Good morning, Chicago.
President Donald Trump said he will move to suspend the federal tax on gasoline to help Americans shoulder surging fuel prices caused by the Iran war.
The president cannot suspend the federal tax on his own. Congress would have to approve the move.
Lawmakers from both parties have pushed for a gas-tax suspension, saying it would provide much-needed relief for families and businesses that rely on their cars and trucks to get to work and school and run everyday errands.
As of yesterday, the average national gas price was $4.52 a gallon, according to the AAA motor club, 50% higher than the average price of just under $3 a gallon before Trump began the war against Iran.
And here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including aldermen advancing a $55 million tax break plan for United Center development, what awaits the Cubs in Atlanta and the winner of this year’s Harold Washington Literary Award.
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Cam Hamilton, acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, testifies before the House Committee on Appropriations subcommittee on Homeland Security oversight hearing of FEMA on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
President Trump nominates Cameron Hamilton to lead FEMA, a year after he was fired from the role
President Donald Trump nominated Cameron Hamilton to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a surprising comeback for the former Navy SEAL who was fired from his role as FEMA’s temporary leader last year after he defended its existence.
Leonilo Laude stands beside his tent in Ronan Park in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood on May 8, 2026. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago’s Legion Park encampment was cleared out. Residents and activists question the city’s next steps.
Advocates say that although it’s a good thing for people to be housed, the Legion Park encampment closure represents broader issues with the city’s enforcement of encampment policies and raises concerns over whether the process will lead to a permanent solution for homelessness.
The $7 billion 1901 Project could eventually bring nearly 10,000 new homes as well as hotels and public space to the United Center, which is now mostly surrounded by parking lots. (Field Operations, RIOS)
Aldermen advance $55 million tax break for United Center development
Chicago aldermen advanced a $54.7 million tax break yesterday for the $7 billion plan by owners of the Bulls and Blackhawks to redevelop parking lots around the United Center into thousands of residences, plus businesses and a concert hall.
The Reinsdorf and Wirtz families now argue they need the 12-year property tax cut moving ahead in the City Council to jump-start one of the largest developments in the city’s history, a sprawling bid to remake the Near West Side neighborhood. And their representatives yesterday did not rule out coming back to the city to ask for additional reductions as the work advances. They initially touted the plan’s private funding.
U.S. Border Patrol agents transfer a man they took from an H-Mart parking lot into a van in a Niles on Oct. 31, 2025, during immigration enforcement operations. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Judge issues injunction to keep DHS from attempting to block web page that monitors ICE
A federal judge has ordered officials at the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security to drop a campaign aimed at getting Meta and Apple to shut down a Chicago-based ICE monitoring page and app, according to court records.
A woman stands in a Cook County forest preserve on May 6, 2026, where she likes to walk to calm her mind. She said she was sexually assaulted in 2024 in her apartment at Niche 905 by a building’s security guard. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago woman sues luxury residential managers for not allowing her to break lease after an alleged assault
As a lawsuit slowly makes its way through Cook County Court, a Chicago woman said she’s ready to speak out for the first time to spread awareness of the challenges faced by those who report they’ve been sexually assaulted.
Forner Braves manager and Hall of Famer Bobby Cox is honored before a game between the Diamondbacks and Mets on May 9, 2026, at Chase Field in Phoenix. (Christian Petersen/Getty)
Column: Emotional series awaits Chicago Cubs in Atlanta with tributes to a pair of Braves icons
Three years ago the Cubs traveled to Atlanta in late September for an important series that was briefly upstaged by a tribute to Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr., writes Paul Sullivan.
Wide receiver Scotty Miller warms up during Bears rookie minicamp, May 8, 2026, at Halas Hall in Lake Forest. (Josh Boland/Chicago Tribune)
WRs Scotty Miller and Kyron Hudson — another ex-teammate of Caleb Williams — among 4 Chicago Bears signees
The Bears signed four players after rookie minicamp over the weekend, including veteran wide receiver Scotty Miller and veteran linebacker Jon Rhattigan.
The Bears also signed undrafted rookies Kyron Hudson, a wide receiver from Penn State, and Wayne Matthews III, a linebacker from Michigan State. They placed undrafted rookie wide receiver Squirrel White, who signed with the team last week, on the reserve/retired list.
Garry Trudeau, the creator of the comic strip “Doonesbury” attends an event at Amazon Studios, on Nov. 7, 2013 in North Hollywood, California (Frank Micelotta/Invision/AP)
Column: Ready to travel into the secret life of Garry Trudeau and ‘Doonesbury’?
“Trudeau & Doonesbury: A Biography: The Cartoonist Who Turned the News Into Art” is due for formal publication on May 26, the first major biography of the man, writes Rick Kogan. Written by respected journalist Joshua Kendall, it has 352 pages that have gathered some impressive prepublication praise.
Liz Chidester in “Always … Patsy Cline” at American Blues Theater. (Michael Brosilow)
Review: ‘Always … Patsy Cline’ is a jukebox musical with a friendship story to win you over
American Blues Theater’s production of “Always … Patsy Cline,” Ted Swindley’s warhorse of a revue that premiered in 1988, largely won Emily McClanathan over with the warmth of its two leading ladies — Liz Chidester and Molly Hernández — and its tender portrayal of their unexpected friendship.
Patti Smith performs at the Chicago Theatre on Nov. 17, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago-born Patti Smith is the winner of this year’s Harold Washington Literary Award
Musician Patti Smith is no stranger to awards. Her long career has been peppered with them — honors such as a National Book Award for Nonfiction for “Just Kids” (2010), Grammy Hall of Fame for “Horses” (2021), Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (2007), and many others. She has even stood and sung on stage in Stockholm in 2016, accepting the Nobel Prize for Literature on behalf of her longtime pal, Bob Dylan.
The latest honor was announced this morning by the Near South Planning Board. On Sept. 10, Smith will be in Chicago to receive the Harold Washington Literary Award.