[Chicago Public Square is taking a sabbatical day Thursday. Back Friday. Details below.]
.jpg){kind=link}
■ The Intercept: U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski—whose race with challenger Marie Newman is one of at least five Illinois races the national media will be watching Tuesday—“raked in rail industry campaign dollars while delaying safety standards.”
■ Embattled Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios has lost a court fight to overturn ethics limits on campaign donations.
Rauner’s lies. Eric Zorn deconstructs the governor’s “relentlessly dishonest attack ads against his Republican challenger, Jeanne Ives.”
■ Ives backs the arming of school teachers to “harden” schools.
■ A Sun-Times editorial on Rauner’s veto of a bill to license gun dealers: “Politics won out over personal integrity.”
■ In a district Trump won by 20 points, the outcome is giving Republicans chills. (Photo: Conor Lamb for Congress.)
■ Matthew Yglesias in Vox: The Republican Party’s tailspin is “a terrible sign for America.”
‘You can leave class to flee being shot. But to prevent the next shooting? That’s a problem.’ Neil Steinberg takes aim at a suburban high school’s threat to discipline students who walk out of school to protest gun violence today.
■ Updating coverage of the walkout from the AP, CBS, CNN, BuzzFeed News and Reuters.
■ “Generation Z” is looking like a political force to be reckoned with.
■ A suburban gun range offering teachers free training says slots are filling quickly.
Wretched excesses.
■ Newly released email disputes Housing Secretary Ben Carson’s assertion he had no role in picking a $31,000 furniture set for his office—and, in fact, shows he and his wife picked the stuff out.
■ For some reason, EPA chief Scott Pruitt needed a soundproof phone booth in his office. It cost $43,000.
■ Late night comedians, including Trevor Noah, have digested Trump’s dismissal of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson: “Too bad Twitter wasn’t around when Trump ended his first two marriages. Back then, he had to do it by fax.”
■ Politico: Tillerson’s sacking left Chief of Staff John Kelly “yelling at a television screen aboard Air Force One as he took off for California with the president.”
■ He was no fan of Donald Trump.
■ Some of Hawking's most memorable quotes.
■ His life in pictures.
■ His death came on a notable date.
■ Mother Jones asks mathematicians: What’s the best number?
Elon Musk’s Onion shot. The guy behind PayPal, SpaceX and that Tesla to Mars has hired veterans of the Chicago-based The Onion to work on a secret new project. He tells The Daily Beast, “It’s pretty obvious that comedy is the next frontier after electric vehicles, space exploration, and brain-computer interfaces.”
■ The Onion last week: “Fetid, S__t-Covered Elon Musk Announces Plan To Revolutionize Nation’s Sewage System.”
Ravinia this summer. The new schedule is out, and the Tribune’s Kevin Williams has the rundown.
■ How a suburban high school grad made it into the Black Panther movie.
No Square Thursday. And other business.
■ Chicago Public Square will take a sabbatical day tomorrow for this. (Want Square on Amazon Echo devices?)
■ Touchingly attentive reader Mike Braden noted that the word “candidate” should have been “campaign” in yesterday’s Square.
■ Be first to report a goof in Square to MessedUp@ChicagoPublicSquare.com and see your name here.
■ Most-clicked link in yesterday’s edition—by far—was this one.
■ If you’re not enjoying Square, please say why. Email YouCouldDoBetter@ChicagoPublicSquare.com.
■ If you are enjoying Square, why not pledge a few pennies a day to keep it coming? Join the Legion of Chicago Public Squarians.
A Chicago Public Square advertiser.
