Category: News
Afternoon Briefing: CPD officer faces bribery, official misconduct charges
Good afternoon, Chicago.
A Chicago police officer is facing more than a dozen felony charges for allegedly accepting bribes in exchange for allowing a civilian to use his encrypted CPD radio.
Alain Dillon, 37, was charged by the Illinois attorney general’s office with three counts of bribery and 15 counts of official misconduct, according to a statement from Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office.
Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
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Horses come and go on the track on April 6, 2024, at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney. (Vincent Alban/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois Racing Board suspends harness racing license at Hawthorne Race Course due to financial troubles
The board cited Suburban Downs, which operates harness racing at Hawthorne, for “failure to provide documentation demonstrating its financial integrity,” and proof that it can meet the minimum standards of the state Horse Racing Act. Read more here.
More top news stories:
Attorneys for ‘Broadview Six’ protesters cite killings in Minneapolis in asking for evidence to be public
Progressive Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez launches independent bid for Congress
Amid federal pressures, CTU President Stacy Davis Gates declares union is ‘really strong’
Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood, Feb. 8, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Lurie Children’s planning new hospital in Downers Grove area
The new hospital would be the system’s first hospital with inpatient beds outside of its main facility in Streeterville. The plan follows years of closures of pediatric units at community hospitals across Illinois. Read more here.
More top business stories:
Retired Chicago Fed chief sells Streeterville condo for $2.75M
Amazon cuts about 16,000 corporate jobs in the latest round of layoffs
Chicago Bulls guard Coby White reacts in the first half of a game against the Boston Celtics at the United Center in Chicago on Jan. 24, 2026. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
NBA trade deadline: Is Coby White the Chicago Bulls’ highest-value asset? ‘It’s good to be wanted.’
Coby White doesn’t pretend to ignore the trade chatter. That would be pointless. He knows what’s going on. Barely a week away from the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline, White is the centerpiece of the Bulls’ offerings on the market. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
Chicago Bulls prepare for daunting stretch of 5 games in 7 days: ‘It just keeps going’
Former WNBA player says challenges are stepping stones at IUN
Filmmaker Paul Carr, left, and Green Mill owner Dave Jemilo at the legendary Uptown club on Jan. 20, 2026. Carr has a new film, “The Green Mill: A Real Chicago Joint.” (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Column: Inside the Green Mill, the Malört and stories flow in a new movie
In the colorfully vibrant world of taverns, saloons, bars, dives, night clubs or whatever it is you call those places where people gather to get drunk, watch TV, play pool, fall in love, talk to strangers, listen to music or otherwise seek shelter from life’s storms, the Green Mill has always held a special place. Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
‘Stereophonic’ arrives in Chicago, telling the story of a band through its songs
Column: Nearing age 100, it’s springtime for Mel Brooks in new Judd Apatow documentary
President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025, in Washington. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)
3 months after rapidly scheduled arguments, the Supreme Court has yet to decide on Trump’s tariffs
No one knows for sure what’s going on among the nine Supreme Court justices, several of whom expressed skepticism about the tariffs’ legality at arguments in November. Read more here.
More top stories from around the world:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defends Trump on Venezuela while trying to allay fears about Greenland and NATO
More ‘No Kings’ protests planned for March 28 as outrage spreads over Minneapolis deaths
Indonesian Stocks Halted For 30 Minutes After Crashing On MSCI “Investability” Concerns
Indonesian Stocks Halted For 30 Minutes After Crashing On MSCI “Investability” Concerns
Indonesian stocks tumbled after MSCI raised concerns about their investability and warned of a potential downgrade to frontier-market status.
The benchmark Jakarta Composite Index plunged 7.4% on Wednesday, its biggest one-day slide in over nine months; earlier in the day it crashed as much as 8.8%, triggering a 30-minute market halt, after MSCI said it would immediately pause some index changes, including additions, until regulators address concerns over tightly-held ownership of listed firms.
