Getting interesting. Setting the stage for the first such contest in decades, progressive Democratic Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen is challenging New York’s Chuck Schumer for the job of Senate majority leader.
■ The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Will Bunch wrote Sunday (gift link): “Van Hollen fought when no one else would. Make him Dems’ leader.”
■ Washington Sun columnist (and Washington Post alumnus) Dana Milbank: “It’s hard to imagine this (or any) party would ditch its leaders after such a sweeping win.”
■ Abortion, Every Day columnist Jessica Valenti: “Pro-choice women are taking over. From New Mexico to Georgia, a new crop of governors wants to roll back bans.”
‘Well done, Specialist.’ Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s awarded a Joint Service Commendation Medal to the soldier who scolded Hegseth and company for irreverent behavior at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Veterans Day.
■ Former U.S. diplomat Elizabeth Shackelford writing in the Tribune (gift link): Impeaching Hegseth is a first step to restoring America’s position in the world.
Trump vs. Illinois. Politico’s Shia Kapos: The president “put Illinois back in the spotlight again Thursday, lumping the state in with California and Minnesota as examples of what he calls corruption and crime.”
■ Columnist Jeff Tiedrich is unintimidated: “Let’s all point and laugh at the panicking imbecile in the Oval Bordello.”
■ A Sun-Times investigation finds Chicago police failing to enforce a new law giving them authority to take away domestic abusers’ guns.
■ The Trace: That flock of new Democratic governors in historically Republican-led states can drive big changes in gun-control laws.
■ CNN’s Brian Stelter: Months before a Washington man fatally shot his property manager and hurt four others this week, Washington Post reporter Michael Brice-Saddler interviewed the man extensively about his dispute with the building’s management. “But Brice-Saddler was laid off before his story was published.”
■ Wired (free link): “You can buy T-shirts glorifying mass shootings almost anywhere online.”
Plastic in the news. Retail trade groups are suing the feds to revive Illinois’ limits on banks’ ability to slap fees on the tax or tip portions of customers’ credit-card charges.
■ A new study concludes plastic pollution could be making its way into the Great Lakes from as far as 120 miles away.
‘Temporarily trapped.’ A spokesperson for the company that operates Chicago’s first self-cleaning public restroom says a man who apparently “didn’t know how to get out”—and who then damaged the unit’s door trying to exit—had to be rescued by the Fire Department.
■ The Chicago City Council member who pushed for the restroom’s installation declared its opening Wednesday “the greatest day of my life.”
■ The Trib (free link): Mayor Johnson’s new human resources chief has been accused of threatening staffers.
Student journalists beseiged. Editor & Publisher spotlights the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville administration’s oppressive response to critical reporting by the campus newspaper, The Alestle …
■ … a case that has drawn the attention of the national Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
‘A must-see.’ Columnist Neil Steinberg praises the Museum of Science and Industry’s Anne Frank exhibit—which he says makes the case that “we need to teach denialism in school.”
■ The Illinois Holocaust Museum is open again in Skokie after a 15-month renovation.
Microsoft’s hard times. Its engineers have been struggling to resolve disruption of its many business-essential services, including Outlook, Teams and Copilot.
■ Nimble corporations, including Burger King, whipped out messaging to exploit the trouble: “Whoever’s troubleshooting and working on the outage rn…take your time. go out and get a Whopper.”
■ USA Today’s Chicago-based columnist Rex Huppke: “Microsoft Outlook went down and I only ate one neighbor.”
Next for Roku. Advisorator Jared Newman says users of those TV streaming devices can expect more bias toward Fox streaming services now that Fox has bought the company.
■ He also counsels not buying any Roku gadgets now, because they’ll be cheaper next week.
Not so sweet on AI? The AP: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s fall from grace after an affair with a suspected Chinese spy could dampen enthusiasm for artificial intelligence tech.
■ The Conversation: “Honey traps” have a loooooong history in China.
■ A former State Department intern recounts his personal experience with a very friendly Russian agent.
■ Platformer columnist Casey Newton: “The real scandal about Nvidia had almost nothing to do with sex—and everything to do with Silicon Valley’s cult of the founder.”
