‘The presidential case for Pritzker.’ Gawker argues for a national run by Illinois’ governor …
■ … citing, among other things, a host of anonymous pro-Pritzker meme accounts on Twitter …
■ … and dismissing his “glaring shortcomings”—including “several stupid scandals,” like this one from 2018.
‘One day not long from now the older kid will kiss the baby on its little perfect baby head and your heart will melt through your torso and run down your leg whoops you peed.’ Columnist Bess Kalb offers nine things people considering having a second child should know.
■ Illinois’ general election is getting more interesting, with an influx of ex-Democrats opting to run as Republicans after primary races that drew no candidates (middle of today’s Politico Illinois Playbook) …
■ … but the Reader’s Ben Joravsky says Trump and his acolytes run Illinois’ Republican Party.
Well, their first name is ‘Secret.’ The Homeland Security Office of Inspector General says Secret Service agents deleted text messages sent and received around the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
■ The Intercept: “The erasure took place shortly after oversight officials requested the agency’s electronic communications.”
■ A group of prominent conservatives—including retired federal judges—has issued a 72-page report rebutting Donald Trump’s 2020 election bullshit …
■ … but Esquire’s Charlie Pierce is unimpressed: “One lousy GOP factcheck can’t paper over decades of anti-democratic engineering.”
‘Oh my God this is gruesome.’ The Sun-Times’ new editor tells Poynter’s Kelly McBride how she reached a decision to publish a photo of Highland Park massacre victims.
■ Illinois Sen.—and 23-year military veteran—Tammy Duckworth took to the Senate floor yesterday to praise semi-automatic rifles as “weapons of the battlefield,” but to demand their ban for civilians because they “have no business being on our streets and in our schools.”
■ BuzzFeed News: A mile-long procession of buses dubbed “The NRA Children’s Museum” carried items from school shooting victims to Sen. Ted Cruz’s house.
■ Patch columnist Mark Konkol: “Our state leaders continue to ignore a leading cause of Chicago’s shooting problem—extreme poverty in neighborhoods forsaken by corporate America and neglected by government leaders.”
‘Hypercontagious.’ The Mayo Clinic says the BA.5 omicron subvariant of COVID-19—now the most prevalent U.S. strain—is four times more resistant to vaccines.
■ Cases and hospitalizations are way up in Chicago and Cook County.
■ COVID cases are skyrocketing at Walgreens test sites across the country.
■ Axios Chicago’s Justin Kaufmann: “It’s hard to understand why the city and state are relaxing the sparse COVID restrictions we have in place when it’s pretty clear the new variants are wreaking havoc.”
‘As many women who have had babies as a result of rape, we would hope that she would understand.’ The general counsel for the anti-abortion group National Right to Life tells Politico the law should have forbidden a 10-year-old Ohio girl from crossing state lines for an abortion.
■ Columnist Lyz Lenz’s Dingii of the Week include politicians and a Washington Post journalist who cast doubt on the original report of the girl’s plight.
■ A news ethicist: The incident shows that political punditry often moves faster than journalism and that journalists are caught responding to the punditry.
■ Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch runs down ways Americans angry over abortion rights and guns can turn that rage into a mass movement.
‘One day not long from now the older kid will kiss the baby on its little perfect baby head and your heart will melt through your torso and run down your leg whoops you peed.’ Columnist Bess Kalb offers nine things people considering having a second child should know.
■ Neil Steinberg reviews The Daily Show host Trevor Noah’s 2016 memoir, Born a Crime, and pronounces Noah’s mother “the hero of the story.”
Cubs sued. The federal government accuses the team of shorting disabled people when it renovated Wrigley Field.
■ A fan who uses a wheelchair: “They should have improved the handicap seats instead of making them worse.”
Paper travails. Business Insider: “The price of paper has doubled this year and publishers are freaking out.”
■ The paper shortage is crippling voter registration efforts and threatening the fall election’s integrity.
■ Axios: Gas prices are falling and gas stations are disappearing.
‘The most popular cable replacement service by far.’ Cord Cutter Weekly columnist Jared Newman explains why, “for folks who are figuring out how to cut the cord, YouTube TV is now the obvious starting point” …
■ … and he adds: “As live sports coverage gradually unbundles, and free alternatives to cable news abound, customers are recognizing that they’re being ripped off and opting not to pay for any cable channels at all.”
■ The Hollywood Reporter sees “cable and satellite options on the decline.”
■ Wordle’s going to be a board game.
Attention, coneheads. The Museum of Ice Cream opens today in Tribune Tower …
■ … but it’s not the only one in the world.
■ Planning a wedding? You could win one on Michigan Avenue.
Clarification. Yesterday’s Chicago Public Square identified the Marshall Field’s building on State Street as “occupied at ground level by Macy’s.” Reader Michael Weiland found that misleading because, in his words, “Macy’s occupies everything from the basement level through the 7th floor. … The food court on 7 is one of the better options for a Loop lunch; I wish it was still open on weekends.”
■ Mike’s a member of the Legion of Chicago Public Squarians, whose support keeps this service free for all. If you’d like to join, here’s how—for as little as $1, one-time …
■ … although if you pledge at least $10 a month—about 50¢ an issue—you get admission to a Facebook group featuring an always-open “Ask Me Anything” session about the whys and wherefores of Chicago Public Square.
■ Yesterday, it was a really long answer to “How long does it take you?” and “What is your publication deadline?”
■ Chris Koenig made this edition better.