| Good afternoon, Chicago. Mayor Brandon Johnson touted his Springfield agenda as both “modest” and beneficial to the whole state of Illinois during a short stop to the statehouse today, where he will surely face steep headwinds to accomplish what he wants for Chicago during a tough state budget season. This is Johnson’s first visit to
the General Assembly since May 2024, when he came home with lackluster results for the city. Faced with ongoing reluctance from lawmakers and Gov. JB Pritzker, the mayor has fine-tuned his message this time to make the case that helping Chicago will help the rest of the state. Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices. Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History news Gov. JB Pritzker speaks during a press conference, April 29, 2025, in Springfield. On Tuesday night, Pritzker and three
other Democratic governors called for Democrats to mobilize and protest outside Republican congressional offices to oppose President Donald Trump’s administrative actions. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) Pritzker was joined by Govs. Tim Walz of Minnesota, the unsuccessful 2024 vice presidential nominee, Maura Healey of Massachusetts and Kathy Hochul of New York in an hourlong, live-streamed question-and-answer event hosted by the MeidasTouch Network. More top news stories: business Shipping containers are seen ready for transport at the Guangzhou Port in the Nansha district in southern China’s Guangdong province, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) American businesses are canceling orders from China, postponing expansion plans and hunkering down to see what trade policy surprises President Donald Trump plans to spring on them next. More top business stories: sports Chicago Stars coach Lorne Donaldson yells during a game against Bay FC at Wrigley Field on June 8, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune) In his debut NWSL season, Lorne Donaldson led Chicago to the playoffs with a 10-14-2 record. But that success quickly dried up for the Stars, who started the 2025 season with a 1-5-0 record. More top sports stories: eat. watch. do. A view of the Michigan Avenue Bridge looking south, after it was split down the middle on May 5, 1957, 37 years after it was erected. The west
half of the bridge now takes traffic in both directions while the east half is raised for repair work. When the project on the east half was finished, it switched sides. (William Bender/Chicago Tribune) The river is why we are here; it has for hundreds of years played a crucial role first for transportation, fishing, and farming and later as a shortcut between the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan, creating Chicago. More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories: nation & world Mohsen Mahdawi, center, looks on during a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University, Oct. 12, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) A judge released a Palestinian student at Columbia University who led protests against Israel’s war in Gaza and was arrested by immigration officials during an interview about finalizing his U.S. citizenship. More top stories from around the world: | 
