Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has warning for Donald Trump: ‘You come for my people, you come through me’

CHICAGO — Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday sought to assure Illinois residents that he would fight to preserve the state’s protections on fronts including reproductive health, immigration and LGBTQ+ rights during Donald Trump’s second term in the White House.

“To anyone who intends to come take away the freedom, and opportunity, and dignity of Illinoisans, I would remind you that a happy warrior is still a warrior. You come for my people, you come through me,” Pritzker said Thursday at a news conference in Chicago, where he made his first public appearance since the election.

Pritzker declined to speculate about what went wrong for Democrats this year, when Trump did far better in blue states, including Illinois, where he cut his losing margin roughly in half from the previous two elections. The governor did say that a longer campaign might have benefited Vice President Kamala Harris, who didn’t enter the race until President Joe Biden dropped out on July 21.

“Look, 107 days, I think that’s how many days that Kamala Harris had to run that campaign, and so that’s an extraordinarily short amount of time. She did an extraordinary job of making it as competitive as she could,” Pritzker said. “But more time would have been better.”

—Chicago Tribune

With progressive ballot measures on track to fail, California's political identity is questioned

LOS ANGELES — There was no surprise on election night when a solid majority of California voters selected Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump. But the outcomes of a list of ballot measures told a more complicated story of a state known for its liberal bent.

Voters overwhelmingly supported a measure to undo a decade of progressive criminal justice reform, and preliminary poll results showed they were poised to reject measures that would increase the minimum wage and ban forced prison labor.

Proposition 6 — which would ban "involuntary servitude" as punishment for a crime — lacked majority support in deep-blue California on Wednesday even as supporters promoted it as a way to end what they call modern-day slavery. A similar measure was on track to pass in Nevada.

California voters also rejected a measure that would have made it easier for cities to impose rent control and pass local bond measures for affordable housing. Some progressive voters in the state, where Democrats control the governor's office and Legislature, were dumbfounded by the early results, while Republicans seized on the moment as proof that California is becoming more conservative.

—Los Angeles Times

Philly schools are starting a new therapeutic program for students — featuring horses and donkeys

PHILADELPHIA — Michael Castillo struggles with his emotions sometimes. But the seventh grader at Morrison Elementary in Olney has learned a lot — from donkeys and horses.

When Michael first came to Fox Chase Farm for a pilot program helping students learn social and emotional skills, he was scared, he said. He thought the animals might bite or kick him.

"But that's only if you trigger their stuff, their moments," Michael said. "You have to stay right next to them. When they run away, they don't want to be pet and they don't want to be touched. It gives you patience; you have to let them come to you."

Cheered by the success of the pilot, the Philadelphia School District is expanding the program to 12 schools this academic year — Morrison, Harding Middle School in Frankford, Hancock Elementary in the Northeast, Hunter in North Philadelphia, Sharswood in South Philadelphia, and Roosevelt Elementary in Germantown this fall, and six to-be-determined schools in the spring. Each school sends eight to 10 children for sessions twice a week.

—The Philadelphia Inquirer

UK expands sanctions on Putin ‘war machine’ beyond Ukraine

The U.K. will significantly expand its sanctions on Russia’s industrial military complex, with the aim of disrupting the supply of vital equipment for President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration announced 56 new sanctions, including on suppliers of machine tools and drone components, calling it the largest package against Russia since May 2023. It also said it would be the first in the Group of Seven nations to target Russian proxy military groups in Africa.

The sanctions include suppliers supporting Russia’s military production, Russian-backed mercenary groups operating in Africa and a GRU agent involved in the use of a deadly nerve agent in the U.K. in 2018, the Foreign Office said.

The move, announced Thursday, came as Starmer joined European leaders including Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the European Political Community in Budapest. The U.S. election of Donald Trump is expected to dominate the talks, as well as security, support for Ukraine and migration.

—Bloomberg News