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Happy Friday. It’s been a busy week. Here’s what you need to know from WTTW News heading into the weekend. |
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Military personnel in uniform, with the Texas National Guard patch on, are seen at the U.S. Army Reserve Center, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Elwood, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. (AP Photo / Erin Hooley) |
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A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump from deploying 200 members of the Texas National Guard alongside 300 members of the Illinois National Guard and 14 members of the California National Guard to the Chicago area.
“I see no credible evidence there is a danger of rebellion in the state of Illinois,” U.S. District Court Judge April Perry said from the bench late Thursday.
Read Perry’s order here.
Perry scheduled the next hearing in the case for 9 a.m. Oct. 22, when she said she will consider extending it for an additional 14 days before the initial order expires at 11:59 p.m. Oct. 23.
Perry also blocked the Trump administration from sending National Guard troops from any other state into Illinois, handing Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson, who vehemently opposed the deployment, what appeared to be a resounding victory.
“There is no evidence that the president is unable, with the regular forces, to execute the laws of the United States,” Perry said.
Pritzker said there was no place for National Guard troops in Chicago.
“Donald Trump is not a king — and his administration is not above the law,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Today, the court confirmed what we all know: there is no credible evidence of a rebellion in the state of Illinois.”
Johnson said the “ruling is a win for the people of Chicago and the rule of law.”
The Trump administration appealed Perry’s ruling early Friday morning, sending the dispute to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Another Ruling:
A federal judge ruled Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the Broadview facility cannot use “riot control weapons” like tear gas, pepper spray or less lethal bullets against reporters, protesters and members of the clergy who aren’t posing an immediate threat to the safety of law enforcement.
U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis on Thursday granted a temporary restraining order sought by a group of Chicago journalists who claimed their First Amendment rights had been violated by federal immigration agents at the suburban processing facility.
That order took effect Thursday morning and is set to last for 14 days. It comes after the Chicago Headline Club, Chicago Newspaper Guild Local 34071, Block Club Chicago and other media organizations, journalists and protesters sued the Trump administration this week.
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Passengers walk through Chicago O’Hare International Airport in a file photo. (tupungato / iStock) |
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The federal government entered its ninth day of a shutdown Friday, leaving hundreds of thousands of employees furloughed. Thousands more essential workers — including air traffic controllers, TSA agents and Social Security administrators — are expected to work without pay if Congress fails to pass a bill funding the government.
Local perspectives:
Jill Hornick, a Social Security administrator in Chicago Heights and member of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1395, said many of her coworkers are facing tough financial decisions, adding that several manage single-income households.
“This week Social Security employees will receive a partial paycheck and that will be the last money they’ll have coming in until the shutdown is over,” Hornick said. “Employees are already worried about how they’re going to put food on the table, … how they’re going to pay for the day care, how they’re going to put gas in the car.”
Darrell English is a TSA officer at Midway Airport and president of AFGE Local 777, which represents thousands of TSA workers across Illinois and Wisconsin. He said many TSA employees are young workers for whom the job is their first source of steady income.
“Some people that have been seasoned or been there longer, they had the ability to save up funds,” English said. “Those that are newer that just came — TSA may be their first real job — they’re not financially stable.”
English said some TSA employees may be forced to leave the agency if financial pressures grow, potentially worsening staffing shortages.
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A Sig Sauer P320 pistol. (TexasWarhawk / Wikimedia Commons) |
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More than 500 Chicago police officers are still using a gun police union leaders believe could accidentally discharge a week after the federal judge overseeing the effort to reform the Chicago Police Department ordered them to “immediately” stop using it, court records show.
U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer said in a written order issued Sept. 30 that she agreed with leaders of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 that officers who have an alternative service weapon that “meets appropriate standards should be required immediately to use that alternative weapon.”
CPD Range Master Sgt. Wasim Said told Pallmeyer that 521 officers were still carrying the Sig Sauer P320, a popular weapon with police officers and members of the military that has been the subject of dozens of complaints that it can fire without the trigger being pulled, in an affidavit filed with the court Tuesday. While the number of officers carrying the gun “decreases daily,” Said told Pallmeyer that there is no firm timetable for all CPD officers to stop carrying the gun because of delays obtaining a new CPD-approved weapon or holster.
Some backstory:
A 2023 investigation by The Trace and The Washington Post identified dozens of unintentional shootings involving the P320. Several law enforcement agencies banned the gun after officers suffered serious injuries.
CPD’s arsenal committee voted unanimously in April to phase out the use of the Sig Sauer P320 because of “safety concerns,” CPD officials told Pallmeyer.
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Back in the Day: October 10, 2000 - Chicago Salsa Dispute Makes ‘The New York Times’
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Sometimes this newsletter’s Back in the Day series highlights important historical events in the city’s history: fires, protests, inventions, famous birthdays and more. Other times, it’s the weird, funny and off-the-beaten-path moments in Chicago’s past. This, clearly, is an example of the latter. On this day 25 years ago, a local salsa dispute — yes, the spicy Mexican condiment — made the New York Times. Russell Moore was a local chef whose "salsa was so hot his friends said it should be a crime," so he named it Homicide Salsa. He bottled the sauce and sold it in an Englewood grocery store where the Rev. Michael Pfleger, a White Roman Catholic priest “known nationally for his crusades against alcohol billboards in black neighborhoods,” entered the store with a Fox Television news crew to demand its removal, claiming the name was offensive. The owner agreed. ''You wouldn't name a sports car the GT Molasses,'' Moore, who is Black, said. ''Nor would you name a salsa Chef Russell's Peace and Serenity Salsa. Last I checked, America was a capitalist country. You can sell stuff. If you don't like it, don't buy it.'' While the story was a flashpoint in local media, Moore refused to change the name even as the saucy spat went national. |
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The Chicago Cubs have advanced to the National League Division Series round of the MLB postseason. What’s been your favorite moment of the season so far?
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. Here's what you had to say:
“Out of everything this season, it’s got to be the Cubs setting a franchise record for most home runs in a game with eight versus division rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. Three players had a three home run game. Fireworks came early this year.” — Josh Terry, newsletter producer
“Anthony Rizzo, happily seated in the [Wrigley Field bleachers] after his own retirement ceremony, buying beers for his fans and failing to catch a Ballesteros home run! Classic Rizz - what a great guy.” — Jill M.
"Remembering that I can mute the national announcers and listen to Pat and Ron call the game on the radio instead." — @joey__donuts |
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5:30 PM | 7:00 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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