
Daywatch: A high school graduation ceremony held at Lurie Children's
It had all the makings of a typical graduation party. Blue and yellow streamers lined the room. Signs were posted on the walls that said 'Congrats Grad 2025,' 'You did it' and 'Made the grade.' In the back, there was a table full of Chips Ahoy and Oreos and even a cake that read 'Congratulations Taevion' in blue frosting.
Except, the party was held on the 22nd floor of Lurie Children's Hospital in honor of one of the hospital's patients: 18-year-old Taevion Norris. He had been attending West Leyden High School in Northlake when his senior year was suddenly interrupted in March due to heart failure, forcing him to spend the tail end of his final year of high school in the hospital.
But Norris refused to let his condition stop him from graduating on time — and succeeded. Yesterday, Norris — wearing a blue cap and gown — was handed his diploma. Graduation music played in the background as he traversed from one end of the hospital hallway into the room of the ceremony.
Read the full story and see photos from the ceremony.
And here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including an effort in Dolton to force the purchase of Pope Leo XIV's childhood home, a look into the archives at a passenger who lit dynamite on a plane that departed from O'Hare and a review of Disney's latest live-action remake.
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Two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington were shot and killed Wednesday evening while leaving an event at a Jewish museum, and the suspect yelled, 'Free, free Palestine' after he was arrested, police said.
The suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, was observed pacing outside the museum before the shooting, walked into the museum after the shooting and was detained by event security, Smith said.
House Republicans stayed up all night to pass their multitrillion-dollar tax breaks package, with Speaker Mike Johnson defying the skeptics and unifying his ranks to muscle President Donald Trump's priority bill to approval.
With last-minute concessions and stark warnings from Trump, the Republican holdouts largely dropped their opposition to salvage the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' that's central to the GOP agenda. It next goes to the Senate.
The effort to give Chicago's police superintendent the power to declare 'snap curfews' to curb large teen gatherings stalled yesterday in the City Council.
While Dolton is moving ahead with negotiations to buy Pope Leo XIV's childhood home in the village, it's unclear how trustees were consulted about the decision, which hasn't been discussed at an open meeting.
As Mayor Jason House seeks to come to terms with the home's owner, at the same time the village attorney is threatening court action to acquire the property via eminent domain.
In a lawsuit brought by Calumet City alleging she illegally destroyed records, city clerk Nyota Figgs testified that she was given proper authorization.
Though Figgs' supporters claim the records lawsuit represents a targeted political attack from Mayor Thaddeus Jones, its trial has continued, with closing arguments scheduled for June 18.
Jim Irsay, the Indianapolis Colts owner who leveraged the popularity of Peyton Manning into a new stadium and a Super Bowl title, died yesterday at age 65.
Irsay, a Lincolnwood native who attended Loyola Academy in Wilmette, had a profound impact on the Colts franchise.
First-year coach Ben Johnson doesn't have a lot of bandwidth for dissecting what has kept the Bears in their current quandary, without a playoff victory since January 2011, writes Brad Biggs.
So whatever happened in 2024 and during the lead-up to last year's draft — when No. 1 pick Caleb Williams and his father, Carl, explored ways to avoid landing at Halas Hall, according to an excerpt from Seth Wickersham's upcoming book 'American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback' — it is what it is.
On this day in 1962: Continental Airlines Flight 11, en route from Chicago to Kansas City, Missouri, crashed in Centerville, Iowa, after a bomb apparently brought onboard by a passenger exploded, killing all 45 occupants of the Boeing 707.
Federal authorities determined passenger Thomas G. Doty, of Merriam, Kansas, had lit sticks of dynamite that he purchased at a hardware store inside a trash bin within the plane's lavatory, then returned to his seat.
Tribune TV and film critic Nina Metz can't remember the last time a TV series started off with so much promise, only to fall apart in its final act. Metz suspects that won't deter audiences from 'Sirens,' which premieres on Netflix less than a year after the arrival of 'The Perfect Couple,' with which it shares many similarities.
Stitch and Lilo are now in a live-action movie, writes Tribune film critic Michael Phillips. The new 'Lilo & Stitch' constitutes adequate if wearying fan service at best, and at worst, a new reason to check in with your dentist about a mouth guard for apparent teeth-grinding.
