(The Center Square) – With Chicago’s downtown office vacancy rate now at a record-high 28%, Illinois Policy Institute researcher LyLena Estabine says city policymakers have become their own worse enemy when it comes to addressing the area’s changing demographics. New data shows Loop vacancies ballooned over the recent third quarter as post-pandemic work trends continue Read More…
U.S. markets lost momentum this week as investors stepped back from recent highs, digesting mixed economic signals and growing uncertainty around the outlook for interest rates and growth. After several weeks of gains, the S&P 500 fell roughly 2.4% for the week, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped about 3%, its steepest decline since April. The Read More…
Now that the United States has officially stopped making pennies, a nationwide scramble is underway among gas stations, fast-food chains, and major retailers to adjust prices and handle cash transactions — a shift that could quietly erode profits for many high-volume businesses. The transition follows President Donald Trump’s decision earlier this year to halt production Read More…
(The Center Square) – Death threats against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are up by 8,000% compared to the same timeframe last year, the Department of Homeland Security said on Friday. Assaults against ICE officers remain at a 1,000% increase, The Center Square first reported. Targeted removal efforts prioritizing arresting violent offenders are ongoing as Read More…
LOS ANGELES — California’s top prosecutor said Wednesday he has asked a court to give the state control of Los Angeles County’s troubled juvenile detention facilities because incarcerated young people are enduring unsafe conditions, including violence and rampant drug abuse. Attorney General Rob Bonta said he wants the county to hand over administration of the Read More…
NEW YORK — Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine admitted Wednesday that he violated the conditions of his supervised release from prison by possessing drugs, marking his latest run-in with the law since he completed a federal prison sentence on racketeering and conspiracy charges. The 29-year-old performer, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, told a Manhattan federal judge Read More…
The Department of Education launched investigations Wednesday into whether five leading universities are violating federal anti-discrimination law by granting certain scholarships exclusively to undocumented students or those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status. The five universities under investigation are the University of Louisville, the University of Miami, the University of Michigan, the University of Read More…
County investigators found human remains in Altadena, California, Monday, bringing the official death toll of January’s Los Angeles wildfires to 31. The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner called the person “Unidentified Doe #431.” The victim died in the Eaton fire, which killed 19, while 12 died in the Palisades fire in the Read More…
BOISE, Idaho — Friends and relatives of the four University of Idaho students murdered in their rental home by Bryan Kohberger delivered powerful statements of love, anguish and condemnation as his sentencing hearing began Wednesday. “This world was a better place with her in it,” Scott Laramie, the stepfather of Madison Mogen, told the court. Read More…
(The Center Square) – Illegal border crossings dropped to their lowest level in recorded U.S. history in June. Nationwide, 25,228 illegal border crossers were apprehended, the lowest monthly total in history, according to newly published U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. The greatest number apprehended were nationwide at land, sea and air ports of entry Read More…
(The Center Square) – The Small Business Administration has established a Center for Faith as well as eliminated the Biden regulation that banned faith organizations from receiving disaster relief. The Small Business Administration (SBA) is a cabinet-level federal agency intended to provide “counseling, capital, and contracting expertise” for small businesses, according to its website. The Read More…
(The Center Square) – Across the country, federal agents are arresting members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) U.S.-Salvadoran transnational gang designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration. In January, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing transnational gangs and cartels to be designated as foreign terrorist organizations. In February, eight were Read More…
(The Center Square) – Sunday marks the first anniversary of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pa. Despite the life-altering milestone, the president appears to be keeping it quiet. After touring the devastation in Texas on Friday along with First Lady Melania Trump, the first couple is scheduled Read More…
(The Center Square) – As lawmakers begin crafting the 12 annual appropriations bills to fund the federal government in fiscal year 2026, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has implied that his party will refuse to cooperate in the process if Republicans revoke billions in funding from previous years. The Senate is set to vote Read More…
