Good morning, Chicago. ✶
🔎 Below: The feds launched a long-promised Chicago deportations operation Monday — which Gov. JB Pritzker says is about “scaring Illinoisans.”
🗞️ Plus: The U.S. Justice Department’s civil rights boss takes on Illinois’ assault weapons ban, a recap of the Bears’ Monday night debacle and more news you need to know.
📝 Keeping score: The Bears fell to the Vikings, 27-24; the Cubs lost to Atlanta, 4-1.
📧 Subscribe: Get this newsletter delivered to your inbox weekday mornings.
⏱️: An 8-minute read
TODAY’S WEATHER 🌤️
Mostly sunny with a high near 77.
TODAY’S TOP STORIES
Trump launches long-promised Chicago deportation campaign
By Violet Miller, Tina Sfondeles, Emmanuel Camarillo, Selena Kuznikov, Sophie Sherry, Alden Loury and Elvia Malagón
Operation underway: President Donald Trump’s administration announced Monday that federal agents were ramping up immigration enforcement across Illinois and Chicago. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on social media that it would target immigrants without legal status who’ve been protected by Gov. JB Pritzker’s “sanctuary policies.” In response, Pritzker said the campaign’s goal was to invoke fear, not to fight crime.
‘Midway Blitz’: The feds’ campaign came with a foreboding title: “Operation Midway Blitz.” It’s unclear whether the expected surge in immigration enforcement includes National Guard support, as Trump has threatened.
Who is Katie Abraham?: The DHS dedicated its deportation “blitz” to Katie Abraham, an Illinois native killed in an Urbana drunken driving crash earlier this year by a Guatemalan man who lacked legal status and fled the scene.
Telehealth push: Health care providers are promoting telehealth for people in immigrant communities as a way to keep vital appointments amid Trump’s deportation efforts.
Parent questions: Chicago Public Schools is stressing that students are safe from immigration enforcement in class, but parents still have questions about what happens outside the school day. We collected some answers here.
More FAQs: We asked for your questions about Trump’s deportation campaign and his National Guard threats. We’re answering them here.
✶✶✶✶
Justice Department’s civil rights boss takes on Illinois’ assault weapons ban
Reporting by Jon Seidel
Gun fight: The U.S. Justice Department’s top official in charge of civil rights has joined the legal battle over Illinois’ controversial assault weapons ban and is expected to personally argue against the law this month before the federal appeals court in Chicago.
Advocates’ support: The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed late last week to hear from Harmeet Dhillon, the department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights. A group challenging Illinois’ gun law agreed to cede five minutes of its time before the court to Dhillon, records show.
‘Extremely unusual’: It’s “extremely unusual” for the Justice Department “to treat Second Amendment rights as civil rights and advocate for them in such a direct and personal way at the appellate level,” Hannah Hill, vice president of the National Foundation for Gun Rights, told the Sun-Times.
✶✶✶✶
In Illinois, soybean is king and helps fuel everything from farmers to Chicago Park District trucks
Reporting by Amy Yee
Bean boost: Eco-friendly biodiesel, made from refined soybean oil, has become a boost for Illinois, the country’s largest producer of the crop. Biodiesel can be made from soybean oil, used cooking oil or animal fat.
Top crop: Advocates tout biodiesel’s health and environmental benefits because it dramatically reduces air pollution compared to petroleum-based fuels. Biodiesel emits 50% to 80% less carbon than regular diesel.
Local motion: About 80 Chicago Park District vehicles are fueled by biodiesel blends made from refined soybean oil. That’s about 25% of its diesel fleet, which includes service and forestry trucks, tractors, and mowers.
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MORE NEWS YOU NEED
- Tent camp targeted: After several dangerous fires, a homeless tent camp in Legion Park on Bryn Mawr Avenue is scheduled to be torn down by the city beginning Tuesday.
- Panel addresses antisemitism: Civic and religious leaders on Monday showcased the personal impact of the rise of alleged anti-Jewish attacks in Chicago, but wrestled over how best to confront “an everyone problem.”
- Neighborhood watch: A group of volunteers in Pilsen has been patrolling the neighborhood, warning fellow residents of any potential federal agent sightings — and they plan to document every interaction.
- Suburban data share: Forest Park’s police department inadvertently shared license plate data for more than a year with federal immigration authorities in apparent violation of Illinois law, officials said.
- Taste of Chicago?: Chicago Chef Art Smith and restaurateur Phil Stefani have been selected to create a 500-seat restaurant at the traditional papal retreat just south of Rome for Pope Leo XIV. The eatery is expected to open next spring.
