Category: News
Wilmette joins other towns, strengthens rules against cooperating with ICE
Wilmette’s Village Board unanimously approved a measure on Wednesday, Nov. 12, that goes further than current law in restricting the village’s cooperation with civil immigration enforcement.
The rules, which prohibit federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement from setting up on village property, among other new restrictions, mirror earlier efforts by neighboring Evanston and Skokie to mitigate the effects of federal immigration authorities’ Operation Midway Blitz. An outcry by residents over several recent reports of ICE activities in the village spurred the creation of the ordinance.
Aside from the rule akin to the “ICE free zones” established in Evanston and elsewhere, the measure forbids village staff from asking people about their immigration status or withholding services based on any person’s legal status. And the village has urged residents to call Wilmette police if they witness civil immigration enforcement in action.
“Two weeks ago today, those seemingly impossible scenes that we have witnessed in other communities came to Wilmette,” Village President Senta Plunkett said at the meeting. “The juxtaposition of the image of a safe, peaceful street in Wilmette with masked and armed federal agents targeting landscape workers is striking.”
Since the initial reports of immigration enforcement on Oct. 29, village officials confirmed subsequent actions on Oct. 31 and Nov. 7. As of Monday, Wilmette has not seen any ICE activity since, Plunkett told Pioneer Press in a statement.
Landscape workers emerged as another focus of the ordinance, which lifted the requirement, through the end of 2026, that Wilmette landscapers get a business license. Village Manager Michael Braiman cited the “fear permeating the landscaping community” in his presentation of the change.
Along similar lines, residents will not need to display construction permits through 2026.
Other aspects of the measure do not have an end date, and it does not prevent the village from working with federal officers on criminal matters.
The timing of the ordinance drew the attention of some trustees, who unanimously supported the policy during their discussion. The federal government’s Chicago-area surge appears to have started winding down, but Trustee Mark Steen said the ordinance would contribute important steps against future ICE activity. He also said that the village could have acted sooner.
“We have to recognize that even if the federal agents can’t handle a northern Illinois winter, they will be back when it becomes warmer again,” Steen said. “When that happens, we can, and I think we have to, do better.”
Facing residents in mid-October, before federal agents came to Wilmette, Plunkett said she didn’t want to “put a target on ourselves” for immigration enforcement. Her comments during the State of the Village event cast doubt on whether anti-ICE policies in neighboring suburbs would make the situation safer.
When asked by Pioneer Press on Monday about the shift in village policy and its timing, Plunkett wrote in a statement that it was a “rapidly evolving situation” and lauded residents, the board and Wilmette staff for “quickly” coming to a consensus. The new measure could even “serve as a model to other communities in the region,” she continued.
“I’m proud of how our community stepped up and came together to support neighbors as well as all those who work here,” Plunkett added. “While our local authority to regulate much of what we have seen in our community and elsewhere is limited, our power, effectiveness and values as a community far exceeds the reaches of our local government.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/18/wilmette-strengthens-rules-against-ice/
Japan Bond Yields Soar To Record, Slamming Door On Stimulus Just As Economy Implodes Amid Escalating China Clash
Japan Bond Yields Soar To Record, Slamming Door On Stimulus Just As Economy Implodes Amid Escalating China Clash
Back in 2024, it was the story of the summer, but now with a relentless waterfall of news stressing traders – and that excludes the hourly blasts from Trump’s truth social account – it has become impossible to filter the firehose of newsflow, let alone trade it.
Which is why some may have missed the big store of the night which is that Japanese yields are once again breaking out in the back of the curve, with new cycle highs in the 20yr and 40yr weighing on sentiment and risk, and sending the Nikkei not only back below 50K, but below 49K, down 7% from the local record high hit on Halloween.
And with the recent surge in yields, driven by new PM Takaichi’s plans for a fresh stimulus boost (see “Japan ruling-party panel proposes $161 billion extra budget to fund stimulus“), now that the country is basically back in recession after the catastrophic Q3 GDP print which tied for the second worst since covid…
… any plans for fiscal stimulus now are hard to square with the limits of the bond market according to Goldman’s Delta-One head Rich Privorotsky.
But while bond vigilantes may not allow Japan to spend on a fiscal stimulus, it may have no choice but to splurge on defense, as the country’s diplomatic scandal with China is rapidly deteriorating, and is set to be a rerun of the Senkaku Island East China Sea crisis from 2013, which saw almost two years of unprecedented belligernce between the two countries.
In the latest escalation of the deepening dispute between Asia’s two largest economies over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan, Japan warned its citizens in China to step up safety precautions and avoid crowded places. As we reported last week, Takaichi sparked the most serious diplomatic clash in years when she told Japanese lawmakers this month that a Chinese attack on Taiwan threatening Japan’s survival could trigger a military response.
