TRUMP TROLLS DEMOCRATS. The president this morning tweeted his endorsement of a book with (almost) no words.
■ In Georgia, a Democratic candidate for Congress is outpolling 17 others in tomorrow’s election—despite an attack ad showing him dressed as a Star Wars character.
■ Trump’s tweeting against him, too.
■ In one of Trump’s “swing districts,” voters are wondering when the “winning” begins.
■ Bernie Sanders, still not a Democrat, is gaining power within the party.
PENCE’S THREAT. In South Korea, Vice President Mike Pence points to the U.S. bombing of Syria under President Trump and warns “North Korea would do well not to test his resolve.”
■ NBC: Meet U.S. soldiers on the front line if war breaks out in North Korea.
■ Trump campaigned against the idea of U.S. troops in Syria, but his national security adviser reportedly has other ideas.
■ Matthew Yglesias in Vox: Trump’s big problem is he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
■ Journalist Dan Rather to Trump: “Dropping bombs … doesn’t make one presidential.”
■ Axios analyzes Trump’s Twitter feed to identify the countries he most loves to trash-tweet.
BUT THE DECISION TO HIJACK JUST 51% OF THE VOTE SEEMS DOWNRIGHT DEMURE. An impartial EU observer has labeled the referendum vote to give Turkey’s president far-reaching new power and tenure “unfair and unfree.”
■ The observation team slams Turkey’s unlevel media environment.
ODD PICK FOR A ‘PROGRESSIVE.’ The Sun-Times’ Dan Mihalopoulos is puzzled by gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker’s decision to meet with a shady suburban politician.
■ The AP’s close look finds Gov. Rauner’s proposed budget cuts don’t amount to much, but more than half would hit the budgets of the state’s already-battered universities.
■ A former alderman celebrates the legacy of Chicago’s first black mayor—who would have turned 95 Saturday.
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES Dept. Amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, anecdotal evidence suggests immigrants are failing to pay their taxes this year.
■ Why you get three extra days to file this year.
■ How to file for an extension.
■ When it’s safe to toss those old tax records.
THE ECONOMIST WHO MIGHT HAVE SAVED UNITED ALL THAT GRIEF.
The forced removal of a United Airlines passenger might have been avoided had the government and the industry fully embraced the work of Julian Simon, who advanced “An Almost Practical Solution to Airline Overbooking” in 1977—right around the time Simon, then a University of Illinois prof, asked your then-graduate-student Square proprietor to help edit one of his papers. (But Simon is more famous for a legendary bet.)
■ United, American and Delta have adopted more passenger-friendly bumping policies.
■ On Saturday, United kicked off a couple flying to their wedding.
STARBUCKS BARRELING IN? Real estate sources tell the Tribune Starbucks is considering opening a massive new Roastery—“a hybrid of coffee shop, tourist attraction and educational experience”—in the North Michigan Avenue space now occupied by Crate & Barrel. (Photo: Seattle Roastery, by Jeff Wilcox.)
■ Crate & Barrel’s CEO is out.
WAS IT BETTER THE SECOND TIME? Friday’s Chicago Public Square email inadvertently included the full content of that edition twice. Square regrets the duplication, but it did give you a chance to see what you missed the first time, right?