Peter Hancock

Primary election preview Peter Hancock talks with CNI reporters Brenden Moore and Ben Szalinski to analyze the Illinois primaries for U.S. Senate, governor and comptroller. Those and other races will be decided in the March 1

Listen: This week on Capitol Cast, @brendenmoore.bsky.social, @benszalinski.bsky.social and I break down the upcoming March 17 Illinois primaries.

Spoiler alert: First rule of criminal justice: "Never punch a cop."

Illinois Supreme Court travels to Macomb to hear cases on pretrial release, student transportation Article Summary The Illinois Supreme Court traveled Wednesday to the campus of Western Illinois University to hear oral arguments in

On the road: #SCOIL hears cases involving Pretrial Fairness Act, public funding for busing kids to private schools.

Illinois Supreme Court weighs challenge to state gun restriction Article Summary A Cook County man is challenging a state law that prohibits people convicted of any felony from ever

Should a nonviolent felony conviction permanently disqualify someone from possessing a firearm?

Illinois Supreme Court "riding the circuit," hearing 2 cases at Western Illinois University in Macomb.

Bill expanding access to discounted drugs awaits House action Article Summary The 340B drug program requires manufacturers to provide steep discounts for certain medications to safety net clinics, Federally

Safety net clinics battle PhRMA over access to 340B discount drug program.

Former DOJ attorneys intervene in lawsuit seeking sensitive Illinois voter registration data Article Summary Eighteen former Department of Justice attorneys signed onto an amicus brief arguing the Trump administration has no legal

Trump's effort to access Illinois voter data draws more opposition.

Capitol Briefs: U of I still concerned about higher ed funding overhaul proposal The president of the University of Illinois System said Wednesday that negotiations are continuing over legislation to overhaul the way

The 2026 session is starting to take shape. A few notable briefs from this week so far ...

State of the State '26 Your trusted source for news and analysis of Illinois state government

Listen: On this week's podcast, Brenden Moore, Ben Szalinski, Jerry Nowicki & I examine @govpritzker.illinois.gov's 2026 budget and State of the State address.

Pritzker focuses on history, ‘affordability,’ in 8th State of the State address Article Summary In his eighth State of the State address, Pritzker focused on affordability issues affecting Illinois residents and blamed

The rhetoric behind the budget: History; affordability; attacking Trump. My coverage of JB Pritzker's 8th SOTS.

Bill to regulate homeowners insurance rates could reemerge this session Article Summary A bill that would give state insurance regulators authority to review and modify homeowners insurance rates failed on

Bill to regulate homeowners insurance rates could reemerge this session capitolnewsillinois.com/news/bill-to...

Election '26 - Stephanie Kifowit Stephanie Kifowit is a Democratic candidate for Illinois comptroller. She currently serves as a state representative from Ogden. She spoke with Capitol News Illinois on Friday, Jan. 23, as part of our

Our second candidate podcast in our Election '26 series is now up. Listen to Stephanie Kifowit, running in the Democratic primary for Illinois comptroller. More to come as the March 17 primaries draw near.

Upward mobility - Part 2 In a follow-up to a report we featured last year, new research shows there are some education and career pathways that enable young people who grow up in lower-income households to climb up the econom

Don't forget to listen to this week's podcast: Challenges to upward mobility for Illinois youth.

Illinois Medicaid program faces looming funding crisis due to federal changes Article Summary New federal rules contained in President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” will impose tighter caps on

Funding trouble ahead for Illinois Medicaid.

Upward mobility in Illinois – Part 2 YouTube video by Capitol News Illinois

This week's podcast is also available on YouTube video. Check it out!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=95Ff...

Upward mobility - Part 2 In a follow-up to a report we featured last year, new research shows there are some education and career pathways that enable young people who grow up in lower-income households to climb up the econom

This week's podcast: Meg Bates discusses Part 2 of a study about upward mobility in Illinois. What are the education/career pathways out of low-income beginnings?

State education board OKs $10.9B budget request Article Summary The Illinois State Board of Education is seeking only a modest increase in funding next year in light

State education board OKs $10.9B budget request capitolnewsillinois.com/news/state-e...

2026 Session preview The 2026 legislative session is about to get underway. Peter Hancock talks with CNI reporters Ben Szalinski and Brenden Moore about what to expect in the weeks ahead. We also introduce the two Public

New on Capitol Cast, a look-ahead to the 2026 session.

Trump freezes $10B in social service, child care funding for Illinois, 4 other blue states Article Summary The Trump administration has frozen distribution of about $10 billion in federal funding for five Democratic-led states, including

Trump admin freezes $10 bln in child care and social service funding for five blue states, including Illinois.

Illinois Department of Human Services reports yearslong data breach Article Summary IDHS says it inadvertently stored protected health information on a publicly accessible website involving more than 32,000 Division

Illinois Department of Human Services reports yearslong data breach capitolnewsillinois.com/news/illinoi...

University enrollment in Illinois grows to 10-year high despite some declines Article Summary Total enrollment at public universities in Illinois reached a 10-year high of nearly 190,000 this academic year. Deputy

University enrollment in Illinois grows to 10-year high despite some declines capitolnewsillinois.com/news/univers...

Democracy backsliding Democratic values and institutions are coming under attack in the United States and around the world. In her new book,

On this week's Capitol Cast, UChicago's Susan Stokes discusses her new book, "The Backsliders: Why Leaders Undermine Their Own Democracies."

Illinois to issue its own vaccine guidelines Article Summary JB Pritzker has directed the Illinois Department of Public Health to develop independent guidelines for administering common vaccines,

Turmoil at CDC prompts Illinois, other states, to issue their own vaccine guidance.

GOP gov field takes shape The list of potential Republican candidates for governor grew this week. Ted Dabrowski, who publishes the conservative newsletter Wirepoints, formally announced his candidacy. And the party's 2022 nom

On this week's Capitol Cast: Ben Szalinski, Jerry Nowicki & I look at the emerging GOP field for governor. Plus, who's next in line for Illinois Supreme Court chief justice.

Illinois elections board refuses to give DOJ sensitive voter data Article Summary The Trump administration has demanded Illinois turn over its complete statewide voter registration database, including sensitive information such

Illinois elections board refuses to give DOJ sensitive voter data capitolnewsillinois.com/news/illinoi...

Check out this week's podcast on the new/rebooted "Fair Maps" campaign seeking to end partisan gerrymandering in the General Assembly.

Insurance industry opposes regulation, blames inflation, climate change for rate hikes Article Summary JB Pritzker and legislative leaders have suggested Illinois should exercise more regulatory authority over premiums that insurance companies

Insurance officials blamed factors such as inflation and climate change for recent homeowners insurance rate hikes in Illinois. @pqhancock.bsky.social reports. https://loom.ly/s9OLQw0

Proud Boys, Harmon appeal, SLAPP suits & redistricting The CNI news team discusses major stories of the week, including the brief appearance of a recruiting billboard for the far-right group called the Proud Boys, Senate President Don Harmon appealing a $

On this week's podcast,an extremist group tries to recruit in southern Illinois, a top legislative leader appeals a $10M fine, and other news of the week from the CNI news team.

Fair roundup The Illinois State Fair marked the unofficial launch of the 2026 election cycle. Democrats and Republicans brought major names to the stage to help showcase their candidates and fire up their supporte

This week on Capitol Cast, we break down what happened during Democrat and Republican days at the #IllinoisStateFair.

DOJ demands sensitive Illinois voter registration data after state responds Article Summary In response to a July letter, the Illinois State Board of Elections provided the U.S. Department of Justice

Trump's DOJ demanding access to sensitive data on Illinois voters.