A senior Japanese official met his counterpart in Beijing on Tuesday to try and tamp down the tension, but no breakthrough appeared imminent.
China’s foreign ministry said Liu Jinsong, head of the ministry’s Asia affairs department, had pressed at the meeting for Takaichi to retract her remarks. But Japan’s top government spokesperson, Minoru Kihara, suggested Tokyo was in no mood to do so.
The comments did “not alter the government’s existing position,” Kihara told a press conference on Tuesday, adding that the government hoped issues concerning Taiwan would be resolved peacefully through dialogue.
A video posted on social media by China’s Communist party-run newspaper Guangming Daily showed Liu telling reporters that he was “of course dissatisfied” with the meeting, and described the atmosphere as “solemn.”
A Chinese diplomat in Japan responded to Takaichi’s remarks by posting a threatening comment aimed at her on social media. That drew a strong rebuke from Tokyo, though it failed to stem vitriolic commentary against her in Chinese state media. Takaichi was summoning Japan’s “militarist demons”, the official news agency Xinhua said in the latest such attack on Tuesday.
In view of the media coverage in China, Japan’s embassy there reminded citizens on Monday to respect local customs and take care in interactions with Chinese people.
It asked citizens to be aware of their surroundings when outdoors, telling them to not travel alone and urging extra caution when accompanying children. “If you see a person or group that looks even slightly suspicious, do not approach them and leave the area immediately,” the embassy said in its notice.
The dispute will deal a harsh blow to Japan’s already reeling economy, as Beijing has urged its citizens not to travel there. Chinese form the largest number of all tourists to Japan, accounting for nearly a quarter, official figures show. Tourism-related stocks in Japan plunged on the news.
More than 10 Chinese airlines, such as Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines, have offered refunds on Japan-bound routes until December 31, while Sichuan Airlines has cancelled plans for a Chengdu-Sapporo route until at least March, state media said.
Film distributors have also suspended the screening of at least two Japanese films in China, a step state broadcaster CCTV hailed on Monday as a “prudent decision” reflecting souring domestic sentiment. Screening of some Japanese films originally set for release in coming weeks, such as the animated “Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Super Hot! Scorching Kasukabe Dancers” and manga-turned-movie “Cells at Work!” will not begin in mainland China as scheduled, it added, citing industry checks.
Apart from tourism, Japan is heavily dependent on China for supply of critical minerals used in items from electronics to cars.
“If we rely too heavily on a country that resorts to economic coercion the moment something displeases it, that creates risks not only for supply chains but also for tourism,” Japan’s economic security minister, Kimi Onoda, told a press conference on Tuesday.
“We need to recognise that it’s dangerous to be economically dependent on somewhere that poses such risks,” she added, responding to a question about China’s calls for its citizens to avoid travel to Japan.
Japan’s Trade Minister Ryosei Akazawa said there had been no particular changes yet in China’s export control measures on rare earths and other materials. The heads of Japan’s three business federations met Takaichi late on Monday and urged dialogue to resolve the diplomatic tension.
“Political stability is a prerequisite for economic exchange,” Yoshinobu Tsutsui, chairman of Japan’s biggest business lobby Keidanren, told reporters after the meeting, media said.
Meanwhile, sensing blood in the water, China is prepared to instigate a rerun of the Senkaku crisis from a decade ago. On Sunday, Chinese coast guard ships sailed through waters around a group of East China Sea islands controlled by Japan but claimed by China. Japan’s coast guard said it drove the Chinese ships away.
The United States does not formally recognise the islands, known as Senkaku in Tokyo and the Diaoyu in Beijing, as Japanese sovereign territory. Since 2014 it has said it would be obliged by the Japan-U.S. security treaty to defend them if they were attacked, however.
“In case anyone was in doubt, the United States is fully committed to the defence of Japan, which includes the Senkaku Islands, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, George Glass, said on X. “And formations of Chinese coast guard ships won’t change that.”
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a press conference on Tuesday that Glass’s remarks were a “political show with ulterior motives”.
This week’s G20 summit in South Africa offered a possible forum to help ease tension, but China said its premier had no plans to meet Takaichi.
Kihara said nothing has been decided about two-way meetings during G20, but Japan remains open to holding “various dialogues” with China. Japan’s refusal to retract its statements meant its de-escalatory efforts had failed to mollify Beijing, said Allen Carlson, an expert on China’s foreign policy at Cornell University.
“As a result, the two countries now stand on a knife’s edge.”
