Good morning, Chicago. ✶
🔎 Below: President Donald Trump called for jailing Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson over “failing to protect ICE.”
🗞️ Plus: Masked feds’ plateless vehicles, Englewood’s “genius grant” winner and more news you need to know.
📝 Keeping score: The Cubs extended the National League Division Series with a 4-3 win against the Brewers in Game 3.
📧 Subscribe: Get this newsletter delivered to your inbox weekday mornings.
⏱️: A 9-minute read
TODAY’S WEATHER ☀️
Sunny with a high near 63.
TODAY’S TOP STORIES
Pritzker responds to Trump’s threat to jail him, Johnson over ICE: ‘Come and get me’
By Tina Sfondeles, Kade Heather, Violet Miller, Casey He and Michael Puente
Trumped-up threat: As President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for jailing Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson for “failing to protect ICE,” the Illinois governor urged the president to “come and get me,” likening the threat to authoritarianism. Speaking on WBEZ’s “In the Loop” show with Sasha-Ann Simons, Johnson called Trump “unstable.”
Chicago area protests: Hundreds of protesters hit the streets around the Chicago area Wednesday evening as National Guard troops were anticipated to be deployed.
Mission summary: The deployment is expected to entail 200 members from the Texas National Guard and 300 members from the Illinois National Guard, according to a mission summary from the U.S. military.
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MORE ON IMMIGRATION ✶
Federal immigration officers wear masks, no name tags — now some drive vehicles without license plates
By Lauren FitzPatrick and Ashlee Rezin
The Sun-Times has documented four unmarked cars carrying federal officers without required plates. The feds say they’re meeting regulations.
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Federal grand jury refuses to indict couple found with guns outside Broadview ICE facility
By Jon Seidel
Prosecutors moved to dismiss a criminal complaint against the couple but have not ruled out new charges.
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CPS creates command center to monitor ICE activity
By Sarah Karp and Emmanuel Camarillo
Chicago Public Schools is facing pressure to do more to help schools and families navigate federal immigration activity and attendance concerns.
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WATCH: MAYOR TALKS TRUMP THREAT ▶️
Video: Mayor Brandon Johnson on WBEZ’s “In the Loop” with Sasha Ann Simons. | Brian Ernst and Zubaer Khan/Sun-Times
MORE NEWS YOU NEED
- Silos demolition resumes: The owner of the Damen Silos has been given the go-ahead to resume demolition of the historic structures after work was paused last week due to concerns about harmful dust leaving the site.
- Israel-Hamas deal: Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first phase” of a peace plan to pause fighting and release at least some hostages and prisoners, President Trump said Wednesday.
- Settlements considered: Chicago taxpayers will be asked to pay a combined $26.5 million to compensate two men who collectively spent a half-century in prison for murders they did not commit. Both settlements are on Thursday’s agenda for City Council’s finance committee.
- County budget plan: Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is proposing a $10 billion budget for next year without a deficit or layoffs and no new taxes, fees or fines.
- Mail-in voting challenge: Downstate GOP Rep. Mike Bost took his case to the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, arguing he and other political candidates should be allowed to sue to stop the counting of mail-in ballots received after Election Day.
- High-rise pitch: A pair of local developers want to replace a vacant lot in Fulton Market with an 18-story mixed-use tower after previous plans fell through.
CHICAGO STORIES 🗞️
Artist Tonika Lewis Johnson is among 22 winners of MacArthur ‘genius grants’
Reporting by Courtney Kueppers
Local genius: Chicago artist Tonika Lewis Johnson can now add “genius” to her robust resume. The Englewood native, known for her large-scale, social justice-oriented work, is among this year’s class of MacArthur Fellows.
Key context: The so-called “genius grants” have been awarded annually by the Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation since 1981 and come with $800,000 in funding for each recipient. They recognize “exceptional creativity” and potential for future work, according to the foundation. This year, there are 22 fellows from around the world.
The work: Through efforts like Folded Map, which compared corresponding addresses on the North and South sides to highlight segregation, Johnson’s work has focused on underscoring systemic inequities such as predatory housing practices. She is also leading the charge to beautify the 6500 block of South Aberdeen Street through unBlocked Englewood, an ongoing project to help residents repair their homes and acquire vacant lots.
‘Belongs to Englewood’: Johnson said being among the recipients feels like validation, not just for her own creative output but also for her neighborhood. “This recognition is proof that our neighborhoods are overflowing with creativity, resilience and now, we can say, genius,” Johnson said. “It really belongs to Englewood and neighborhoods like mine.”
