Illinois

The Trump administration's May 2025 shutdown of the VA Servicing Purchase (VASP) program, which had let struggling veterans roll missed mortgage payments into a new loan at a low fixed rate, has left thousands facing sharply higher payments. An NPR investigation found more than 15,000 veterans who got loan modifications after VASP ended saw payments rise by at least $150 a month, with over 700 facing increases of $1,000 or more — far higher rates than for conventional Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans. Industry groups had warned the VA against ending VASP without a replacement ready. A new Partial Claim Program launched over a year later, but it does not help veterans already stuck in costlier modified loans, and foreclosures on VA loans have since hit a 10-year high.

The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division is sending roughly 1,000 federal monitors nationwide for Election Day, including to Pennsylvania counties where state law bars them from entering polling places. DOJ has said ICE and FBI personnel won't serve as monitors, though staff from agencies like the DEA, ATF and Federal Bureau of Prisons may participate without firearms or enforcement authority. Chicago has coordinated security with police, the FBI and emergency officials amid concerns over immigration enforcement near polling sites, while a coalition of civil rights groups is deploying lawyers and poll monitors. California is separately sending attorneys and observers to battleground districts, and DOJ continues legal challenges over noncitizen voter rolls.

Calumet City Mayor and Illinois state Rep. Thaddeus Jones is hospitalized after suffering a minor stroke, the city said. Jones walked into an emergency room after experiencing physical complications while working from home. Tests confirmed the minor stroke, and he is expected to remain hospitalized for a few days. Officials say he is walking, talking and handling light duties, with doctors predicting a full recovery. Jones has spoken with Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch.

The health scare comes amid scrutiny over Jones' use of his municipal credit card, with council members alleging tens of thousands of dollars in questionable charges for travel, meals and rides, which Jones denies.

Project 50, a political group founded by Illinois abortion-rights veterans including former state Sen. Heather Steans and ex-HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, is working to replicate Illinois' decades-old shift toward abortion access by targeting state legislative races in conservative states with bans or heavy restrictions. After early setbacks in Arizona, the group refocused on culturally conservative states in 2023, winning three races in its first three years and four more in 2025, including in Virginia. It has raised over $3.7 million from donors such as Michael Bloomberg and Gov. JB Pritzker. Organizers say the strategy targets voters uneasy with total abortion bans, not broad support for unrestricted access. Abortion-rights opponents call its electoral impact limited so far.

With Election Day a week away, Illinois Democrats are campaigning beyond state lines to aid party allies nationally. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi backed Texas Railroad Commissioner candidate Jon Rosenthal; Sen. Tammy Duckworth campaigned for Sherrod Brown in Ohio; Rahm Emanuel canvassed in New Hampshire; and Rep. Danny Davis and successor nominee La Shawn Ford campaigned for Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate David Crowley. Gov. JB Pritzker is focused on his own reelection, holding a large cash advantage and backing fellow Democrats financially.

Big money is also flowing into Illinois races, including Chicago school board contests, with GOP megadonors Dick and Elizabeth Uihlein and wealthy Democratic-aligned groups both spending heavily to shape outcomes from Springfield to Chicago.

Federal prosecutors have charged Matthew Unglesbee, 37, of Quincy, Illinois, with mailing threatening communications and perpetrating a hoax after at least four envelopes containing a white powder, postmarked in Springfield on Oct. 19, were sent to Illinois congressional offices, including Reps. Brad Schneider, Mike Quigley and Jan Schakowsky, with a fifth unmailed envelope addressed to a Washington, D.C. office found during a search. Notes read "HA HA" and "HAH enjoy the gift." Testing found the substance harmless; Unglesbee admitted using salt because it resembled anthrax, telling agents it was a joke inspired by similar nationwide mailings. The FBI arrested him at his mother's Quincy home; he has a prior criminal history including threatening a public official.

Illinois voters on Nov. 3, 2026, will decide more than candidate races, with several non-binding advisory referenda also appearing on ballots. In Chicago, questions ask whether the city should create a permanent festival and outdoor event space for large-scale gatherings and whether it should restart use of gunshot detection technology, an issue tied to the earlier removal of ShotSpotter under Mayor Brandon Johnson. Other statewide and local referenda gauge support for school funding measures, including using a millionaire income tax surcharge for public schools and charging owners of long-vacant commercial properties to help fund Chicago Public Schools. Though results won't enact law, experts say they signal public opinion to lawmakers and the broader community.