Tyler Durden
Tue, 11/18/2025 – 17:20
Man wounded by police in Washington Park shooting
Chicago police said they shot a man while attempting to question a man they said had a firearm in the Washington Park neighborhood on Tuesday morning.
Officers responded to the 5600 block of South Michigan Avenue around 11:50 a.m. to stop and question a man, whose age was not immediately disclosed, who was believed to be carrying a firearm, according to police. As officers tried to stop the man, he fled, prompting a foot pursuit, police said.
After observing that the man was armed with a handgun, an officer gave multiple verbal commands that went ignored, police said. The officer then discharged their firearm, striking the man in the abdomen and arm, police said.
Officers rendered first aid to the man, who was subsequently transported to UChicago Medicine, where he was initially reported to be in good condition. The officer involved was taken to an area hospital for observation, police said. One firearm was recovered at the scene.
Any officers involved in the shooting will be placed on routine administrative duties for at least 30 days, police said.
COPA is responding to an officer-involved shooting in the 5600 block of South Michigan Avenue. If you or anyone you know has any information related to this incident, please call our office at 312-746-3609 or visit https://t.co/LqABRQUFLE
— COPA (@ChicagoCOPA) November 18, 2025
The Civilian Office for Police Accountability, which probes shootings and alleged instances of officer misconduct, announced on social media that it was responding to the shooting and asked people with information to call 312-746-3609.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/18/chicago-police-officer-shooting-washington-park/
Column: Diabetes Club of Fox Valley welcomes a pair of passionate future doctors to its cause
Two Aurora University seniors, who hope to become doctors one day, want the community to start talking more about diabetes.
Hlawn Tlang and Blend Dalipi became interested in this disease that affects more than 30 million Americans after taking part in a research project in a health science class last year.
What they found from a local survey of 255 people is that 44% rarely talked about diabetes, 41% displayed poor and neutral attitudes about treatment and 75% were obese and overweight.
The numbers are revealing. But “now that we knew there was such a problem,” said Tlang, “we wanted to do more” than gather statistics.
And so, using their own money, she and Dalipi formed Healing Diabetes with the goal of educating the community about this disease many experts describe as an epidemic.
“We are not doctors, we don’t diagnose … we just are trying to raise awareness,” said Tlang of their efforts, which include an information-packed brochure and PowerPoint presentation that offers tips on how to prevent or manage diabetes as well as links to available resources.
In October, Tlang and Dalipi – along with translator Jatniel Morales Gomez – held their first awareness outreach at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Aurora, with plans to step up these efforts and their social media presence after the new year.
Although their club is still in its infancy, Tlang and Dalipi have gained the enthusiastic support of the Diabetes Club of Fox Valley, a grassroots nonprofit that share their passion: spreading the word about the dangers of uncontrolled blood sugar that can impact vision, heart, nerves, dental and kidneys.
And at its second annual gala held Friday at Lincoln Inn in Batavia, the club recognized the efforts of these two AU students, who were hailed by Diabetes Club of Fox Valley President Russ George for their enthusiasm and commitment to this cause.
The gala, attended by 110 guests, is one of two big fundraisers for the Diabetes Club of Fox Valley. Since its inception just three years ago the club has jumped from 15 to 70 members, and has donated over $27,712 to such groups as VNA Health Care, Fox Valley Special Recreation Association, ALS, Mutual Ground, Quilts of Valor and the University of Chicago Kovler Diabetes Center, which has received $15,000 from the club, including a $7,000 check presented at the gala.
Much emphasis has been put on research by the club, which is well aware of the exciting advancements that have been made in recent years because of research being done at Kovler and other centers, including cell biology, genetics/genomics and physiology.
There are also far less high-tech ways those with diabetes are receiving local support. For one young gala guest with type 1 diabetes, it has four paws and a wet nose.
Rev is a diabetic alert dog, made possible for third-grader Olive Schwerha through the Ron and Vicki Santo Foundation, with generous contributions from the Diabetes Club of Fox Valley and the Aurora Cosmopolitan Club, which also focuses on this disease.
Immediately after joining their Downers Grove family this summer, Rev alerted Olive’s mother Dani in the middle of the night that her daughter’s glucose pump had stopped working and her numbers were dangerously low.
“I trust him more than the technology,” Dani Schwerha told me, referring to the yellow lab which was also a well-behaved guest at the gala. “He saved my daughter’s life.”
Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death both nationally and in Illinois, yet a third of people who have it don’t know it, George pointed out. Which is why he and the club – Diabetes Club of Fox Valley does regular meet and greets to raise awareness – are so supportive of Tlang and Dalipi.
“It is a wonderful experience working with them,” said the Diabetes Club of Fox Valley president, noting that, although he was not surprised by their project’s survey numbers, “I was amazed at the amount of information they had as a result of the interviews.”