Police have found a bust of Jim Morrison that was stolen nearly four decades ago from the Paris grave that has long been a place of pilgrimage for fans of the legendary Doors singer and poet.

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Politico
20 minutes ago
- Politico
Johnson tries to contain Epstein dissent
IN TODAY'S EDITION:— Republicans are getting impatient over Epstein— GOP leaders eye clawing back education funding— Dems slam today's GOP meeting with Dr. Oz Speaker Mike Johnson is managing a delicate balance between appeasing antsy Republicans over the Jeffrey Epstein files and buying President Donald Trump time by shutting down the House early for August recess. The Louisiana Republican tried to quell dissent in a closed-door House GOP meeting Tuesday. He told members to stay united, arguing it would take time for the administration to release files that would also protect the names of Epstein's victims, Meredith Lee Hill and Hailey Fuchs report. But Republicans are getting impatient. In an Oversight subcommittee hearing Tuesday, lawmakers voted to compel the full committee to subpoena Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. Oversight Chair James Comer later told reporters he had warned GOP leadership last week that if the Epstein files came up in his committee, most of his members would vote on the side of transparency. 'Everyone knew that,' Comer said, adding that his team will visit Maxwell in prison for the interview once they negotiate details with her attorneys. The saga has given Democrats just the platform they needed to land a successful blow on the White House. In her latest column, Rachael Bade outlines just how much the party has found their mojo in effectively hijacking the House and sticking it to Trump. Democratic efforts to further drive the MAGA wedge has legs beyond this week. The bipartisan bill led by Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna, which would compel the release of more files, could hit the floor as soon as lawmakers return in September. That means Republican leaders are bracing for Democrats to keep the Epstein issue hot during August recess. And some of their own members who are itching for an outlet acknowledge that five weeks off may not stop Johnson's headache. 'The Epstein issue has contributed to their desire to just get us out of town because they hope that the energy will dissipate,' Massie told reporters Tuesday. 'I doubt that's the case.' GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING. Don't forget to wear your sneakers to the Hill today — the Sneaker Caucus is hosting its third annual Sneaker Day (with awards given to the five best sneakers at 1:45 p.m. in Longworth 1539). Air Jordan designer Wilson Smith Ill will speak on a panel at 1 p.m. Email your Inside Congress crew at crazor@ mmccarthy@ and bguggenheim@ Follow our live coverage at WHAT WE'RE WATCHINGWith help from Jordan Williams The House will vote on the China Financial Threat Mitigation Act of 2025, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025 and the Enhancing Multi-Class Share Disclosures Act under suspension of the rules at 3:30 p.m. The Senate will confirm Arielle Roth as assistant Commerce secretary for communications and information and John Hurley as undersecretary of Treasury for terrorism and financial crimes at 11 a.m. The Senate will vote on a motion to proceed to the fiscal 2026 MilCon-VA appropriations bill, as well as a cloture vote on Zachary Bluestone's nomination for U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri at 2 p.m. A confirmation vote on Bluestone is expected at 5 p.m., along with a cloture vote on Aaron Szabo's nomination be an assistant EPA administrator. — House Appropriations will mark up the fiscal 2026 National Security, State Department and Related Programs bill at 10 a.m. — House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar will hold a news conference at 10:15 a.m. — Ways and Means will meet with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer at 2 p.m. The rest of the week: The House will leave for August recess. The Senate will continue to work through appropriations bills and Trump's nominations. Pro subscribers receive this newsletter with a full congressional schedule and can browse our comprehensive calendar of markups, hearings and other notable events around Washington. Sign up for a demo. THE LEADERSHIP SUITE Dems debate shutdown strategy Democratic leaders emerged from a closed-door meeting on Tuesday without any specific ultimatums for Republicans, after discussing their government shutdown strategy ahead of the government funding deadline in 10 weeks. 'House and Senate Democrats are in complete and total alignment,' House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters after the meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. The two leaders privately huddled before bringing in a larger group of Democratic leaders. Leaders reiterated they are approaching negotiations in good faith and encouraged Republicans to do the same. Democrats 'want to pursue a bipartisan, bicameral appropriations process,' Schumer said, but 'the Republicans are making it extremely difficult to do that.' Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the House's top Democratic appropriator, said this is the worst appropriations process she has seen in her 34 years in Congress. 'It has not been what we have experienced,' DeLauro said. 'There's always been that give and take to pass the bills.' Privately, Democratic leaders have discussed the need to focus on how government funding affects 'people,' rather than how Republicans are undermining the government funding 'process,' two people granted anonymity to discuss the private talks said. Some Democrats are already making their opposition to the appropriations bills clear. Democratic Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff of California, Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Peter Welch of Vermont voted against the first procedural step of the Mil Con-VA appropriations bill. Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders also opposed moving forward with the package. GOP leaders eye second rescissions package Republican leaders are in talks with the White House about a second rescissions package, after pushing through the first rescissions package last week, Calen reports with Juan Perez Jr. and Eli Stokols. The package would include Education Department funding, which was first reported by The Daily Signal. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise did not disclose the specifics of upcoming rescissions but told Calen talks were well underway. 'We haven't made a final decision on what will be in the second rescissions package, but we're of course talking about it,' Scalise said. 'The administration is very interested in it.' Scalise also said the Trump administration is 'having talks with appropriators' and will ultimately decide when to send it over and what's in it. It's not clear how much the package would cut, but Johnson told Republicans in recent days this group of federal funding cuts won't be as big as the first, according to two people granted anonymity to share details of private discussions. POLICY RUNDOWN CRAPO EYES FUTURE TAX, HEALTH BILLS — Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo told reporters Tuesday he's looking at policies across his panel's jurisdiction to move in year-end legislative pursuits. 'We're going to be looking in the healthcare arena. We're going to be looking in the tax arena still,' said Crapo, noting bipartisan efforts last year to enact a legislative overhaul to pharmaceutical benefit managers, which act as intermediaries between drug manufacturers, health insurance plans and pharmacies. Crapo said he 'would not oppose' reversing a new limitation on gambling tax deductions implemented by the GOP's domestic policy bill, which caused a big stir in the betting industry. He also reiterated his support for addressing upcoding, a form of Medicare fraud where providers submit a claim for a costlier service than the one that was provided. The conversations around a bipartisan health deal are in a very early stage, with Johnson telling reporters Tuesday that an extension of Affordable Care Act premium tax credits — the main ask by Democrats in exchange for coming to the negotiating table — hasn't come up yet. Extending those credits would get an immense amount of pushback from deficit hawks in the House, however. House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris noted to reporters Monday that extending the premium tax credits would cost $300 billion and be 'a non-starter.' DEMS SLAM GOP MEETING WITH DR. OZ — Democrats on the House Ways and Means committee plan to call out Republicans for holding an off-the record roundtable with CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz this morning, said Rep. Jimmy Gomez, a committee Democrat. 'They could have done this as a hearing with the full bells and whistles… allow reporters to come in, but they're choosing not to,' Gomez said in an interview. 'I think they know we'd kick the crap out of them… [Oz] might play a doctor on TV, but he's not an administrator. He doesn't know the job.' Republicans, meanwhile, say they have plenty of items on their agenda for the bipartisan briefing. Rep. Aaron Bean, for instance, intends to press Oz on the importance of legislation he co-sponsored with committee member Rep. Kevin Hern, which would require CMS to provide more accurate data to consumers on different kinds of Medicare plans. HOUSE GOP KEEN TO SCRAP CAP GAINS ON HOUSE SALES — House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith appeared receptive Tuesday to Trump's idea to eliminate capital gains on sales of homes. When asked about whether he would seek to codify the proposal in legislation, Smith told reporters on Wednesday, 'I'm always looking for tax cuts on Americans.' Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has a new bill that would do just that. Committee Rep. Ron Estes, however, said in an interview Tuesday he's not sure the legislation would increase housing supply, while another member of the panel, Rep. Lloyd Smucker, said he'd have to look at the proposal's total cost. Financial Services member Andy Barr lauded the idea in an interview Tuesday and said Republicans should eliminate capital gains taxes on investment properties, too: ''Yes' on the president's idea, great idea. And build on that.' SENATE GOP UNVEILS NEW CRYPTO BILL — Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott and Sens. Cynthia Lummis, Bill Hagerty and Bernie Moreno released draft legislation Tuesday for a digital asset market structure overhaul,Jasper Goodman reports. It's the Senate's version of the House's CLARITY ACT, which passed the House on July 17 with support from 78 Democrats and would divvy up regulation of digital assets under the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Best of POLITICO Pro and E&E: CAMPAIGN STOP HARDER GETS A REMATCH — Former Stockton, California Mayor Kevin Lincoln has launched another bid to unseat Democratic Rep. Josh Harder, Juliann Ventura reports. Lincoln, a Republican who unseated prominent Democrat Michael Tubbs in an upset in Stockton's 2021 mayoral race, lost to Harder in last year's House contest by fewer than 4 percentage points. Harder's Central Valley seat is a target for the NRCC. JOB BOARD Abigail Gost is now comms director for Rep. Rob Wittman. She most recently was deputy comms director for Rep. Brad Finstad. Greer Foster is now director of scheduling for Rep. Michael Cloud. She most recently was acting deputy scheduler and assistant to the chief for Sen. James Lankford. Iyanla Kollock has been promoted to legislative director for Rep. Shomari Figures. Scott Prutting joins the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council as special assistant. Scott was previously a policy analyst for the Interior subcommittee on House Appropriations. Tammy Pham has been promoted to legislative director for Rep. Sylvia Garcia. TUNNEL TALK MEMBER SECURITY UPDATE — House lawmakers are getting an increase in funds they can use for personal security, including at their homes, our Katherine Tully-McManus reports amid an increase in threats against lawmakers. The announcement came during the closed-door GOP conference meeting Tuesday morning, during which House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil announced an 'updated Member security framework.' A growing number of lawmakers have asked for more protection when outside the Capitol grounds. GOODBYE LONGWORTH DUNKIN' — House eateries originally scheduled to close at the end of the week will close starting today as lawmakers leave early for recess. Get your last Capitol medium iced from Dunks. THE BEST OF THE REST Young Progressives Are Figuring Out How to Use Zohran Mamdani's Playbook, from Oriana González and Shifra Dayak at NOTUS John Thune Tells Ruthless Podcast He's Ready To Help Fix Transfer Portal, NIL Problems In College Sports, from Trey Wallace at OutKick HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sen. Raphael Warnock … former Rep. John Hall … POLITICO's Lisa Kashinsky and Jake Traylor … Stephanie Grisham … Dean Aguillen of OGR … David Brock … Mary Crane of Targeted Victory … Reuters' Erin Banco … Judy Lichtman … Edelman's Courtney Gray Haupt … Tracie Pough … Gabriel Barnett … Newsmax's Jon Glasgow … Monica Venzke of American Bridge 21st Century … State's Kenya James … Monica Lewinsky … former Justice Anthony Kennedy TRIVIA TUESDAY'S ANSWER: Jamie Gillespie correctly answered that the only U.S. president who was born on the Fourth of July was Calvin Coolidge. TODAY'S QUESTION, from Ben Jacobs: Republicans passed a proposal in committee to name the opera house at the Kennedy Center after Melania Trump. Which president's daughter pursued a career as an opera singer? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@


Boston Globe
7 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Trump escalates attacks on Obama and Clinton as questions swirl about Epstein
'Obama was trying to lead a coup,' Trump said. 'And it was with Hillary Clinton.' Trump's extended digression, which came during a visit with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines, was a stark example of his campaign of retribution against an ever-growing list of enemies that has little analogue in American history. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up It even prompted a rare response from Obama's office. Advertisement 'These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction,' said Patrick Rodenbush, a spokesperson for Obama. 'Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes.' After Trump's attack on Obama, reports continued to surface about his relationship with Epstein. CNN published photos of Epstein at Trump's 1993 wedding to Marla Maples, the president's second wife. Gabbard's report, which claimed there was a 'treasonous conspiracy' by top Obama officials, contradicted a lengthy study by the Senate Intelligence Committee that was signed by all Republican members of the committee, including Marco Rubio, now the secretary of state. Advertisement The Obama administration never contended that the Russians had manipulated votes; instead, the administration, and the Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee, concluded that Russia mounted a major effort to influence voters. Still, in his remarks Tuesday, Trump claimed that he could have sent Clinton, the former secretary of state and another of his political rivals, to prison but chose not to. He said he would show no such leniency to Obama. 'I let her off the hook, and I'm very happy I did, but it's time to start after what they did to me,' Trump said. 