Exelon Corp. says it will shut two Illinois nuclear plants, including the site at Clinton, because of legislative inaction on state financial support, but the company is still lobbying for the plan with legislators still dealing with the budget impasse. On Thursday, Gov. Bruce Rauner said he wanted to protect the estimated 1,500 jobs that would be lost, but wants to balance that with protecting rate payers and taxpayers, calling the company's Next Generation Energy bill 'a bailout.'

Illinois is officially without a state budget -- the deadline to pass one came and went without any movement toward a compromise. Lawmakers are poised to vote on a temporary version Wednesday.

No state budget means Illinois has no authority to cut checks.

Illinois Democrats have knocked one of the new Republican governor's top priorities down to an easy defeat. The Illinois House yesterday voted against Bruce Rauner's notion of local right-to-work zones. The issue is highly contentious on its own. But a broader division was also at play.Before we get to the right-to-work debate, it's important to rewind some.