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JB Pritzker questions CDC preparedness after hantavirus outbreak

The rumored 2028 Democratic presidential candidate takes aim at the CDC.

News

Gov. JB Pritzker is questioning the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="CDC&#x27;s preparedness" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/05/11/hantavirus-response-cdc-questioned" data-vars-content-id="408ccc29-5560-4ff6-b556-56f06bbfef07" data-vars-headline="JB Pritzker questions CDC preparedness after hantavirus outbreak" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/05/11/hantavirus-response-cdc-questioned" target="_self">CDC&#x27;s preparedness</a> after a hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship led to the quarantine of American passengers.The latest: At least 11 hantavirus cases tied to the cruise ship had been confirmed as of Tuesday, though officials say additional cases are possible as testing continues. <ul><li>18 Americans are being quarantined in Nebraska and Georgia. </li><li>The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Tuesday afternoon that it is investigating a possible hantavirus case in Winnebago County. Officials said the case is not related to the cruise ship outbreak.</li></ul>Why it matters: While experts say hantavirus is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="unlikely to become another COVID-style threat" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/05/07/hantavirus-cruise-outbreak-covid-pandemic" data-vars-content-id="408ccc29-5560-4ff6-b556-56f06bbfef07" data-vars-headline="JB Pritzker questions CDC preparedness after hantavirus outbreak" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/05/07/hantavirus-cruise-outbreak-covid-pandemic" target="_self">unlikely to become another COVID-style threat</a>, the response is reviving debates about federal coordination, transparency and pandemic readiness.What they&#x27;re saying: &quot;The State of Illinois maintains serious concerns about the federal government&#x27;s capacity to support international and domestic public health preparedness,&quot; Pritzker&#x27;s office said in a statement Monday. <ul><li>&quot;At this time, there is no reason to believe there are passengers from the MV Hondius located in Illinois. However, after many days of uncertainty, the federal government still has key questions to answer.&quot;</li></ul>Friction point: Pritzker&#x27;s office went on to lob rhetorical questions at the Trump administration, including why the federal government hadn&#x27;t provided states with full passenger manifests from the cruise and whether Illinois residents had been exposed to hantavirus.<ul><li>Pritzker also asked about how DOGE cuts at the CDC have affected global migration and quarantine operations and how the federal government is sharing information after its withdrawal from the World Health Organization. </li></ul>Reality check: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="CDC" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cbsnews.com/video/acting-cdc-director-hantavirus-very-different-than-covid-defends-agency-response/" data-vars-content-id="408ccc29-5560-4ff6-b556-56f06bbfef07" data-vars-headline="JB Pritzker questions CDC preparedness after hantavirus outbreak" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/video/acting-cdc-director-hantavirus-very-different-than-covid-defends-agency-response/" target="_blank">CDC</a> and most infectious disease experts have assured people that the hantavirus outbreak is not cause for alarm and is very different from the early days of COVID-19, which led to a pandemic. <ul><li>&quot;The hantavirus outbreak will likely be quite limited, as many experts are predicting,&quot; Northwestern University&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Robert Murphy" data-vars-click-url="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC-2B9x8A0pvk3kHhSnIgM2xSzhy22gspnxxfCvqu5DXVF8ppVR15g79FfaZiwQHofkw-2Ff-2FWay3kG6-2B1PNuPP2FzmZ2PiOvppkvgFx8lOzstws05ut4_VL3Qt6TTLFvzrOhANJ8GlXp04nrdRS9E01P7vBuE8rT1lKCOC-2FsG2MrtVEJO-2B81Qd19O-2B2zFufg1toozd-2BWQKzccbUqm9-2F6k-2BLMt60jgQjYxlFRK6G9Gv4qnGxTkyt-2BWoBma9RdNJ-2BecwjtiUes6qamioQMI14oO4kay2GjecTQqA2UVfiXjmw5vZTYeewTwaJpe8rJ-2BNLOHaIf0-2BpviEtoKQcR4lScVSX3Zdhgul3veYbK6ZhWp8Q-2B1INdcRQQxGy-2BOhP2GEl4ABKhow-2BtXm-2FRLU7pO9llhQCc5PVn4LS7Ut8nOX80wx72N7Yz7AnRrwXksdPVyscF7rW5oi-2BE3jQ-3D-3D" data-vars-content-id="408ccc29-5560-4ff6-b556-56f06bbfef07" data-vars-headline="JB Pritzker questions CDC preparedness after hantavirus outbreak" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC-2B9x8A0pvk3kHhSnIgM2xSzhy22gspnxxfCvqu5DXVF8ppVR15g79FfaZiwQHofkw-2Ff-2FWay3kG6-2B1PNuPP2FzmZ2PiOvppkvgFx8lOzstws05ut4_VL3Qt6TTLFvzrOhANJ8GlXp04nrdRS9E01P7vBuE8rT1lKCOC-2FsG2MrtVEJO-2B81Qd19O-2B2zFufg1toozd-2BWQKzccbUqm9-2F6k-2BLMt60jgQjYxlFRK6G9Gv4qnGxTkyt-2BWoBma9RdNJ-2BecwjtiUes6qamioQMI14oO4kay2GjecTQqA2UVfiXjmw5vZTYeewTwaJpe8rJ-2BNLOHaIf0-2BpviEtoKQcR4lScVSX3Zdhgul3veYbK6ZhWp8Q-2B1INdcRQQxGy-2BOhP2GEl4ABKhow-2BtXm-2FRLU7pO9llhQCc5PVn4LS7Ut8nOX80wx72N7Yz7AnRrwXksdPVyscF7rW5oi-2BE3jQ-3D-3D" target="_blank">Robert Murphy</a> tells Axios.</li></ul>Yes, but: &quot;The problem is that the response so far has been slow and uncoordinated,&quot; Murphy adds. &quot;We have apparently learned nothing from the COVID-19 pandemic: Could the virus mutate to something more infectious? Yes.&quot; <ul><li>&quot;One thing is for sure: We are not prepared.&quot;</li></ul>Zoom out: During the early days of the COVID pandemic, Pritzker and the IDPH earned high marks for communicating to residents about infection numbers, threats and safety measures through <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="daily press conferences" data-vars-click-url="https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/05/29/pritzker-ends-daily-coronavirus-briefings/" data-vars-content-id="408ccc29-5560-4ff6-b556-56f06bbfef07" data-vars-headline="JB Pritzker questions CDC preparedness after hantavirus outbreak" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/05/29/pritzker-ends-daily-coronavirus-briefings/" target="_blank">daily press conferences</a>. The bottom line: Even if the hantavirus outbreak remains contained, the episode is giving Democratic governors an opening to challenge the Trump administration&#x27;s public health preparedness and transparency. Editor&#x27;s note: This story was updated to reflect the latest hantavirus in Winnebago County.