According to Bloomberg, concerns around free float, or the number of shares available for trading, have emerged as a flashpoint in Indonesia’s $976 billion market in recent years, as investors lament that the nation’s biggest companies are thinly traded and controlled by a handful of wealthy individuals. MSCI’s decision is due to “fundamental investability issues” and investor worries over coordinated efforts to distort prices, it said in a statement on Wednesday.
“MSCI’s freeze is a warning shot, not a verdict,” said Tareck Horchani, head of prime brokerage dealing at Maybank Securities in Singapore. “Markets have already started pricing some probability of a negative outcome, which explains the pressure we’ve seen on index-heavy Indonesian names.”
Indonesia’s exchange operator told reporters on Wednesday that it is committed to meeting the index compiler’s call for greater transparency and will work with the firm to reach a consensus. It also plans to consult market participants on ideal free-float levels, according to I Gede Nyoman Yetna, director of listing at the Indonesia Stock Exchange.
If Indonesia fails to make sufficient progress on transparency by May, MSCI will reassess the country’s market accessibility status – a move that could lead to a reduction in weighting for all Indonesian companies in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index and even a potential downgrade to frontier-market status, which would lead to further capital outflows and another major selloff.
Global investors sold a net $192 million worth of local stocks in the week ended Jan. 23, the first outflow in 16 weeks. The selling has continued this week, with the exchange reporting 3 trillion rupiah ($180 million) of net outflows Wednesday morning. Among the biggest decliners on the day were shares widely expected to enter MSCI’s gauges in next month’s review, including PT Bumi Resources, PT Petrosea and PT Pantai Indah Kapuk Dua, all of which were down by the 15% limit.
The decision comes after months of consultation following MSCI’s proposal to tighten the definition of free float for Indonesian securities. The firm said it was considering an alternative data source, the Indonesia Central Securities Depository, also known as KSEI, to assess actual tradable shares. If companies are found to have even smaller figures than reported, passive funds would be forced to cut existing positions.
The exchange added it would work with the KSEI to provide a clearer breakdown of shareholder types, including sovereign wealth funds or hedge funds.
Regulators have already tried to ease worries about thinly traded stocks, with plans to raise minimum float levels to 10%-15% from the current 7.5% level. The longer-term goal is 25%, though no timeline has been set. That compares to Hong Kong and India’s 25% rule and Thailand’s 15%.
Worries about price dislocation were evident last year when the JCI outperformed the MSCI Indonesia Index by a record margin. With so many JCI members thinly traded, passive fund managers say the benchmark has been effectively untrackable, pushing them instead toward the more stringent MSCI Index. Prior to Wednesday’s rout, Indonesian stocks trailed their Southeast Asian peers at the start of the year as the benchmark rose 2.7% compared to MSCI Asean Index’s 5.3% surge
If Indonesia is downgraded, the impact on passive flows would be significant, according to Yiping Liao, portfolio manager at Franklin Templeton Global Investments. “Foreign participation in the Indonesian market has reduced significantly because of concerns about macro and policy. Not assuming any other sort of changes around it, it’s certainly not positive.”
Not surprisingly, what happens in the market has political implications as well: the latest move also deepens worries about Indonesia’s economic trajectory, with investor confidence already fragile following President Prabowo Subianto’s efforts to steer fiscal and monetary policies toward his growth goals. Markets were rattled earlier by the dismissal of long-serving Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati last year and Prabowo’s growing sway over the central bank.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said he will meet with financial regulators on Thursday to discuss MSCI’s asks, adding that Indonesia can look to mechanisms enforced in other countries to improve transparency in the local bourse.
For now, some investors are opting to stay on the sidelines until there’s more clarity. “The risk is Indonesia won’t do enough. And if it gets downgraded to frontier there will be panic selling,” said John Foo, founder of Valverde Investment Partners. “We are underweight on Indonesia with almost zero exposure.”
Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/28/2026 – 15:05
Down to Business: Go as wild as your wallet allows at Naperville’s Wildside Customs, owner says
Business: Wildside Customs
Address: 10S187 Schoger Drive, Naperville
Phone/website: 630-504-2300; www.callwildside.com
Owner: Brian Spravka, 37, of Bristol; Service Manager: Joshua Fiandaca, 33, of Winfield
Years in business: 15
What does your business do? “We do maintenance and repairs, specializing in Jeep Wrangler, the new Broncos and the new Jeep pickups, the Gladiators,” Spravka said. “Since I took over, we’ve expanded into other makes and models depending on what the customer is looking to do. From oil changes and tires to full frame-up restorations.”