- Museum expands: The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture on Monday opened an outdoor space, sculpture garden and mosaic as part of a new expansion push.
- Costco core: As part of a quirky marketing campaign, you can now buy Riot Fest tickets at Costco — $20 cheaper than the standard price.
GAMES AND CROSSWORDS 🧩
This week’s Chicago-style crossword theme is: Murals.
Here’s your clue:
19D: ___ 4 the City (annual Chicago graffiti competition)
CHICAGO BEARS 🏈
Bears drop season opener to Vikings
By Patrick Finley, Jason Lieser, Mary Norkol and Steve Greenberg
Squandered lead: Bears quarterback Caleb Williams started Monday night’s game perfectly. He didn’t stay that way. Far from it.
What happened: After becoming the first Bears quarterback since at least 1978 to start the season by completing his first 10 passes, Williams struggled against division rival Vikings in a 27-24 season-opening loss at Soldier Field. The game ended with fans booing as time ran out on the Bears’ last-ditch scramble.
Coaching analysis: New Bears coach Ben Johnson has already made necessary changes to sharpen virtually every aspect of how the Bears operate. But he’s betting on Williams, and there’s no way he’ll win without getting him on track. That reality undermined Johnson’s debut Monday night.
Hopeful fans: Die-hard Bears fans tailgating outside Soldier Field told the Sun-Times that new coach Johnson and QB Williams offer hope not seen in years.
Arlington Heights-bound?: In a letter sent to season ticket holders before the game, president/CEO Kevin Warren reiterated the team’s plan to build a dome in Arlington Heights, writing with finality about the Bears leaving Chicago.
Bottom line: We want to believe Johnson is the leader the Bears need, that his methods will take root and bloom handsomely. We have a bit more to go on after Monday’s opener, writes columnist Steve Greenberg.
BRIGHT ONE ✨
Organizer bets big on a new music fest to help boost indie venues
Reporting by Courtney Kueppers
Mike Reed is back in the music festival game, and this time he’s doing things his way.
The Pitchfork Music Festival co-founder, venue owner, and prominent Chicago presenter and musician will launch the inaugural Sound & Gravity festival this week. The five-day event will play out in and around his music hall, Constellation, located near Avondale along Western Avenue.
The programming will spill into six other venues throughout the neighborhood, including the nearby Hungry Brain, which Reed also owns, as well as Judson & Moore, Beat Kitchen, Guild Row and Rockwell on the River — all within a one-mile radius of Constellation.
It will feature more than 50 artists including singer-songwriter Bill Callahan, Chicago’s Third Coast Percussion and Nigerien guitarist Mdou Moctar.
The lineup has a heavy focus on jazz, which is largely Reed’s genre of choice. A jazz drummer himself, he’s just come off another year programming Chicago’s annual Jazz Fest. But his team members — including his longtime deputy, musician Sima Cunningham — also bring their own taste to the mix, infusing the lineup with bits of contemporary classical, electronic music and experimental rockers such as guitarist Steve Gunn.
Reed, 51, is clear: He is not trying to recreate Pitchfork, the long-running Chicago music festival with indie roots that abruptly exited the city last year with little explanation given by its corporate owner, Condé Nast. Instead, Reed’s goal is to fortify the future of Constellation, the nonprofit venue he opened in 2013, in a moment when small and midsize arts venues are hurting.
The decision to include other venues within a small footprint was born both out of practicality and the need for more space, but Reed hopes the event will be a boost for the neighborhood as well.
“I hope that this would also then translate to some of the other businesses and creative industries in the area,” Reed said, “and that the neighborhood kind of comes alive in its own way and we’re just the thing that everybody can sort of draft off of.”
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
What will you try to squeeze into your Chicago summer before it’s over?
Email us (please include your first and last name). To see the answers to this question, check Wednesday’s Morning Edition newsletter.
Yesterday, we asked you: What is your prediction for the 2025 Bears?
Here’s some of what you said…
“[After] nearly 40 years of embarrassment, I’m going with more embarrassment.”— Jeremy Ferguson
“Super Bowl champions and two losses only.”— Guy Matheson
“0-17. Maybe 0-0-17. In general, though, well below .500.”— Jason A. White
“Every time Caleb makes a bad throw, someone will blame it on his painted fingernails.”— Don Moorhead
“I’m hoping for at least 500, but will really be happy with a playoff spot.”— Bob Ambriz
“I predict many, many anxious moments.”— Bob Pilcher
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Eydie Cubarrubia
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