217 Today: Champaign-Urbana chancellor talks about federal funding cuts and his new office decor

Monday, August 25, 2025

Today’s headlines: 

• Governor JB Pritzker is accusing President Trump of trying “to manufacture a crisis” in Chicago.
• The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s new chancellor, Charles Isbell, says he’s thrilled about the state’s investment in building a quantum computing research park in Chicago.
• 12 states will soon be able to exclude certain junk foods from purchases using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program including Indiana.
• News media are now explicitly protected by a 2007 law aimed at stopping frivolous lawsuits that curtail participation in government.

In today’s deep dive, class is back in session at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a new chancellor is on campus.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Orellana. Reporting today contributed by Anna Pope, Emily Hays, the Associated Press and Capitol News Illinois.