How’s the business doing? “We’re doing all right. We just got a new lift that can lift an 18,000-pound vehicle.”
What’s the background? “The shop has been here 15 years at least. I bought it with my ex-partner four and a half years ago. I bought him out in August.”
Wildside Customs owner Brian Spravka said the price to customize this 2002 Jeep at his Naperville shop is already $80,000 and they’re not done. The color is a shade of blue that was popular on Toyota cars in 1972, he said. (Steve Metsch/Naperville Sun)
Why are you working here? “I’ve been turning wrenches professionally for about 20 years and tinkering around with stuff, whether it’s fixing lawnmowers or helping my dad work on his motorcycle. … Doing stuff with my grandparents. When I was in kindergarten, they asked us to tell a fun fact. I said, ‘I know how to use a chainsaw.’ That was the ’90s so everything was still fine. Probably be concerning now. I’ve worked here five years in April. … I can’t leave anything stock. It’s boring.”
“I’ve been a car guy since I was a kid,” Fiandaca said. “Teaching didn’t work out for me. I was teaching 6th-grade math. I didn’t like the politics. I got out of college in 2014, worked until 2016. Bounced around in the auto industry. … I met (Spravka) when I ran a Firestone store. We stayed in touch. One thing led to another. … I’ve been here since August. It’s one of the few places I’ve enjoyed working at.”
What happens when someone wants to rehab their Jeep? “We sit down, talk with them, get everything they want to do, get the vehicle in, see if it’s worth it,” Spravka said. “The two we are doing now, both are in really good shape. One is a 2002 and he’s put over $80,000 into it. The other is a ’79 and he’s in over $50,000. It was the customer’s father’s. … We just had bumpers for it chromed. Took it to The Finishing Touch in Chicago.
“We had one of the old World War II Jeeps come in. He uses it for shows. It was a 1945 (model). That was pretty cool.”
Why are you into Jeeps? “It’s basically like a giant Lego. It’s the most modifiable vehicle out there. It’s really capable off road. Make it better. Personalize it. Make it your own,” Spravka said. “You know it’s a Jeep when you see it.”
“It’d still iconic,” Fiandaca said. “When you see the front end of it, you know it’s a Jeep.,”
“There’s a good community as well. Most of the people are pretty cool,” Spravka added.
Are your customers loyal? “Oh, yeah. Lot of repeat customers. Lot of new. Lot who had a bad experience with the previous owner. ‘Hey, we’re under new management. Come back and give us a shot.’”
How about this location? “We get a lot of people who didn’t know we are here. So we’re trying to get more exposure on Facebook, car shows.”
A Jeep sits on the newest piece of equipment at Wildside Customs in Naperville, a lift that can hoist vehicles weighing up to 18,000 pounds. (Steve Metsch/Naperville Sun)
Will you be at the Chicago Auto Show? “We’re not having a booth this year. Probably next year. … The auto show is more if you’re buying a new car. World of Wheels is a place to see all the cool stuff and find a local shop. We’re looking at that next year.”
How many employees do you have? “Seven counting us.”
What about prices? “It varies from a quick air pressure check, which we don’t charge for, to the sky’s the limit. How cool will your wallet let us go?”
What about competition? “There are a lot of off-road shops in the area. But there’s plenty (of work) to go around.”
Any favorite stories? “(It’s) when you get the ‘ah’ moment,” Fiandaca said. “They see their truck done. Cool. I’ve seen eyes light up, even if it’s a simple lift.”
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “Don’t go (in) with a partner,” Spravka said. “That’s probably the best piece of advice. Anything can change. Money changes people.”
“Don’t ever forget where you came from,” Fiandaca said.
