WATCH: Pritzker expects troops soon, protesters with guns charged; Darren Bailey reacts
September 30, 2025/
(The Center Square) – In today’s edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square Editor Greg Bishop shares comments from Democratic leaders about the expectation that the Trump administration is requesting military troops for Chicago amid protests against immigration officials enforcing federal law.
Bishop also talks live with Darren Bailey, former Illinois gubernatorial candidate running in the 2026 primary, with reaction to public safety in Chicago, what he learned running against Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2022 and how he expects to raise campaign funds during the primary season.
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.
Latest News Stories
Trump signs bill to release Epstein files
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square President Donald Trump signed a bill late Wednesday to release federal files related to former financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. After fighting the...
WATCH: Dysolve AI offers approach to dyslexia in schools
By Esther WickhamThe Center Square While education leaders search for breakthroughs in special education, one AI platform, Dysolve, claims it has found part of the answer. Dysolve AI, created by...
Inventors back effort to tackle intellectual property thefts
By Chris WoodwardThe Center Square A five-time world champion jump roper, Molly Metz of Louisville, Colorado, created a jump rope in the early 2000s to help her go faster and...
WATCH: Dems leave hearing before minority group’s testimony on Biden border policies
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A member of a minority grassroots Chicago organization testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary...
Illinois quick hits: ICC approves smaller rate increases
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square ICC approves smaller rate increases The Illinois Commerce Commission has approved smaller utility rate hikes than the ones requested by Ameren...
WATCH: Ex-Illinois governor pushes for ‘millionaire’s surcharge’ amendment
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The push continues to have voters if Illinois should be a 3% surcharge on millionaires. Former Illinois...
Lawmakers weigh replacing Obamacare tax credits with health savings accounts
By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square With millions of Americans’ health insurance premiums projected to rise in 2026, due partially to enhanced Obamacare subsidies expiring, Republicans are eyeing health savings accounts...
Feds: Guilty plea hearings scheduled for Antifa members indicted on terror charges
By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Several defendants who are among the first indicted on terrorism-related charges for their alleged connection to an Antifa attack on law enforcement officers are scheduled...
Lawyers call legal immigration crackdown harmful
By Andrew RiceThe Center Square Immigration lawyers are concerned about recent proposals to eliminate work-based visa programs. On Nov. 13, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said she planned to...
WATCH: Illinois continues work to reduce state’s high SNAP error rate
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – State agency officials continue to address the error rate with Illinois’ handling of federal food subsidies. During...
Border Patrol agents arrest illegal CDL drivers in upstate New York
By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Despite the sanctuary policies of New York, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol officers are cracking down on commercial truck drivers to ensure...
ACA premiums projected to rise 26% in 2026, far above U.S. inflation
By Tom JoyceThe Center Square Affordable Care Act health insurance premiums are expected to rise about 26% in 2026, the biggest increase in eight years and much higher than overall...
Michigan law firm sued over alleged racial bias in diversity scholarships
By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Two groups have sued a Michigan law firm for operating scholarships they allege are “racially discriminatory.” Do No Harm, a national anti-DEI policy advocacy group,...
