Category: Chicago
McRib fake-out? Sticky lawsuit claims no ‘actual pork rib meat’ in fan-favorite McDonald’s menu item
A class-action lawsuit filed last month is challenging McDonald’s over a cult-favorite menu item, the McRib.
The lawsuit, filed on December 23 in U.S. District Court in Chicago, alleges that McDonald’s engaged in false advertising when promoting the limited-time menu item.
‘We’ve always been transparent about our ingredients so guests can make the right choice for them.’
The four plaintiffs in the complaint are Peter Le of Baldwin Park, California; Charles Lynch of Poughkeepsie, New York; Darien Baker of Chicago, Illinois; and Darrick Wilson of Washington, D.C.
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Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images
The complaint claims that the McRib “does not contain any meaningful quantity of actual pork rib meat — indeed, none at all.” The plaintiffs claim that the fast-food chain uses lower-quality cuts of meat instead of rib meat, including, “inter alia, pork shoulder, heart, tripe or scalded stomach.”
In December 2024, when the McRib was available, the complaint shows that the McRib was one of the most expensive individual items on the menu, even exceeding the price of a Big Mac on average.
As a result, had they “known that the McRib did not contain any actual pork rib meat, [the plaintiffs] would not have purchased the McRib or would only have purchased it for a lower price.”
In a statement obtained by CBS News, McDonald’s USA said, “This lawsuit distorts the facts, and many of the claims are inaccurate. Food quality and safety are at the heart of everything we do — that’s why we’re committed to using real, quality ingredients across our entire menu. Our fan-favorite McRib sandwich is made with 100% pork sourced from farmers and suppliers across the U.S. We’ve always been transparent about our ingredients so guests can make the right choice for them.”
CBS also reported that McDonald’s denied the specific claim that the McRib contains pork hearts, tripe, or scalded stomach and that the company said the McRib has a base of 100% seasoned boneless pork.
The complaint emphasizes that the marketing for the McRib was “materially misleading” for consumers, potentially affecting their purchasing decisions.
The McRib was first introduced in Kansas City in 1981.
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Trump Withdraws National Guard From Three Cities After Supreme Court Setback
‘CRIME has been greatly reduced’
Large School Systems See Plummeting Foreign-Language Students Thanks To Immigration Enforcement
‘It is the American kids from poorer families, who already face significant obstacles, that are trapped in failing schools that are burdened with the impossible task of addressing the educational needs of large numbers of migrants,’ FAIR’s Ira Mehlman said.
‘Law enforcement isn’t to prevent crime’ — Jasmine Crockett makes wild claims about ICE and National Guard
Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas has some interesting ideas on how law enforcement should be utilized.
Crockett was speaking on the “Grounded” podcast when she was asked about the presence of military vehicles in cities like Washington, D.C., and Chicago.
‘They are not trained to deal with civilians in that way.’
Host Jon Tester wanted to hear Crockett’s thoughts, asking the congresswoman if she thought it was good or bad to have military presence in those cities.
“I think it’s terrible,” the politician replied. “First of all, you know, I’m like, how is it that we have a government that is hostile towards its people? Because that’s what it is. I mean, we are in the midst of a hostile government takeover, and it is our government that is, like, bringing the hostility.”
Crockett prefaced her remarks, made in September but now going viral, by saying that she would need to go into “legal mode” to explain how agencies like ICE and the United States Armed Forces are being misused by the Trump administration.
It was during that portion of her statements that Crockett made the odd claim about how local law enforcement is supposed to operate:
“I want to be clear that, like, law enforcement isn’t to prevent crime. Law enforcement solves crime. OK? That is what they are supposed to do. They are supposed to solve crimes, not necessarily, um, prevent them from happening per se.”
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In addition to those views, Crockett claimed she does not believe the “average person” understands the different types of training that various law enforcement or military agencies undergo.
“So literally ICE is not trained to go out and do what they’re doing,” the 44-year-old stated.
However, not only do ICE’s Enforcement and Removal operations teams train for “arrest, detention, and removal of aliens,” but the American Immigration Lawyers Association even called ICE agents “among the most highly trained federal law enforcement officers in the United States” in 2018.