And it gives him “hope that perhaps young people will become aware of the dangers of diabetes, begin to eat healthier and get plenty of exercise even if it’s only taking daily walks.”
For Tlang, the passion she and Dalipi feel about these efforts extends beyond the present.
“As future doctors we wanted to start a conversation about a health issue that is often overlooked,” she said.
“We feel so supported by this group. It lit the fire under us even more to keep doing what we are doing.”
dcrosby@tribpub.com
Park Ridge City Council considering a property tax hike to fund $95M budget after years of no increase
After consecutive post-pandemic years of not raising the city’s portion of property taxes, Park Ridge leaders are looking at such a hike for 2026 – along with several other local sales tax increases.
During a budget workshop meeting Monday, City Council members reviewed the city budget proposed for the 2026 fiscal year, including a plan to raise property taxes 2.5% and increase utility, food, beverage and home-rule sales taxes, according to the proposed $95 million spending plan.
The city’s fiscal year runs Jan. 1 to Dec. 31
Park Ridge city leaders say the increases are needed largely to keep pace with inflation and increased staffing costs, and in the face of a larger economic slowdown.
Most of the alderpersons seemed agreeable to the budget as proposed, and no major changes or objections were made.
The city has not raised its portion of property tax rates since 2020, officials pointed out.
The Park Ridge Public Library is also looking at a 4% levy increase. The additional revenue is expected to bring the library’s emergency operations fund to about $2 million, or five months of operation expenses. By its own policy, the library must have about six months of reserves on hand.
Meanwhile, looking ahead, the city has a number of ambitious projects planned for the next fiscal year.
“In Fiscal Year 2026, the city will shift its focus toward future infrastructure planning. Key initiatives include design work for the Fire Station 36 renovation and expansion project, design of the Northwest Highway water main replacement and Mayfield Estates flood control projects, a feasibility analysis for the police station and the adoption of an updated Comprehensive Plan,” City Manager Joe Gilmore wrote in the budget proposal.
“These planning projects will occur alongside major resurfacing of Dee Road, the acquisition of a new Fire Department emergency squad vehicle, and ongoing building improvement projects,” he wrote
The police station analysis could result in a new police station in a new location or a substantial expansion of the existing one inside City Hall.
“It will help us look and see what we have and what we need,” said police Chief Bob Kampwirth.
He said the analysis would give the department and the city “homework for ourselves to move on forward with that.”
The chief is also requesting a second social worker. The police department has employed Geri Silic since 2016 as a social worker and she works with families in crisis, with homeless people and anyone else who may need help outside of strict law enforcement.
Kampwirth praised her work thus far, and said another worker would mean someone could be onsite at night.
“Since 2016, Geri has been doing a great job with what she does. She does a great job. She agrees we have a good program here but we want to strive for greatness,” Kampwirth said. “Her case volume is up, and it goes up every year.”
City Finance Director Chris Lipman estimated that a new police social worker position would cost around $100,000 annually.
Consideration of the budget is expected at the next two City Council meetings, with final consideration expected to come in late December.
Jesse Wright is a freelancer.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/18/park-ridge-property-tax-increase-fiscal-year-2026/
Michelle Obama Says She Won’t Run Because America “Ain’t Ready” For A Woman
Michelle Obama Says She Won’t Run Because America “Ain’t Ready” For A Woman
Authored by Luis Cornelio via Headline USA,
Former First Lady Michelle Obama bluntly rejected calls that she run for office because America “ain’t ready” for a woman president.
Obama made the remarks Friday in a YouTube interview with actress Tracee Ellis Ross while promoting her new book, The Look.
The interview touched on the first lady’s role as an archetype of “wifedom and femininity,” before Obama veered into a tangent on broader cultural issues and the 2024 election.
“Do you think that impacts the room that we’ve made for a woman to be president?” Ross asked.
Obama then replied, “As we saw in this past election, sadly, we ain’t ready,” before addressing individuals trying to recruit her for a run.
“That’s why I’m like, don’t even look at me about running because you all are lying,” she added.
“You’re not ready for a woman. You are not! So don’t waste my time. We’ve got a lot of growing up to do and there’s still, and sadly, a lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman and we saw it.”
Obama then turned to Ross and sarcastically asked, “What was the question?” prompting laughter from the audience.
NEW: Michelle Obama says she isn’t going to run for president because she doesn’t want to waste her time because America “ain’t ready.”
Tracee Ellis Ross: How do you feel about the fact that the First Lady is an archetype for wifedom and femininity?
