Madigan corruption trial continues
Evidence and witnesses involving AT&T are the focus Tuesday at the bribery and racketeering trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and codefendant Michael McClain. Judge John Robert Blakey said he will determine whether former State Rep. Eddie Acevedo should be ordered to the witness stand. Acevedo’s attorney and defense attorneys argue the former Illinois lawmaker is not competent to testify. Blakey is also considering the admissibility of evidence which prosecutors hope to introduce and defense attorneys say should be excluded.
Illinois lawmakers visit Gaza
An Illinois Statehouse delegation is in Gaza today visiting a site part of the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack in Israel. The bipartisan delegation includes Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, Democratic state Rep. Bob Morgan and House Minority Leader Tony McCombie with additional lawmakers from Iowa, Minnesota and Indiana. McCombie said she’s eager to “understand how the State of Illinois can be a stronger, truthful partner going forward.”
Prosecutors charge two high-ranking Syrian officials with war crimes
Two high-ranking Syrian officials were indicted Monday in Chicago with war crimes. The two Syrian intelligence officials are accused by federal prosecutors of engaging in a conspiracy to commit cruel and inhuman treatment on civilian detainees, including U.S. citizens, during the course of the Syrian civil war. Jamil Hassan and Abdul Salam Mahmoud remain at large.