CHICAGO MARATHON 👟
2025 Chicago Marathon — what to know
Reporting by Mitch Dudek
Sunday step off: The 47th Bank of America Chicago Marathon kicks off Sunday with a record 53,000-plus runners headed to the starting line in Grant Park, a favorable weather forecast of mostly clear skies with temperatures peaking in the mid 60s — and assurances from federal immigration enforcement authorities that operations would not impact the race.
The race: Wheelchair and handcycle races are the first off, beginning at 7:20 a.m. Minutes later, the world’s best runners — chasing records previously set on Chicago’s flat course — will start at 7:30 a.m. and finish in a little more than 2 hours. Additional waves of runners will be sent off beginning at 8 and 8:35 a.m. The average time for a non-elite runner is about 4 hours and 20 minutes. The course closes at 4 p.m.
Street closures: Most streets along the marathon will close to traffic at 6 a.m. Sunday, with many streets remaining closed to traffic until 4 p.m.
The course: The 26.2 mile course takes runners through 29 neighborhoods. It starts and ends in Grant Park on Columbus Drive and loops north to Lake View, west to Damen Avenue and south to 35th Street before returning to the park for the finish.
FROM THE PRESS BOX ⚾⚽🏀🏈
- Can Cubs get it done?: The Cubs extended their postseason run with Wednesday’s win. Can they topple the Brewers? “Without a doubt,” left-hander Matthew Boyd said. Here’s how to watch Game 4 tonight.
- Match relocated: The soccer match between Argentina and Puerto Rico, originally scheduled for next week at Soldier Field, has been relocated to Florida amid ongoing immigration arrests in Chicago.
- Playing ‘Billy Ball’: Coach Billy Donovan wants his offense to remain a blur for the opposing team, but the Bulls also have to make smart decisions with the ball.
- QB potential: Monday’s Commanders game is an opportunity for Caleb Williams to prove something new.
GAMES AND CROSSWORDS 🧩
This week’s Chicago-style crossword theme is: The Chicago Marathon!
Here’s your clue:
29A: Like a highly skilled distance runner
BRIGHT ONE 🔆
Nico Segal & The Social Experiment’s victory lap
By Morgan Ciocca and Nudia Hernandez
Chicago Grammy-winning trumpeter and producer Nico Segal will reunite with his band the Social Experiment on Saturday at Metro, celebrating a decade since the release of the group’s debut album, “Surf.”
Highly anticipated prior to its release, the album made a splash in 2015 with a sound that fused jazz, hip-hop and soul, as exhibited in one of the album’s standout songs, “Sunday Candy.”
Led by Segal, formerly known as Donnie Trumpet, the Social Experiment is Chicago’s Chance the Rapper, composer and producer Peter CottonTale, drummer Greg Landfair Jr., and songwriter-producer Nate Fox.
In a rare move, “Surf” didn’t list any of the myriad contributors featured on tracks, even though they included Jamila Woods, BJ The Chicago Kid, J. Cole, Big Sean, Noname, Erykah Badu, Jeremih, J. Cole, Janelle Monáe and KYLE.
Segal said leaving the appearances of famous artists uncredited was intentional.
“I thought that was indicative of what we were bringing to the entire ethos of ‘Surf,'” Segal said in an interview with WBEZ’s sister station Vocalo. “You can’t let a celebrity name outshine the actual physical work that they did.”
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
Yesterday, we asked you: How do you feel about the arrival of National Guard troops in the Chicago area?
“I’m mad as hell. I represent veterans to correct military discharges in a legal clinic, so I understand that the Texas guardsmen are not choosing to be here. That does not make me less disgusted that the president has militarized our streets and increased fear among our neighbors.”— Yelena Duterte
“I respect them more so than ICE at this point.”— Richard Pons
“I can’t help but wonder how Chicago police feel about the deployment, given that Trump sent them here because he feels that Chicago is a crime ridden hellhole, which implies that Chicago’s police department is doing a horrendous job.”— Mark Mardell
“Great idea. Need to make cities safe with or without the mayor’s or governor’s help.”— Edward Hansen
“The governor of Texas spent millions of Texas taxpayer dollars to bus refugees to Chicago, and now he’s sending the Guard to reinforce ICE as they harass Chicago neighborhoods. I feel like these out-of-town agitators ought to go back where they came from and leave the good people of Chicago alone. They say, ‘Don’t mess with Texas.’ I say Texas is a mess, and it ought to mind its own house.”— David T. Kindler
“I think the arrival of the National Guard troops from Texas … is a provocation, a political stunt and a gross abuse of power. The lack of communication and coordination with state and local leaders in Illinois and no obvious immediate or long-term need for assistance make it clearly evident that this is top-down attempt by the federal government to usurp states’ rights and create conflict where there isn’t any.”— Brent Mullane
“I think they should have waited until January, and had them bring a snow shovel. They might be useful then.”— Krystina Davis
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Eydie Cubarrubia
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