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. If you know of a business you’d like to see profiled in Down to Business, contact him at metschmsfl@yahoo.com.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/wildside-customs-jeep-spravka-naperville/
Elgin cop who posted anti-immigrant ICE message should be fired, review board says
The Elgin Civilian Review Board has recommended police Officer Jason Lentz be fired for a “malicious and inflammatory” Facebook post in which he suggested local places where federal agents might find undocumented immigrants.
Lentz’s action was a “violation of standard operation procedures governing professional conduct, social media use and bias-free policing,” Civilian Review Board member Jose Bosque said via email Wednesday.
The comment was posted “during a period of heightened national tensions involving federal actions against Hispanic communities, caused significant stress and alienation within Elgin’s large Hispanic population (and) severely damaged the department’s reputation,” Bosque said.
The board’s recommendation was made at its meeting Tuesday.
Police Chief Ana Lalley said Lentz remains on paid administrative leave and that the board’s action is part of a “process that’s in motion.” She declined to comment further.
The recommendation is among the things Lalley will consider when making a final determination on what, if any, disciplinary action should be taken.
Lentz, a 28-year police department veteran, posted his Facebook comment on Oct. 5 along with an “I Stand With ICE” emblem, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In it he wrote, “If I were ICE I woulnd’t check La Movida at 849 N State St in Elgin for illegals. Definately none there! Also I wouldn’t check the flea market where the old Milk Pail was at 14N630 Rt 25 in West Dundee, there’s no way you’d find any there. Also wouldn’t check The Elgin Mall of East Dundee which is located at 535 Dundee Ave in East Dundee, I guarantee ther’s n illegals there either! @Department of Homeland Security @U.S. Customs and Border Control.”
The message, Bosque said in his email, “set back years of (the police department’s) hard-earned progress in cultivating a strong, collaborative partnership between law enforcement and our diverse community, and demonstrated conduct wholly incompatible with the professionalism, integrity and zero-tolerance standards we uphold to maintain public trust.”
Per the police union contract, members who are disciplined have the right to take their case to arbitration — something that’s already happened once with Lentz.
In 2014, he was fired for a social media post about the death of an unarmed 18-year-old Black man shot by Ferguson, Missouri, police officers. In it he wrote, “Hmmm…innocent victim my ass. Did society a favor.”
An arbitrator overturned the police chief’s decision in 2015. Lentz was instead given a six-month suspension without pay for disregarding orders to take the post down and returned to his job.
Lentz’s October post was made during Operation Midway Blitz, when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ICE conducted targeted raids throughout the Chicago area, including one in Elgin attended by DHS director Kristi Noem, who posted video from it on social media.
Since then, tensions have been high in Elgin and around the country as federal agents’ tactics have grown more aggressive. Most recently, two Minneapolis residents, both U.S. citizens, were shot to death during ICE actions.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/elgin-police-officer-civilian-review-board/
Tether To Become “Gold Central Bank” In Post-Dollar World, CEO Ardoino Says
Tether To Become “Gold Central Bank” In Post-Dollar World, CEO Ardoino Says
Authored by Danny Park via TheBlock.co,
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino told Bloomberg that he expects the company to become one of the largest gold central banks in the world.
The company plans to start trading its gold reserves for additional profit.
Tether owns around 140 tons of gold, worth around $23 billion, stored in a nuclear bunker in Switzerland.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the stablecoin giant is on track to become one of the largest gold central banks in the world and plans to actively trade its reserves, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.
Ardoino told Bloomberg in an interview that he expects the company’s role in the gold market to expand as geopolitical rivals to the U.S. will likely launch a gold-backed alternative to the dollar.
The CEO previously said that gold is “logically a safer asset than any national currency.”
Ardoino reportedly said Tether intends to continue reinvesting its massive earnings into gold.
The company is buying one or two tons of gold per week, and will maintain this pace for “definitely the next few months,” he said.
The stablecoin giant has amassed close to 140 tons of gold, held at a “James Bond-esque” nuclear bunker in Switzerland built during the Cold War.
Bloomberg reported that this is the largest known gold reserve in the world outside of those held by central banks, ETFs, and commercial banks.
