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Two organizers of a vigil commemorating people killed in Beijing's Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 will stand trial on Thursday

Cook County health officials are warning about the ripple effects to public health if thousands of residents lose access to one of the country’s largest food assistance programs for low-income households in the coming months.About 400,000 Illinois residents could lose SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, by May 1 because of new work requirements, state officials say. The changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are part of President Donald Trump’s tax and spending plan approved by Congress last summer. Nearly 2 million Illinois residents are enrolled in the program.The expanded work requirements now apply to people up to age 64, up from age 55; individuals who are homeless and veterans; and parents of teens 14 and older instead of 18 and older previously. Individuals will have to work or volunteer at least 80 hours per month to remain eligible.Republicans see the new rules as a way to get more people to work and to reduce abuse of the program.So far, about 100,000 people have filed for exemptions, which include people certified as physically or mentally unable to work or are in drug or alcohol treatment programs. But officials and community groups are trying to reach the thousands of others at risk of being pushed out of the program, Dulce Quintero, secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services, said Wednesday at Provident Hospital of Cook County Health on Chicago’s South Side. Officials are urging residents to file an exemption before a Feb. 1 deadline. Help for SNAP recipients Update your SNAP information: Illinois created a website where you can see if you meet the new SNAP program requirements. You can update your information by calling 1-800-843-6154.Find a food pantry: Here’s a list of pantries in the Chicago area A person who doesn’t meet the requirements can get benefits for only three months. After that three-month window, they will have to wait three years before reapplying.“Food is not a luxury, it’s a basic human need, and it’s foundational to health, dignity and opportunity,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said Wednesday at Provident Hospital. “When people have reliable access to nutritious food, they’re healthier, more stable and better able to care for their families and contribute to their communities.”The new work rules come as residents also brace for changes to Medicaid next year, which could compound health consequences, such as individuals showing up to emergency rooms with more advanced illnesses, said Dr. Erik Mikaitis, chief executive officer of Cook County Health. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Wednesday said people are better off when they have reliable access to nutritious food. “It’s not a luxury, it’s a basic human need,” she said.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times file “Hunger is a medical issue. Limited or inconsistent access to nutritious food directly affects health outcomes, health care costs and quality of life,” Mikaitis said.Food insecurity is linked to higher rates of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and kidney disease, he said.Last November, SNAP recipients in Illinois and across the country lost their benefits for days when funding for the program was frozen during the historic federal government shutdown. Kate Maehr, executive director and CEO of the Greater Chicago Food Depository, said that provided a glimpse into what happens when people lose access.“We saw our neighbors, men and women, children, older adults, people who were coming on their way to work, who had to go from the pantry to work, sign up to stand in line for hours … to be able to get food,” Maehr said.Shannon Andrews, the county’s chief equity and inclusion officer, said existing health disparities could worsen if fewer people have SNAP benefits. Andrews said the county is working with the food depository to increase access to nutritional food through two food pantries. Provident Hospital of Cook County Health operates a weekly food…

Bruce Bilson, who won an Emmy for directing “Get Smart” and directed hundreds of TV episodes, died on Jan. 16 in Los Angeles. He was 97. Bilson was best known for directing the secret agent sitcom parody “Get Smart,” for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series in […]

WASHINGTON — Federal immigration officers are asserting sweeping power to forcibly enter people’s homes without a judge’s warrant, according to an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo obtained by The Associated Press, marking a sharp reversal of longstanding guidance meant to respect constitutional limits on government searches.The memo authorizes ICE officers to use force to enter a residence based solely on a more narrow administrative warrant to arrest someone with a final order of removal, a move that advocates say collides with Fourth Amendment protections and upends years of advice given to immigrant communities.The shift comes as the Trump administration dramatically expands immigration arrests nationwide, deploying thousands of officers under a mass deportation campaign that is already reshaping enforcement tactics in cities such as Minneapolis.For years, immigrant advocates, legal aid groups and local governments have urged people not to open their doors to immigration agents unless they are shown a warrant signed by a judge. That guidance is rooted in Supreme Court rulings that generally prohibit law enforcement from entering a home without judicial approval. The ICE directive directly undercuts that advice at a time when arrests are accelerating under the administration’s immigration crackdown.The memo itself has not been widely shared within the agency, according to a whistleblower complaint, but its contents have been used to train new ICE officers who are being deployed into cities and towns to implement the president’s immigration crackdown. New ICE hires and those still in training are being told to follow the memo’s guidance instead of written training materials that actually contradict the memo, according to the whistleblower disclosure.It is unclear how broadly the directive has been applied in immigration enforcement operations. The Associated Press witnessed ICE officers ramming through the front door of the home of a Liberian man in Minneapolis on Jan. 11 with only an administrative warrant, wearing heavy tactical gear and with their rifles drawn.The change is almost certain to meet legal challenges and stiff criticism from advocacy groups and immigrant-friendly state and local governments that have spent years successfully urging people not to open their doors unless ICE shows them a warrant signed by a judge.The Associated Press obtained the memo and whistleblower complaint from an official in Congress, who shared it on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive documents. The AP verified the authenticity of the accounts in the complaint.The memo, signed by the acting director of ICE, Todd Lyons, and dated May 12, 2025, says: “Although the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not historically relied on administrative warrants alone to arrest aliens subject to final orders of removal in their place of residence, the DHS Office of the General Counsel has recently determined that the U.S. Constitution, the Immigration and Nationality Act, and the immigration regulations do not prohibit relying on administrative warrants for this purpose."The memo does not detail how that determination was made nor what its legal repercussions might be.When asked about the memo, Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in an emailed statement to the AP that everyone the department serves with an administrative warrant has already had “full due process and a final order of removal.”She said the officers issuing those warrants have also found probable cause for the person’s arrest. She said the Supreme Court and Congress have “recognized the propriety of administrative warrants in cases of immigration enforcement,” without elaborating. McLaughlin did not respond to questions about whether ICE officers entered a person’s home since the memo was issued relying solely on an administrative warrant and if so, how often.Recent arrests shine a light on tacticsWhistleblower Aid, a non-profit legal…