'Whether it's right or wrong, it's time to go after people. Obama's been caught directly.' The president then listed even more enemies he wanted his Justice Department to target, including his former FBI director, James Comey and James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence, and former President Joe Biden. 'It would be President Obama,' Trump said. 'He started it, and Biden was there with him, and Comey was there, and Clapper, the whole group was there.' 'He's guilty,' he said of Obama. 'This was treason. This was every word you can think of.' Trump's campaign to exact revenge against his perceived enemies has taken many forms. Over the past six months, he has pulled protective details from former colleagues facing death threats from Iran. He has revoked or threatened to revoke the security clearances of Biden, members of his administration and dozens of others. His administration has taken steps to target members of the media seen as unfriendly, taken the hatchet to entire agencies perceived as too liberal, and fired or investigated government workers deemed disloyal. Advertisement The re-examination of the intelligence around the 2016 election began with John Ratcliffe, the CIA director, ordering a review of the agency's tradecraft that went into the intelligence community assessment in December of that year. The review was deeply critical of the Obama administration and the former CIA director, John Brennan. CIA analysts took issue with the speed of the assessment and accused Brennan of allowing an unverified dossier prepared by a former British intelligence officer to influence the assessment. But Brennan has long denied that the so-called Steele dossier had any impact on the assessment, and other former officials said that the analysts working on the report paid no attention to it, maintaining that it was unverifiable rumor. Ratcliffe wrote on social media that the review had shown that the process was corrupt, and then he made a criminal referral to the FBI. Last week, Gabbard issued another report that criticized the findings of the intelligence assessment even more directly. Gabbard's report suggested that in the winter of 2016, intelligence officials under pressure from the White House changed their assessment from one that Russia had failed to mount a significant effort to hack election infrastructure to one that the Kremlin was trying to boost Trump and denigrate Clinton, the Democratic nominee. But Gabbard's report conflated two different intelligence findings. Intelligence officials had concluded that Russia had not engaged in any major effort to hack election systems and change votes. But they also believed that Russia had tried to influence the election in various ways by releasing hacked documents to harm Clinton and sow dissent. Advertisement Gabbard has also called for several Obama officials to face criminal investigation, without naming them. This article originally appeared in


The Hill
7 hours ago
- The Hill
Omar calls GOP ‘pedophile protection party' for dodging Epstein votes
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar (D) on Tuesday slammed the GOP for dodging a vote that would call for the release of files related to deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Republican leaders this week scrapped their legislative plans and headed early into a long summer recess — all to avoid votes on the Epstein saga. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has insisted the move was not intended to shield Republicans from tough Epstein votes — or protect Trump from potentially embarrassing disclosures — but to end the Democrats' 'political games.' 'The pedophile protection party is shutting down Congress just to avoid voting on the release of the Epstein files,' Omar wrote in a post on X in response to the move. Last week, GOP lawmakers killed a vote backed by Democrats attempting to force the release of Epstein's files. It failed 211-210 along party lines. 'The American people are best served by putting an end to Democrats' side shows. That's what we're doing by not allowing the Rules Committee to continue with that nonsense this week,' Johnson said during a Tuesday press conference. 'We're done being lectured on transparency,' he said. However, some Republicans have refused to completely abandon the public's desire for more information related to Epstein's international illegal dealings. The House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee voted Tuesday to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, longtime associate to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, to appear for a deposition. Some are hoping the measure will unveil new details about the list of people involved with the human trafficking ring. 'This is progress. We will not stop fighting until the Epstein Files are released. Trump and Bondi must stop blocking the American people from the truth,' House Oversight Democrats wrote on the social platform X after the vote. On Tuesday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche also said in a statement that he has communicated with Maxwell's counsel 'to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department.' 'I anticipate meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days,' Blanche said. 'Until now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet with the government. That changes now.'