‘Why are you shooting me?’ Chicago police body camera footage reveals the last words of a man shot as he fled the cops.
■ Ald. George Cardenas: “The guy didn’t look like he was a threat.”
■ The release is fueling aldermen’s contention that Mayor Lightfoot is “standing in the way of reform.”
■ A Tribune editorial on these videos: “We don’t want to watch them, but we also need to watch them.”
■ Columnist Irv Leavitt reflects on the Supreme Court’s endorsement of life sentences without parole for juveniles: “We can tell ourselves that we were very different from youthful killers. Maybe so. But few of us were little angels.” (Cartoon: Keith J. Taylor.)
Not so fast. An alderman says Mayor Lightfoot isn’t so hot on a plan up before a City Council committee today—to rename Lake Shore Drive in honor of Chicago founder Jean Baptiste Point DuSable …
■ … partly because the LSD name is “featured in a bunch of songs or commercials or TV shows and movies.”
‘Impressive, powerful, pitch-perfect.’ Columnist Neil Steinberg assesses President Biden’s address to the nation.
■ The New York Times has boiled Biden’s $4 trillion proposal down to one chart.
■ Among Biden’s themes: “Turning peril into possibility. Crisis into opportunity” …
■ … and, as Politico puts it, embracing “his inner Robin Hood.”
■ The Daily Beast: “Biden set out to sell one of the most liberal agendas in generations. … But this speech was by no means a plea for unity.”
■ In a rare live show, CBS’ Stephen Colbert rolled out a loooooong supercut of every time Biden said the word “jobs” …
■ … observing: “The oldest president of all time … two hundred people, all in masks. It hasn’t felt that normal in five years.”
■ Amplifying Biden’s optimistic messaging today: “Shopping And Shots Power An Economy Heading To Its Fastest Growth Since 1984” (NPR) and “U.S. Economy Appears to Be Lifting Off” (The Wall Street Journal).
Congress’ color problem. Rutgers research finds congressional internships go disproportionately to white students.
■ Chicago Public Schools students will get in-person graduation ceremonies this year—with limits.
Post-COVID psychosis. A new diagnosis, characterized by a descent into panic and despair, has researchers studying the possibility the novel coronavirus can directly damage the brain.
■ A University of Illinois historian calls for “memorials that recognize the suffering endured and mourn all of the lives lost in this tragic—and unequal—pandemic.”
Hospitals ranked. The Tribune says separate new assessments for safety and quality ding a number of Chicago hospitals, but praise Rush University Medical Center.
■ Find your hospital’s rating for safety in the nonprofit Leapfrog database …
■ … and for quality in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services database.
Electric restitution. WBEZ reports Gov. Pritzker’s calling for setting things right with Commonwealth Edison customers—refunding hundreds of millions in profits ill-gotten under a bribery scheme.
■ A former top lobbyist for ComEd’s parent company is getting fined for “grossly inappropriate” conduct.
Steppen back. Chicago’s acclaimed Steppenwolf Theatre Company plans a return to in-person performances for a new season at its new building.
■ Award-winning columnist and critic Dave Hoekstra surveys the “unprecedented collection of Illinois music history” he helped assemble at Springfield’s Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.
No beefs about no-beef. The Takeout rates Buona’s new limited-edition Plant-Based Italian Beefless “a marvel.”
■ The 2021 Michelin Guide gives stars to 24 Chicago joints—down one from last year.
■ McDonald’s faces a lawsuit filed by employee benefit funds over $56 million in severance and compensation paid to a scandal-scarred ex-CEO.
Reporters under assault. A new survey finds more than one in five U.S. TV newsrooms say their journalists were violently attacked last year.
■ Read the full report here.
Mailchimp crimp. The cost of sending Chicago Public Square, free, to a growing audience continues to rise. Today, Mailchimp upped Square’s rate by more than 20% ($253.95 more a year, to be precise). You can help keep this service coming with a contribution—one-time, monthly or yearly—in any amount.
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Thanks, Mike Braden, for making this edition better.