Obama: I don’t agree with… pic.twitter.com/e03xKMIOvE
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 15, 2025
Obama has long been viewed as a potential presidential candidate since leaving the White House in 2017.
Her remarks also come as the Democratic Party has lost two of the last three presidential elections after nominating flawed women candidates.
Hillary Clinton ran in 2015 amid sinking popularity and mounting criminal scandals. In 2024, the party nominated then-Vice President Kamala Harris without holding a primary, despite abysmal approval ratings.
In both cases, Democrats were quick to blame misogyny and racism for their losses.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 11/18/2025 – 17:00
Trump dismisses US intelligence that Saudi prince was likely aware of 2018 killing of journalist Khashoggi
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed U.S. intelligence findings that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman likely had some culpability in the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi as Trump warmly welcomed the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia on his first White House visit in seven years.
The U.S.-Saudi relationship had, for a time, been sent into a tailspin by the operation targeting Khashoggi, a fierce critic of the kingdom.
But seven years later, the dark clouds over the relationship have been cleared away. And Trump is tightening his embrace of the 40-year-old crown prince, who he said is an indispensable player in shaping the Middle East in the decades to come.
Trump in his defense of the crown prince derided Khashoggi as “extremely controversial” and said “a lot of people didn’t like that gentleman.” Prince Mohammed denies involvement in the killing of Khashoggi, who was a Saudi citizen and Virginia resident.
“Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen,” Trump said of the international incident when asked about it by a reporter during an Oval Office appearance with Prince Mohammed. “But (Prince Mohammed) knew nothing about it. And we can leave it at that. You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that.”
But U.S. intelligence officials determined that the Saudi crown prince likely approved the killing by Saudi agents of U.S.-based journalist inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul , according to U.S. findings declassified in 2021 at the start of the Biden administration. Trump officials, during his first administration, refused to release the report.
Prince Mohammed said Saudi Arabia “did all the right steps” to investigate Khashoggi’s death.
“It’s painful and it’s a huge mistake,” he said.
Trump, who said the two leaders have become “good friends,” even commended the Saudi leader for strides made by the kingdom on human rights without providing any specific detail.
“What’s he done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else,” Trump said.
President Joe Biden labeled the oil-rich kingdom “pariah” state in the early days of his successful 2020 White House run. After taking office, his administration made clear the president would avoid direct engagement with the crown prince.
But eventually Biden determined that freezing out the Saudis was not tenable as oil prices spiked following Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Biden even paid a visit to Prince Mohammed in Jeddah in July 2022 of that year to urge the prince and fellow members of the OPEC+ oil cartel to pump more oil to alleviate high gas prices.
New investment from Saudis
The crown prince for his part announced Saudi Arabia was increasing its planned investments in the U.S. to $1 trillion, up from $600 billion that the Saudis announced they would pour into the United States when Trump visited the kingdom in May.
Echoing rhetoric that Trump likes to use, the crown prince used the moment to flatter the Republican leader by calling the U.S. the “hottest country on the planet” for foreign investment.
“What you’re creating is not about an opportunity today. It’s also about long term opportunity,” Prince Mohammed said.
Trump’s family has a strong personal interest in the kingdom. In September, London real estate developer Dar Global announced that it plans to launch Trump Plaza in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
It’s Dar Global’s second collaboration with the Trump Organization, the collection of companies controlled by the U.S. president’s children, in Saudi Arabia.
Trump pushed back on suggestions that there could be a conflict of interest in his family’s dealings with the Saudis.
“I have nothing to do with the family business,” Trump said.
Trump’s comments about Khashoggi’s and defense of his family’s business in Saudi Arabia were blasted by human rights and government oversight activists.
Human rights groups say Saudi authorities continue to harshly repress dissent, including by arresting human rights defenders, journalists, and political dissidents for criticism against the kingdom. They also note a surge in executions in Saudi Arabia that they connect to an effort to suppress internal dissent.
“President Trump has Jamal Khashoggi’s blood on his hands,” said Raed Jarrar, advocacy director for DAWN, a U.S.-based group advocating for democracy and human rights in the Arab world that was founded by Khashoggi. Jarrar added, “Trump has made himself complicit in every execution and imprisonment MBS has ordered since.”
Rolling out the red carpet
Trump warmly received Prince Mohammed when he arrived at the White House Tuesday morning for a pomp-filled arrival ceremony that included a military flyover and a thundering greeting from the U.S. Marine band.
Technically, it’s not a state visit, because the crown prince is not the head of state. But Prince Mohammed has taken charge of the day-to-day governing for his father, King Salman, 89, who has endured health problems in recent years.
Trump showed the prince the newly-installed Presidential Walk of Fame that features gold-framed images of past presidents along the West Wing colonnade and a photo of an autopen signing the name of Biden in place of the Democrat’s official portrait.
