ILLINOIS
AROUND THE STATE
‘I have work to do,’ Pritzker says in launching third-term reelection bid
“Pritzker said his third term would focus on grappling with artificial intelligence, addressing the rising cost of living, continued spending on infrastructure and growing the state’s economy,” by Capitol News Illinois.
Gov. JB Pritzker is running for reelection. Who will he pick as his No. 2?
“As the governor begins campaigning for his third term, the question of who will be the chief executive’s second-in-command is the biggest in Illinois’ political world this summer. The job will become vacant with the state’s two-term lieutenant governor, Juliana Stratton, running to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin,” by the Chicago Tribune.
Attorney General Reaches $1 Million Settlement With Temporary Staffing Agency
“Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced a settlement with Midway Staffing Inc. (Midway) that resolves allegations the temporary staffing agency entered into no-poach agreements and engaged in wage fixing with other staffing agencies,” by the RiverBender.
Here's how President Trump's mega tax bill would impact Illinois
“As senators spent Monday debating President Trump’s sweeping tax bill, Illinois Democrats, advocates and experts are warning that the measure’s $1.2 trillion in cuts would cost more than 500,000 Illinoisans their health care coverage and put about 427,000 people at risk of losing food assistance,” by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Transit activists call on lawmakers to return to Springfield and pass transit funding
“Illinois lawmakers, transit activists, union members and environmentalists gathered outside Union Station Thursday to call on the legislature to return to Springfield to address the upcoming public transit budget gap,” by The Daily Line.
‘Stand up for our hometowns’: Suburban mayors slam transit proposal
“A coalition of 25 suburban mayors is beseeching lawmakers to think twice before approving a transit rescue plan they say is seriously flawed,” by The Daily Herald.
CHICAGO
MORE FROM CITY HALL
Mayor Brandon Johnson faces tough task with Chicago Housing Authority CEO search
“Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has made housing a cornerstone of his policy agenda, must make an important decision in the coming weeks on a new leader for the embattled agency,” by the Chicago Tribune.
As Hearings Start on How to Fill Chicago’s Projected $1.2B 2026 Budget Gap, Officials Won’t Say How Much City Spent on Overtime in 2024
“As Chicago officials warned that the city is facing one of the “most difficult budget years in recent memory,” Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration has yet to detail how much the city spent on employee overtime in 2024. Nor has the city detailed how much it spent on overtime during the first three months of 2025, records show,” by WTTW.
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s ‘pending’ Springfield lobbyist team draws ethics questions
“Mayor Brandon Johnson’s inner circle worked with outside lobbyists who were not registered to lobby on behalf of the city in the Illinois General Assembly, a practice his office defended after repeated inquiries into the makeup of his intergovernmental affairs team in Springfield,” by the Chicago Tribune.
Brandon Johnson faces fresh ethics scrutiny after lobbyist donation
“Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign is taking heat for accepting $1,500 from a city lobbyist less than a year after a high-profile City Council battle to strengthen a ban on such donations,” by Crain’s Chicago Business.
Chicago lawmakers skeptical of proposal to legalize 'granny flats'
“Chicago lawmakers are divided on legalizing the construction of Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs.
These secondary living spaces are illegal to build in most of Chicago, and political gridlock is keeping it that way,” by ABC7.
Cook County tax board commissioner, staff face multiple fines from ethics board
“Cook County’s Board of Ethics fined Board of Review Commissioner Samantha Steele and aides for a series of breaches this week, finding that she provided confidential information to the press about the Chicago Bears’ Arlington Heights property and wrongly allowed a staffer to attend a conference on county time,” by the Chicago Tribune.
FEDERAL
Cozen Currents - Are Trump and MAGA One in The Same?
President Trump’s decision to attack Iran tests what “America First” means in his second term.
Senate GOP leadership is in the midst of last-minute negotiations with holdouts over modifications to the chamber’s reconciliation bill ahead of the party’s self-imposed July 4th deadline to pass the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.
Even if President Trump likely doesn’t pull the trigger on trying to fire Jerome Powell, his pressure campaign could extend to naming a shadow chair of the Federal Reserve early.
Read the Cozen Currents here.
Beltway Briefing - Political Upheaval in the Capital of Capitalism
New York Democrats nominated a Democratic socialist in the Democratic primary for mayor, sparking national debate over the future of the Democratic Party, its ideological direction, and the role of moderates. What does this mean for New York City, New York State, and national politics? Meanwhile, have events in the Middle East bolstered President Trump's political standing and foreign policy chops? Featuring Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer and Rose Christ.
Listen to the Beltway Briefing here.