Crain's Daily Gist
Get a head start on your workday with the stories that matter most. Listen to our roundup of essential Chicago headlines and analysis from Crain’s reporters and host Amy Guth.
Abbott’s big nutrition split
Crain’s healthcare reporter Jon Asplund joins host Jeanne Sparrow to discuss the latest news from the beat, including questions surrounding Abbott Laboratories’ nutrition business spinoff.
Plus: Crain’s latest list of Chicago’s most innovative companies, an iconic Loop office tower hits the market, what’s powering strong profits for local banking giants and the North Shore condo market is hitting new heights.
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Signs of State Street retail reversal
Crain's commercial real estate reporter Rachel Herzog joins host Jeanne Sparrow to discuss how State Street is showing signs of life again.
Plus: Abbott Laboratories’ nutrition spinoff leaves the question of baby formula lawsuits unanswered, a single word is pitting a nanotech pioneer against Elon Musk, Michelin-starred Ever is facing allegations of sexual harassment from a former staffer, and the Illinois House considers a bill to regulate autonomous vehicles.
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Chicago housing market finally begins to slow
Crain’s residential real estate reporter Dennis Rodkin joins host Jeanne Sparrow to talk the latest news from the local market, including the impact of 7% mortgage rates and a record-setting $2 million bungalow already under contract.
Plus: The FAA’s current flight restrictions at O’Hare may continue into the early 2030s, Mayor Johnson’s new Chicago budget has a $75 million hole to fill, private equity investment in life insurance companies is under scrutiny, and Abbott Labs is spinning off its nutrition unit.
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Double pivot for Fulton Market office plan
Crain's commercial real estate reporter Danny Ecker joins host Jeanne Sparrow to explain why a developer switched from offices to apartments and then back to offices at a major Fulton Market development.
Plus: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s head tax is back — with a new twist, Kroger makes a $5 billion investment to gain market share, the U.S. Department of Justice is stepping in to stop Evanston’s landmark reparations program, and Cboe officially launches pre-market trading for single-stock options.
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American fights to hold ground against United at O'Hare
American Airlines is stepping up its battle with United to win back business travelers at O’Hare. Crain's airlines reporter John Pletz joins host Jeanne Sparrow to to discuss.
Plus: A new University of Chicago poll sizes up Chicago’s mayoral candidates, the U.S. Supreme Court won’t step in on a high-stakes legal battle tied to Chicago parking tickets, outpatient care is creating inpatient financial strain for hospitals, and tech startups are rediscovering work from the office.
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Rush-Endeavor merger will have hurdles to clear
Crain’s healthcare reporter joins host Jeanne Sparrow to talk through the details and obstacles facing Rush and Endeavor's planned merger.
Plus: United Airlines and Air Canada look to add ten transborder routes, including Chicago to Montreal; Onni Group is pivoting from apartments back to office development in Fulton Market; more than a half million Illinoisans get medical debt relief, and the Joffrey Ballet has secured $8 million in major donor gifts.
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Diesel prices squeeze Chicago economy’s obscure corners
Crain’s contributor Judith Crown joins host Jeanne Sparrow to shed light on how pricey diesel impacts businesses beyondagriculture and trucking.
Plus: Rush to merger with Endeavor Health, Google can’t revive downtown on its own, a look into the Hoffmann family's business empire, and Pritzker says something will get done in Springfield to keep the Bears.
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Big revamp coming for Block 37
Crain’s commercial real estate reporter Rachel Herzog joins host Jeanne Sparrow to break down the $30 million sale of Block 37.
Plus: The surprising Chicago businesses getting hit by pricey diesel fuel, a new West Loop condo tower with a $10 million penthouse, more than 500 Chicago-area nursing home workers could be on picket lines Friday, and the booming pickleball business hits tough times.
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Sales jolt for sluggish Illinois cannabis market
Crain’s cannabis reporter John Pletz joins host Jeanne Sparrow to discuss what’s driving a surge in Illinois pot sales.
Plus: Jewel-Osco’s parent seeks more than $9 billion over its busted Kroger deal, Divvy’s Chicago expansion hits a speed bump, Jones Lang LaSalle makes a big talent grab from its top rival, and the AHA files suit to block the second iteration of a drug drug rebate program.
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The paradox of trying to control AI
Crain’s political columnist Greg Hinz joins host Jeanne Sparrow to discuss AI regulation and whether we possess the ability to tame it.
Plus: Legendary Bears coach and Chicago icon Mike Ditka has died, Illinois cannabis sales are on the rise, former GoHealth execs pivot to selling Medicare plans and Illinois tax revenue from gambling jumps 19%.
