Tina Sfondeles

The request sets the stage for an escalation of a war between the Trump administration and Illinois Democrats, with Gov. JB Pritzker at the helm. But it’s unclear what role federal agents can play in the matter, and there were no reports of FBI activity in the area housing Texas Democrats as of Thursday morning.

Democrats in New York, California and Illinois are threatening to redraw their own maps in retaliation to Republican redistricting efforts in Texas.

Texas Democrats joined Gov. JB Pritzker at a Sunday night news conference in Carol Stream, where the Democratic governor railed on President Donald Trump as a “cult leader” and “would-be dictator of the United States” for demanding redistricting.

The letter to Secretary Linda McMahon comes just days after 24 states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration over the funding freeze in education grants for K-12 schools and adult education.

As the measure heads back to the House for approval, Democratic activists are now focusing their efforts on the three Republican members of the Illinois delegation, despite their allegiances to President Donald Trump.

Gov. JB Pritzker is preparing for Thursday’s House hearing on Illinois immigration policies with the help of Dana Remus, former White House counsel to President Biden. The governor can’t afford any missteps.

Rep. Darin LaHood is considering and is open to a primary run for the U.S. Senate seat, according to a source with direct knowledge of the congressman’s thinking. The congressman has about $5.8 million cash on hand to help a potential bid.

Stratton’s announcement in an early morning video comes just a day after Sen. Dick Durbin announced he’s stepping down from the Senate seat he’s held since 1996.

Former President Joe Biden’s remarks in Chicago at the 2025 national conference of Advocates, Counselors, and Representatives for the Disabled marked his first public rebuttal of the Trump administration in the early days of his post-presidential life.

In an economic development trip that began Saturday and ended Wednesday, Pritzker and members of the Illinois delegation met with more than 50 major Mexican companies about bringing operations to Illinois.