‘I didn’t do anything wrong.’ Kenosha gunman Kyle Rittenhouse took the stand in his own defense yesterday.
■ At one point, he cried so hard the judge called a break.
■ Esquire’s Charlie Pierce: “The judge gave the prosecution 15 minutes to find an expert to testify that something every baby’s grandma knows to be true is actually the way things are.”
■ Columnist Eric Zorn: “The prosecution is holding a weak hand.”
■ Watch today’s proceedings live here.
Uh-oh. For the first time in two months, the daily number of new COVID-19 cases in Illinois topped 5,000 …
■ … and the holiday season probably won’t help.
■ FiveThirtyEight asked kids how they’re handling the pandemic. The answer: Not so bad.
‘Desecration of history.’ Reader columnist Ben Joravsky eviscerates quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ defense of his failure to get vaccinated against COVID.
■ The Tribune’s Rex Huppke writes Rodgers’ next State Farm commercial: “I don’t have car insurance. It’s a personal decision.” (Cartoon: Keith J. Taylor.)
Gone. Another political victim of the Chicago Park District’s lifeguard-abuse scandal: The district’s politically connected board president, Avis LaVelle …
■ … who’s resigning just as the board’s next budget calls for a new Office of Protection to check out future such charges of abuse.
‘This is just the beginning!’ The Chicago woman handcuffed while naked and pleading for help during a botched police raid in 2019 celebrates Police Superintendent David Brown’s recommendation that the sergeant in charge be fired.
■ The Civilian Office of Police Accountability recommends others get the ax, too.
Free banking for your side hustle with Novo.
Novo is a Chicago Public Square advertiser.
‘Inflation is bad for the 1% but helps out almost everyone else.’ Jon Schwarz at The Intercept holds that “inflation panic” is designed to restore “an economy with higher unemployment, lower growth, and more frightened workers.”
■ A Harvard economist says “a sizeable chunk of the inflation we’re seeing is the inevitable result of coming out of the pandemic.”
■ The Conversation: Regardless, it’s here to stay.
Who needs a good doggie? Its capacity for care overwhelmed, the Anti-Cruelty Society is waiving adoption fees for pets through Sunday.
■ The UK has its first case of canine COVID-19.
First flakes. Chicago may see snow tomorrow for the first time this season.
■ Oil-rich Saudi Arabia faces charges it’s sabotaging UN climate negotiations.
■ The Onion: “Climate Summit Sets Ambitious Goal To Phase Out Fossil Fuels By Time Earth Runs Out Of Them.”
‘As good as finales get.’ Critic Aaron Barnhart recommends the closing episode of M*A*S*H—airing tonight on MeTV and available for streaming on Hulu—for your Veterans Day viewing.
■ President Biden marked the day with a pledge to help troops exposed to toxic environments …
■ … a problem Jon Stewart spotlighted in the premiere of his Apple TV+ series.
Square could have taken today off. But support from readers like you helps keep it coming. If you’re not already a member of the Legion of Chicago Public Squarians, today would be a great day to enlist.