Good morning, Chicago.

State government is on the minds of the Tribune Editorial Board and many contributors to our pages today. In its editorials, the board sounds the alarm over electricity market prices and Illinois government’s clean energy policies, and it concludes that New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration has blundered with its pied-à-terre tax.

In her op-ed, Alain Hampton, a political strategist and advocate for victims of sexual harassment, issues a strong call for Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch to resign over his handling of the misconduct allegations against now-former Rep. Harry Benton. A number of our letter writers also condemn Welch.

Also in commentary, the executive director of a Catholic organization explores the questions at the heart of Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical and argues that the pope sees some promise in the AI revolution, in addition to plenty of peril. And foreign affairs columnist Daniel DePetris writes that despite an optimistic announcement from President Donald Trump, the expectation of peace in Gaza continues to be a dream.

If you have any thoughts to share about our content, please shoot us a letter by clicking on the link below.

We’ll see you tomorrow!

— Colleen Kujawa, opinion editor

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