Outage outrage. No region was crippled more than the Chicago area by yesterday’s coast-to-coast Comcast service failure …
(Cartoon: Keith J. Taylor.)
■ The outage was a reminder of the dangers of putting all of one’s telecom services in one basket (2005(!) link).
■ The company wasn't offering refunds, but don’t let that stop you from calling or messaging to request one …
■ … and don’t settle for less than $20.
‘A complete state of shock.’ Chicago radio personality, podcaster and political consultant Maze Jackson says he was carjacked yesterday.
■ Politico Illinois Playbook notes he’s not the only political player touched by Chicago violence in recent days.
‘We are in deep s***.’ NPR has landed a recording of National Rifle Association senior leadership’s meeting after the Columbine High School shooting in 1999.
■ Bracing for unrest after a verdict in Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial for murder in Kenosha, the Chicago Police Department has canceled days off through the weekend.
■ Rittenhouse was taking the stand this morning, and you can watch live.
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‘Your days are f‑‑‑‑‑‑ numbered.’ Reuters has tracked down—and shared appalling audio from—nine Trump supporters who terrified U.S. election officials, yet who so far have escaped consequences.
■ Republican Michigan Rep. Fred Upton has been threatened with death for his vote with Democrats to pass President Biden’s infrastructure bill.
‘Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.’ A federal judge says Donald Trump can’t invoke executive privilege to block President Biden’s release of Trump administration documents related to the Jan. 6 insurrection.
■ “The court holds that the public interest lies in permitting … the legislative and executive branches to study the events that led to and occurred on Jan. 6, and to consider legislation to prevent such events from ever occurring again.”
■ Read the ruling here.
■ Prince Harry says he warned Twitter’s CEO of trouble before Jan. 6.
■ An excerpt from ABC News Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl’s forthcoming book, Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show, introduces you to the “deputy president” who made the insurrection possible.
■ The Los Angeles Times’ Mark Barabak ponders the case of “Kamala Harris, the incredible disappearing vice president.”
COVID rising. Axios Chicago explains why the city’s pandemic caseload has been growing.
■ But the news is good for Arkansans looking to visit here.
■ The Atlantic’s Alexis Madrigal: “I was ultracareful for 18 months. Then I got COVID.”
Brian Williams bails. He’s leaving NBC—and MSNBC—at the end of the year, but he vows to “pop up again somewhere.”
■ CNN’s Brian Stelter: “MSNBC has a talent problem.”
Like Twitter, but it costs money. If you pay $2.99 a month, a new service from the company lets you undo your tweets …
■ … but only if you act within 30 seconds.
Novo is a Square advertiser.
Chicago’s first clout? The hybrid novel-and-1972-Chicago primer Roseland, Chicago: 1972 takes a detour into the story of John Kinzie—who may also have been the city’s first murderer.
■ A new online tool lets Chicagoans try their hands at drawing new ward boundaries based on the 2020 census …
■ … and then send the results to all the city’s aldermen.
■ Start here.
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