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How we picked this year's 40 Under 40
Crain’s assistant managing editor Ann Weiler joins host Jeanne Sparrow to discuss the 40 Under 40 Class of 2026.
Plus: Tempus AI is expanding its role in the development of a personalized cancer vaccine, Deere shares tumble as feds widen scrutiny of the farm equipment industry, Walgreens owner sells Boots and Justin Ishbia makes a move to control more real estate around the planned site of The Railyards.
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Chicago hospitals keep closing maternity wards
Crain’s healthcare reporter joins host Jeanne Sparrow to discuss the state of maternity care across the Chicago area.
Plus: Kraft-Heinz takes a rare gamble with one of its most iconic brands, Google will fund billions in Illinois nuclear power upgrades, the city of Chicago is poised to pay $260 million to settle massive police misconduct case, and an AI-powered real estate brokerage is setting up shop with a celebrity name attached.
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Breaking down the Chicago parking meter deal
Crain’s contributor Conor Durkin joins host Jeanne Sparrow for a deep dive on the financial outcomes of Chicago’s new parking meter deal.
Plus: A federal judge sides with Kalshi on regulation of prediction markets, Amazon buys a vertical warehouse next to Goose Island, GE HealthCare bets $945 million on Sofie Biosciences, and the Bears stadium talks with Illinois take a turn.
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Illinois has talent. Does it have the capital to keep it?
In this special episode of The Daily Gist, produced by Crain’s Content Studio, Crain’s Group President Jim Kirk sits down with University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen to discuss what he has learned during the nearly 12 years leading one of the nation’s largest public university systems — and what Illinois needs to do next to remain competitive.
Plus, host Jeanne Sparrow covers these stories:
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, the Bears and Pritzker meet behind closed doors; labor ready to block Mayor Johnson’s data center moratorium; HCSC exits Medicare Advantage counties; and a Texas jazz...
Housing supply squeeze gets even tighter
Crain’s residential real estate reporter Dennis Rodkin joins host Jeanne Sparrow to talk news from the local housing market, including another steep decline in Chicago-area inventory.
Plus: Elected officials rally against rate hikes from Peoples Gas, AbbVie hires a Big Pharma lobbying vet, Morningstar joins Google at the Thompson Center and Michael Jordan’s "Last Dance" jersey sells for a record price.
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The shaky state of U.S. democracy
Crain's contributor Judith Crown joins host Jeanne Sparrow for a conversation about where U.S. democracy stands, the focus of the most recent Crain’s Forum.
Plus: Chicago’s City Council opens a new chapter in the infamous parking meter saga, AI pricing comes to McDonald’s, pushback on Illinois’ tax breaks for Hollywood, and the Loop tower Sidley Austin is leaving heads to market.
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An $85 million bet on in-house AI
A Chicago tech company has raised $85 million in venture capital as it rides the wave of interest in generative AI. Crain’s technology reporter John Pletz joins host Jeanne Sparrow to talk about why Chicago is primed for more of this sector’s investment.
Plus: The last-minute push to squeeze more out of Stonepeak’s parking meter deal, AbbVie pursues AI-led drug discoveries, a Bay Area cyber-security firm expands to Fulton Market, and Northern Trust joins ETF conversion boom.
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The effort to fix Illinois' big biotech problem
Crain’s healthcare reporter Jon Asplund joins host Jeanne Sparrow to discuss how Illinois is fighting keep the biotechs born here from leaving the state.
Plus: Organized labor backs Amtrak’s plan for a new maintenance facility in Bridgeport, Pritzker wants data center legislation in the veto session, more declines in CPS enrollment and another vote delayed in Chicago’s parking meter sale.
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Eyeing neighbor cities' housing playbooks
Crain’s residential real estate reporter Dennis Rodkin joins host Jeanne Sparrow to talk news from the local market, including the innovative ways other Midwestern cities are driving new home construction.
Plus: A Florida business group takes a billboard swipe at Pritzker, federal credit unions are now exempt from Illinois’ swipe fee law, Astellas looks to sell its Northbrook headquarters, and Attorney General Kwame Raoul claims victory for non-citizens receiving social services.
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Defunct Chicago firm at center of fight over life insurance bets
A Chicago academic's business of projecting life expectancy is under scrutiny amid a court battle between rival firms that make bets on life insurance policies. Crain’s contributor Steven Strahler joins host Jeanne Sparrow to untangle the legal saga.
Plus: The Illinois EPA’s new Climate Action Plan still falls short on zero emissions, Crystal Lake’s Aptar loses its Russian plant, offices in the Marshall Field building hit the market and Illinois grew the science for a breakthrough cancer drug, but couldn’t hold onto the company.
