously wished to be donated after his death in 1999 to the Goodman Theatre’s props department for use in “Hamlet.”
Beginning Thursday, and for the first time in its 43-year history, Chicago’s Second City e.t.c. Stage is changing over its storied revue, which launched the careers of the likes of Keegan-Michael Key and Jack McBrayer, to an all-improv show titled “Improv Supernova.”
Instead of the traditional compilation of scripted sketches, written by the cast and similar in format to the flagship Chicago Mainstage, the new e.t.c. show in Second City’s second stage in the Piper’s Alley complex in Old Town will be composed entirely of improvised scenes and structured scenarios. “Everything will be unscripted,” said Anne Libera, the new endeavor’s director. “We want to do a killer improv show.”
“The world is moving at incredible speed,” said Second City CEO Ed Wells, by way of explaining the change. “We want to reflect the world we live in. But what was true yesterday might not be true tomorrow. How do you comment on that in real time? Doing a show that is live and fully improvised every night might just fit that.”
As logical as that sounds, and Second City VP of creative Jen Ellison describes the change as a “moment of exploration and innovation” rather than necessarily a permanent change, longtime followers of Chicago’s improv and comedy scene have reason to be gobsmacked.
Second City’s co-founder and longtime head honcho, the late Bernie Sahlins, was vehemently opposed to improv as a performance medium, insisting for decades that its value was as a tool to create satirical material that could then be shaped, honed and, well, scripted. This was the formula that also created (and still sustains) the seminal NBC sketch show “Saturday Night Live!,” essentially a Second City creative process on an accelerated timeline and with cameras and guest hosts alongside an audience.
Brittani Yawn and Claudia Martinez in the Second City e.t.c. Stage’s 47th revue, “Oh, the Places You’ll Glow!,” which opened in late 2023. The 50th will be “Improv Supernova.” (Timothy M. Schmidt)
The devise-and-script approach (performers like Tina Fey and Jim Belushi did not own the rights to the material they penned) also meant that Second City has created a rich archive of excellent, company-owned material that it can use for its various touring shows, cruise ship productions and themed compilations.
In total contrast, Close insisted for decades that improv was a legitimate art-form in and of itself and he fought with Sahlins over the matter every chance he got. Close’s ideas were writ large in the 1990s at Improv Olympic (now the iO Theatre), and they remain very much alive with such storied, veteran long-form improvisers as TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi, making up shows out of whole cloth and attracting packed audiences in both Chicago and New York.
Sahlins and Close were friends and the improv-sketch divide was never absolute in Chicago comedy circles. Over the years, Second City revues have included some improvised elements (albeit well protected against failure by clever scripts) as well as free improv post-shows, used to develop future materials. And great sketch performers like Fey would perform at Second City and then rush over to do late-night improv games at Improv Olympic in Wrigleyville.
Still, the feud was famously intense enough that it generated a famous story, widely told in each man’s remembrance, that Sahlins had found his way to Close’s hospital room when the latter was dying. Close had opened his eyes long enough to spy Sahlins and insist, for the last time, that improv was a legitimate art form.
Sahlins then said, “It is tonight,” receiving a raised eyebrow and wry smile in return for his magnanimous gesture.
So, while the Thursday change at the e.t.c. might not be seismic, one might legitimately call the stakes a matter of life and death.
There have been 49 e.t.c revues, including the most recent one, “Chaos Theory of Everything,” which closed quietly, sending the theater atypically dark while the new project has been created.
Libera said she had sought out improvisers of the highest quality, adept in both long-form and short-form, descriptors that refer to the difference between improvised scenes that can last only a matter of seconds and those that can run on and on for hours.
Ellison added that “historically, improv has been the way to innovate” in the world of Second City, which is true, but in the development of rehearsed and scripted material.
“Over the years,” she said, “we have found that the best things come out of what happens when we throw away a lot of assumptions of what we do.”
