Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois on Monday torched the legislative filibuster as a “weapon of mass obstruction” in a speech on the floor of the upper chamber, adding his name to the growing list of Democrats demanding elimination of—or, at the very least, significant changes to—the 60-vote rule standing in the way of a voting rights…
It’s early Sunday morning. Our clocks “spring forward” an hour even as the position of the Earth relative to the sun barely changed. Thanks for nothing, Daylight Savings Time. Like millions of Americans, I wake up groggy. That grogginess (and grumpiness) spills into Monday and the rest of the week as our internal clocks have…
During his first primetime address to the nation, President Biden directed states to expand eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine to all adults on May 1. Biden touted his administration’s efforts to ramp up vaccine production and provide relief to struggling Americans in the form of a new stimulus bill that aims to help stabilize the…
Shortly after President Biden ordered a military strike in Syria, two leading Democrats openly criticized the move. Now there’s a bipartisan push to limit presidential war powers. “Offensive military action without congressional approval is not constitutional absent extraordinary circumstances,” Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) said last week. Kaine is the Democratic Party’s former vice presidential nominee….
Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin want to establish a National Heritage Area under the National Park Service in Bronzeville on Chicago’s South Side. The Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area Act would create a National Heritage Area from 18th Street to 71st Street and Lake Michigan to Canal Street. The National Heritage Area would tell the story…
The latest stimulus bill passed the House of Representatives in a 219-212, largely party-line vote. Who voted for it? More importantly, what’s actually in it? The House bill provides $1.9 trillion in aid to help struggling American families, frontline workers, state and local governments, small businesses, and the nation’s schools and public health systems. In…
As the United States this week mourned the devastating milestone of 500,000 lives lost to the coronavirus, a report out Wednesday shows that the nation’s billionaires have seen their collective wealth grow by $1.3 trillion since the deadly pandemic began last year. According to the new analysis by the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) and Americans for…
Daniel Biss, a former state lawmaker and candidate for governor of Illinois, is set to become the next mayor of Evanston. Biss declared victory in Tuesday’s mayoral election in the city of nearly 75,000 just north of Chicago. The incumbent mayor, Steve Hagerty, declined to seek re-election to a second four-year term. According to election…
The docu-series Trans in Trumpland is coming soon to Topic.com and Topic channels through Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android, iOS, and Amazon Prime Video. The four-part documentary series – which debuts on February 25 – examines the struggles and resiliency of the transgender community under the Trump administration. Intersectional issues such as race, immigration, and poverty are also…
The city of Chicago has filed a lawsuit against Equte LLC and Vapes.com. The lawsuit alleges that the companies marketed and sold flavored vaping products to underage Chicagoans. “E-cigarettes are unhealthy and addictive, and businesses deliberately target young people in the hope they’ll develop lifelong customers,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “The city of Chicago’s message to…
