TRUMP’S LINES CROSSED. Asked whether the chemical attack in Syria has crossed a red line (like President Obama’s red line), President Trump said it “crosses many, many lines.”
■ Commentary in The Guardian: Trump’s “sudden discovery of his conscience on Syria is profoundly disturbing.”
■ Human rights has been fading as an issue on Trump’s watch.
AND HE MIGHT’VE GOTTEN AWAY WITH IT, TOO, IF IT WEREN’T FOR THOSE BLASTED, MEDDLING LEFT-WING ACTIVIST GROUPS.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes has agreed to step down from a probe into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and its interactions with the Trump campaign. But he made clear he wouldn’t be leaving if “left-wing activist groups” hadn’t filed accusations against him with the Office of Congressional Ethics.
■ Politico: Trump’s son-in-law was a factor in Steve Bannon’s ouster from the National Security Council.
■ Bannon on rumors he’s ready to quit: “I love a gunfight.”
■ A Trump supporter’s undocumented husband has been deported.
■ As scandal unfolds, Bill O’Reilly’s ratings on Fox News are up.
ILLINOIS GOVERNOR RACE GETTING CROWDED. Billionaire entrepreneur J.B. Pritzker’s reportedly ready today to announce his candidacy as a Democrat.
■ Chris Kennedy says he’s amassed a campaign war chest that dwarfs those of other previously declared Democratic candidates.
■ Democratic lawmakers are heading for an education and human services budget showdown with Gov. Rauner.
■ Donald Trump Jr. is talking about running for governor in New York.
EX-TOP COP FOR MAYOR? Ex-Police Supt. Garry McCarthy tells WLS-AM “a lot of people” are pushing him to run.
■ Nearly 20 suburban mayors lost their seats Tuesday.
■ Tribune editorial: Voters took some baby steps toward shrinking local governments.
The Chicago Architecture Foundation has created a 144-page graphic novel exploring the past, present and future of Chicago’s built environment. Now it’s running a Kickstarter drive to put the book in the hands of thousands of the city’s schoolkids.
■ The Midwest’s new top destination for visitors is …
‘MY FAMILY WAS REALLY TURNED OFF BY THE HIGH SCHOOL CHOICE PROCESS.’ A Chicago woman who’s led efforts to improve Chicago Public Schools says her family’s moving to Evanston.
■ School board election results in one suburb may be “a sign that the public is starting to understand” transgender issues.
■ The Sun-Times’ Mark Brown on Mayor Emanuel’s plan to add a new requirement for graduating Chicago high school seniors: “The last thing students need is another meaningless bureaucratic hurdle.”
RICKETTSVILLE. The Reader takes a closer look at how the family that owns the Cubs is remaking the whole Wrigley Field neighborhood.
■ The Tribune’s Steve Rosenbloom on the NHL’s decision to skip the 2018 Olympics: “Olympic hockey is not NHL hockey. It’s a bunch of nationalistic fantasy lineups.”
■ Chicago is about to become the center of the hockey universe.
■ The Chicago March for Science April 22 has a route.