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Chicago's dueling renters ordinances, explained
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s rental protection ordinance is at the center of a legislative fight at City Hall. Crain’s commercial real estate reporter Rachel Herzog joins host Jeanne Sparrow to discuss the ordinance and its counterproposal.
Plus: Chicago Fed chair Austan Goolsbee says the road to 2% inflation may not be painless, Canada brings its tariff worries to Chicago, Nike is making a move on the Mag Mile, and Gov. Pritzker opens up about his use of GLP-1s.
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Are insurers wary of a more tornado-prone Illinois?
With a torrid pace of storms this summer, Illinois is approaching the highest number of tornadoes recorded in one year by any state. Host Jeanne Sparrow talks with Crain’s Mark Weinraub about how these storms may impact insurance rates.
Plus: Amtrak’s plan near Rate Field sparks South Side fury, developer bets $113 million on on Mag Mile office-to-apartment conversion, public opinion continues to sour on data centers and Eric Lefkofsky's daughter is the test case for the new science of making a hit.
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What a $30,000 rent nets you these days
Crain’s residential real estate reporter Dennis Rodkin joins host Jeanne Sparrow to talk news from the housing market, including a $30,000-a-month apartment in Chicago’s newest lakefront tower.
Plus: Chicago parking meter owners make the city a new offer, Google’s Thompson Center debut has been delayed, last-second deal may reopen Resilience Healthcare hospitals and designers imagine a greener Chicago.
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A new player enters Chicago's restaurants scene
Crain's restaurants reporter Ally Marotti talks with host Jeanne Sparrow about the newest restaurants in town, and whether mergers can save Chicago's craft brewing industry.
Plus: ComEd’s crackdown thins the data center pipeline, U.S. Supreme Court rejects the White House’s mail ballot curbs for the midterms, Enova pulls the plug on its Grasshopper acquisition and Evanston claims one of the largest-ever suburban apartment deals.
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New Sox stadium hinges on fate of the old one
Justin Ishbia's vision for The Railyards and a White Sox stadium is forcing an early reckoning over what to do with the team's current home. Crain’s commercial real estate reporter Danny Ecker discusses what has become a thorny question in the Chicago stadium saga with host Jeanne Sparrow.
Plus: Mayor Brandon Johnson officially launches his re-election bid, GE HealthCare considers a billion-dollar acquisition, a former Chicago trader is headed to federal prison, and Kirkland & Ellis dominates Crain’s list of the largest Chicago law firms.
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Immigration crackdown didn't just hit Chicago's Latino businesses
Research from UIC shows federal immigration enforcement cost Cook County businesses $1.26 billion last year. Crain's reporter John Pletz joins host Jeanne Sparrow to break down the numbers.
Plus: Bally’s blinks on a $4 million threat in its Chicago gambling fight, consumer watchdogs force settlement reducing Nicor rate hike, the newly formed transportation board has named its chairman, and Illinois is set to become the first Midwestern state to allow medical aid in dying.
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Chicago condo market hits a hot streak
Host Jeanne Sparrow talks with Crain’s reporter Dennis Rodkin about the strange math of Chicago’s condo market, and the latest development in litigation over Winnetka’s bluff-protection ordinance.
Plus: Gov. JB Pritzker announces a new PAC, a judge may halt Illinois’ "medical aid in dying" law, a study quantifies the toll of federal immigration enforcement on Cook County, and Ariel Investments changes up leadership for its private equity unit.
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Bridgeport opposition looms over Sox stadium plan
As Justin Ishbia begins laying his cards down for a proposed White Sox stadium, host Jeanne Sparrow talks with Crain’s politics reporter Justin Laurence about community pushback in Bridgeport that could complicate the plan.
Plus: Barilla scoops up fast-growing mac-and-cheese startup Goodles, a West Coast tech firm eyes a new office on Wacker Drive and Illinois’ new law to cap drug prices hits roadblock in federal court.
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A closer look at Chicago's new transit leadership
In this discussion with host Jeanne Sparrow, Crain’s contributor Richard Day grades Chicago’s new transit board.
Plus: Illinois’ senators step into the conflict between FAA and air traffic control, work resumes on the $1.1 billion project to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes, Prime Healthcare faces a potential nurses' strike, and Illinois tourism is booming.
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Home of ‘gambling king of the stockyards’ faces uncertain fate
Crain’s residential real estate reporter Dennis Rodkin and host Amy Guth discuss the latest local housing news, including a mansion built by Mrs. O’Leary’s son that’s headed to demolition court.
Plus: Downtown apartment projects score big construction loans as lending eases, S&P upgrades Illinois’ credit rating, a nonprofit buys Fulton Market loft office for new HQ and Mayor Johnson’s starring role in World Business Chicago videos draws ethics hearing.
