Donald Trump promotes himself as a friend of “forgotten” workers, but in ways large and small his administration has undermined what has traditionally been the biggest champion of workers: labor unions. 

Most recently, he used his authority as president to deliver a harsh Labor Day message to the 2.1 million people who work for him, canceling pay raises for the civilian employees of the federal government. In May, he issued three executive orders to weaken federal employees’ unions by, among other things, limiting the subjects they can bargain over. (On Aug. 25, a judge ruled that this move violated federal law.) In March 2017, Mr. Trump signed a law repealing an executive order signed by President Obama that sought to keep the federal government from awarding contracts to companies that violate laws protecting workers’ right to unionize, as well as wage and job safety laws.

Democrat Lauren Underwood is embracing the progressive label in her first run for Congress as she campaigns in the traditionally GOP-leaning far northwestern and western suburban district now held by veteran Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren.

Underwood, a 31-year-old nurse and Naperville native who is a former adviser in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under President Barack Obama, sparred with Hultgren on Friday during an appearance before the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board, showcasing their starkly different views on health care, taxes, immigration and the role of government.

Races for Congress across the country are being defined in large part by voters’ feelings about President Donald Trump. But Underwood said she’s trying to put health care at the center of the race, while Hultgren is focusing on taxes and the economy.

Will County is moving on with the “largest capital campaign in our 182-year history,” County Executive Larry Walsh said in his State of the County address Thursday.

In his upbeat outlook on county government, Walsh outlined big projects such as the new courthouse, pointed to a growing economy and job market, and discussed the challenges of crowded highways and opioid abuse.

The annual speech is a prelude to the county executive’s budget recommendations, which will be presented in September.