Chicago Police Officer Charged In Capitol Insurrection
CHICAGO — A Chicago police officer has been charged with breaching the U.S. Capitol and entering a senator’s office during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Twenty-nine-year-old Karol Chwiesiuk was arrested Friday and faces five misdemeanor counts. A criminal complaint says Chwiesiuk broke into a senator’s office along with a mob. Prosecutors also say that two days […]
Democrats Push Resolution ‘Condemning’ GOP Lawmaker For Attendance At Jan. 6 Rally
SPRINGFIELD — Nearly three dozen Democratic members of the Illinois House of Representatives signed onto a resolution Monday to “condemn” a southern Illinois Republican lawmaker for attending a Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C. that preceded the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol. House Resolution 132 also references a complaint filed Monday with Illinois Legislative Inspector […]
Dems Seek Probe Of Illinois GOP Lawmaker With Militia Decal
CHICAGO — Democratic county leaders are seeking an investigation of a Republican legislator from Illinois after he displayed a decal of an anti-government militia movement on his pickup truck parked at the U.S. Capitol during January’s deadly insurrection. The Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association asked for the state investigation of state Rep. Chris Miller on […]
GOP Rep. Kinzinger Starts PAC To Resist Party’s Trump Embrace
WASHINGTON — Rep. Adam Kinzinger was one of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump. Now, the Illinois congressman is launching a political action committee to push back against a House GOP leadership team and party that he says have become too closely aligned to the former president. Kinzinger announced the “Country 1st” […]
Trump-Supporting Illinois Couple Charged In US Capitol Riot
CHICAGO — Federal authorities say they have charged an Illinois couple who posed for a photograph inside the U.S. Capitol decked out in Trump attire during the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection. Forty-six-year-old Christina Gerding and 50-year-old Jason Gerding of Quincy were arrested Thursday on charges including violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. In […]
Cline Center Designates Capitol Violence As ‘Attempted Coup’
URBANA — The violence at the US Capitol on January 6th was an attempted coup d’état. That’s the conclusion of The Cline Center for Advanced Social Research at the University of Illinois. The Cline Center has been curating data on coups and attempted coups since 2013. Illinois Newsroom’s Brian Moline spoke with The Cline Center’s […]
Biden Administration Announces Plans To Assess Domestic Violent Extremism
WASHINGTON – President Biden has asked the director of national intelligence to draw up a comprehensive threat assessment on domestic violent extremism in the country as the new administration seeks to tackle what it calls a “serious and growing national security threat.” The move is one of several the White House press secretary announced Friday to address […]
Senate To Begin Trump’s Impeachment Trial Week Of Feb. 8
Updated at 6:58 p.m. ET WASHINGTON – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the sole article of impeachment for incitement to insurrection against former President Donald Trump will be delivered to the Senate on Monday and a trial against the Republican will begin the week of Feb. 8. “The Senate will conduct a trial on […]
Minute By Minute Updates: America’s Change Of Power
WASHINGTON (AP) — Here are the latest details on Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration from the Associated Press (all times local): 7:15 p.m. White House press secretary Jen Psaki is delivering the first news briefing of Joe Biden’s presidency, a once standard part of past administrations that was largely sidelined during the Trump era. Psaki said Wednesday […]
Pritzker Activates National Guard As FBI Warns Of State Capitol Protests
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker has activated 250 members of the Illinois National Guard amid FBI warnings of potential armed protests at the 50 U.S. state capitols in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Crews could also be seen Friday placing plywood over the windows of the Illinois State Capitol building in […]
200 Illinois Guard Troops Will Go To DC To Aid Inauguration
SPRINGFIELD — Gov. J.B. Pritzker is sending about 200 members of the Illinois National Guard to Washington, D.C., to help with security at next week’s inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Pritzker announced Tuesday that the guard members would travel to Washington in advance of Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration at the U.S. Capitol, which a mob […]
IL Reps. Announce Trump Impeachment Votes: Kinzinger For; Miller Against
WASHINGTON – Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL16) has become the third Republican member of Congress to call for President Donald Trump’s impeachment. Kinzinger said in a statement Tuesday that Trump is responsible for whipping up “an angry mob” that stormed the Capitol last week, leaving five dead. He says “there is no doubt in my […]
‘What Are We Going To Do Tomorrow?’ — How Teachers Tried To Talk About The Attack On The Capitol
On January 6, Morris Elementary School Principal Dave Raffel and his family stayed glued to the news until late at night as a mob of pro-Trump…
As Inauguration Nears, Concern Grows Of More Violence To Come
Wednesday’s violent insurrection at the Capitol led to the death of five people. Some lawmakers and others worry that it was just the beginning of what’s to come.
Republican IL Congressman Calls For Trump To Be Removed From Office
WASHINGTON – Republican Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger is calling on President Donald Trump’s Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove him from office. Kinzinger made the remarks Thursday in a video posted to Twitter, responding to the violent mob that stormed Congress on Wednesday in an attempt to stop the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s […]