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MEXICO CITY (WCIA) — Governor JB Pritzker signed a memorandum of understanding between Mexico and Illinois on Monday during a trade mission.

Pritzker signed the Addendum to the Illinois-Mexico Sister-State Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) alongside Mexico Governor Delfina Gómez Álvarez. The agreement signed by Pritzker affirms commitment to continued trade and manufacturing collaborations with a focus on biotechnology and water resources. Illinois, other states sue HHS, RFK Jr. over public grant cuts

The MOU comes at the start of a delegation trip from Illinois to Mexico City with the purpose of deepening economic cooperation and opportunities between Illinois and Mexico. This specific agreement emphasizes the strong ties with a specific focus on bilateral trade in industries including manufacturing, agriculture and finance, according to a media release from Pritzker’s office.

“Mexico has been an essential partner to the state of Illinois for decades, and I’m proud to stand alongside Governor Gómez Álvarez and assert the importance of this continuing relationship,” Pritzker said. “More than ever before, we must reassure our neighbors in Mexico that Illinois will remain a beacon of economic and cultural cooperation and opportunity for our people.”

This agreement aims to promote strategic alliances between state government authorities, universities and research centers.

The MOU emphasized the impact of sustainable and efficient water usage and the necessary biotechnology to facilitate a future with clean water. This has proved to be an important issue in both Illinois and Mexico.

This specific MOU is a celebration of the 35-year anniversary of the signing of the first MOU between Mexico and Illinois, which was signed in 1990 by Governor Thompson and reaffirmed by Governor Quinn in 2013. This agreement focused on higher education and research, specifically on a project regarding corn research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

This MOU signing is just part of the delegation trip lead by Pritzker to Mexico City from March 30 to April 2. Pritzker, the Lieutenant Governor, senior state and education officials, private partners and business executives have been meeting with Mexican government and business officials on the trip.

Additionally, this trip aims to pave the way for future investments and emphasized the continued success between Illinois and Mexico.

“Illinois has long held Mexico in the highest regard, and there’s nothing more powerful to sparking innovation than human connection. I’m proud of Illinois’ ongoing commitment to progress, as shown today by Governor Pritzker and Governor Gómez Álvarez,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “Expanding our mutual progress will ensure future generations will benefit from the bridge we’ve built together.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — Illinois Gov. Pritzker and various members of the Illinois congressional delegation have sent a letter to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to demand accountability for $1.88 billion in federal funding being withheld from the state.

Last month, the White House said it would temporarily halt federal funding to ensure that the payments complied with President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The administration rescinded a memo outlining its planned funding freeze after a federal judge issued a restraining order, blocking the federal spending pause. Since then, nearly two dozen states have filed lawsuits, arguing that the funding freeze violates their First Amendment rights.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), however, said the case is moot because the memo was rescinded.

The DOJ has also said the administration still plans to freeze some funds that target issues such as gender identity, foreign aid, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

According to Pritzker, as of mid-February, Illinois agencies still report an inability to access funds, including the Illinois Department of Agriculture, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Illinois Community College Board, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Finance Authority, the Illinois Department of Human Rights, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Power Agency, Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Commerce Commission, Illinois Department of Labor, and Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.

The letter, addressed to OMB Director Russell Vought, reads, “On behalf of our constituents, we are seeking full transparency and accountability on any and all funding that has been paused or interrupted. If the Trump Administration is unable to follow the law and uphold their end of the deal, the people of our state deserve to know.”

In addition to Gov. Pritzker, the letter is signed by Senator Dick Durbin, Senator Tammy Duckworth, and other Illinois Democrats.

In a written directive, the Democratic Illinois governor tells his hiring office that "no one who attempts to overthrow a government should serve in government."

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Chicago Transit Authority is no longer using its main accounts the social media platform X.

The agency confirmed to ABC7 Friday that two of their accounts are no longer active on the site formerly known as Twitter.

The CTA and CTA service alerts X accounts now have disclaimers saying they are no longer active.

The CTA released the following statement Friday:

"After careful consideration, CTA has decided to suspend the use of its general information (@cta) and service alerts (@ctaAlerts) accounts on Twitter/X.com, as this social media platform no longer provides the value it once did for us to effectively reach and communicate with our riders. The @CTARPM account on X.com is unaffected and will continue to provide project information and updates through the remainder of project work. For real-time service information, CTA riders are encouraged to sign up for our subscription alerts available via text/email, which can be customized to provide information for preferred routes. For the occasional CTA riders, real-time service alerts will continue to available at transitchicago.com."

No further information about the agency's decision to leave the social media site was immediately available.

Daler Mehndi's 1998 music video, in which the singer performs with 4 "clones" of himself. "Mehndi claims his music was often criticized for only being popular due to the abundance of beautiful, dancing women in his videos The singer responded by creating a video that featured nobody but himself." Apparently he wasn't wrong and the song went on to become the "biggest indi-pop hit at the time".

The video caught the attention of the wider internet around 2006. The catchy song, dated visual effects, and absurdity of the "clones" fueled its spread.

On a less fun note: in 2018 the singer and his brother Shamsar were convicted of human trafficking, accused of "cheating people of large sums of money by falsely promising to take them to America" and "illegally sending people abroad as a part of their dance troupes."

A classic from the now defunct Adequacy.org Made the rounds in 2001, and even appeared on The Screen Savers