WATCH: Pritzker to sign exec. order to ‘pursue accountability’ amid federal deployments
October 23, 2025/
(The Center Square) – In today’s edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square Editor Greg Bishop starts the program with tragic news of former Illinois state Sen. Darren Bailey’s son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren dying in a helicopter crash.
Bishop also delves into the latest filings to the U.S. Supreme Court about the Trump administration’s use of the National Guard in Illinois, reaction to Wednesday’s immigration enforcement actions in Little Village and President Donald Trump saying he will make Chicago safe.
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