WATCH: Illinois In Focus Daily | Friday Aug. 15th, 2025
August 15, 2025/
(The Center Square) – In today’s edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square Editor Greg Bishop talks with gun rights advocate Todd Vandermyde about the latest filing from the state defending Illinois’ gun ban in the federal appeals court. Read the filing here.
Bishop also provides highlights from Republican Day at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, from stage speeches and off-stage conversations with candidates and elected officials.
Finally, Bishop shares the latest back and forth in the debate over congressional maps as Texas Democrats may be heading back to the Lone Star State to face off with Republicans looking to give the GOP more seats in Congress.
Watch the full program below. Subscribe to Illinois in Focus Daily with The Center Square on YouTube. You can also subscribe to the Illinois in Focus podcast to get the entire show uninterrupted.
Part 1
Part 2
Latest News Stories
Trump considers military action to stop Christian genocide in Nigeria
By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square President Donald Trump has directed the Department of War to prepare for possible action in Nigeria to target Islamic militants committing genocide against Christians. “If...
94% of sanctioned scholars suffered from free speech attacks
By Tate MillerThe Center Square A Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression survey shows that 94% of sanctioned university scholars have experienced a negative impact following the attacks on their...
Illinois soybean farmers face uncertainty amid MAHA push against seed oils
By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square Illinois soybean farmers face a potential market shakeup if public sentiment, and eventually policy, turns against seed oils, experts warn....
Family-based visa quotas cause system backlogs
By Andrew RiceThe Center Square One of the most prevalent ways for immigrants to gain legal status in the United States is through family-based visas. However, backlogs in the system...
Death threats against ICE officers up by 8,000%, DHS says
By Bethany BlankleyThe 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...
After 50 years of struggles to save Spotted Owl, FWS plan is to kill 500k Barred Owls
By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square The Spotted Owl is again in the headlines again. U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., filed a resolution to reverse a Biden administration plan to kill...
Association says housing aid to continue through December
By Madeline ShannonThe Center Square Federally-funded housing assistance will continue to be paid through December, a national housing association director told The Center Square Friday afternoon. Previously, those who rent...
WATCH: Father of Housing First points to success; We Heart Seattle highlights failures
By Carleen JohnsonThe Center Square On an overcast mid-October day, just inside the Third Avenue offices of We Heart Seattle, Executive Director Andrea Suarez and two of her staff members...
Colorado sues over Space Command HQ moving to Alabama
By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Colorado has sued the Trump administration over its decision to move the U.S. Space Command Headquarters out of the state. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser...
Illinois quick hits: Pritzker to sign tax, toll increases to bail out transit
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Pritzker to sign tax, toll increases to bail out transit Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he looks forward to signing public transit...
IL Senate approves Department of Corrections director despite fierce opposition
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Despite a myriad of ongoing issues at the Illinois Department of Corrections, state senators approved the nomination...
Report: PJM power grid electrification faces bumpy transition
By Lauren Jessop | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The nation’s power grid is entering a new era of soaring demand – the full extent...
Judge orders Trump to use emergency fund to disburse SNAP benefits
By Andrew RiceThe Center Square A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to continue funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, while a second...
Early morning vote advances Illinois’ ‘Terminally Ill Patients Act,’ sparks outcry
By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A controversial bill allowing terminally ill patients in Illinois to self-administer life-ending medication passed the legislature...