“Tether maintains approximately 130 metric tons of physical gold, and the gold backing every XAUT token is held separately, making it eligible for physical delivery redemption,” a spokesperson for Tether told Cointelegraph.
With the recent surge in gold and other metal prices, Tether’s gold holdings are worth over $23.3 billion. As of today, gold’s price stands at approximately $5,234 per troy ounce, continuing its strong rally.
Entering the trading arena
Moving beyond simple reserves, Tether aims to take on banking giants JPMorgan and HSBC by entering the gold trading arena.
“We are soon becoming basically one of the biggest, let’s say, gold central banks in the world,” Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said.
Ardoino told Bloomberg that Tether is currently assessing the market and potential trading strategies, with plans to actively trade its gold reserves to capture arbitrage opportunities.
The company needs “the best trading floor for gold in the world” in order to continue buying bullion in the long term and to capitalize on potential market inefficiencies, Ardoino said, adding that it is still analyzing the market and potential trading strategies would be structured so the company “remains very long physical gold.”
“Our goal is to have a steady, stable, long-term access to gold,” Ardoino said.
Tether recently recruited two senior HSBC gold traders to spearhead its expansion into the bullion market.
Tether has also aggressively expanded its equity portfolio, acquiring stakes in Canadian-listed firms like Elemental Altus Royalties and Gold Royalty Corp., as precious metals post their strongest rally since the 1970s.
Tether’s staple product, USDT, dominates the global stablecoin market, with over $186 billion in circulation, according to The Block’s crypto price page.
By backing USDT with U.S. dollars, the stablecoin’s success provides Tether with the capital to reinvest in assets like gold to capture further interest and profit.
It also issues Tether Gold (XAUT), which holds over 50% share of the gold stablecoin market with a $2.62 billion market capitalization.
Just earlier this week, Tether officially announced the launch of USAT — its U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin that is available to U.S. customers, unlike USDT.
This launch follows the appointment of Bo Hines to Tether’s USAT team, bringing expertise and connections from his former role as the White House crypto policy advisor.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/28/2026 – 14:45
Report: 2 federal agents placed on leave after deadly shooting of Alex Pretti in Minnesota
Two federal agents were reportedly placed on leave after the deadly shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Citing the Department of Homeland Security, the Fox News report on Wednesday said that the move is standard procedure “and should not be viewed as any suspicion of wrongdoing.”
DHS previously said Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was fatally shot on Saturday after he approached federal officers while carrying a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and two magazines. Officials did not say whether the weapon was brandished.
Veterans, unions and health care workers remember Alex Pretti as ‘hero’ at vigil
Homeland Security Adviser Stephen Miller said Tuesday that officials were investigating why Customs and Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis “may not have been following” proper protocol when Pretti was fatally shot.
Miller told CNN the White House had “provided clear guidance to DHS that the extra personnel that had been sent to Minnesota for force protection should be used for conducting fugitive operations to create a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disruptors.”
Citing a notification sent to Congress, The Associated Press confirmed that two federal officers fired Glock pistols during Pretti’s shooting.
Investigators with CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility made the determination after a preliminary review of body-worn camera video and agency documentation, according to AP. The agency is required to report in-custody and certain other deaths involving its agents and officers to Congress.
The official said officers tried to take Pretti into custody and he resisted, leading to a struggle. An agent yelled, “He’s got a gun!” multiple times, the official said, with a Border Patrol agent and a Customs and Border Protection officer both firing their weapons.
Fox News said the agents were temporarily taken off field duty.
Editor’s note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Have a news tip? Contact Jessica Botelho at jabotelho@sbgtv.com or at x.com/J_Botelho_TND.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/alex-pretti-agents-leave-minnesota/
Progressive Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez launches independent bid for Congress
Southwest Side Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez launched an independent run for Congress Wednesday against the chief of staff for outgoing U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia in the November general election.
Sigcho-Lopez billed his campaign for Garcia’s 4th Congressional District seat as an effort to unhorse the old guard.
Garcia, a Democrat, announced he would not seek re-election just hours before the party primary filing deadline, leaving no time for other hopefuls to get in the race for the suddenly vacant seat as his chief of staff, Patty Garcia, became the only candidate in the Democratic primary.
