'They wanted it so badly' / CTA strike? / Bad news, good news

‘THEY WANTED IT SO BADLY.’ The Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and then-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort last year tells NBC News that they seemed to be “longing” for information on the Democratic National Committee.
■ Monday night’s fresh revelation: Trump Jr. learned in an email beforehand that the meeting was indeed part of a Russian government effort to aid his father’s candidacy.
■ Mike Allen in Axios: “If The New York Times knows all this, imagine what [special counsel] Bob Mueller knows.”
■ Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah explain Trump Jr.’s problems.
■ Fox News apologizes for a mistake that triggered a tweet from President Trump (also mistaken).

‘THERE’S BEEN NOTHING COMPASSIONATE ABOUT RAUNER’S REIGN.’ And the Sun-Times’ Mark Brown says the governor’s selection of hard-liner Kristina Rasmussen as his new chief of staff suggests “we ain’t seen nothing yet.”
■ Capitol Fax: “An even sharper turn right“ ahead.

CTA STRIKE? Union members who run and maintain the trains have indicated they’re willing to walk, but the CTA says the contract forbids it.
■ Marking its 70th anniversary, the CTA is displaying three vintage buses at Daley Plaza.
■ In Los Angeles, a subway dig has uncovered Ice Age fossils.

FOR THE SUN-TIMES, ‘A BIG STEP.’ An investment group led by former Chicago Ald. Edwin Eisendrath and a coalition of labor unions says it’s nailed down enough cash to buy the paper.
■ Amazon is doubling the size of its Chicago office.
■ An 80-story tower is on the drawing board for Chicago’s Lakefront East neighborhood.
■ The Chicago-based True Value hardware chain is considering selling itself.

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‘IT’S ABSOLUTELY AWFUL.’ Breaking a long silence, a National Rifle Association spokeswoman condemns the police killing of a black man who had a permit to carry a gun.
■ How a dark NRA ad led a member to quit.

ADDRESSING A BURNING DESIRE. As the number of Catholics choosing cremation grows, the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago has opened its first cremation garden.
■ The Catholic Church says no to gluten-free communion.

BAD NEWS, GOOD NEWS.
■ A new report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says the sixth mass extinction in Earth’s history is under way—a “biological annihilation” that is worse than previously predicted and that represents a “frightening assault on the foundations of human civilization.”
■ But: Free Slurpees today, because it’s 7/11. Also free ice cream and chicken sandwiches—if you’re willing to download an app or dress like a cow.

KERMIT’S NEW VOICE. For the first time in 27 years, someone new will speak for the most famous Muppet—originally voiced by the late Muppets creator Jim Henson.
■ Five things Disney, Star Wars and Marvel fans hope to learn at this week’s D23 convention.

CORRECTION. Yesterday’s Square promotional notice erroneously used the word “listenership” instead of “readership.” Old radio habits die hard.