The Spin newsletter
White House orders a review of exhibits at Smithsonian museums ahead of nation’s 250th birthday • Firefighters union, Mayor Brandon Johnson reach tentative contract deal
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The Spin

Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Illinois students could see new testing standards with proposed state board revisions

Illinois students could be held to new standards for school testing, a shift the state school board says will better prepare them for college and postsecondary education careers while accurately measuring performance levels.

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White House orders a review of exhibits at Smithsonian museums ahead of nation’s 250th birthday

The White House is ordering a wide-ranging review of the Smithsonian museums and exhibitions ahead of the country’s 250th birthday with a goal of aligning the institution’s content with President Donald Trump’s interpretation of American history.

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Firefighters union, Mayor Brandon Johnson reach tentative contract deal

Chicago’s rank-and-file firefighters union has all but landed a long-sought collective bargaining agreement with the city. The Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2 and Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration reached a tentative agreement that, if confirmed, will end four years of negotiations, Johnson and Local 2 President Pat Cleary said Tuesday.

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Mayor Johnson’s CPS chief resists City Hall borrowing plan, pension payment as budget deadline looms

Chicago Public Schools interim chief Macquline King is resisting pressure from Mayor Brandon Johnson to make a controversial pension payment and borrow millions of dollars to settle the district’s budget, a notable twist in what has become a deeply uncertain budget cycle for the fourth-largest school district in the nation.

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What to know about the Chicago Bears’ possible move to Arlington Heights — or a domed stadium on the lakefront

What to know about the Chicago Bears’ possible move from Soldier Field, including a new domed lakefront stadium or move to Arlington Heights.

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Mexico expels 26 cartel figures wanted by US authorities in deal with Trump administration

Mexico has expelled 26 high-ranking cartel figures to the United States in the latest major deal with the Trump administration as American authorities ratchet up pressure on criminal networks sending drugs across the border, a person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

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Lawyer for CHA who used ChatGPT to cite fake court case sanctioned in separate case for improper AI use

A lawyer hired by the Chicago Housing Authority recently revealed that her citation of a fictitious court case when defending the agency in a case involving the alleged poisoning of two children by lead paint was a result of using ChatGPT and failing to check her work. Turns out, it was not her first time improperly using artificial intelligence, court records show.

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Trump ally Ken Paxton escalates Texas redistricting fight with call for Beto O’Rourke to be jailed

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ratcheted up President Donald Trump’s congressional redistricting fight by calling Tuesday for progressive activist Beto O’Rourke to be put “behind bars” for helping Democrats who have managed to block the GOP’s gerrymandering efforts with an extended walkout.

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Trump administration calls out human rights records of some nations accepting deported migrants

The Trump administration on Tuesday released human rights reports for countries worldwide, which eliminate mentions of discrimination faced by LGBTQ people, reduce a previous focus on reproductive rights and criticize restrictions on political speech by U.S. allies in Europe that American officials believe target right-wing politicians.

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Top candidates for the US House in Illinois’ 2nd, 7th, 8th and 9th districts for the 2026 election