TheaterDavid Adjmi’s Tony Award-winning play “Stereophonic” is set in a music studio in 1976 where an up-and-coming rock band recording a new album suddenly finds itself on the cusp of superstardom. Features original music by Arcade Fire’s Will Butler; Daniel Aukin directs. From Jan. 27-Feb. 8 at CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St. Tickets: $40-$135. Visit broadwayinchicago.com.A portrait of caregiving and ordinary human kindness, “Mary Jane” is Amy Herzog’s drama about a young mother caring for her sick child who finds herself building a community of women from all walks of life. Georgette Verdin directs. From Jan. 22-Feb. 22 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Tickets: $46-$98. Visit northlight.org.“On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan” celebrates the career and greatest hits of Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine. E. Faye Butler directs. From Jan. 28-March 22 at Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. Tickets: $75-$130. Visit drurylanetheatre.com. “Salome” runs from Jan. 25-Feb. 14 at Lyric Opera, 20 N. Wacker Drive. Tristram Kenton Next up at the Lyric Opera is “Salome,” Richard Strauss’ masterpiece that brings Oscar Wilde’s shocking tale of obsession and depravity to life. Jennifer Holloway makes her Lyric debut as Salome. From Jan. 25-Feb. 14 at Lyric Opera, 20 N. Wacker Drive. Tickets: $47+. Visit lyricopera.org.“The Outsider” is Paul Slade Smith’s comedy about a bumbling brainiac running for governor and the pollsters and campaign aides attempting to turn him into a poised politician. Scott Westerman directs. From Jan. 23-Feb. 22 at Oil Lamp Theater, 1723 Glenview Road, Glenview. Tickets: $55. Visit oillamptheater.org. “My Life as a Cowboy” runs from Jan. 23-Feb. 8 at Open Space Arts, 1411 W. Wilson Ave. Tadhg Mitchel Three teens learn about friendship, courage and country and western dancing in Hugo Timbrell’s queer comedy “My Life As a Cowboy.” David G. Zak directs. From Jan. 23-Feb. 8 at Open Space Arts, 1411 W. Wilson Ave. Tickets: $30. Visit openspacearts.org.“Oliver! A Staged Concert” is an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic novel with music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. Live accompaniment is by the 26-piece JAM Orchestra; Patrick Tierney directs. To Feb. 8 at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. Tickets: $25-$49. Visit metropolisarts.com.Dance Xin Ying and Anne Souder perform in Martha Graham’s “Chronicle.”Melissa Sherwood Martha Graham Dance Company, now celebrating its 100th anniversary, performs Graham’s “Diversion of Angels,” set to a score by Norman Dello Joio; the Chicago premiere of Hope Boykin’s “En Masse,” with music by Leonard Bernstein; and Graham’s “Chronicle,” a piece about the tragedy of war. At 7:30 p.m. Jan. 24 at The Auditorium, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive. Tickets: $35+. Visit auditoriumtheatre.org. Elevations Studio Company is among the featured performers in Dance Chicago’s annual presentation, “Dances from the Heart.” Vera Moiseytseva Dance Chicago’s annual presentation, “Dances from the Heart,” features performances in a variety of styles by more than a dozen companies including Elevations Studio Company, Footprints Tap Ensemble, Gus Giordano Company, Hip Hop ConnXion, On Broadway Dancers, Trinity Irish Dance Ensemble, Visceral Studio Company and more. At 8 p.m. Jan. 24 at Athenaeum Center, 2936 N. Southport Ave. Tickets: $19-$49. Visit athenaeumcenter.org. “Fluidity” highlights various genres of dance in an immersive experience featuring an eclectic trio of performers.Taji Elemah TightUs presents “Fluidity,” a piece that highlights various genres of dance in an immersive experience featuring an eclectic trio of performers. At 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23-24 at Steppenwolf ‘s 1700 Theater, 1700 N. Halsted St. Tickets: $28. Visit steppenwolf.org/lookout.Music Cate Le Bon will perform at 8 p.m. Jan. 22 at Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. H. Hawkline Cate Le Bon has been called “one of the most original artists in indie music”…