Other News

Federal

U.S. Consumer Confidence Edges Lower in October as Expectations Stay Subdued

The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index® inched down by 1.0 point to 94.6 in October, a modest retreat from the revised September reading of 95.6.  The Present Situation Index, a measure of consumers’ assessments of current business and job market conditions, climbed 1.8 points to 129.3, suggesting Americans see slightly […]

State of Illinois

U.S. House Minority Leader Jeffries accelerates Illinois redistricting push

by Brenden Moore, Capitol News Illinois October 27, 2025 Article Summary As Indiana’s governor called a special session to redraw the state’s congressional maps, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged Illinois Democrats to do the same. Jeffries’ pitch has been met with a cool reception in Springfield. Black lawmakers […]

Federal

25 States Sue Trump Administration Over Suspension of SNAP Food Benefits

Twenty-six states filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Trump administration, seeking to restore food assistance benefits for more than 42 million Americans amid an ongoing government shutdown.​​ The coalition of states, led by Massachusetts, California, Arizona and Minnesota, alleges the USDA’s decision to […]

Federal

Federal Judge Orders Trump Administration to Restore School Mental Health Grants

U.S. District Court Judge Kymberly K. Evanson in Seattle ruled on October 27 that the Trump administration must release millions of dollars in grants intended to address the shortage of mental health workers in schools. The preliminary ruling applies to certain grantees in sixteen Democratic-led states that challenged the Education […]

Federal

Trump Administration Refuses to Use SNAP Emergency Reserves as 42 Million Americans Face Loss of Food Assistance

The Trump administration has decided not to tap into roughly $5 billion in emergency contingency funds to maintain food stamp benefits for approximately 42 million Americans starting November 1, as the government shutdown continues into its fourth week. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that “contingency funds are not legally […]

Federal

Study Finds COVID mRNA Shots Could Improve Cancer Treatment Outcomes

Cancer patients with advanced lung and skin cancers who received COVID-19 mRNA vaccines during immunotherapy treatment lived substantially longer than those who didn’t, according to groundbreaking research presented at the 2025 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in Berlin and published in the journal Nature.​ The study, led by researchers […]

State of Illinois

Natural gas rate increases likely for Ameren, Nicor customers next year

by Andrew Adams, Capitol News Illinois October 24, 2025 Article Summary Nicor Gas and Ameren Illinois customers will likely see a rate increase on their bills next year, pending a final decision from state regulators in the coming weeks. An administrative judge recommended that regulators increase rates. Ameren customers would […]

Federal

U.S. National Debt Surpasses $38 Trillion 

The United States national debt has surpassed $38 trillion for the first time in history, reaching $38,019,813,354,700.26 on October 21, 2025, according to Treasury Department data. This milestone comes just over two months after the debt crossed $37 trillion in mid-August, marking the fastest accumulation of $1 trillion in debt […]

Federal

Trump Demolishes White House East Wing for $300 Million Ballroom Funded by Corporate Donors

President Donald Trump has completed the demolition of the entire East Wing of the White House to make way for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom. The demolition, which began October 20, was completed by October 23, ahead of the originally projected weekend timeline. Initially, Trump assured that the ballroom construction “won’t interfere […]