The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into hiring practices at the city of Chicago, according to a letter shared on social media and sent to the Chicago mayor's office.
The probes announcement Monday came a day after Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke at a Chicago church to outline his vision for the remainder of his term. During the speech, Johnson praised the number of Black people in top positions in his administration. The speech garnered immediate attention on social media, including calls from conservatives and others to investigate.
The DOJ's Civil Rights Division shared its investigation notice on Monday, citing Johnson's comments to the congregation Sunday as the trigger for a pattern or practice investigation into whether the city has habitually violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race.
“Considering these remarks, I have authorized an investigation to determine whether the City of Chicago is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination as set forth above," the letter signed by Assistant Attorney General for Harmeet K. Dhillon said. "If these kind of hiring decisions are being made for top-level positions in your administration, then it begs the question whether such decisions are also being made for lower-level positions.”
The investigation fits with the Trump administration’s larger realignment of how federal agencies view and fight discrimination. It's also part of a larger remaking of the department's civil rights division, which saw a wave of departures as the administration outlined its priorities.
Historically, the civil rights division has investigated claims of discrimination against minorities, monitoring police departments, housing providers and voting rights. These probes are not criminal investigations. They look for a pattern of discrimination and are often settled through court-approved agreements. These consent decrees create a set of required changes that must be met for oversight and monitoring to end.
Dhillon told The Associated Press Tuesday that she does not see the administration's priorities as a shift.
“I would say that it’s our view that all racial discrimination is illegal in the United States. And I think it’s fair to say the prior administration only looked at that from a particular angle,” she said. “I think that we are taking a step back and taking a broader view, which is what is required under these statutes.”
Dhillon said the investigation is in its very early stages and that she could not say what the exact parameters of the investigation would be.
“Statutes of limitations apply, but we are going to be looking where the facts lead us,” she said, adding that Johnson's predecessor, Lori Lightfoot, had also made “concerning” statements about race in regards to hiring.
The Chicago mayor's office did not respond to a request for comment.
Johnson, who took office in 2023, has gained a reputation for being blunt and even combative at times, getting into public spats with reporters when asked questions about policy or administrative decisions.
With Chicago a routine target of criticism from President Donald Trump and members of his administration, Johnson has occasionally taken a more cautious approach, as when he joined other mayors from so-called sanctuary cities at a congressional hearing earlier this year. But speaking to reporters Tuesday, Johnson doubled down on his commitment to ensure a diverse city workforce and called the investigation a “divisive tactic.”
“We don't have to apologize for being concerned about the residents of this city who have borne the brunt of school closures. Think about unemployment in this city, where it is mostly concentrated. Think about violence where it is mostly concentrated,” he said. “It would be shameful if I were to repeat the sins of those who have been in this position before because they did not speak enough to Black Chicagoans.”
Johnson said his administration is full of highly qualified individuals with educational, law and other specialized backgrounds, before throwing a punch at the Trump administration.
His administration is full of, “individuals that I would question their qualifications. You're running a major department and your qualification is wrestling,” he said. “As his administration moves away from diversity, you're seeing more chaos. As my administration embraces diversity, you are seeing us build the safest, most affordable city in America.”
Dhillon said the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was also opening an investigation into Johnson's statements. A spokesman for the EEOC confirmed that the commission had received a letter from DOJ, but said he could not confirm whether the agency is investigating a specific complaint.
FILE - Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson takes his seat at the witness table during a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing with Sanctuary City Mayors on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, March 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.,File)
RHO, Italy (AP) — No ice is colder and harder than speedskating ice. The precision it takes has meant that Olympic speedskaters have never competed for gold on a temporary indoor rink – until the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games.
In the pursuit of maximum glide and minimum friction, Olympic officials brought on ice master Mark Messer, a veteran of six previous Olympic speedskating tracks and the ice technician in charge of the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Canada — one of the fastest tracks in the world with over 300 records.