Of course, there is also a famous Chicago entertainment brand to not throw out, which in this case has been aligned since the 1950s with scripted sketch comedy, even if Sahlins and producer Joyce Sloane founded the e.t.c. space in 1982 to create a space for experimentation, a sketch show offering edgier material than the tourist trap next door.
Times have changed and, for almost all of the intervening years, e.t.c. has functioned mostly as a slightly scrappier sibling to the Mainstage, often the choice of visitors when the Mainstage has sold out. That said, it quite often has been better in quality, and visiting scouts from network TV and the like invariably have watched both casts. So one might see the loss of a second scripted Chicago revue as a loss of opportunity for those who want to make a career in that form.
Of course, this is the slow winter season and, like many Chicago performing arts organizations, Second City, which was sold by former local owner Andrew Alexander to Zelnick Media Capital in 2021, has found itself in a more challenging economic landscape with tickets to the lesser-known e.t.c. harder to sell. If this doesn’t work, it can always change back. Everyone at the theater says they want to see what happens first. The show will now be about 90 minutes, including intermission, shorter than the traditional revues. But, one assumes, more up-to-date.
“We want to create a new kind of relationship with the audience and we don’t plan to be games and jokes driven,” Libera, a comedy historian, says. “We really see this as going back to our first principles of the founding of the company,” noting the roots of Second City in the improv games created by Viola Spolin and further developed by her son Paul Sills and others.
Del Close, here with Charna Halpern, right, in 1984 at what was then Improv Olympic. (Michael Budrys / Chicago Tribune)
Ellison struck a middle ground between the famed Sahlins-Close polarity. “I think improv is both a tool and a performance medium,” she said, shrewdly, given these circumstances. “One can shake the hand of the other. I don’t look at a box of crayons and say, ‘Look at the art I made.’ I use them. We can be inside our tradition and also push back against our tradition.”
Sahlins, it is fair to say, would have been all for pushback, just as long as it did not involve improvising all night for an audience. And Alexander, who followed him at the helm, generally adhered to his principles. But, well, neither man is in charge anymore.
As for a critic who has never missed an e.t.c. revue for decades, there is now a new (or more accurately, given iO, a new, old) conundrum: how do you review a show that will be completely different every night? (It can be done.)
Second City, once famed for its starry openings, said its next official opening night at e.t.c. might be months away, and that it wished to be allowed some space to experiment and try something new.
“But we hope you will come,” Wells said, “and then come back several more times.”
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
cjones5@chicagotribune.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/second-city-etc-stage-improv/
Trump Unveils His Board Of Peace In Davos: A Replacement To The UN Or A US-Led Coalition Of The Willing?
Trump Unveils His Board Of Peace In Davos: A Replacement To The UN Or A US-Led Coalition Of The Willing?
On the second and final day of his visit on Jan. 22, U.S. President Donald Trump released the Board of Peace charter, which is part of the peace process between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza.
The White House on Jan. 16 named several members of the Trump administration, as well as international leaders, to positions within the Board of Peace, which aims to provide strategic insight, mobilize international resources, and ensure accountability during Gaza’s transition and reconstruction.
Trump will chair the board, which will be tasked with overseeing the next phase in Gaza. Dozens of countries have been invited to join.
As Emel Akan reports for The Epoch Times, members will be tasked with managing the Gaza Strip’s “governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilization,” according to the White House.
During a Jan. 20 White House press conference, Trump said the Board of Peace might end up replacing the United Nations.
“I wish the United Nations could do more. I wish we didn’t need a Board of Peace,” Trump told reporters.
“The U.N. just hasn’t been very helpful. I’m a big fan of the U.N. potential, but it has never lived up to its potential.”
Despite criticizing the U.N., Trump didn’t call for the dissolution of the international body.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair are among those tapped to serve on an executive board for the Board of Peace. Others on the executive board are private equity executive Marc Rowan, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, and U.S. deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel.
