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Federal

State Department Releases Scaled-Back Human Rights Report, Removes Sections on Women and LGBTQ Rights, Among Others

The Trump administration has released the annual State Department human rights report. The document has been scaled back to just one-tenth the length of its 2023 predecessor. The report eliminates entire sections on abuses against women and LGBTQ people while softening criticism of nations aligned with the Trump administration. According […]

State of Illinois

New Republican to run for Illinois governor as election season begins

by Ben Szalinski, Capitol News Illinois August 14, 2025 Article Summary Ted Dabrowski, the president of a conservative public policy research organization, said he plans to announce his campaign for governor. Dabrowski joins DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick in the Republican primary for governor. Former Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy […]

State of Illinois

Illinois Dems say state should be blueprint in national fight against Trump

by Ben Szalinski, Capitol News Illinois August 13, 2025 Article Summary JB Pritzker and Illinois Democrats say they’ve delivered for middle class residents and that’s the blueprint their party should follow in 2026. Democratic candidates for Illinois Senate disagree whether it’s right to receive contributions from corporations as they seek […]

Federal

Federal Appeals Court Allows Trump Administration to Withhold Billions in Foreign Aid Funding

A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that the government can continue withholding billions of dollars in foreign aid funding that Congress had appropriated for fiscal year 2024. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit voted 2-1 to overturn a district court injunction that had required the State Department and U.S. Agency […]

State of Illinois

Jeffries, top Illinois Dems hope voters will punish Republicans in 2026

by Peter Hancock and Ben Szalinski, Capitol News Illinois August 12, 2025 Article Summary U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries made a stop in Springfield one day before keynoting a breakfast with Illinois Democrats. Jeffries, Sen. Dick Durbin, Rep. Nikki Budzinski and Sen. Tammy Duckworth visited Springfield groups to gather […]

Federal

U.S. National Debt Surpasses Historic $37 Trillion Milestone

The U.S. government’s gross national debt has crossed the $37 trillion threshold for the first time in American history. The Treasury Department’s latest daily financial report confirmed this historic high on August 12, revealing that the debt reached $37,004,817,625,842.56. This moment arrives years ahead of pre-pandemic projections, as the Congressional […]

Federal

Scientists Counter Kennedy Administration with Evidence-Based Health Report

In direct response to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s controversial health policies, a coalition of scientists and public health experts released an evidence-based alternative report titled “Improving the Health of Americans Together” (IHAT), challenging what they characterize as Kennedy’s “fake MAHA agenda” built on pseudoscience and […]