Gov. JB Pritzker warned at an Illinois Education Association convention Thursday that cuts to federal education funding could “damage the future of the people of Illinois,” shortly after the state sued to stop President Donald Trump’s moves to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.

Growing occasionally emotional, former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday testified during a bench trial that she was disturbed and traumatized by a profane and racist death threat sent to her in 2022 through a city feedback email system.

The Justice Department issued a notice Thursday to Mayor Brandon Johnson over alleged antisemitism on Chicago campuses, the latest escalation of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on liberal cities and educational institutions.

Educators and students are on edge as the Trump administration threatens to deport international students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests.

The Chicago metropolitan area and Cook County both saw slight increases in population according to the most recent estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau, as international immigration outpaced domestic departures in many big cities nationwide.

The groups say the funding disruption could potentially halt their work, which includes providing services to people facing housing discrimination.

The city is pushing Chicago Public Schools to refinance about $240 million in debt to balance its budget for the year, a move that some finance experts argue is fiscally irresponsible.

State Rep. Jeffrey Thompson, who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, presented the committee with his proposed property tax plan Wednesday.

Three incumbents in District 161 seeking reelection said closing two schools was based on enrollment and improved the finances.