Moreover, the St. Louis native said she worried about the U.S. military’s “readiness” due to the Trump administration “not doing smart things” with its allies. She then cited “different training” and different missions as being the reasons why she believes ICE and the National Guard are being misused by Trump.
“Local law enforcement, whether it’s your local municipal police, your sheriff’s deputies, your state troopers, they are trained completely differently. They are the ones that are trained in investigatory work. They are the ones that are trained on how to testify in trial, how to pull a case together. Same thing with, like, your FBI, your DEA, and that kind of stuff,” Crockett went on.
The congresswoman then boldly claimed that those who signed up for the military do not have the training to deal with civilians.
“We are taking those that signed up for the service in whatever capacity, and we are now putting them on the streets and having them with guns. They are not trained to deal with civilians in that way. That is not what they are trained to do. Like, when you sign up for any military, you are a trained killer. You are trained for war, not for going and policing our streets. All right?”
Not only are civilian interactions common practice in training operations for U.S. military members, per official training documents, but the District of Columbia National Guard specifically trained for civilian interactions as recently as May 2024 under the Joe Biden administration.
The training noted the D.C. National Guard as having a long history of supporting operations in D.C. and that the training would help the entity “continue to support local law enforcement agencies in the metropolitan area.”
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Pritzker Rhetoric
“Pritzker Rhetoric,” editorial cartoon by Yogi Love for The American Spectator on Dec. 1, 2025.
Chicago school district lets children ditch class over ICE fears: Report
A school district in a Democratic-led sanctuary city has reportedly implemented an attendance policy that allows illegal immigrant students to skip school due to fears of federal immigration enforcement.
Chicago Public Schools students can be marked as “excused” from class if their parents or guardians express fears about immigration operations, according to a document obtained by Defending Education and reviewed by Fox News Digital.
‘CPS should not be turning attendance policy into a sanctuary immigration tool.’
The document, titled “Chicago Public Schools’ Attendance Coding for Safety Concerns Related to Federal Representative Activity,” states that the district is “fully committed” to providing children a safe learning environment, adding that it “has strong protections and protocols in place to protect our students and staff.”
CPS highlighted a November 2024 resolution from the Chicago Board of Education, stating that “while these protections and procedures are related to immigration enforcement, they apply to interactions with all federal agents and representatives, including the National Guard.”
The district explains that, as part of its commitment to “Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance,” it does not ask about immigration status and will not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
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Audrey Richardson/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Under a section labeled “Attendance Guidance,” the CPS document reads, “If a parent/guardian reports an absence and attributes it to fear of federal representative-related procedures, schools CAN excuse the absence under ‘concern for student health and safety.'”
When filling out an excused absence request, parents are instructed not to provide any additional information about the absence other than indicating a “concern for student health and safety” to protect the family’s “confidentiality.”
The district states that it does not set a time limit for how long this reason for absence may be used.
If a parent or guardian has been “impacted by federal representative-related procedures,” they can appoint a short-term guardian who can request an excused absence on behalf of the student.
Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Students are similarly permitted to arrive late or leave early to “avoid official start and dismissal times wherein federal representatives may be present,” the document adds.
Additionally, the district reportedly allows students one excused absence “to engage in a civic event,” such as a demonstration or protest.
While the Illinois State Board of Education does not currently permit students to participate in a hybrid or remote option, CPS states that if this policy changes, it will provide updated information.
“Chicago Public Schools is effectively telling families that fear of federal law enforcement is a standing excuse to keep children out of class with no time limit and no paper trail,” Kendall Tietz, an investigative reporter at Defending Education, told Fox News Digital. “CPS should not be turning attendance policy into a sanctuary immigration tool. Instead, public schools should be focused on getting kids to school and keeping accurate records, not quietly encouraging truancy and obstructing cooperation with federal authorities. This policy undermines both student learning and the rule of law.”
CPS did not respond to a request for comment.
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What They Get Wrong About ‘What We Get Wrong’
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Trump administration to withdraw some National Guard troops from Chicago, Portland: Reports
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