Illinois stands apart as book bans surge nationwide

New data shows more nonfiction and LGBTQ+ titles targeted in book bans across the U.S.

Education

As <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="book bans" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/09/23/book-bans-2024-censorship-libraries-schools" data-vars-content-id="581ffdfc-4119-482d-aa52-dbc195a81268" data-vars-headline="Illinois stands apart as book bans surge nationwide" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/09/23/book-bans-2024-censorship-libraries-schools" target="_self">book bans</a> reached one of their highest levels ever in 2025, Illinois remains one of the few states with legal protections against removing books from schools and libraries. Why it matters: The normalization and uptick of book bans across the U.S. point to growing <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="censorship" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/16/trump-nyt-lawsuit-free-speech" data-vars-content-id="581ffdfc-4119-482d-aa52-dbc195a81268" data-vars-headline="Illinois stands apart as book bans surge nationwide" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/16/trump-nyt-lawsuit-free-speech" target="_self">censorship</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="authoritarianism," data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/22/authoritarian-threat-2026-leaders-roundtable" data-vars-content-id="581ffdfc-4119-482d-aa52-dbc195a81268" data-vars-headline="Illinois stands apart as book bans surge nationwide" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/22/authoritarian-threat-2026-leaders-roundtable" target="_self">authoritarianism,</a> revealing that titles centered on themes of activism and self-expression are increasingly targeted.

White student enrollment at CPS increased from 2010 to 2025

The enrollment shift bucks previous trends of white flight from urban school districts.

While Chicago Public Schools enrollment plummeted between 2010 and 2025, its population of white students rose significantly, per a new Axios analysis.The big picture: The enrollment shift bucks previous trends of white flight from urban school districts and reflects broader demographic changes reshaping the city.<ul><li>Experts say the data highlights a growing preference among some white-collar workers to raise families in urban centers rather than leaving for the suburbs.</li></ul>

Illinois gas prices remain among nation's highest as another tax hike nears

Pressure is mounting for Gov. JB Pritzker to suspend a looming gas tax increase.

Gas prices are <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="pushing past" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/05/01/why-chicago-gas-prices-just-surged-past-5-a-gallon" data-vars-content-id="7c63bb57-3d1f-4bef-a207-4eefc887e8e6" data-vars-headline="Illinois gas prices remain among nation&#x27;s highest as another tax hike nears" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/05/01/why-chicago-gas-prices-just-surged-past-5-a-gallon" target="_self">pushing past</a> $5 a gallon across parts of Illinois — and drivers may not get much relief anytime soon.The latest: Memorial Day travel demand and the annual switch from cheaper winter gasoline blends to more expensive summer blends are expected to keep upward pressure on prices in the coming weeks.

Artemis II is ready for takeoff (weather permitting)

The first crewed Moon orbit since 1972 could launch Wednesday.

Aerospace

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Artemis II" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/03/31/artemis-moon-mission-colorado-aerospace" data-vars-content-id="6ebf6dd7-5409-4dd4-b713-ca123eb3c1d5" data-vars-headline="Artemis II is ready for takeoff (weather permitting)" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/03/31/artemis-moon-mission-colorado-aerospace" target="_self">Artemis II</a> is scheduled to launch Wednesday, no earlier than 5:24pm CT, from NASA&#x27;s Kennedy Space Center in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Florida." data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2026/03/30/mosi-to-host-artemis-ii-watch-party" data-vars-content-id="6ebf6dd7-5409-4dd4-b713-ca123eb3c1d5" data-vars-headline="Artemis II is ready for takeoff (weather permitting)" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2026/03/30/mosi-to-host-artemis-ii-watch-party" target="_self">Florida.</a> Why it matters: This is the first time humans will travel around the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, and paves the way for future missions to Mars.