Oprah: Noprah. In an interview with InStyle (clarification: conducted three weeks before her acclaimed Golden Globes acceptance speech), Winfrey kills talk of a presidential run: “That’s not for me.”
Swamp things.
■ A 24-year-old appointed to a senior role in the White House’s drug policy office is quitting after lying about his resume.
■ An ex-Obama administration Justice Department lawyer faces sentencing for offering to sell secret U.S. whistleblower lawsuits to the companies that were the complaint targets.
■ ProPublica: “The Red Cross forced out an executive over sexual harassment—then helped him land a job at Save the Children.”
‘I don’t typically defend him.’ But Democrat Al Gore is defending Trump’s decision to slap tariffs on foreign-made solar panels—a decision that Gore rates “not an utter catastrophe.”
■ The Tribune’s libertarian-leaning Steve Chapman: Trump’s ignoring “a mountain of evidence that protectionism doesn’t work.”
■ The conservative National Review: “This is a mistake.”
■ Updating coverage: What Trump’s up to today.
‘A clear middle finger to the Republican-controlled FCC.’ Gizmodo reports New York’s governor has signed an executive order requiring that state agencies purchase internet service only from providers who agree to abide by the neutrality rules the FCC tossed out.
■ Twitter has locked the accounts of some Trump supporters—and maybe a lot of ’bots—after they tweeted a hashtag linked to Russian propaganda.
■ That’s the closest to midnight the clock has been since 1953.
‘There’s definitely a potential conflict of interest.’ Ethics experts see a problem with powerful Chicago Ald. Ed Burke’s decision to shelve property tax increases for owners of buildings his law firm represents.
■ Appearing before the Tribune editorial board, Cook County Board presidential candidates Toni Preckwinkle and Bob Fioretti split on support for embattled County Assessor Joe Berrios.
■ In a separate Trib endorsement session, Illinois attorney general candidate Kwame Raoul took flak for taking campaign money from tobacco companies.
■ Columnist Mark Brown: Before the Sun-Times editorial board, U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski spent “most of the hour on the defensive” against challenger Marie Newman, who described him as out of step with the party on abortion rights, immigration and gay rights.
Longer Divvy rides. Under a new fare scheme, Chicago’s bike-sharing service will raise its single-ride time limit for members to 45 minutes and offer single-day passes that grant tourists and others rides of up to three hours.
■ The Great Wolf Lodge chain of water park resorts has set a July opening date for its first Illinois outpost—with discounts for stays through the end of the year.
■ A lawsuit over pollution pits the City of Chicago and Lake Michigan surfers vs. U.S. Steel.
Tackle ban for kids? Illinois lawmakers will get a plan to outlaw tackle football for kids under 12.
■ USA Today sports columnist Jarrett Bell: NFL’s new social justice campaign rings hollow without Colin Kaepernick.
■ After a “death warrant” sentence for a Michigan State University faculty member accused of multiple sex crimes against girls, including Olympic gymnasts, a state attorney general expressed gratitude: “Thank God we had these journalists.”
‘Student Run. No Censorship.’ When their high school deleted their article on a teacher’s firing, students bought a web domain and published the story themselves.
■ … almost as if they’d heard your Square publisher’s lecture last spring: “If your school kills your student newspaper, you can keep going. Cheap.”
■ As the Tribune plans to leave its landmark Tribune Tower home, plans have surfaced for what could be Chicago’s third-tallest skyscraper right behind it.
■ Hollywood Reporter’s review of filmmaker Steve James’ docu-series about Oak Park and River Forest High School: “America to Me will end up being one of the year’s best shows of any kind.”
Correction. Yesterday’s Square omitted the word “stores” in the phrase “Up to 182 Toys R Us across the country.” Illinois’ self-proclaimed “blogger laureate,” John Ruberry, was first to spot the mistake.