Romney’s secret. U.S. Senator Sen. and unsuccessful presidential candidate Mitt Romney admits (in French, no less) that he’s maintained a secret Twitter identity—under the name “Pierre Delecto”—to monitor political chatter and to support critics of Donald Trump.
■ Slate’s Ashley Feinberg explains how she cracked the case …
■ … and she’s asking you to email her if you know of other lawmakers’ secret social media accounts.
■ … but The Atlantic says even though “Trump has been steadily souring on Mulvaney for weeks,” he may have more job security than you’d think. (Cartoon: Reader “Best of Chicago” finalist—voting ends at noon today!—Keith J. Taylor.)
■ The Wall Street Journal: “The private Instagram account of Lev Parnas, a Ukrainian-American indicted for illegal campaign donations, appears to show VIP access to President Trump and a close relationship with Rudy Giuliani.”
■ Trump critic-turned-sycophant Sen. Lindsey Graham isn’t ruling impeachment out.
City Club raided. Chicago’s prestigious civic organization confirms a federal grand jury has subpoenaed it as part of an ongoing investigation of ComEd’s lobbying operation.
■ The club’s statement also unabashedly plugs its next speaker: Illinois’ attorney general.
‘This sends a bunch of good signals.’ A traffic-congestion consultant hails Mayor Lightfoot’s endorsement of what would be the nation’s highest city ride-share taxes …
■ … and a Tribune editorial cheers: The plan looks to be “good for the economy.”
■ The CTA’s warning riders to beware phone thefts on the Pink Line.
■ Bike stolen? WBEZ has a few tips for (maybe) getting it back.
Umoved. You’ll be lugging your holiday baggage through O’Hare more than otherwise might be the case this holiday season because renovation of the “people mover” is running even further behind schedule.
■ [Correcting this item] Want to
Strike 3. With Chicago teachers’ walkout now in its third school day, here’s where to find child care.
■ Follow developments through the day here.
Second chances.
■ JPMorgan Chase says it hopes to hire people who’ve done their time for crimes.
■ Almost 6,000 Chicagoans will be surprised this holiday season by letters declaring their medical debt forgiven.
Nailed. A couple of CEOs accused of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to get their kids admitted to universities as fake athletic recruits were set to plead guilty.
■ Three drug distributors and a drugmaker have cut a $260 million deal to settle a suit born of the opioid crisis …
■ … but Walgreens and others are still on the hook in more than 2,600 other lawsuits across the country.
■ The Sun-Times’ Neil Steinberg celebrates the city’s overlooked masterpieces south of Cermak Road, documented in a new book by journalist Lee Bey …
■ … whose immortality Steinberg previously secured by documenting this inspiring directive to writers and editors: “Read it like you hate me.”
‘Don’t flaunt your body―sexuality scrambles the mind.’ At the height of the #MeToo movement, HuffPost reports, the accounting firm Ernst & Young was training women how “to fit into a male-dominated workplace.”
■ A girls
Shhhhh. Ars Technica says a handful of Amazon- and Google-approved apps for Alexa and Google Home speakers have been weaponized to eavesdrop and steal your passwords.
■ Facebook wants to know which other apps you’re deleting from your phone.
■ Thanks to author and Chicago radio veteran John St. Augustine for turning a podcast spotlight on Chicago Public Square and the state of journalism.
■ Happy birthday to Square’s irrepressible breaking-news illustrator Keith J. Taylor. (Have you heard noon is the deadline for voting for him in the Reader’s Best of Chicago poll?)
■ Thanks for tips on making this edition better from readers Mike Braden, Mike Weiland and Mark Wukas.