‘There will be a reckoning.’ Mayor Lightfoot pledges consequences for Chicago cops caught on surveillance video literally lying down on the job for hours—and snacking on popcorn—in Congressman Bobby Rush’s office as violence swept the neighborhood early June 1.
■ Politico: “It’s the first time Lightfoot and Rush have appeared together in harmony since … Rush warned that ‘the blood of the next young black man or black woman who is killed by police’ would be a result of Lightfoot’s law-enforcement policies.”
■ Rush now: “This is the era of Lori Lightfoot.”
■ Tribune columnist John Kass: “I wish Lightfoot had thoroughly investigated this one before she torched the cops.”
■ Chicagoans demanding more civilian oversight of the police plan a march this evening from the Town Hall police station to two aldermen’s offices.
■ A Chicago cop has provided a temporary home for a couple that had been stranded at O’Hare.
■ The Sun-Times’ Mary Mitchell: “No matter what a good cop does, a bad cop shows up.”
Other towns, other cops. A Bloomingdale police officer who’s also a DuPage County Board member faces discipline for “liking” a Facebook post advocating that “a few rioters are shot dead.”
■ The Trib reports that Joliet’s mayor, under fire for mixing it up with protesters last month, was suspended seven times for a total of 49 days in his former role as a Joliet cop.
■ The Minneapolis officer accused of murdering George Floyd could get $1 million in pension benefits even if he’s convicted.
Supporting the president may be hazardous to your health. Those who want to attend Donald Trump’s Tulsa rally on Juneteenth have to sign a disclaimer agreeing not to sue the campaign if they catch COVID-19.
■ A Tulsa police commander: “We’re shooting African Americans about 24 percent less than we probably ought to.”
■ In Dallas to talk about race and policing, Trump excluded the county’s three top law enforcement officials, who are all black.
■ Chicago-area communications consultant Elizabeth Austin in Washington Monthly: “I threw away my copy of Gone With the Wind.”
‘An attack against … the last hope for justice.’ The International Criminal Court, established to prosecute war crimes and genocide, condemns President Trump’s decision to retaliate economically against court officials investigating the U.S. without his administration’s permission.
■ A Northwestern law prof and former U.S. ambassador at large for war crimes calls Trump’s order “predicted and destructive.”
■ Above the Law senior editor Joe Patrice jokes darkly: “Trump Seeks New Solicitor General For Inevitable Supreme Court Case Canceling Election.”
Coronavirus caution. A graphic photo shows the irreversible damage COVID-19 did to the lungs of an otherwise healthy woman in her 20s—who has now undergone a historic double lung transplant in Chicago.
■ A review by Kaiser Health News and The Associated Press finds at least 27 state and local health leaders have resigned, retired or been fired since April across 13 states—many because of political backlash for sticking to the science.
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Your tax dollars at work. Or not. The Sun-Times says a Cook County agency under investigation for insider deals isn’t explaining big bonuses for its boss.
■ The county’s committed $40 million to launch a program to contact people who’ve encountered COVID-19 patients.
Facebook fiasco. A pitch for a Facebook-oriented workplace communications tool similar to Slack offered bosses the chance to blacklist words like “unionize”—until Facebook’s own workers cried foul.
■ Starbucks, which has tweeted its commitment to the notion that “black lives matter,” is forbidding employees from wearing clothing asserting that black lives matter. (Update, 11:20 a.m.: Policy reversed.)
■ The NFL is putting some money where its mouth is: $250 million over the next 10 years to “support the battle against the ongoing and historic injustices faced by African-Americans.”
Song of the day. Chicago singer-songwriter Wyatt Waddell wrote and produced his protest anthem, FIGHT!, in just 24 hours.
■ Last night’s tribute to the late John Prine—now streaming free on the web—was followed by release of his last recorded song, I Remember Everything.
The Free Speech Center and Chicago Public Square
encourage Americans to reflect
on the First Amendment’s value—particularly during crises.
Thanks to Angela Mullins, Mike Braden and Janean Bowersmith for making this edition better.