Later, Trump, with the first lady Melania Trump, will welcome the crown prince for formal dinner in the White House East Room.
The two nations are also planning an investment summit at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday that will include the heads of Salesforce, Qualcomm, Pfizer, the Cleveland Clinic, Chevron and Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s national oil and natural gas company, where even more deals with the Saudis could be announced.
Fighter jets and business deals
Ahead of Prince Mohammed’s arrival, Trump announced he has agreed to sell the Saudis F-35 fighter jets despite some concerns within the administration that the sale could lead to China gaining access to the U.S. technology behind the advanced weapon system.
Trump’s announcement is also surprising because some in the Republican administration have been wary about upsetting Israel’s qualitative military edge over its neighbors, especially at a time when Trump is depending on Israeli support for the success of his Gaza peace plan.
Abraham Accord talks
The unexpected move comes at a moment when Trump is trying to nudge the Saudis toward normalizing relations with Israel.
The president in his first term had helped forge commercial and diplomatic ties between Israel and Bahrain, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates through an effort dubbed the Abraham Accords.
Trump sees expansion of the accords as essential to his broader efforts to build stability in the Middle East after the two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Getting Saudi Arabia — the largest Arab economy and the birthplace of Islam — to sign on would spur a domino effect, he argues.
But the Saudis have maintained that a path toward Palestinian statehood must first be established before normalizing relations with Israel can be considered. The Israelis remain steadfastly opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state.
“We want to be part of the Abraham Accords, but we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path of a two-state solution,” Prince Mohammed said.
AP writers Josh Boak, Seung Min Kim, Michelle Price and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/18/trump-saudi-prince-khashoggi-killing/
Woman, child hospitalized after attack near South Deering school
A woman and a young boy were hospitalized after they were attacked Monday afternoon near an elementary school on the city’s Far South Side, authorities said.
The 33-year-old woman and the boy, 9, were walking on the 10600 block of South Bensley Avenue in the South Deering neighborhood around 3:10 p.m. when a group approached and struck them multiple times, according to Chicago police.
Following the attack, which took place about two blocks northwest of Orville T. Bright Elementary School, the woman and boy were transported to Advocate Trinity Hospital in serious condition, police said.
While police would not confirm the relationship of the victims, a Chicago Public Schools spokesperson in an emailed statement to the Tribune wrote, “We are horrified by the attack on this family.”
The attack occurred off school property. Videos of the incident have circulated widely on social media.
CPS is working with other city departments and agencies to provide additional support for the family, the spokesperson stated.
“(CPS) prioritizes the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families, and we are committed to building a physically and emotionally safe teaching and learning environment in every school,” their statement read.
No one was in custody as of early Tuesday afternoon, as Calumet area detectives continued their investigation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/18/police-chicago-public-school-attack/
Indiana officials differ on redistricting session cancellation
The Indiana State Senate and House adjourned their separate Organization Day sessions Tuesday until Jan. 5, 2026, but House Speaker Todd Huston hinted at possibly calling the House back in early December as previously scheduled.
Huston, R-Fishers, said Governor Mike Braun called for a special session, which the legislature is currently within the time frame of, and told House members to keep the first two weeks of December open.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (second from left) and Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith (far right) are waiting for a press conference to start during the Indiana General Assembly’s Organization Day on Nov. 18. There were seat cards for Sen. Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, and Rep. Todd Huston, R-Fishers, but neither were in attendance for the event. (Alexandra Kukulka/Post-Tribune)
The Senate voted 29-19 to reconvene Jan. 5, 2025, which effectively cancels its possibility of meeting in early December to discuss mid-census redistricting, as previously planned, following immense pressure from the Trump administration to redraw Indiana’s Congressional maps.
Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, said after the session that he knows President Donald Trump is “passionate” about mid-census redistricting.
But, the Senate opposes redistricting because it won’t benefit the state and Republicans don’t have “prominent candidates in each district,” referring to the two Democratic Congressional districts Indiana currently has, Bray said.
“We won’t get the 9-0 ratio,” Bray said. “The House is its own entity. They will do what they want to do.”
For legislation to advance to the governor’s desk, both the House and the Senate have to discuss and vote on the legislation in committee and by the entire chamber.
Indiana was last redistricted in 2021, which left Indiana Republicans with seven seats and Democrats with two seats. The two Democratic seats are the First district, held by U.S. Rep Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, and the Seventh District, held by U.S. Rep. André Carson, D-Indianapolis.
Braun issued a statement after the sessions concluded praising Huston and House Republicans who chose to “publicly endorse the need for fair maps.” Braun said he looks forward to seeing the House return in December.
