‘PEOPLE ARE SCARED.’ Politico says paranoia’s in the air at the White House: Staffers are leaving their phones at home, keeping mum at meetings and monitoring one another’s social media accounts.
■ Also in Politico: “Breitbart relishing newfound power to torment Paul Ryan.”
■ “This was supposed to be Christmas in March for Paul Ryan,” but Esquire‘s Charlie Pierce says it’s not.
■ And George W. Bush’s ethics lawyer does, too.
■ But this ends speculation Trump avoided income taxes for 18 years.
■ Trump’s 2017 tax plan would’ve almost wiped out his 2005 tax bill.
■ Rachel Maddow’s slow tease on the tax scoop pissed off many—and crashed her website.
TRAVEL BAN LOOMS. It takes effect Thursday—unless at least one of several courts rules otherwise.
■ Lawyers label Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests at courthouses “chilling.”
■ Canada’s version of the Girl Scouts cancels all trips to the U.S.
‘I’M OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER THE TIME WHEN OUR AIR WAS UNFIT TO BREATHE …. AND I DON’T WANT TO REVISIT THOSE DAYS.’ Mark Brown casts a wary eye on Trump’s plans to shrink the Environmental Protection Agency.
■ On his trip to Asia, Secretary of State Tillerson (a.k.a. “Wayne Tracker”) has taken just one reporter—from a conservative website.
YAHOO HACK CHARGES. In the first U.S. charges against Russian government officials for cyber crime, the Justice Department is accusing Russian spies and hackers of hijacking half a billion Yahoo user accounts.
■ Yahoo’s new (male) CEO will make double what his (female) predecessor, Marissa Mayer, did.
‘THIS IS GROUNDBREAKING.’ Cook County Public Defender Amy Campanelli praises Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans’ order that arrested people get access to a lawyer when they’re taken to a police station, instead of at their bail hearing—often after they’ve made incriminating statements.
■ The ACLU slams departing U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon for what it labels a “blindsided attack.”
‘I’VE GOT TO BELIEVE … THEY’LL KEEP THEIR OPINION TO THEMSELVES.’ A Chicago alderman who protested a Board of Ethics decision to forbid aldermen from taking freebie World Series tickets says he doesn’t expect his colleagues to protest a similar ruling on tickets to the White Sox home opener.
‘THE RICHEST MAN IN TOWN.’ How a Morgan Park bar owner almost lost his business—until his friend at the record shop next door stepped in.
■ The Chicago Tribune’s parent company has bailed on a plan to buy Us Weekly.
HOW DEEP WAS YOUR SHOVE(L)? A roundup of snowfall totals across the Chicago area. (That's a Bee Gees joke, by the way.)
■ A woman stuck on snow-stalled Lake Shore Drive gave birth to a baby girl.
■ 3 1/2 feet in New York State.
TILL WE MEET AGAIN. Yesterday’s edition of Chicago Public Square mistakenly prepended an apostrophe before the word “till.” That was a mistake that Square will regret till the end of time.
■ Yesterday’s edition also misspelled “Canadian.” Thanks to reader Marty Berg.
■ If you catch an error in Square—no matter how trivial (we love trivial)—you, too, can see your name and a link to your web page here in pixels. Email StopMessingUp@ChicagoPublicSquare.com.