Illinois in Focus

Greg Bishop reviews a few moments of President Joe Biden's performance at separate events Thursday and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's continued questioning about Biden's fitness to be the Democrats' candidate for the November election.

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Greg Bishop reviews recent comments from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker about their support for President Joe Biden, despite concerns of his fitness to serve. Pritzker was caught in a hot mic moment saying "I don't like where we are."

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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker remains steadfast in his support of President Joe Biden despite concerns about the president’s fitness. Pritzker was in front of the media for the first time Tuesday since he met with other governors and Biden last week at the White House. He shared what his message to Biden was. “I said, ‘you need to go out there and talk to the American public more,’” Pritzker said. “It was important. I think they took too long. I think he admitted this, to after the debate for him to really go out and do press that would get national attention. I know they did rallies along the way but it’s important for him to answer questions and talk about the issues.”

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Greg Bishop reviews the recent headlines about Democrats saying President Joe Biden should step down ahead of the party's convention this August. Illinois state Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Biden delegate, provides some insight.

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Amid concerns of President Joe Biden’s fitness to serve another four years in office, an Illinois congressman says he should step down. But a delegate says the party must unite ahead of the convention. Speaking with MSNBC Friday, Illinois U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley said Biden should secure his legacy. “The only thing that you can do now to cement that for all time and to prevent utter catastrophe is to step down and let somebody else do this,” Quigley said.

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Greg Bishop reviews some of the headlines and comments after Democratic governors met privately with the Biden administration Wednesday and reviews the many times Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker was asked about his presidential aspirations.

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The U.S. Supreme Court declined taking up the cases challenging Illinois' gun ban, saying they aren’t ready yet but also criticizing an appeals court’s rationale for denying a preliminary injunction. Tuesday, Justice Clarence Thomas denied writs of certiorari for the six cases challenging gun bans in Illinois. “Petitioners sought a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of the law, arguing that the law violates their Second Amendment right to ‘keep and bear Arms.’” Thomas wrote. “This Court is rightly wary of taking cases in an interlocutory posture. But, I hope we will consider the important issues presented by these petitions after the cases reach final judgment.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has said it won’t take unfinished cases challenging Illinois’ gun ban without final judgment from the appeals court, it’s back to the lower courts. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas declined to hear cases from Illinoisans suing over gun bans. The opposing sides of the debate see Tuesday’s outcome differently. Gov. J.B. Pritzker enacted Illinois’ ban on the sale and possession of more than 170 semi-automatic firearms and magazine capacities in January 2023.

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Reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court granting "absolute immunity" to the president of the United States when acting in his core constitutional duty is getting reaction from Illinois elected officials. Monday’s ruling comes in response to former President Donald Trump's claim that he has presidential immunity against the charges brought against him over actions he took as president. He is the first former president to face criminal charges.

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An annual rite of summer in Illinois is approaching soon with another increase in the state’s gas tax along with a slew of other tax increases. In total, Illinois will see $1.1 billion in tax hikes over the next year. They will support a record-high $53.1 billion state budget. Taxes for gasoline will be 47 cents per gallon and 54 cents per gallon for diesel.

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