“Unfortunately, Sen. Rod Bray was forced to partner with DEMOCRATS to block an effort by the growing number of America First Senators who wanted to have a vote on passing fair maps. Now I am left with no choice other than to explore all options at my disposal to compel the State Senate to show up and vote,” Braun said.
Braun said he would work toward making sure State Senators who oppose redistricting face primary challengers.
Senator Mike Young, R-Indianapolis, said he was disappointed the Senate voted not to come back until January. The chamber has “failed in our responsibility” to the governor, who called for a special session, Young said.
“We’ve never disappointed a governor like we have this time,” Young said. “I don’t know why we don’t want to fulfill our responsibility and our rules.”
Young said the potential redistricting in Illinois could give Democrats an advantage and the potential of a third impeachment of Trump under a Democratic-led U.S. House in 2026 are reasons to consider redistricting.
“He’ll never be impeached, but it is a distraction to our nation,” Young said. “I don’t want to cry that Wednesday, after the election, knowing there’s something we could’ve done.”
Huston opened the session stating he had an “interesting” fall. He listed Indiana’s strong qualities, from fiscal responsibility to low property taxes.
In the upcoming session, it’s likely the House will “hit a few speed bumps,” but its members want “a strong, thriving Indiana,” Huston said.
Braun talked to the media ahead of Tuesday’s Senate and House sessions, and reiterated that the House has publicly supported mid-census redistricting but the Senate has been the hold out.
Braun declined to share what Trump told him during a Monday phone call. But, Braun said he reiterated his support for mid-census redistricting to the president.
“President Trump knows I’m fully behind (him),” Braun said.
Braun said mid-census redistricting is about addressing “uneven” and “unbalanced” Congressional maps throughout the country.
“It’s a question of cleaning it up,” Braun said.
Secretary of State Diego Morales and Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith held a brief presser in support of redistricting ahead of the sessions. About 40 people, most wearing Make America Great Again hats or shirts, stood around them with signs supporting a 9-0 Republican Congressional makeup for Indiana.
The Senate had been a hurdle for Indiana’s redistricting efforts after a spokeswoman for Bray told reporters last month that the Senate did not have the votes to pass new Congressional maps.
Braun called for a special legislative session to “consider altering the boundaries of Indiana’s congressional districts” and federal and state tax compliance beginning Nov. 3, according to a news release.
Indiana House and Senate leadership announced Nov. 3 the legislature will address “time sensitive issues” – including redistricting and taxes – during the first two weeks of December. That decision seemingly canceled the special session as the legislators would be meeting during the 2026 legislative session.
The Indiana Senate announced Friday it canceled a two-week session to discuss mid-census redistricting because of a lack of votes.
“Over the last several months, Senate Republicans have given very serious and thoughtful consideration to the concept of redrawing our state’s congressional maps. Today, I’m announcing there are not enough votes to move that idea forward, and the Senate will not reconvene in December,” Bray said in a statement Friday.
President Donald Trump issued a statement on his social media site Truth Social Sunday morning calling out “RINO” Bray and Senator Greg Goode, R-Terre Haute, “for not wanting to redistrict their state, allowing the United States Congress to perhaps gain two more Republican seats.”
Bray, Goode and other Republican Senators “should DO THEIR JOB, AND DO IT NOW! If not, let’s get them out of office ASAP,” Trump wrote.
Goode and his family were victims of a swatting incident Sunday night after a fake communication was sent to local police, according to a statement from the senator’s office.
Vigo County sheriff’s deputies responded to the house “under the impression of a domestic violence emergency,” according to the statement.
“While this entire incident is unfortunate and reflective of the volatile nature of our current political environment, I give thanks to God that my family and I are ok,” Goode said in a statement.
Goode was in attendance Tuesday, and he voted in favor of the Senate reconvening Jan. 5, 2026.
Bray said he condemned the swatting incident at Goode’s house.
“We need to make sure the dialogue we have is civil,” Goode said. “There’s no place for that.”
Senators Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, Rodney Pol Jr., D-Chesterton, Mark Spencer, D-Gary and Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, all voted to reconvene in January.
Niemeyer said he voted in favor of the resolution because the Senate won’t be able to advance redistricting.
“They didn’t have the votes, and this is normal procedure when the session is going to start for 2026,” Niemeyer said.
Trump and national Republicans have been pressuring red states to change their congressional maps before the 2026 election to increase Republican control of the U.S. House.
In August, Texas lawmakers approved redistricted maps to include five new districts that would favor Republicans. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed off on the new maps, but a federal judge blocked them on Tuesday, alleging they constitute a racial gerrymander.
