Trump’s Chicago threat. In what the Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet says would signal “a dramatic escalation” of tension between President Trump and Mayor Lightfoot, the president and his administration have suggested they’ll send federal agents into Chicago for a military-style crackdown on protests and gun violence …
■ … similar to what’s spookily happened in Portland, where images show “unidentified military-looking men taking protesters off the streets … and into unmarked vans” …
■ … and whose mayor says the feds “are not wanted here. … In fact, we want them to leave.”
■ A Chicago alderman blames the second round of vandalism at his office on “gangs still trying … to intimidate me.”
■ Chicago’s weekend violence tally: At least 70 shot, 10 fatally.
What if he won’t go? The president declined to tell Fox News host Chris Wallace he’ll surrender the White House if Joe Biden wins the November election: “I’m not just going to say yes. I’m not going to say no.”
■ The transcript’s here.
■ The president’s defense secretary may be developing a spine.
■ At Chicago’s Trump Tower, property prices have fallen hard.
Under investigation. Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability is reviewing video showing a police SUV driving on a sidewalk into a protester outside Lightfoot’s home.
■ Cops also allegedly assaulted at least two journalists covering protests Friday: A CBS 2 reporter and a Block Club Chicago photographer*.
■ Also injured—with broken teeth—in a cop encounter Friday: Teen activist Miracle Boyd …
■ … for whom a GoFundMe campaign raised almost $84,000.
‘Strike for Black Lives.’ Workers in Chicago and dozens of other cities were set to walk off the job today to protest systemic racism and economic inequality.
■ Updating coverage: At noon in each time zone, protesters planned to take a knee for about eight minutes.
■ In a decision under consideration for weeks, The Associated Press says it will keep lowercasing white in racial, ethnic and cultural senses: “Capitalizing the term white, as is done by white supremacists, risks subtly conveying legitimacy to such beliefs.”
Illinois’ ‘growing unease.’ Researchers tell the Tribune an upward creep in COVID-19 cases and positive test results suggests that, without some course adjustments, the state may face another deadly surge.
■ The Washington Post: “The United States may be heading toward a new spasm of wrenching economic shutdowns or to another massive spike in preventable deaths from COVID-19—or both.”
■ Vox: “America is sleepwalking toward economic catastrophe.”
■ The New York Times: “The roots of the nation’s current inability to control the pandemic can be traced to mid-April.”
Special guest. Ex-Ohio Gov. John Kasich, whom you may remember as an also-ran in the last Republican presidential primary, is reportedly set to speak at next month’s Democratic National Convention.
■ Journalist and social media guru Scott Kleinberg: “None of the polls matter —the only thing that matters is your vote.”
Field of teams. Before an empty Wrigley Field, the Cubs and the Sox played baseball against one another Sunday …
■ CNN media writer Brian Lowry on that decision: “In an age when people are prone to yell ‘fake’ at anything they don’t like or agree with, consciously deceiving them—even in … a relatively benign way—is a bad idea.” (Bottom of CNN’s Reliable Sources email.)
‘Pants on fire!’ PolitiFact shoots down viral claims that U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said “only” 0.02% of kids would die if they returned to school.
■ HBO’s John Oliver has crafted a series of funny but sympathetic video public service announcements to share with your simple friends spreading unproven conspiracy theories. Among what you’ll find at thetruetruetruth.com: Straight but friendly talk from Alex Trebek, John Cena (doing a slow strip-tease), Paul Rudd, Catherine O’Hara and Billy Porter. (Note: The site has been periodically overwhelmed; be patient.)
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* Whom your Square publisher has known since his high school days; he took this photo in one lecture.