
Chicago City Council upholds 30 mph speed limit
Why it matters: Studies show that pedestrians are half as likely to die when hit by a car driving 25 mph rather than 30 mph.
Context: Cities including New York, Los Angeles and Seattle have already adopted a 25 mph limit.
Chicago suburbs, including Evanston, Wheaton and Aurora, have also done so.
What they're saying: Ordinance sponsor Ald. Daniel La Spata noted, "we have never in the past decade had fewer than 100 traffic fatalities in any given year."
He highlighted the case of 3-year-old Elizabeth Grace Shamrock who was crushed under a semi in 2022.
The other side:"Lowering the speed limit would have unintended consequences that may not have been looked at today," West Side Ald. Jason Ervin said.
"For some communities, it may be fine, but the folks that I represent aren't looking for lower speed limits so they can have more interactions with the police department."
Other council moves: Alders delayed a vote on Mayor Brandon Johnson's proposed $830 million bond issue to pay for infrastructure including streets, bridges and lead line replacements.
Some council members complained that the repayment structure, which delays principal payments for at least 19 years and costs taxpayers almost $2 billion, needs to be rethought.
Ald. Anthony Beale introduced a measure to stop letting city council members participate in meetings remotely, charging that some are abusing the rule now that the pandemic is over.
Ald. Jeanette Taylor, who was participating remotely, pushed back, saying she was at home preparing to "have a procedure" and has been "hospitalized with COVID three times."
Ald. Anthony Napolitano introduced a proposal to restore the Columbus statue in Arrigo Park, citing the city's failure to take down a puppet display at the Cultural Center that some alders have called antisemitic.

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New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Trump suggests giving out ‘rebates' from billions in tariff revenue
WASHINGTON — President Trump suggested Friday that some Americans may receive 'rebates' from the federal government after the US Treasury took in $64 billion in tariff revenue in the first three months since his 'Liberation Day' announcement April 2. 'We're thinking about a rebate because we have so much money coming in from tariffs, a little rebate for people of a certain income level,' the president told reporters as he left the White House en route to Scotland for a five-day visit. Trump, 79, didn't detail who might be eligible for the government payment and the White House did not immediately respond to inquiries from The Post. 3 President Donald Trump speaks after disembarking Marine One, as he departs for Scotland, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, July 25, 2025. REUTERS Any disbursement from the federal government would require congressional approval. The House is currently out of session until Sept. 2 and the Senate is set to follow suit at the end of next week. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government issued three rounds of stimulus checks to assist Americans affected by widespread business shutdowns and furloughs. The first payments, of $1,200 to individuals making up to $75,000 and $2,400 to couples making up to $150,000, were issued in March 2020. A second round of payments, of $600 to individuals and $1,200 to couples under those thresholds, was doled out in December 2020. The third and final payment, of up to $1,400 to individuals and $2,800 to couples, was approved as part of the Biden-era American Rescue Plan in March 2021. In all, $814 billion in federal relief money was dispersed across those three handouts. In early 2008, most taxpayers making under $75,000 received $300 per individual ($600 for couples) in an unsuccessful bid to stave off a recession. EJ Antoni, the Heritage Foundation's chief economist, frowned on the possibility of taxpayers getting additional money back, telling The Post: 'While it's always politically advantageous to hand out money to constituents, the fact is the federal government has no money to give at this point. When the annual deficit is over $1 trillion, the priority has to be getting that down, not giving the Treasury another outlay. 3 Scott Bessent has estimated trade revenue could total $300 billion. 3 A container ship is seen leaving the Port Jersey Container Terminal, with the Manhattan skyline in the background, as viewed from Staten Island, New York City, on July 23, 2025. AFP via Getty Images 'The real 'rebate' for the American people will come in the form of less inflation from a reduced federal deficit,' Antoni added. 'That's how you solve the current cost of living crisis.' Trump imposed baseline tariffs of 10% in his 'Liberation Day' announcement and has set an Aug. 1 deadline for countries to agree one-for-one trade deals with the US or risk paying additional duties. While the White House has struck framework deals with the UK, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia and Vietnam, and a preliminary deal with China, agreements with major trading partners the European Union, Mexico, Canada, Brazil and South Korea remain elusive. According to US Treasury data released earlier this month, the government has raised $64 billion in customs duties — with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House trade adviser Peter Navarro forecasting a windfall of $300 billion.