Messer has been putting that experience to work one thin layer of ice at a time since the end of October at the new Speed Skating Stadium, built inside adjacent trade fair halls in the city of Rho just north of Milan.
“It’s one of the biggest challenges I’ve had in icemaking,’’ Messer said during an interview less than two weeks into the process.
If Goldilocks were a speedskater, hockey ice would be medium hard, for fast puck movement and sharp turns. Figure skating ice would be softer, allowing push off for jumps and so the ice doesn’t shatter on landing. Curling ice is the softest and warmest of all, for controlled sliding.
For speedskating ice to be just right, it must be hard, cold and clean. And very, very smooth.
“The blades are so sharp, that if there is some dirt, the blade will lose the edge,’’ Messer said, and the skater will lose speed.
Speedskater Enrico Fabris, who won two Olympic golds in Turin in 2006, has traded in his skates to be deputy sports manager at the speedskating venue in Rho. For him, perfect ice means the conditions are the same for all skaters — and then if it's fast ice, so much the better.
"It's more of a pleasure to skate on this ice,'' he said.
Messer’s first Olympics were in Calgary in 1988 — the first time speedskating was held indoors. “That gave us some advantages because we didn’t have to worry about the weather, wind blowing or rain,’’ he said. Now he is upping the challenge by becoming the first ice master to build a temporary rink for the Olympics.
Before Messer arrived in Italy, workers spent weeks setting up insulation to level the floor and then a network of pipes and rubber tubes that carry glycol — an antifreeze — that is brought down to minus 7 or minus 8 degrees Celsius (17.6 to 19.4 degrees Fahrenheit) to make the ice.
Water is run through a purification system — but it can’t be too pure, or the ice that forms will be too brittle. Just the right amount of impurities “holds the ice together,’’ Messer said.
The first layers of water are applied slowly, with a spray nozzle; after the ice reaches a few centimeters it is painted white — a full day’s work — and the stripes are added to make lanes.
“The first one takes about 45 minutes. And then as soon as it freezes, we go back and do it again, and again and again. So we do it hundreds of times,’’ Messer said.
As the ice gets thicker, and is more stable, workers apply subsequent layers of water with hoses. Messer attaches his hose to hockey sticks for easier spreading.
What must absolutely be avoided is dirt, dust or frost — all of which can cause friction for the skaters, slowing them down. The goal is that when the skaters push “they can go as far as possible with the least amount of effort,’’ Messer said.
The Zamboni ice resurfacing machine plays a key role in keeping the track clean, cutting off a layer and spraying water to make a new surface.
One challenge is gauging how quickly the water from the resurfacing machine freezes in the temporary rink.
Another is getting the ice to the right thickness so that the Zamboni, weighing in at six tons, doesn’t shift the insulation, rubber tubing or ice itself.
“When you drive that out, if there’s anything moving it will move. We don’t want that,’’ Messer said.
The rink got its first big test on Nov. 29-30 during a Junior World Cup event. In a permanent rink, test events are usually held a year before the Olympics, leaving more time for adjustments. “We have a very small window to learn,’’ Messer acknowledged.
Dutch speedskater Kayo Vos, who won the men’s neo-senior 1,000 meters, said the ice was a little soft — but Messer didn’t seem too concerned.
“We went very modest to start, now we can start to change the temperatures and try to make it faster and still maintain it as a safe ice,’’ he said.
Fine-tuning the air temperature and humidity and ice temperature must be done methodically — taking into account that there will be 6,000 spectators in the venue for each event. The next real test will be on Jan. 31, when the Olympians take to the ice for their first training session.
“Eighty percent of the work is done but the hardest part is the last 20 percent, where we have to try to find the values and the way of running the equipment so all the skaters get the same conditions and all the skaters get the best conditions,’’ Messer said.
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Serpentines are set on the ice of the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Workers clean the ice surface during a peed skating Junior World Cup and Olympic test event, in Rho, near Milan, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
