Afternoon Briefing newsletter
Chicago Tribune editors’ top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon.
 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌
Header Logo

Afternoon Briefing

Thursday, May 7, 2026

Good afternoon, Chicago.

An aide to longtime Chicago Democratic U.S. Rep. Danny Davis yesterday was indicted on federal COVID-19 fraud charges alleging he lied about being unemployed to illegally collect nearly $32,000 in pandemic-related subsidies.

Gerard Moorer, 42, of Chicago, who served as Davis’ deputy district director and ran unsuccessfully for the statehouse himself in 2020, was charged in the nine-page indictment with three counts of wire fraud, each of which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.

Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History

news
Then-congressional candidate Katherine “Kat” Abughazaleh, second from left, with her boyfriend, Ben Collins, left, leaves with her attorneys at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in the Loop on Jan. 28, 2026, after a hearing for charges of conspiracy during a protest outside the Broadview ICE facility in September. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Judge tells ‘Broadview Six’ defendants ‘congratulations’ and dismisses conspiracy count

A federal judge today dismissed the felony conspiracy count against the remaining defendants in the “Broadview Six” case, further winnowing a politically charged prosecution that is now down to misdemeanor counts of impeding an immigration agent.

Read more →

More top news stories:

business
Hard Rock Casino Rockford plans to construct a 200-room hotel. It will be one of more than a dozen across the U.S. (Hard Rock Rockford)

Hard Rock Casino Rockford adding hotel and convention center

Looking to keep pace with a new casino complex opening north of the border in Wisconsin, Hard Rock Casino Rockford announced a major expansion today with plans to build an adjacent hotel.

Read more →

More top business stories:

sports
Bears wide receivers Rome Odunze (15) and Luther Burden III (10) wait to take the field against the Steelers on Nov. 23, 2025, at Soldier Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Breaking down the Chicago Bears depth chart before rookie minicamp

Here’s a look at how the depth chart stacks up at each position, including where the order might be in flux.

Read more →

More top sports stories:

eat. watch. do.
Chicago Sinfonietta, led by music director Mei-Ann Chen at Symphony Center in Chicago. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

In grim financial turn, Chicago Sinfonietta will pause concerts and lay off staff

The Chicago Sinfonietta — one of the metro area’s leading orchestras and among just a few in the world devoted to advancing racial equity — announced today that it would pause the vast majority of its artistic and educational activities during the 2026-27 season.

Read more →

More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:

nation & world
The MV Hondius cruise ship departs the port in Praia, Cape Verde, May 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Health officials track dozens who left hantavirus-stricken ship after 1st fatality

More than two dozen people from at least 12 different countries left a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak without contact tracing nearly two weeks after the first passenger died on board, the ship’s operator and Dutch officials said today.

Read more →

More top stories from around the world: