Illinois
Trump’s pardons for Jan. 6 riot help more than 50 defendants from Illinois
More than 50 Donald Trump supporters from Illinois will get their federal rap sheets wiped clean after the new president’s Day 1 signing of about 1,500 pardons related to the notorious riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Dozens of Trump’s supporters from the Chicago area and other parts of the state ended up in the dragnet during the U.S. Justice Department’s enormous, four-year investigation into the failed effort to overturn Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election.
A Chicago Sun-Times review of federal court records found 43 of the 53 defendants from Illinois had been convicted and sentenced in cases stemming from the Capitol insurrection by the time Trump took office Monday and carried out his campaign promise to help people he described as “hostages” of politicized federal law-enforcement.
The lawyer for one of the defendants — former Chicago Police Officer Karol J. Chwiesiuk — welcomed Trump’s decision as “the right thing to do.”
“It was a witch hunt,” the lawyer, Nishay Sanan of Chicago, said of the Jan. 6 cases. “This was the Democrats’ attempt to go after Trump and his supporters. Why didn’t anyone go after the people who burned down Portland and Minneapolis? Because they’re all Democrats.”
Kevin J. Lyons of Inverness — who received one of the longest prison sentences among the Illinois defendants, at 51 months — replied to a request for comment from a reporter Monday evening with a profanity.
According to court records, Lyons wrongly entered the Capitol and took a photo of a plaque outside then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. He was found guilty of all the charges lodged against him, although a judge later tossed a count of obstruction of an official proceeding following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Fischer v. United States.
Lyons was released from prison last August, records show.
“Go f— yourself,” he told a reporter via text message.
Trump commuted the sentences of 14 Jan. 6 defendants, including Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the far-right Proud Boys militia, and Stewart Rhodes, founder of the anti-government Oath Keepers.
According to the “proclamation” on Monday from Trump, he had acted to “grant a full, complete and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.” And he also ordered his new attorney general to drop all pending cases.
The Jan. 6 convicts from Illinois came from all over the state and also included a retired Chicago firefighter and a onetime CEO from the northwest suburbs.
Chwiesiuk’s lawyer, Sanan, said he hoped his client now could be reinstated as a Chicago cop and he bemoaned how then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot and police leadership in the Democratic-dominated city “made a mockery of Karol” when he was arrested and charged for going to Washington four years ago.
Sanan also represented other Jan. 6 defendants from Illinois, including Chwiesiuk’s sister and Robert Giacchetti of Crystal Lake. Giacchetti used his body to push against a law enforcement officer, then broke equipment owned by the Associated Press and pushed over a camera and tripod, striking a journalist.
He pleaded guilty to a count of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers. His sentencing had been set for June.
In another highly publicized case, retired firefighter Joseph Pavlik joined rioters who spent more than two hours assaulting officers in an area of the Capitol known as “The Tunnel” and was sentenced to two months in prison.
The first person from the Chicago area who faced federal charges was former CEO Bradley Rukstales of Inverness, who pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating or picketing inside a Capitol building and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. Rukstales admitted that he threw a chair in the direction of officers who had previously retreated and formed a defensive line.
Rukstales did not return messages but on X on Sunday, he posted that a presidential pardon would represent a “righteous gift” to him, and recently he expressed hope that he and other “J6ers” would receive reparations.
Tom Schuba is a reporter and editor covering criminal justice issues for the Sun-Times. Dan Mihalopoulos is an investigative reporter for WBEZ. Jon Seidel writes about federal courts and legal affairs for the Sun-Times.
SYCAMORE, Ill. – A Sycamore mother said she is still waiting for justice more than two years after her teenage son was stabbed to death.
The case is back in court this week, where a judge will consider a key request that could change how the case moves forward.
What we know:
A mother said her son’s life was cut short during a confrontation that turned deadly.
Heather Gerken said her 17-year-old son, Kaleb McCall, was stabbed during an incident in September 2023. She said Kaleb agreed to meet another teen for what he believed would be a fist fight while sticking up for a friend.
According to Gerken, the other teen, who was 15 at the time, pulled a knife and stabbed Kaleb in the chest. Kaleb later died from his injuries.
Gerken said a jury later found that teen guilty of second-degree murder after the defense argued he acted in self-defense.
Dig deeper:
The case is not over.
Gerken says the defendant’s attorneys are now trying to move the case out of adult court and into juvenile court. That decision could impact how the teen is ultimately sentenced.
What they’re saying:
Gerken said the legal process has been long and frustrating.
She said the case has stretched on for more than two and a half years and that ongoing court proceedings have made it difficult for her to grieve her son.
“He was everybody’s big brother,” Gerken said. “He had the biggest smile and the sweetest personality. He enjoyed fishing and being outside, and he was the best gift giver. He always got me flowers for every little holiday. Just a very thoughtful boy.”
Gerken also said the possibility of the case moving to juvenile court is especially upsetting, as she continues to push for what she believes is justice for her son.
“I don’t want anybody else’s child to die the way that my son died,” Gerken said. “Caleb is my whole world. I gave birth to him at 17 and he changed my life completely. He made me a better person. He taught me what real love truly is…And I just miss him so much more every day. And just knowing that he died the way he did. It makes me sick.”
What’s next:
The case returns to court Thursday morning.
A judge is expected to determine whether the case remains in adult court or is moved to juvenile court, a decision that could shape what happens next in the case.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX Chicago’s Lauren Scafidi.
Millions of asylum seekers have been impacted as caseloads have grown
A general crackdown on immigration courts the administration sees as liberal has led to the firing of dozens of immigration judges.
Recent polls show President Donald Trump’s approval ratings continue to dip as the war in Iran endures and national gas prices float above $4.
One such poll conducted by CNN/SSRS illustrates widespread upset among Americans with regards to Trump’s handling of the economy and inflation. Here’s how Trump’s approval ratings look nationally and within Illinois, as of April 20.
Donald Trump approval rating: CNN
Only 31% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling the economy, compared to 39% in January 2026, according to the poll.
The decline in approval on the issue is even higher among Republicans, especially Republicans under 45 years old, according to CNN.
In the poll, President Donald Trump received his worst approval rating yet in either of his two terms on the economy.
CNN findings show about two-thirds of Americans say Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions, and 27% say they approve of Trump’s handling of inflation.
CNN also reported 63% of Americans say the prices at the pump have caused financial hardship in their household, including 15% calling it “severe.”
The poll, conducted March 26-30 among 1,201 U.S. adults, found 35% approve of Trump’s job performance overall. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
One poll respondent told CNN and the pollster about the most important issue facing the country: “Prices! Everything is so expensive. Makes it very difficult to do anything other than work and go home. Trips to the grocery store are ridiculous! Between gas and grocery prices, we are poor!”
Trump addressed the concerns about gas prices in his address to the nation on April 1, saying the Strait of Hormuz would reopen when the conflict was over and the prices would fall again.
Trump reaffirmed his promise about the strait on April 18, saying his administration had “very good conversations going on” with Iran after the country said the strait would not be reopened.
Donald Trump approval rating in Illinois: Civiqs
Trump’s job approval rating in Illinois, as of April 18, according to data from online survey platform Civiqs, is as follows:
- Approve — 32%.
- Disapprove — 65%.
- Neither — 4%.
Donald Trump national approval rating: Civiqs
Trump’s national approval rating as of April 13, according to data from Civiqs, is as follows:
- Approve — 39%.
- Disapprove — 57%.
- Neither — 4%.
Donald Trump approval rating in Illinois: The Economist
Trump has a -36% net approval rating in Illinois as of April 20, according to data from The Economist.
Donald Trump national approval rating: The Economist
Trump’s national approval rating as of April 20, according to data from The Economist, is as follows:
- Approve — 38%.
- Disapprove — 56%.
- Don’t know — 7%.
Trump, Iran War approval rating: Pew Research Center
A Pew Research study conducted in mid-March found that about six-in-ten Americans (61%) approve of Trump’s handling of the conflict in Iran, with 39% approving.
A report released in early April found that the largest concern for most Americans as a result of the conflict is higher gas prices, with 69% saying they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the issue.
Other Trump approval rating polls as of April 20
Here is a look at some other polling aggregators to understand how CNN/SSRS’s poll compares to the average Trump approval numbers as of April 20:
RealClearPolitics Poll Average: 41.2% approve, 56.6% disapprove.
The New York Times: 40% approve, 56% disapprove.
Silver Bulletin: 39.7% approve, 56.4% disapprove.
Which president has the lowest approval rating ever?
Although Trump has dropped to a historic low in approval rating polls this term so far, he hit a 34% low in the first term and other recent presidents such as Joe Biden hit a 36% low, Barack Obama hit a 40% low, George W. Bush hit a 25% low and Bill Clinton hit a 37% low, according to the Gallup polls, whose recorded lowest rating was Harry Truman with 22%.
As for the highest presidential approval ratings, George W. Bush holds the highest approval rating ever recorded at 90%, while his father, George H. Bush holds the second highest at 89%.
Trump is the only president that has not reached a 50% or higher approval to date in the Gallup polls’ history.
CENTRALIA, Ill. – An investigation is underway after multiple people were shot Sunday in Centralia, Illinois, according to a report from WFCN News in southern Illinois.
FOX 2 has confirmed the Illinois State Police is investigating a shooting and taking over the investigation, but ISP could not confirm many further details as of 9 p.m. Sunday.
“The investigation is in its infancy and to protect the integrity of the investigation, no additional details will be released at this time,” ISP said in a statement to FOX 2.
According to WFCN News, the shooting happened around 5 p.m. near the 900 block of East Kell Street in Centralia. Multiple law enforcement agencies have since responded to scene and multiple victims are hospitalized, according to the report.
It’s unclear how many people may have been injured and what led up to the shooting.
Centralia, Illinois is about 70 miles, or just over an hour, east of St. Louis.
This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.
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