Square’s taking a few days off; back Monday, an hour later than usual for a few days in a row. Meanwhile, get breaking news and other updates by following Square on Facebook and Twitter.
Benched for ‘b__ch.’ A Cook County judge accused of describing a female prosecutor with an obscenity and suggesting he’d engaged in sex with her has been relieved of his responsibilities.
■ With a month to go, voter registration in Chicago’s suburbs is already at a record level.
■ Before the Tribune editorial board, the candidates for Illinois attorney general debated the Republican candidate’s views on abortion and same-sex marriage.
Sworn support. Lawyers for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser have sent the Senate Judiciary Committee signed declarations from four people corroborating her account of sexual assault …
■ … but the committee has scheduled a vote for Friday, less than 24 hours after it will have heard testimony …
■ … even as some of his fellow Harvard Law profs and a Mormon women’s group join the ranks of those calling for a fuller investigation …
■ … and his Yale classmates recall him as a “sloppy drunk.”
■ An Illinois panel’s recommendations for ending harassment within political campaigns include “Don’t drink too much” and “Don’t ask a fellow campaign worker out a second time if you’ve already been rejected.”
Just dessert. TMZ reports the first meal served in prison to ex-pudding pitchman Bill Cosby, sentenced to up to 10 years for sexual assault, included … pudding.
■ Effective in January, Dunkin’ Donuts will be just “Dunkin’.”
■ The Washington Post fact-checked his speech and—surprise!—found it wanting.
■ The Guardian’s Julian Borger: “Trump is unlikely to forgive the laughter.”
■ Satire from The New Yorker’s Andy Borowitz: “Trump Brags That He Got Much Bigger Laughs at U.N. Than Obama.”
■ The Onion: “Everyone At U.N. Watching Trump Speak Can’t Believe They Used To Consider U.S. A Superpower.” (Cartoon: Keith Taylor.)
■ The “Baby Trump” blimp is coming to Chicago for a Women’s March Chicago voting rally Oct. 13.
■ Through Sunday, a Daley Plaza exhibit spotlights the hardships faced by refugees forced from their homes around the world.
A Chicago Public Square advertiser. Your ad here.
Obama Foundation secrecy. The organization building the ex-president’s memorial complex has stopped identifying its megadonors, even as it spends big bucks on salaries and bonuses.
■ Trump lawyer and former presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani posed for a photo with a white nationalist candidate.
‘Requiring the pledge to be recited at the start of every school day has the laudable result of fostering respect for our flag and a patriotic love of our country.’ Texas’ attorney general, up for reelection, told a court a black girl has to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
■ A coalition of subversive religious investors has forced the parent company of gunmaker Smith & Wesson to produce a safety report.
Instagram’s drug problem. The Post says it’s become an “open marketplace for advertising illegal drugs.”
■ Its founders are quitting the parent company, Facebook—marking what The Verge calls “the end of Instagram as we know it.”
Announcements.
■ Want to celebrate Chicago’s “heroes of medicine”? Chicago Public Square has some free tickets (value: $85) to the Halo Awards the evening of Oct. 25 at the Merchandise Mart. If you’d like to attend, email Halo@ChicagoPublicSquare.com, specifying whether you’d like one ticket or two.
■ If you’re reading this by email—as you should—you’ll note some characters in recent editions have been garbled, like this: —. It’s a MailChimp problem the company says it’s working to address.