The Latest Breaking News from CTU

The union has spent years fighting the policies of the political establishment. Now, one of its own must deal with the realities of governing.

Today’s update is about an eight-minute read that will brief you on the day’s biggest stories.

It starts with declaring independence — in action, not words — from the powerful Chicago Teachers Union. City Hall belongs to every Chicagoan, and Johnson will eventually have to make decisions that CTU and other unions won’t like. That’s part of the job.

The union "has an outsized impact on working families who have no other choice on where to send their children...that power, combined with a mayor who is essentially a wholly owned subsidiary, would make them a dangerous force," says one former Chicago Public Schools executive.

Once Johnson and voters know how city departments are doing, it will be easier for him to obtain broad support for necessary corrections.

A former public school teacher and longtime union organizer beat back "a deluge of far-right money"

Some of Johnson’s first decisions after his swearing-in next month will have to do with education, the issue nearest and dearest to his heart and his work over the past decade.

What will the incoming mayor do about high crime rates and low test scores? Here is what Brandon Johnson said on the campaign trail.

“Chicago, how the heck are you?” Johnson called out, upon taking the stage at the Grand Horizon Ballroom, 2121 S. Prairie Ave., to claim victory. “Tonight is the gateway to a new future for our city.”

Replacing outgoing 46th Ward Ald. James Cappleman, Angela Clay becomes the first African American to represent the North Side ward, bringing the total number of Council seats held by African Americans to 20. Rival Kim Walz conceded less than two hours after the polls closed.

Chicago’s youth just don’t want to vote. Not even Sen. Bernie Sanders could boost turnout from the youngest voters. But both candidates’ pivot to the center could be a model for the national party in 2024.