Litigation cannot be pursued by a disabled Florida firefighter against the city of Sanford under the Americans With Disability Act, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday. Karyn Stanley, in Stanley v. City of Stanford, sued the city after officials said that her disability entitled her to only 24 months of insurance coverage. Stanley was hired Read More…
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced that the state is expected to receive approximately $10.1 million as part of a nationwide $7.4 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family. The agreement, signed by 55 Attorneys General, resolves litigation accusing the company and family of fueling the national opioid epidemic. “South Read More…
(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump Friday morning thanked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit for its ruling that keeps the California National Guard, for now, under his control. The 9th Circuit ruled Thursday night to put a temporary stay on an earlier U.S. District Court for Northern California ruling transferring the National Read More…
Today, on the 81st anniversary of D-Day, the world pauses to honor one of the most defining moments of the 20th century—the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II. On this day in 1944, over 156,000 troops from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and other Allied nations stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, Read More…
(The Center Square) – In just a few months, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have arrested more than 1,000 “illegal alien workers without employment authorization.” It’s “the highest rate of arrest in HSI’s history,” HSI acting Executive Associate Director Robert Hammer said in April. “We’ve subpoenaed the business records of about 1,200 businesses, and Read More…
(The Center Square) – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is calling on law enforcement officials in all U.S. counties to participate in a federal program, 287(g). Those who do receive free training and resources, potentially federal grant money, and a partnership with the Trump administration to identify violent criminals illegally in the country, many of Read More…
(The Center Square) – A day after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the Trump administration was terminating Harvard University’s foreign student visa “privileges,” a federal judge has temporarily blocked the administration from halting the program. Judge Allison Burroughs of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a temporary restraining order Friday Read More…
(The Center Square) – Los Angeles’ deputy mayor for public safety has pleaded guilty to calling in a fake, anti-Israel bomb threat to himself in October. Brian Williams, who was charged by federal prosecutors Thursday, faces up to 10 years in federal prison. Mayor Karen Bass announced in December that Williams had been put on administrative Read More…
(The Center Square) – Leaders in both political parties are showing former President Joe Biden their support after Biden announced he is dealing with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. Biden’s personal office released a statement Sundaysaying he had prostate cancer “characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the Read More…
Billionaire investor Bill Ackman, through his hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management, has made a significant move by investing $900 million in Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HHH), increasing his stake to 46.9% and positioning the real estate developer as a platform for a diversified holding company modeled after Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. The announcement, Read More…
(The Center Square) – U.S. Border Czar Tom Homan addressed a group of Republican lawyers at a national policy conference Friday about the status of President Donald Trump’s three primary goals on illegal immigration. The president gave Homan three main objectives as the administration’s border czar: To secure the border, to spearhead “the biggest deportation Read More…
(The Center Square) – The Federal Reserve said Wednesday it would hold interest rates unchanged as it warned about the potential for higher unemployment and higher inflation as a result of President Donald Trump’s trade plans. “If the large increases in tariffs that have been announced are sustained, they’re likely to generate a rise in Read More…
(The Center Square) – Resentencing hearings for murderers Erik and Lyle Menendez have been set for Tuesday and Wednesday despite objections from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. During a hearing Friday in a Van Nuys courtroom, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic set the hearing dates, which will also be in Van Read More…
(The Center Square) – The Federal Bureau of Investigation has arrested Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, according to a social media post from FBI Director Kash Patel. U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi wrote that the arrest was “for allegedly helping an illegal alien avoid arrest by @ICEgov.” “We believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected federal Read More…
The U.S. Interior Department announced Friday that it is opening the public comment process for a new five-year offshore oil and gas leasing program, potentially paving the way for expanded drilling in the Arctic and other previously restricted areas. The move is part of the Trump administration’s broader push to boost domestic energy production. The Read More…