The Board of Peace will include a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, led by Palestinian Authority official Ali Abdel Hamid Shaath.
President Donald Trump speaks during a reception for business leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 21, 2026. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Nikolay Mladenov, a Bulgarian diplomat and former U.N. envoy to the Middle East, has also been named to serve as the high representative for Gaza. This role entails acting as a link between the Board of Peace and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
As part of the peace process, Hamas has agreed to disarm.
During his remarks to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said failure to comply would result in severe consequences, saying Hamas will “be blown away.”
“We have 59 countries that are part of that whole peace deal,” Trump said during his speech.
“And they want to come in and take out Hamas. They want to come in. They want to do whatever they can. There’s a problem with Hezbollah in Lebanon. And we’ll see what happens there.”
Additionally, as Andrew Korybko details below, Putin might accept Trump’s invitation to participate in order to avoid offending him and not lose a seat at the table where members provide input on US policy towards settling various conflicts.
Kremlin spokesmen Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the US invited Putin to join the Board of Peace, which refers to the UNSC-endorsed Trump-chaired group for implementing his Gaza peace plan.
Interestingly, Gaza isn’t mentioned anywhere in its charter, thus lending credence to some observers’ assessments that Trump envisages it de facto replacing the UN upon broadening its scope with time.
That same charter also grants enormous power to the group’s Chairman, the first of which will be Trump.
He’s the only one who can invite countries to join, terminate their membership, select the Executive Board, approve decisions (without which they won’t enter into force), veto decisions at any time even after they’re already being implemented, and has full power over subsidiary entities, et al.
Just as importantly, he also chooses his successor, who automatically replaces him once he ends his duties. Trump will basically run the Board of Peace like Mar-a-Lago, which has obvious pros and cons.
On the positive side, this group might actually get things done, unlike the UN. After all, Trump’s companies have a track record of tangible accomplishments, and taking full responsibility for everything motivates him to ensure that this effort doesn’t fail otherwise it’ll stain his legacy. On the negative side, all members have to defer to Trump, which some might consider humiliating. They might still tolerate it for the sake of rebuilding Gaza, however, but then leave after three years’ time.
The last point segues into the clause about how the invitees can serve for three years free of charge but then have to leave the group unless they pay $1 billion within the first year to become permanent members.
This money will go towards rebuilding Gaza. It’s also possible that the Board of Peace amends the charter to mandate a smaller amount with Trump’s approval. In any case, becoming a permanent member legally buys influence with Trump, but it doesn’t guarantee that he’ll do what’s asked of him.
There’s also the question of what would happen if the Republicans don’t keep the presidency.
The Board of Peace, whether still run by Trump or whoever his successor might be (perhaps one of his sons), would then lose the ability to influence the president and thus just become another international group. It could still foster dialogue among its members, but that’s not the same as shaping US policy towards Gaza in accordance with Trump’s vision with potential input from others like it’s presently poised to do.
For these reasons, the Board of Peace is less a replacement to the UN and more akin to a “coalition of the willing” therein which has the political will to facilitate US-led efforts to rebuild Gaza, but this “coalition” might also broaden its focus to tackle other conflicts in the future.
It’s with this in mind that those invitees embroiled in such conflicts which could occupy the Board of Peace’s attention before the end of Trump 2.0 might buy permanent membership in order to keep this influence channel open.
The aforesaid calculation would contextualize Russia’s possible participation on the Board of Peace, especially as a permanent member, which could even be for the simple purpose of not wanting to provoke Trump by risking him being offended by Putin’s rejection of his invitation into escalating.
A supplementary motive could be that this is a political insurance policy in the scenario, however far-fetched it might seem, that the Board of Peace ultimately de facto replaces some of the UN’s functions.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 01/22/2026 – 06:30
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/board-peace-replacement-un-or-us-led-coalition-willing
Best products for baby gas relief
Which products for baby gas relief are best?