The Hill
3 hours ago
- The Hill
Ethics panel: Pennsylvania Republican violated code of conduct with spouse's stock trades
The House Ethics Committee 'found substantial evidence' that Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) violated the code of conduct for the lower chamber when his wife profited off stock trades for a company the congressman was focusing on in Washington. The report — which spans 28 pages and has three packets of supporting documents — cleared Kelly of intentionally causing his wife to trade based on insider information and having a conflict of interest, determining there wasn't evidence to prove those two wrongdoings. But the panel found that Kelly, a member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, breached the House's code of conduct 'by failing to meet his duty of candor.' The committee ordered he and his wife to divest their investments in Cleveland-Cliffs, the steel manufacturer at the center of the report. 'Representative Kelly's conduct with respect to Cleveland-Cliffs and his wife's stock purchase raised significant concerns for the Committee, even if it did not rise to the level of insider trading or clearly violate conflict of interest rules,' the committee wrote, later adding Kelly 'has not demonstrated sufficient appreciation for the harm to the institution caused by the appearance of impropriety.' The panel's investigation focuses on a series of trades of Cleveland-Cliffs stock that Kelly's wife, Victoria, made in the last five years. Cleveland-Cliffs in 2020 acquired AK Steel, which is the sole producer of grain oriented electrical steel (GOES) in the U.S. GOES is produced in Butler, Pa., a town in Kelly's district. In early 2020, Cleveland-Cliffs had said it may have to close the Butler location and lay off employees if the Trump administration did not implement Section 232 tariffs, which would protect the production of GOES in the U.S. Kelly took part in actions in Washington to address the matter. On April 28 of that year, the Commerce Department told Cleveland-Cliffs — and Kelly learned — it would begin a Section 232 investigation for some GOES-based steel products, according to the report. The next day, the panel learned, Victoria Kelly bought 5,000 shares of Cleveland-Cliffs stock for $23,075. The investigation was announced on May 4. The committee said it was unable to determine if Victoria Kelly was made aware of the development before making the trade. But, the congressman was working from home at the time after testing positive for COVID-19 and told the committee 'Mrs. Kelly would've heard any of my conversations,' adding that she 'sits around for most of the time I'm on the phone,' according to the report. The panel said it could definitely determine if she heard the conversation. The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act, enacted in 2012, prohibits members and staff from engaging in insider trading using information learned in official capacities. While Kelly was interviewed as part of the investigation, his wife 'refused to participate in a voluntary interview or to respond to written questions from the Committee, citing her prior cooperation with document requests as well as health concerns,' according to the report. The Congressman also said his wife did not want to speak to the committee because she felt the process was 'invasive.' 'The Committee did not receive full cooperation from Mrs. Kelly and was therefore unable to determine whether her stock purchase was improper,' the report reads. The panel did, however, find that the investment in Cleveland-Cliffs 'was an outlier' in her portfolio, noting that unlike other trades that were made at her firm's discretion, that transaction 'had to be instructed and confirmed directly by Mrs. Kelly in order for the transaction to be completed because it was not on PNC's investment platform.' The move marked her first purchase of individual stock in a year, according to the report, and was different from the mainly funds and bonds on her account. Kelly said he believed his wife made the transaction because 'she thought the stock was so low priced, it'd be foolish not to… I know that she thought she made a hell of a buy.' In August 2020, however, Kelly's office told a local news outlet inquiring about the purchase that it was made 'to show her support for the workers and management of this 100-year old bedrock of their hometown, where they both are life-long residents.' The second transaction examined by the committee was made in January 2021, shortly after Cleveland-Cliffs in December 2020 acquired a steel manufacturing corporation that caused its stock to skyrocket in value. Victoria Kelly that month sold all her shares in the company for $87,551.06, turning a $64,476.06 profit. 'None of the witnesses interviewed by OCC or the Committee, including Representative Kelly, provided an explanation for why Mrs. Kelly chose to sell her stock at that time. Representative Kelly told the Committee he did not speak with Mrs. Kelly about the sale at any point,' the report reads. Then in June 2024, Kelly disclosed that his wife purchased between $50,000 and $100,000 in shares of Cleveland-Cliffs back in March, as the congressman's office was involved in a matter involving the company and the Department of Energy. In March, the Energy Department made a decision on the matter that protected the facility in Butler. As a result of the findings, the panel recommended that Kelly and his wife 'divest all of Cleveland-Cliffs stock should he continue to take official actions relating to the company.' 'It is rare for the Committee to recommend divestment of stocks where there is a potential appearance of a conflict of interest. As Representative Kelly himself noted, however, he is an 'insider' when it comes to Cleveland-Cliffs, by virtue of his position as the representative for his district,' the report reads. In a statement responding to the Ethics report, Kelly said: 'This investigation has unnecessarily lasted for nearly five years.' 'In the years since this investigation began, the Cleveland Cliffs Butler Works plant faced an uncertain future due to the Biden administration's reckless energy policies. Throughout this process, I have fought for the 1,400 workers at the plant, I've spoken with these workers, and they appreciate the hard work we have done to fight for those jobs and for Butler. My family and I look forward to putting this distraction behind us,' he added.


Hamilton Spectator
3 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Government bid to deport Italian man accused of money laundering postponed
GTA grandfather and convicted killer Vincenzo (Jimmy) DeMaria was scheduled to take the witness stand to fight his deportation to Italy on Friday when his hearing was abruptly postponed over abuse of process accusations. DeMaria, 71, a former Mississauga financial services manager and baker, has been accused by Canadian authorities of laundering money for international organized criminals. DeMaria never got the chance to testify on Friday, after a dispute broke out over the use of secret recordings made by Italian police between himself and Italian visitor Vincenzo Muià in 2019, while DeMaria was in custody at Collins Bay Institution in Kingston. The secret recordings were made as Italian police investigated the slaying of a leader of the 'Ndrangheta, or Calabrian Mafia, in Italy. Italian police came to Canada in 2019 as they probed the murder of Muià's brother, Carmelo (Mino) Muià, in Italy. Things heated up at the online hearing on Friday when Andrej Rustja, a lawyer for the minister of public safety, said that the government will not longer be relying on those intercepted conversations in DeMaria's deportation appeal. For years, DeMaria's lawyers have called the surveillance an example of 'foreign interference' which breaches Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms and amounts to abuse of process. They should not be admissible in a Canadian legal proceeding, DeMaria's lawyers argued. On Friday, they argued that the surprise announcement that the government would no longer be relying on the intercepted conversations disrupted their defence plans and amounted to abuse of process. The hearing has been postponed to Oct. 20. DeMaria moved to Canada with his family from Siderno, Italy in 1955 but never applied for citizenship. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has been seeking his deportation for years, alleging he is tightly connected to the 'Ndrangheta, or Calabrian Mafia, which authorities say has global scope. DeMaria served eight years in prison in Canada after he was convicted of second-degree murder for a 1981 shooting, which police said was over a $2,000 drug debt, police say. DeMaria's parole conditions bar his association with organized crime figures. He was detained in Collins Bay penitentiary after he was ordered deported in April 2018. He was released in 2020 over health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.