Good morning. 

The lack of a deal for the Bears was the main headline from the final days of the Illinois General Assembly’s spring session, but arguably the most important thing that happened was that lawmakers passed a $56 billion budget without any large tax increases. 

The editorial board offers its thoughts on Pritzker’s uncontroversial "maintenance budget” and the other moves legislators did and didn’t make before the summer break including passing a bill to ban cellphones in class. 

In commentary, Laura Washington writes that Pope Leo XIV’s recent apology for the Catholic Church’s role in legitimizing slavery is overdue, and it won’t be enough for Black Catholics like herself who have been excluded by the Church in the past. Now, the pontiff must now call out the racism of the U.S. president, Laura writes. 

Columnist Steve Chapman is also concerned with the president today, and all the ways he seems to defy his persona as a “builder”. We also have lawyer Jeffrey Leving reflecting on a famous case he was involved in over 25 years ago involving Raúl Castro. 

Thanks for reading. We’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow. 

— Grace Miserocchi, opinion editor

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