Regardless of how infants are fed, they can easily get upset tummies and suffer through bouts of painful gas. Aside from trying a different type of baby bottle or feeding position, there are other ways to soothe a gassy baby. Giving them playtime on their bellies can help, as can burping them more frequently during feedings.
Many people also rely on various products for baby gas relief. Some of these are homeopathic, some are over-the-counter medications and others are devices designed to help tiny tummies.
What you should know before you buy a baby gas relief product
Use only age-appropriate treatments
Although most remedies for infant gas pain are specially formulated to be extremely gentle on a baby’s system, be cautious if you have a newborn baby. Not all products are for use with newborns, and some are only appropriate for babies who are 6 months old or older. Your pediatrician may recommend various products suitable for babies at particular ages, including baby probiotics, relief drops or even some homeopathic medicine.
Follow instructions closely
You must not give a baby treatment more often than recommended, so read instructions carefully and keep track of administration. There are massagers and tummy bands that provide comfort via external heat from a microwaveable pack. Nonetheless, caregivers must be careful to never place an overly warm pack on a baby’s fragile skin.
Ingredients
Decide if you are interested in trying only organic or homeopathic remedies or if you’re comfortable using over-the-counter medications. Always look at ingredient lists and ensure that your baby isn’t allergic to or sensitive to the product.
Best homeopathic or organic baby gas relief product
Colic Calm Plus Professional Strength Homeopathic Medicine
This natural remedy for babies, which can be used up to six times per day, is formulated to relieve colic, gas and reflux symptoms in a way that is fast, safe, gentle and great-tasting. These soothing drops contain 12 ingredients, including ginger, aloe, peppermint, chamomile and others.
Mommy’s Bliss Original Gripe Water
This customer favorite contains organic fennel and ginger and is appropriate for infants 2 weeks old and older. It’s NSF-certified and uses no artificial colors or flavors, no alcohol and no parabens.
Containing organic dill, kiwifruit extract, fennel seed and ginger root, this gripe water is USDA-certified organic and safe for newborns as well as older infants. It’s gluten-free and contains no casein, milk, eggs, soy, wheat, yeast, preservatives or corn.
Best over-the-counter medication for baby gas relief
Infants’ Mylicon Gas Relief Drops
Infants’ Mylicon Gas Relief is one of the few infant gas remedies approved by the FDA and contains simethicone to break down the air in a baby’s digestive tract. It’s safe to give up to 12 times per day and contains no alcohol, artificial flavors, gluten or saccharin.
Little Remedies Gas Relief Drops
These drops are suitable for newborns and older babies. They use simethicone to break down gas bubbles in minutes. This product contains no alcohol, parabens, artificial dyes, sugar or high fructose corn syrup.
Infants’ Gas Relief Drops by Rugby Laboratories
Safe for newborns, infants and children, the simethicone oral suspension works in minutes without preservatives. There are no artificial flavors, colors or dyes in the ingredients, and these gas drops include a plastic dispenser for easy administration.
Best external devices for baby gas relief
Baby Brezza Baby Soothe Baby Massager and Band
This device can be placed on a hurting tummy or secured around the baby’s midsection with a band that contains a small massaging device. The massage soothes the baby by stimulating digestion at home or during travel and operates on two AA batteries.
This cute little heated gel pack is available in three different colors and designs and uses adjustable hook-and-loop tape to apply gentle compression and heat to the baby’s belly. It’s 100% safe and appropriate for newborns through babies who are 12 months of age.
Overall best product for baby gas relief
Windi Gas and Colic Reliever for Babies by FridaBaby
This remedy for infant gas discomfort was invented by a pediatric gastroenterologist and designed for a baby’s bottom. The “Windi” is a hollow tube that reaches past the muscle responsible for trapping gas but has a stopper to prevent it from going in too far. It stimulates the muscles to relieve gas and soothe colicky babies instantly. The system is sanitary and BPA- and latex-free.
Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.
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https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/best-products-for-baby-gas-relief/