A U.S. immigration judge ruled Friday that the Trump administration can move forward with its deportation case against Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student and prominent pro-Palestinian activist who was arrested in New York City last month. Judge Jamee Comans of the LaSalle Immigration Court in Louisiana stated she did not have the authority Read More…
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Thursday the termination of $5.1 billion worth of Pentagon IT and consulting contracts, targeting major firms such as Accenture, Deloitte, and Booz Allen Hamilton. The move, he said, is aimed at eliminating “wasteful spending” and redirecting funds toward core defense priorities. In a Department of Defense memo, Hegseth ordered the Read More…
The U.S. Senate confirmed retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a 60-25 vote on Friday, officially filling the nation’s top military post nearly two months after President Donald Trump ousted the previous chairman. The confirmation vote came just before lawmakers departed Washington Read More…
(The Center Square) – Billionaire Alex Meruelo is looking to use nearly $100 million in Reno city redevelopment funding for a new multi-use stadium at the University of Nevada, Reno. The public funds would come from a property tax cut, called Tax Increment Financing, which would take off a significant portion of Meruelo’s $1 billion Read More…
The Center Square) – The U.S. added 228,000 jobs in March, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Friday, nearly double what was forecast. Employment gains occurred in the health care, transportation, warehousing and retail trade industries, according to the Labor department. The overall gains come despite significant layoffs in the federal government under the Trump Read More…
Los Angeles County has reached a record-setting $4 billion tentative settlement to resolve more than 6,800 sexual abuse claims, marking the largest financial settlement in the county’s history. Announced Friday, the agreement would settle decades of lawsuits from individuals who allege they were sexually abused or mistreated while in the county’s foster care system or Read More…
(The Center Square) – Boeing earned a contract to build the U.S. Air Force’s top air dominance fighter, the F-47 and the service has plenty of options to base operational squadrons both in the U.S. and overseas. The sixth-generation aircraft is intended to replace the Air Force’s existing top fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and Read More…
In a significant move for the cryptocurrency and banking sectors, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced on Friday that U.S. banks can engage in certain cryptocurrency-related activities without seeking prior approval from the regulator. The FDIC clarified that as long as these activities are legally permitted and banks manage their risks appropriately, they do Read More…
(The Center Square) – Live Nation Entertainment, the events giant that operates Ticketmaster, is fighting to hold on to practices that states and the federal government allege are anti-competitive and hurt both fans and musicians. The company recently lost its bid to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition Read More…
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against affiliates of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), seeking to end collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) that it claims hinder national security operations. The lawsuit, filed in the Western District of Texas on behalf of eight federal agencies, follows an executive order issued by Read More…
(The Center Square) – The Department of State will assume many of the responsibilities and oversight of programs previously performed by the U.S. Agency of International Development, effectively shuttering the controversial USAID department. Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had been targeting USAID’s questionable spending for cuts, leading to legal challenges. But on Friday, Read More…
In a groundbreaking move that fuses artificial intelligence with social media, Elon Musk’s xAI has acquired X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, in an all-stock deal valued at $33 billion. Announced by Musk on X late Friday, the acquisition raises xAI’s valuation to an impressive $80 billion, creating a combined entity that aims to Read More…
(The Center Square) – Sparks are flying once again over the plan to build the new FBI headquarters in Maryland, with President Donald Trump saying he plans to keep the headquarters in Washington, D.C. The president said he would “stop” building the new FBI headquarters in Maryland, falsely claiming the site is “three hours away” Read More…
(The Center Square) – Tens of thousands of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees may lose union privileges after the Department of Homeland Security announced Friday it is ending a collective bargaining agreement with the TSA. The decision strips collective bargaining power from unionized Transportation Security Officers (TSO) in particular, who are responsible for screening passengers, Read More…
The Federal Reserve is preparing for its March 18-19 policy meeting amid a strong overall labor market, though signs of potential weakening are emerging. This could place the U.S. central bank in a challenging position if inflation remains elevated and tariffs from the Trump administration continue to put upward pressure on prices. In February, U.S. Read More…