The Spin newsletter
Top candidates for the US House in Illinois’ 2nd, 7th, 8th and 9th districts for the 2026 election • New Lakeshore Public Media interim CEO addresses budget shortfall amid federal, state funding elimination
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The Spin

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Bipartisan group led by ex-Obama officials ‘rolling the dice’ on new remapping plan for Illinois legislature

The departure of Texas Democrats who spent two weeks in suburban Chicago evading a vote in their state on a Republican-backed redrawing of congressional district boundaries has not ended the conversation on partisan gerrymandering in Illinois.

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Top candidates for the US House in Illinois’ 2nd, 7th, 8th and 9th districts for the 2026 election

With next year’s midterm elections setting up a possible generational shift for Illinois’ representation in Washington, candidates and their supporters are on the streets collecting the petition signatures needed to secure a place on the March primary ballots. A slew of candidates are vying for four U.S. House seats being vacated by veteran members of Congress — two of whom are retiring, while the other two are seeking to become Illinois’ next U.S. senator.

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New Lakeshore Public Media interim CEO addresses budget shortfall amid federal, state funding elimination

Lakeshore Public Media’s new interim CEO Nancy Clifford said while the broadcasting company has seen an increase in public donations, it hasn’t managed to recoup the $1 million shortfall created by the elimination of federal and state funding.

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La Grange drops honorary street designation after namesake’s daughter alleges he sexually abused her as a child

For the past half-century, a tree-lined stretch of 48th Street in La Grange was named Linklater Court in memory of the west suburb’s longtime village attorney William John Linklater, who died in 1971.

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Trump administration revokes security clearances of 37 current and former government officials

The Trump administration said Tuesday that it was revoking the security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials in the latest act of retribution targeting public servants from the federal government’s intelligence community.

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Trump’s Justice Department is investigating whether DC police officials falsified crime data

The Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether police officials in Washington, D.C., have falsified data to make crime rates appear lower than they are, according to two people familiar with the probe who weren’t authorized to publicly discuss an open investigation.

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President Trump’s federal law-enforcement crackdown ripples through DC neighborhoods

The main drag in Washington’s Columbia Heights neighborhood is typically crammed with people peddling pupusas, fresh fruit, souvenirs and clothing. On Tuesday, though, things felt different: The white tents that bulge with food and merchandise were scarcer than usual.

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Police escort Texas Democrats to prevent new redistricting walkout as California moves to retaliate

Texas Democrats who ended a walkout found themselves shadowed by law enforcement officers to keep them from repeating the protest that stalled Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts and fulfill President Donald Trump’s desire to reshape U.S. House maps.