‘The myth of white Americans’ prosperity, powered by ingenuity and self-reliance, leaves a lot out.’ Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver dissects the nation’s history of racist housing regulation …
■ … noting that some U.S. communities technically still have laws against home sales to people of color …
■ … and making the case for reparations—praising Evanston’s “real attempt to both acknowledge and redress” the wrongs of the past.
■ Block Club Chicago: A year after Chicago’s Columbus statues went away, local artists want to rethink the way governments memorialize people.
‘I’m unapologetic.’ Two months later, Mayor Lightfoot—in a chat with The New York Times’ Kara Swisher*—stands by her controversial decision to grant anniversary interviews just with journalists of color …
■ … but acknowledges, “It’s a tough time to be mayor.”
■ The Sun-Times: Nearly a year into Lightfoot’s anti-violence plan, “Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhoods are doing worse.”
■ From Friday night through Sunday in Chicago, more than 70 people were shot—12 fatally.
‘Despite threats of retribution … I’ve accepted.’ Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger’s agreed to serve on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.
■ Politico: The Illinois Republican Party’s refusal to comment publicly on Kinzinger’s decision “is an indication that the party is still grappling with how to juggle the far-right Trump supporters” with those “appalled at the insurrectionists.”
‘The FBI director set up a phony tip line for people to report information about [then-Supreme Court nominee] Brett Kavanaugh … then covered it up for two years and he’s still the FBI director.’ Popular Information proprietor Judd Legum is perplexed.
■ That’s more than 4,500 tips down the garbage chute, by the way.
‘The nation depends on it.’ A coalition of professional organizations representing doctors, nurses and other medical professionals wants COVID-19 vaccines required for all health care workers.
■ With the virulent delta variant ascendant, Dr. Anthony Fauci says the government is considering recommending even the vaccinated return to wearing masks.
■ The New York Times: “America is one of the few countries with enough vaccines at its disposal to protect every resident—and yet it has the highest rates of vaccine hesitance or refusal of any nation except Russia.”
‘What could possibly go wrong?’ Columnist Michael Rosenbaum shares cautionary notes about workers’ return to the office.
■ The Tribune: Companies are wrestling with how—and how differently—to treat the unvaccinated.
■ A Sun-Times editorial: The pandemic has strengthened the case for a four-day workweek at the same rate of pay.
Lollaprudence. Headed to Lollapalooza, despite the potential health risk? Here’s what to expect.
■ University of Chicago epidemiologist Dr. Emily Landon to Lolla-goers: “Assume you’ve been exposed” and get tested afterward.
■ An Ohio State University epidemiology professor answers questions about traveling with unvaccinated kids.
‘Del would appreciate his providing a place for the pigeons.’ Ahead of the release this week of a docudrama about his friend, the late improvisational comedy icon Del Close, Chicagoan in absentia Mike Gold calls for the city to build a statue of Close near Second City.
■ A Comic-Con panel via YouTube over the weekend explored Close’s legacy as a comic book creator.** (Cartoon: Keith J. Taylor.)
Jeopardy! Geordi. More than eight years after declaring his desire to take over for Alex Trebek, LeVar Burton gets a shot this week …
■ … and NPR says he’s a favorite to get the job permanently …
■ … partly on the strength of a Change.org petition with more than a quarter of a million signatures.
‘Ben & Jerry’s is not boycotting Israel. It is refusing to sell ice cream in the West Bank.’ Chicago newsletter author Steve Sheffey reviews the cold facts.
■ Bloomberg: Ben & Jerry’s is giving its parent company, Unilever, a bellyache.
■ The Washington Post: The Ben & Jerry’s story is distracting the world from Israel’s spyware scandal.
■ A University of California, Berkeley researcher warns that the internet is more vulnerable than you might think.
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* Hear a 1998 interview with Swisher in Chicago here.
** Gold and Close’s co-conspirator John Ostrander blew up your Square columnist in the comics in 1990.
