| Good afternoon, Chicago. Nearly seven months after federal troops were preparing to deploy to Chicago during Operation Midway Blitz, a federal judge today granted a motion to dismiss the state’s lawsuit over the mobilization amid assurances that the presidential orders have been rescinded. In making her ruling, U.S. District Judge April Perry said that even though President Donald Trump had threatened on social media to “come back” to Chicago with troops eventually, she cannot issue “advisory opinions” about hypothetical orders might happen in the future. Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices. Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History news Ernestine Newell, 79, of Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood, speaks with Chicago police detectives about her fiancé Freddie Webster, 79, who has been missing for a decade, during
Missing Persons Day in Cook County hosted at the Cook County Medical Examiners Office on, April 18, 2026. The event was held to help families reconnect with missing loved ones. (Josh Boland/Chicago Tribune) A dozen families talked to police on Saturday during the sixth Missing Persons Day event hosted by the Cook County medical examiner’s office. More top news stories: business A United Airlines jet gets towed past an American Airlines maintenance hangar at O’Hare International Airport, April 14, 2026, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) American Airlines says it is not interested in a merger with United Airlines, putting the kibosh on an idea aviation and antitrust experts already saw as a long shot. More top business stories: sports Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) slides safely into third base after hitting
a triple during the third inning against the Mets at Wrigley Field April 19, 2026, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune) Sure,
it’s early, but the season is starting to take shape and it’s been an interesting one to watch, whether it’s ABS strategy or the New York Mets’ skid or the proliferation of long-term contracts given to highly-touted young players who’ve barely had a cup of coffee in the majors. More top sports stories: eat. watch. do. Cheesemonger Alisha Norris Jones places dragon fruit slices onto a plate at Konbini & Kanpai
in Chicago’s Lake View neighborhood ahead of a beverage and cheese pairing test event with friends on April 17, 2026. (Josh Boland/Chicago Tribune) Jerk-spiced cheese paired with mango soda isn’t what most people picture when they think of a cheese pairing. But for Alisha Norris Jones, a Chicago-based cheesemonger and founder of Immortal Milk, the underground cheese board concept that hosts classes, events and pop-ups, it all makes perfect sense. More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories: nation & world Pope Leo XIV is cheered by faithful as he arrives to celebrate a mass at Saurimo esplanade, Angola, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) There is a case to be made that Pope Leo XIV, the careful, reserved, Midwestern Augustinian, found his voice on his epic trip through Africa, blasting the “handful of tyrants” and “chains of corruption” that have held the continent hostage for centuries. More top stories from around the world: | 