■ Wonkette’s Brooke Binkowski mocks AI tech bro Alex Karp: “Palantir CEO Says Mass Deportation Is Progressive, Just Like Him!”
■ The Onion: “Chinese Spy Running Out Of Excuses Not To Hang Out With JD Vance.”
Huang, Bottoms and Gerwig. You’ll find ’em all in past Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions winner Fritz Holznagel’s latest Conversation news quiz …
‘I love my doctors, all 53 of them, and I appreciate all that they do for me and my various organs.’ But Pulitzer-winning columnist Dave Barry has a few bones to pick.
■ Rex Huppke again: The U.S. elimination of measles “was a major public health achievement for America, but it didn't take into account that there are a lot of Americans who think they're smarter than doctors.”
You make Square happen. This newsletter arrives in your inboxes (almost) daily because of readers who’ve made clear they find it worth actual money. So if you’re reading for free—and just reading is cool, really—send good thoughts in the direction of people such as Rich Franz, Steven Yandel, Jon Langham, John Ayers, John Lewis, Taylor Kuether, John Culver, David Walsh, Mike Pillatsch, Mary Szpur, Frederick Nachman, Bill Drudge, Mary Blankenheim, Marge & Hank Arnold, Kent Bridgeman, Susan Tyson, Mike Fainman, Claire Barliant, Steve Carlson, Dave Miretzky, Libbey Paul, Kim Johnson, Tim Bannon, Craig Parshall, Shel Lustig, Mickey Callahan, Heather O’Reilly, Christopher Giorno, Liz Fitzgerald, Mary Mearna, Liz Strause, Len Jaster, Peter Chien, Cynthia Barnard, Paul Clark, Larry Stopa, Alyse Lasser, Stephen Brown, Spring Belasich, Doug Strubel, Fritz Holznagel, Tom Butler, Mike Nowak, Tim Spencer, Keelin Wyman, Reed Pence, Kay Ambre, Aaron Smith, Steve Winner, Rob Renfro, Beth Botts, Ira Pilchen, Leslie Sutphen, Debbie Becker, Gail Eifrig, Ann Tanner, Sue Treiman, Jim Walz, Cathy Sullivan, Tina Birnbaum, Bill Oakes, Gil Herman, Jason Sherman, Sarah Rodriguez, Jennifer Packheiser, Brianna Considine, Jim Owens, Deborah Murphy, Jim Tierney, Mike McDonagh, Janet Holden, Timothy Baffoe, Jeffery Angevine, Patricia Solano, Mark Dean, Donna Rigsbee, John Meissen, Ron Magers, Patty Skaja, Bruce Pfaff, Maureen Gannon, Bill Wheelhouse, Sofia Marcovici, Ted Cox, Marcie Dosemagen, Tony Scott, Denise Joyce, Geoff Tillotson, Peggy Swanson, John Gehron, Elizabeth Denius, Thomas Yoder, Brian Cassidy, Melissa Leeb, Anne Rowan, Tom Barnes, Lee Rusch, Laurie R. Glenn/Thinkinc., Darold Barnum, Joseph Fedorko, Darryl Roberts, Robert A. Shipley, Michael Soriano, Laura Putre, Thom Clark, Alisa dePedro, Gene Kannenberg Jr., Martha Intrieri, Timothy Jackson, John Knox, Elaine Soloway, Christine Cupaiuolo, Judy Sherr, Karen Hand, Kevin Lampe, Shruthi Kannan, Harlene Ellin, Cat Reis, Keri Lynch, Ann Bolan and Susan Benloucif.
■ Toss as little as $1, just once, into the Square tip jar and see your name atop the next roll call.
Thanks also … to readers who take the time to correct Square mistakes—of which yesterday’s edition had a few:
■ Blanche Bruce was not Mississippi’s first Black senator; he was the most recent before this month’s election of Scott Colom—who becomes the state’s third Black senator and its first to be popularly elected.
■ Jim Jordan has been elected the Republicans’ next minority leader in the House, not the Senate.
■ Ferrara Candy Co.’s closing its Little Village plant, not plan.
■ Spot goofs in this edition? Your corrections are always welcome (if not exactly celebrated) here.
■ Mike Braden made this edition better.
