An ‘absolutely brutal’ tweet / Vaccines and the unborn / Muffins, man

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An ‘absolutely brutal’ tweet. Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger burned his scandal-scarred colleague Matt Gaetz on Twitter last night.

■ The backdrop (updating coverage): Trump-rebuking Rep. Liz Cheney’s ouster from her No. 3 slot on the party’s House leadership team.
■ See her defiant speech last night.

‘He was riding so fast.’ The driver of a car involved in the bicycling death of renowned architect Helmut Jahn talks to Aurora’s Beacon-News.
■ Chicago’s transportation commissioner is embracing the notion of raised bike lanes.

Droning on. In what Gizmodo calls “a bombshell new report,” the Sun-Times says Chicago police launched a secret drone program using untraceable money seized in criminal investigations …
■  … a thing revealed in that hack of City Hall email …
■  … which also showed City Hall failed to update Little Village neighbors on demolition work at the old Crawford coal plant—even though Mayor Lightfoot promised to after last April’s dust disaster.
■ A community activist blames Lightfoot’s “personal vendettas” for her decision to block his plans for a West Side youth center.
■ Lightfoot’s considering following other big cities’ lead with an ordinance that would take existing pollution into account when considering a location for new polluters.

Vaccines and the unborn. A Northwestern University study of placentas from women who received COVID-19 vaccines adds evidence they’re safe in pregnancy.
■ Uber and Lyft will offer free rides to and from vaccination sites.
■ Stephen Colbert: “This is great … for any Uber drivers who’ve thought, ‘I love working during the pandemic but I just wish there was a way to make sure that 100% of my passengers were unvaccinated.’”
■ Guess which party’s governors fared better in university professors’ study of statewide pandemic infection and death rates.

Disabilities disappointment. The Tribune: Gov. Pritzker’s budget falls far short of a federal court decree’s mandate for sufficient services to residents with intellectual and developmental challenges.

Gas pain. As drivers get nervous about the cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline, gasoline prices are creeping up across the country.
■ Linked to the hack: A “Ransomware-as-a-Service network”—yes, that’s a thing—known as DarkSide.
■ Sure, now: Colonial’s posted a job opening for a “cybersecurity manager.”

‘Explain to our best friends … why they deserve an ambassador whose idea of diplomacy is to send a pollster a dead fish.’ Patch columnist Mark Konkol hopes President Biden backs down from his plan to send ex-Mayor Rahm Emanuel to Japan.
■ A professor expert in Japanese politics says Japan may be wary of “Emanuel’s temperament.”
■ The Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet: “Emanuel would likely find enough GOP support to get him through even if a few Democratic senators drop off.”

Muffins, man. The Sun-Times’ Neil Steinberg is very excited about a change in the packaging for Bays English Muffins.
■ The vegan chain Stand-Up Burgers opens today in Lakeview, offering free meals to the first 300 customers.

‘Young people should be allowed to wear their hair the way they want.’ The first Black person to represent his North Side area in the Illinois Senate is introducing a bill to keep Illinois schools from using dress codes to discriminate against hairstyles.
■ Your Square columnist is down with that (2016 link) …
■  … because of this (1971 newspaper clip).

Chicago Public Square supports Public Narrative.
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Correction. Yesterday’s Square mistakenly referred to U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell as “majority leader.” Reader Pam Spiegel was first to note that McConnell’s Republican Party is no longer in the Senate majority: “I’m not surprised you still think he’s in charge. He thinks so too.”

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