Good morning, Chicago.
Chicago’s top migrant official is walking back a prediction from city leaders last month that tens of thousands of migrants would arrive by bus ahead of next week’s Democratic National Convention, saying that there is no “credible intel” that the feared surge will occur.
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s deputy mayor for immigration, Beatriz Ponce de León, told reporters in July the city was preparing for as many as 25,000 migrant arrivals tied to the DNC. But President Joe Biden’s June executive order limiting asylum-seekers’ arrivals at the U.S. border has sharply changed the city’s expectations, she said.
No migrant buses have come to Chicago since June 17, according to Brian Berg, spokesman for the city’s Department of Family and Support Services.
“We at this point do not have any credible intel that there will be a large surge in terms of buses coming from Texas,” Ponce de León told the Tribune Tuesday.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Nell Salzman and Jake Sheridan.
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Mayor Johnson ally raising money from Chicago business leaders for DNC events
A top ally of Mayor Brandon Johnson has been hitting up Chicago businesses to contribute to a dark money political organization that is hosting several events next week during the Democratic National Convention, including a luncheon and a showcase Soldier Field event.
Charles Smith, Johnson’s liaison to the business community, has been making the pitch for contributions to GoChiLife as a way to show support for the mayor, according to sources familiar with his efforts. Materials initially promoted Johnson as an attendee for one of the events.
Illinois Democrats provide DNC preview with energetic support of Kamala Harris at Illinois State Fair
In a precursor to next week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois Democrats led by Gov. JB Pritzker gathered at the State Fair on Wednesday to extol the energy they say Vice President Kamala Harris has brought to the presidential campaign.
Climate change is a defining issue for young voters. Neither Harris nor Trump are doing enough, they say.
Excitement surged through the younger generations when President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid, and Vice President Kamala Harris secured the Democratic nomination. Harris led Biden by 14 points when it came to beating former President Donald Trump among 18- to 34-year-olds, according to a July poll.
But since then, Harris and her vice presidential pick Tim Walz have only made passing mentions of climate change on the campaign trail. Meanwhile, Trump has repeatedly denounced climate change as a “hoax” and his running mate JD Vance has called climate policies a “scam.”
Kamala Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff in Chicago for fundraisers
Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, headlined three Chicago-area fundraisers Wednesday, including one hosted by the former president of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and his wife.
More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, the territory’s Health Ministry says
More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the territory’s Health Ministry said today.
The announcement came during yet another push from international mediators to broker a cease-fire in the war, now in its 11th month.
Riot Fest
Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune Fest-goers cheer 2023 headliner Foo Fighters at Riot Fest in Chicago’s Douglass Park on Sept. 15, 2023. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Riot Fest will return to Douglass Park for its 2024 festival
Wednesday’s surprise about-face came after a calamitous couple of months that saw the music festival announce in June it would depart its longtime home in the North Lawndale neighborhood and move to the campus of SeatGeek Stadium in southwest suburban Bridgeview.
CTA Red Line extension price tag jumps as project takes a major step forward
The CTA has awarded a construction contract to extend the Red Line south to 130th Street, marking a major step forward in long-running plans to bring train service to Chicago’s Far South Side. The contract also offers a window into how the costs of the massive project are shaping up.
Chicago White Sox season ticket prices to be reduced for 2025 after nightmarish two-season stretch
In response to a nightmarish stretch of baseball the last two seasons and an attendance drop at Guaranteed Rate Field, the Chicago White Sox will reduce season ticket prices for 2025 by an average of 10%, the team announced.
What to do in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention: Our 35 critic’s picks
All over the city this week, invitations to celebrate our democracy — or grieve its fragility — abound. From the writers, editors and contributors of A+E, here are our picks for a DNC week that’s hopefully just the right amount of historic.
There’s a Highland Park angle to ‘It Ends With Us,’ the movie that’s been both a hit and a source of gossip
Open the entrance door of Wayfarer Theaters, just west of torn-up, under-renovation Second Street in downtown Highland Park. What do you see?
One by one, friendly humans appear on the hologram and video-welcome you. They are the key people behind behind Wayfarer Studios, the Beverly Hills-based movie production company behind that big new hit, “It Ends With Us.”
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