After Texas began discussing redistricting, California Gov. Gavin Newsom approved a special election to take place in November for residents to vote on a redrawn congressional map designed to help Democrats win five more House seats next year. The California ballot measure passed, and the Trump Administration is suing the state to stop the efforts.
Meanwhile, Trump has pushed other Republican-controlled states, including Missouri, to also revise their maps to add more winnable Republican seats. Ohio Republicans have also started the process of partisan redistricting.
Vice President JD Vance came to Indianapolis in early August to talk to Republican leadership about redistricting. More than 55 Republican state legislators went to the White House Aug. 27 to talk about redistricting, and then Vance returned to Indianapolis Oct. 10 to discuss redistricting.
During the White House visit, Politico reported Trump met privately with Bray and House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers.
It is unusual for redistricting to take place in the middle of the decade and typically occurs once at the beginning of each decade to coincide with the census.
Art as an outlet: Veterans harness experiences to create works in Prairie State College exhibition
A simple color pencil set given to him when he was a student at DuSable High School in Chicago helped Patrick Thompson become the artist he is today.
Thompson, who lives in Tinley Park, recently displayed his vibrant acrylic paintings as part of a veterans exhibit in the Christopher Gallery at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights.
His aunt, also an artist, gave him the color pencil set.
“That was her way of encouraging me,” said Thompson. “I used my pencil set to color my projects, making blueprints to design homes and color them.
His career path didn’t immediately take him toward the arts. Rather, he joined the Air Force, where he served on a post in Great Britain. But art was never far from his mind.
“I took that color pencil set with me overseas,” he said.
Thompson comes from a family of artists and got involved early.
“I was one of those kids who didn’t understand why other kids didn’t want to do it,” said Thompson. “I drew super-heroes, cowboys and horses. … I was in love with horses.”
His dad was a tailor, which offered a look into how creativity was essential in nearly every endeavor.
“He used art in his craft, designing clothes,” said Thompson. “There were always a lot of colors and patterns and things all around our home and the shop.”
Patrick Thompson, of Tinley Park, stands next to his acrylic painting “Grey Matters” as it is displayed in the exhibition The Art of Valor: Created, Remembered, Renewed, an exhibit of veterans’ art work at the Christopher Gallery at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights. (Janice Neumann/Daily Southtown)
But Thompson said his dad wanted him to have a practical skill, so he focused on engineering and architectural drawings while in high school.
“He said, you might be able to get a job in the industry. … I don’t want you to be no starving artist,” recalled Thompson.
Today many of his paintings are bright abstract works, like the ones he displayed at . He also does scenes and sometimes people. He said he tries to convey comfort and beauty.
While he was in Great Britain in the Air Force, he was exposed to abstract expressionism, which was “moving around Europe.”
“I liked what I saw,” said Thompson. “I saw it was acceptable.”
“One of my motivations for doing the abstract work is to do pieces that can give beauty to your life or your space,” he said. “We’re faced with so much controversy and negativity. I feel mandated to contribute beauty to society at large.”
After Thompson’s time in the military he became a Chicago police officer, and says those experiences have factored into his art. He was in the Air Force from 1966 to 1969, working as a military police officer and a Chicago police officer from 1971 to 2007.
He worked in the Youth Division with the Chicago Police Department and was exposed to the challenges faced by families and children, which also is reflected in his art.
After he retired, he taught art at UIC and led programs in the Chicago Public Library system, such as a talk on The Great Migration that incorporated art from that era.
“There were a lot of people with different skills who came from the south and mixed in with them were artists and musicians,” he said.
The Prairie State College Gallery’s exhibition, The Art of Valor: Created, Remembered, Renewed, displayed a handful of other veterans’ artistic work, too, some who have used art as a type of therapy.
Steve Kost, who lives in Palos Park and served in the Navy, uses scrap metal to create his art and deal with traumatic experiences in combat.
Oluwatoyin Olabisi, an artist and therapist who was a brigadier chaplain in the Army, displayed a mixed-media piece, which represented some of what she went through in the military.
“It kind of catalogues my military service and journey with post-traumatic stress disorder,” she said. “There was a lot of confidences and being silent about things.”
Georges Sanon, who coordinates Veteran Services at Prairie State College and served in the Air Force, helped organize the exhibit with Javier Chavira, the art gallery director.
“Art therapy, I believe, is important,” Sanon said about the therapeutic value of many of the art pieces. “I thought this was something that might be able to help other veterans.
Chavira said he hoped to carry on the tradition of a veterans exhibit every other year.
“It’s really important for vets to have a way to express their feelings,” he said. “Having it every few years will give them an opportunity to keep creating.”
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