“We are not tied down by party rules, we are not waiting for the Democratic Party to give us permission,” Sigcho-Lopez said Wednesday as he announced his candidacy.
Sigcho-Lopez is not expected to be alone in running as an independent in November for the 4th Congressional District seat.
In early December, Mayra Macías, who grew up in the Back of the Yards neighborhood and went on to become executive director of the Latino Victory Project and Building Back Together, a dark-money group established to promote President Joe Biden’s domestic policy agenda, announced she planned to run.
A self-described “lifelong Democrat,” Macías was spurred to run by García’s last-minute handoff to his chief of staff. Democrats “can’t effectively fight Trump’s attacks on our democratic system if we’re turning a blind eye to anti-democratic actions here at home by our own party,” she said in a December statement announcing her candidacy.
On Wednesday, Macías, citing a Politico report, criticized Patty García for failing to file personal financial disclosure documents required for federal candidates and accused her of using “the same old political machine tactics” in “a deliberate attempt to hide who she is accountable to.”
García’s campaign did not respond immediately Wednesday to a request for comment.
Sigcho-Lopez and Macías must each collect at least 10,816 petition signatures by May 26 to earn spots on the general election ballot, according to Illinois State Board of Elections spokesperson Matt Dietrich. Patty Garcia, who is not related to the outgoing congressman, needed only 697 signatures to make the ballot in the Democratic primary. The independent candidates can start collecting signatures on Feb. 25.
Sigcho-Lopez shared harsh criticism Wednesday of President Donald Trump and called for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and prosecution of federal immigration agents.
In Congress, Sigcho-Lopez said he would fight to end tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and dramatically expand social services in housing and healthcare. He pitched himself as aligned with working-class labor unions and street protesters pushing back against Trump.
“You deserve a congressperson who shares your fight, who shows up alongside you in the streets and who makes sure your sacrifices are not in vain,” he said. “We can refuse to let anyone diminish our humanity, or justify genocide, or be rewarded by greed.”
Garcia’s controversial succession plan drew a rare reprimand by the U.S. House of Representatives. Over 20 Democrats broke ranks to join Republicans in the 238-186 vote to rebuke Garcia.
For his part, Sigcho-Lopez is no stranger to controversy. A Democratic Socialist unafraid to upset opponents, the Pilsen alderman’s forceful rhetoric has sparked headlines in recent years.
He weathered his own censure vote in the City Council in 2024 after speaking at a small protest where an American flag had earlier been burned by a veteran opposed to American support for Israel’s war efforts in Gaza. Sigcho-Lopez said at the time that he did not see the charred remains of the flag.
Last February, he apologized after appearing to call another alderman a “white supremacist” during a debate. In November, he appeared to shout questions at Gov. JB Pritzker during a Little Village appearance over the governor’s opposition to Johnson’s corporate head tax.
“As you all know by now, I’ve never been one to be quiet about injustice or to go along to get along,” Sigcho-Lopez said Wednesday, to chuckles from the supporters surrounding him inside a Pilsen restaurant.
The sort of sharp quips that have at times landed him in hot water filled his launch speech, an early effort to prove, it seemed, his pledge to enter Capitol Hill a fighter.
“Billionaire pedophile human traffickers are running the United States government and shamelessly profiting from it,” he said. “Denying science and, like pirates at night, unleashing terror and kidnappings abroad and at home to extract oil and colonize free countries like Palestine, Greenland or Venezuela.”
Attorneys for ‘Broadview Six’ protesters cite killings in Minneapolis in asking for evidence to be public
Defense attorneys in the politically charged “Broadview Six” case accusing a group of Democrats and other protesters of conspiring to impede immigration agents argued in a court hearing Wednesday that recent events in Minneapolis have augmented the need to keep evidence in the case public.
The comments came during a hearing before U.S. District Judge April Perry on a flurry of defense motions, including requests to limit a protective order on discovery materials and order the Department of Homeland Security to preserve surveillance footage in the days before and after the Sept. 26 incident.
