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House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., points to President Donald Trump after he signed his signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts at the White House, Friday, July 4, 2025, in Washington, surrounded by members of Congress. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci) |
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President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill is now law, after days of heated debate and close votes in Congress.
While Republican backers say the plan will cut taxes, Democrats are sounding the alarm on cuts to social services. Over the next decade, the legislation would cut $930 billion to Medicaid and $186 billion to food and nutrition programs like SNAP.
People will also face steeper work requirements to keep receiving those benefits. Currently, able-bodied people without dependents ages 18 through 54 have to work at least 80 hours a month to qualify for coverage. The new legislation raises that age limit to age 64 and includes parents of children 14 and older.
What local congressmen say:
In an interview with WTTW News, U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Chicago, said the law would shift cost burdens on to middle and low-income people, who would be disproportionately impacted by cuts to social services.
“This is brutal; it’s ugly,” Jackson said. “What happens when your parents have a stroke and now your children are in the house but you have to take care of your parents? Can your parents get on your insurance? Does that mean your parents are now your dependents?”
Republicans who voted for the bill say it would bring in more tax savings for working families and make Trump’s tax rates and brackets from his first term permanent.
U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, a Democrat whose district includes portions of the west and southwest suburbs, said the plan will still blow up deficits and impose costs.
“Talking about a tax on tips in the context of $5 trillion in deficits and billionaire tax cuts – this is sort of like somebody saying, ‘I’ve got a cake I made out of horse manure but you’re really going to like the eggs,” Casten said. “Whether there’s one little thing that’s small, that’s OK, is really not the point.”
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(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News) |
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More than 40 people were shot and seven were killed by gunfire across Chicago over the extended Fourth of July weekend.
According to the Chicago Police Department, 44 people were shot in 32 separate shootings between 6 p.m. Thursday and midnight Sunday. Two others were killed in non-shooting incidents, bringing the weekend’s total homicide count to nine.
Those totals mark a significant decline from the 19 people killed and 86 wounded in shootings across the city during the same holiday weekend in 2024, though that was a four-day weekend.
Among those killed was a 4-year-old boy was fatally stabbed by his mother, who also was critically wounded her two other children before setting fire to a home in the 3600 block of W. Palmer Street just after 9 a.m. Friday. Two children — a 10-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl — were also stabbed and survived the attack, while two adults were hospitalized for smoke inhalation. Wendy Tolbert, 45, has since been charged in the deadly attack. |
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A photo of the facade of the Fine Arts Building next to one of its courtyard. |
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Chicago author Keir Graff asks, “What is this place?” more than once as he’s describing the Fine Arts Building, the subject of his new book. The question is an apt one. The 10-story building is part of the stone, glass and steel cliffs that line Michigan Avenue and overlook Grant Park. From the outside, the building is “kind of blocky,” Graff describes. “It’s not a stunning building like the Rookery Building.”
Designed by Solon Beman, the Chicago architect who planned Pullman, the building is only truly exceptional for what's inside. Enter through the doors, and you’ll discover artists’ studios, music schools, instrument makers, a bookstore, puppeteers, architects, dance troupes, opera companies and more.
And just like its tenants, the building’s interior is eclectic. Graff, who himself works out of an office in the building, describes the interior as “a bit of a mishmash… the doorways, the windows, the woodwork will be totally different from the floor below.” These eccentricities remind us that the Fine Arts Building is constantly changing and growing to reflect the world and city outside its doors.
"Chicago’s Fine Arts Building: Music, Magic, and Murder," written by Graff and published by Chicago-based Trope, regales the reader with stories of one of the city’s arts cornerstones. The historical book began as a series of 2023 articles, which, when put together, constituted the longest article NewCity had ever published: 25,000 words and 10 parts long.
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President Donald Trump on Monday placed a 25% tax on goods imported from Japan and South Korea, citing persistent trade imbalances with the two crucial U.S. allies in Asia.
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Planned Parenthood is suing the Trump administration over the “big, beautiful bill” defunding its health care services, arguing the provision will have devastating consequences across the country.
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Back in the Day: July 8, 1905 - Founding Convention of the Industrial Workers of the World Concludes in Chicago |
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In 1905, more than 200 socialists and trade unionists launched the Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.) at a conference in Chicago. Nicknamed the Wobblies, the I.W.W. boasted delegates to the founding convention including Eugene Debs (the leader of the American Socialist Party), Mother Jones (the legendary fighter for miners’ and children’s rights), Daniel De Leon (the leader of the Socialist Labor Party), Lucy Parsons (widow of Albert Parsons, one of the Haymarket martyrs), and many other stars in the galaxy of labor politics and activism. The I.W.W. was “a union based on the principles of Marxist conflict and the indigenous American philosophy of industrial unionism,” according to historian Joyce Kornbluh. On this day 120 years ago, the founding convention for the I.W.W., which kicked off on June 27, 1905, adjourned. The union, which still exists and is still headquartered in Chicago, would unionize workers in some of the nation’s most difficult sectors and became the first racially integrated union in the United States. |
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This Week’s Staff Recommendations: Patio Dining |
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Every Tuesday, WTTW News staffers highlight their favorite things about Chicago. This week, it’s Dan Lambert, managing editor for digital news, on a favorite summer pastime: outdoor dining.
When I’m shoveling snow off the sidewalk on a frigid February morning there is one thing keeping me going: the promise of a future summer evening spent leisurely dining and sipping as the sun sets and a warm breeze washes over me. It is in that spirit that I bring you some of my favorite patios in the city and suburbs on which to enjoy these fleeting days of summer.
Piccolo Sogno, 464 N. Halsted St., Chicago
This West Loop Italian restaurant has an expansive patio complete with plenty of tree-provided shade. (The tables and chairs are good too, which is not always a given with outdoor dining.) The seasonal menu and expansive wine list only adds to the transportive experience. The pro move is making a reservation at just the right time so you can experience the sun slowly setting as the lights come on at night.
Meson Sabika, 1025 Aurora Ave., Naperville
This west suburban tapas destination is housed in a huge 19th century mansion. During the rest of the year, this provides a unique dining experience. But in the summer, the rolling grounds become a garden oasis. A pitcher of sangria, a steady supply of cold and hot tapas and picturesque setting, what could be better?
The Duck Inn, 2701 S. Eleanor St., Chicago
If you want to feel like you’re dining in a friend’s beautifully landscaped backyard (a friend who also happens to be an incredible cook), this celebrated Bridgeport spot is the place. Whether you are going for the full rotisserie duck experience or opting for an elevated Chicago dog, the casual confines hit the spot. The cocktail menu ranges from Hamm’s on draft to balanced craft cocktails.
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Your friend wants to take a short, weekend road trip outside of Chicago. Where are you telling them to visit? |
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. |
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As an effort to modernize the country's air traffic control system receives funding, we take a look at how it's working now.
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And a look at Medicaid changes and their potential impacts.
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5:30 PM | 11:00 PM |
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Want more WTTW News content? Follow WTTW on Instagram to check in with us daily, go behind-the-scenes, and more. |
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
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