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More bets on a Mag Mile resurgence
North Michigan Avenue's recovery is gaining momentum with a drop in vacancy and infusions of capital. Crain’s commercial real estate reporter Rachel Herzog joins host Amy Guth to discuss.
Plus: State Farm sued by L.A. County for delays and denials to fire victims, UChicago and U of I land $75 million in federal funding for quantum research, Kalshi goes after the big traders on CME and Cboe’s home turf and Deere launches AI assistant named JD to guide farmers’ choices.
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Gibsons set for long-awaited Fulton Market debut
Crain's restaurants reporter Ally Marotti and host Amy Guth discuss the latest dining openings around Chicago.
Plus: South Loop high-rise sold for $166M, Chicago’s second-biggest apartments deal this year, Aon buys mid-market insurance specialist in $17 billion deal, Rivian shares slide after CFO announces surprise departure, ex-Loretto CFO back in Chicago to face fraud charges.
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Illinois' AI regulation puzzle
Crain’s contributor Margaret Littman and host Amy Guth discuss the push within Illinois to place guardrails around AI.
Plus: A new study questions Chicago’s TIF payoff though developers say growth wouldn’t happen without it, Goodell signals Arlington Heights is still alive in Bears stadium race, United CEO says O’Hare’s two-airline era will end and Chicago will be better off, and a judge opens the door for healthcare providers to fight AbbVie’s federal drug discount lawsuit.
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Chicago home prices haven’t surged this much since 2021
Crain’s residential real estate reporter Dennis Rodkin joins host Amy Guth to discuss the latest local housing news, including how Chicago home prices have made their biggest jump in over five years.
Plus: Johnson finds $85 million budget fix and unloads on City Council, Walter’s TWG hits back at fraud claims and says it has no victims, Meta agrees to pay up to $16.7 billion in social media case and Foxtrot lands retail space at former Ann Sather site near Belmont CTA.
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The O'Hare express train dream lives again
Crain’s reporter John Pletz talks with host Amy Guth about a proposed rail line to move travelers between downtown and O’Hare in 15 minutes.
Plus: Chicago-based United Airlines adds 10 destinations to Europe and Asia; Supreme Court sides with Trump for now on his mail ballot curbs; Bronzeville development site pitched for Pete’s Fresh Market and hundreds of apartments; and Deere workers reject contract extension, setting up 2027 labor showdown.
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Homeowners brace for another tax hit
Cook County homeowners are still paying the price for the commercial real estate slump. Crain’s Danny Ecker discusses with host Amy Guth.
Plus: Data center giant set to buy Hawthorne Race Course; Trump tries to strip ABA's authority as law school accreditor; Intuit TurboTax opening store at the base of Tribune Tower; and a new Austin health center is part of wider push to fill West Side health gaps.
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C-suite moves at Chicago health giants
Chicago healthcare players GE HealthCare and Baxter International found new finance chiefs at a turning point for both companies. Crain’s healthcare reporter Jon Asplund talks with host Amy Guth about the C-suite moves and other health business news.
Plus: Morgan & Morgan signs onto Loop office tower poised for revamp, Pritzker names new transit board members, judge orders Outcome Health execs to pay at least $271 million and Chicago firms tied to Mark Walter probe could face legal woes.
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Dealmaking slows down even further
Deals remain scarce for Chicago’s biggest private equity and venture capital firms. Crain’s finance reporter Mark Weinraub discusses with host Amy Guth.
Plus: Former Willis Tower owner testifies real estate empire now worth negative $80 million amid financial woes, Amazon to expand drone delivery to the Chicago area, Chicago Quantum Exchange CEO stepping down and developer buys Lakeview apartments for $61.5 million with plans to expand.
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Another way to get Chicago’s hardest restaurant reservations
Chicago’s hottest restaurant tables have a new pay-to-play option. Crain’s contributing food and wine writer Ari Bendersky talks with host Amy Guth about the new platform for hard-to-get reservations.
Plus: JPMorgan Chase opens Mag Mile flagship as wealth management competition heats up, developer buying Ford City Mall tweaks industrial plan in bid for city approval, feds want Outcome Health founders’ bond revoked and NASCAR is pulling the plug on its Chicago street race.
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Stellantis boosts its Belvidere reset
Crain's reporter John Pletz talks with host Amy Guth about Stellantis’ plans to restart the idled Belvidere plant and Madison Air’s $5.4 billion acquisition.
Plus: Federal rail funding clears path for Justin Ishbia’s big South Loop plans, Bally’s issues "going concern" warning to investors, an old name in Chicago business gets set to fold and Chicago Fed’s Goolsbee wants to see more evidence of cooling inflation.
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