Defense attorney Terrence Campbell told the judge the protective order suggested by prosecutors, which would keep portions of exchanged evidence “for attorneys eyes only,” was too restrictive and “creates all sorts of problems” in a case of such public importance.
“You don’t have to look any farther than the last 2½ weeks of news to know it is very relevant to the public how federal law enforcement officers from ICE and Homeland Security are behaving and interacting, and whether they are instigating,” Campbell said, a reference to the killings of two U.S. citizens by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota. “We can’t leave our common sense at the door.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Mecklenburg agreed that the case was political — and noted some of the defendants were using it in their campaigns for elected office.
“I would like to try the case in the courtroom, and not in the media,” Mecklenburg said.
That prompted a quick response from defense attorney Christopher Parente, who noted that DHS officials were the ones who put out a news release in October after the charges were filed, quoting Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche saying no one was above the law.
Perry smiled back at Parente and said, “Your indignation is noted for the record,” drawing chuckles in her packed courtroom.
During the 30-minute hearing, Perry said she will order DHS to preserve five days of footage from the ICE facility in Broadview surrounding the incident in question. She also told the parties to talk with each other about the protective order and submit a revised proposal.
The lively discussion Wednesday was further indication that the politically heated case is headed for a courtroom showdown this spring. The parties discussed a potential trial date in May, but nothing was officially nailed down.
Mecklenburg said the government’s case could take about three days to present, though it was difficult to predict because she expects lengthy and vigorous cross-examinations. She also warned the judge “it will take a while to pick a jury in this case too.”
“Fair enough,” Perry replied.
Among those charged are four Democrats: Katherine “Kat” Abughazaleh, 26, who is running for the 9th Congressional District seat; former Cook County Board candidate Catherine “Cat” Sharp, 29; 45th Ward Democratic committeeman Michael Rabbit, 62; and Oak Park Trustee Brian Straw, 38.
Catherine “Cat” Sharp leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in the Loop on Jan. 28, 2026, after a hearing on charges of conspiracy during a protest outside the Broadview ICE facility in September. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Also charged were Andre Martin, 27, originally of Providence, Rhode Island, who is Abughazaleh’s deputy campaign manager, and Joselyn Walsh, 31, a garden store worker and singer who has no personal connection to the other defendants.
All six have pleaded not guilty to an indictment alleging they conspired to block a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent from entering ICE’s processing facility in west suburban Broadview during one of a string of protests that occurred outside the two-story building during Operation Midway Blitz.
According to the 11-page indictment, the group surrounded an ICE vehicle outside the Broadview facility during a Sept. 26 protest and “banged aggressively” on the vehicle’s side and back windows, hood and doors before they “crowded together in the front and side of the Government Vehicle and pushed against the vehicle to hinder and impede its movement.”
Prosecutors allege the protesters scratched the vehicle’s body, broke a side mirror and a rear windshield wiper, and etched the word “PIG” into the paint.
The indictment includes the conspiracy count, which carries a maximum sentence of six years in federal prison, as well as several other counts of impeding a federal officer, each punishable by up to one year in federal prison.
The charges have been met by accusations that the Department of Justice under Republican President Donald Trump was prosecuting free speech and trying to punish political opponents.
Josh Herman, attorney for Katherine “Kat” Abughazaleh, speaks to members of the media in the lobby of the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago’s Loop on Jan. 28, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Abughazaleh’s attorney, Josh Herman, has blasted the indictment as a politically motivated farce that attempts to turn “a protest into a criminal conspiracy.”
On Wednesday, Herman told the judge he would likely be filing a motion to dismiss the conspiracy count on First Amendment grounds, saying the “basics for any conspiracy” allegation were missing from the indictment.
“Where does it begin? When does it end? That is a concern,” Herman said, noting that if the government’s theory were true, then anyone outside the Broadview facility that day could be part of the conspiracy.
After court, Herman told reporters in the lobby of the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse that having the case hanging over her head while running a campaign has been a “tremendous weight” for Abughazaleh, and that if they don’t succeed in getting it dismissed they’ll ask for a quick trial date.
“I think collectively we want to bring this case to trial sooner because of everything that is happening in this country right now with the DHS,” Herman said. “We think what this case would ultimately do is expose one more overreach.”
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
Watch Live: Fed Chair Powell’s First Presser Since Grand Jury Subpoena
Watch Live: Fed Chair Powell’s First Presser Since Grand Jury Subpoena
After the ‘nothing burger’ of a Fed Statement (as expected) – no change in rates (but two dovish dissents) along with an upgrade for growth and optimism for the labor market (while inflation remains ‘elevated’) – the key issue that Chair Powell will likely address at his press conference is how long the Fed will remain on hold.
Most economists forecast the Fed will cut twice this year, most likely at the June and Sept meetings, and the question is will Powell hint at any monetary action sooner (before he leaves his seat as Chair) or later…
Josh Jamner, senior investment strategy analyst at ClearBridge Investments, said Powell likely did not want to pre-commit especially given that two payroll and CPI prints are set to be released before the next meeting.
“We believe the greatest potential for market-moving news could come from the press conference, where politically-focused questions around the subpoena video and the Lisa Cook court case are likely.”
Will Powell mention the dollar?
Former Fed Vice Chair Richard Clarida told Bloomberg TV that he doesn’t expect Powell to touch the dollar question if asked today: “The Fed tries to stay out of any and all discussions about the exchange rates,” he says.
Additionally, will Powell make any mention of his plans to remain on The Fed? Or who his replacement will be (with Rick Rieder currently the unexpected front-runner across prediction markets)…
Interestingly, after Chris Waller’s dissent, his odds were bid up of getting The Fed Chair job…
Will Powell discuss the current probe (and grand jury subpoenas) concerning alleged misstatements (during Congressional hearings) surrounding the stunning $2.5 billion renovation of The Fed’s headquarters.
And one more thing, will Powell be asked about Lisa Cook after his appearance at her Supreme Court hearing last week?
That’s a lot of ‘non-monetary policy’ malarkey for the reporters to chew on… will they ask?
Watch live here (due to start at 1430ET):
Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/28/2026 – 14:25
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/watch-live-fed-chair-powells-first-presser-doj-probe
Despite Two Dovish Dissents, Fed Holds Rates As Expected; Upgrades Growth, Lowers Labor Risks
Despite Two Dovish Dissents, Fed Holds Rates As Expected; Upgrades Growth, Lowers Labor Risks
Since the last FOMC meeting on Dec 10th (which resulted in a dovish-er than expected 25bps rate cut and statement), US macro data has surprised significantly to the upside…
Source: Bloomberg
…prompting a plunge in the market’s Fed rate-cut expectations (now below 2x 25bps cuts for the year)…
Source: Bloomberg
The market is now more only modestly more dovish than The Fed’s dots for 2026 (but the market is also not pricing in any more moves from The Fed after that)…
Source: Bloomberg
All of which has sent the dollar tumbling and gold exploding higher (while stocks rallied and bonds sold off)…
Source: Bloomberg
Heading into today’s FOMC statement (and presser), a dramatically wide consensus expects a “boring” and “uneventful” dovish hold with an upgrade to growth, and less downside risk to employment.
…and that’s EXACTLY what we got.
No change in rates…
Federal Open Market Committee votes 10-2 to leave its benchmark interest rate in a target range of 3.5%-3.75%
Fed Governors Christopher Waller and Stephen Miran voted against the decision in favor of lowering rates by a quarter-point
Which prompted a jump in the odds of Waller getting The Fed Chair job…
Upgrade for growth:
Fed upgrades view of economy to say available indicators suggest economic activity “has been expanding at a solid pace,”
Inflation-watch:
Fed repeats inflation “remains somewhat elevated”
Labor market optimism:
Fed removes language from statement that had noted “downside risks to employment rose in recent months”
Fed tweaks description of the labor market, noting “job gains have remained low” and the jobless rate has “shown some signs of stabilization”
In terms of market reaction, it’s a nothing burger so far as most expect.
Read the full redline of the FOMC Statement below:
Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/28/2026 – 14:00
