A ‘painful debate.’ Axios reviews last night’s Pennsylvania Senate match between Republican Mehmet Oz and Democrat John Fetterman, who’s recovering from a stroke less than a year ago: “Fetterman began his first answer … by saying: ‘Hi! Good night, everybody!’ It was downhill from there.”
■ Politico: “Fetterman failed to meet even the low expectations his own campaign set for him” and “clearly lost.”
■ Daily Beast recounts “the moment a room full of Fetterman supporters fell silent.”
■ Oz, who once defended abortion rights before pivoting to condemn the process as “murder,” said he now would “leave the issue up to ‘women, doctors, local political leaders’” …
■ … an answer that MSNBC’s Steve Benen says “put a spring in Democrats’ step.”
■ The Atlantic calls the debate “a Rorschach test.”
■ Independent medical experts tell the AP Fetterman’s recovery from that stroke seems to be coming along “remarkably well.”
■ Politico: Debates in three other states were dominated by abortion, crime and inflation.
Cardboard qualms. ProPublica turns a spotlight on Illinois couple Dick and Liz Uihlein, whose Uline office-supply company “is now fueling election deniers and other far-right candidates across the country.”
■ Popular Information: Amazon’s abandoned its pledge to suspend contributions “to any member of Congress who voted to override the results of the U.S presidential election.”
■ Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch: “Crashing the plane of democracy with Trumpian chaos was a first instinct, but maybe in hindsight a dumb idea. Today’s right wing wants to control the flight from takeoff … and bomb their liberal adversaries back to the Stone Age.”
■ Political analyst Lauren Martinchek: “If the GOP wins the House in November, their chances of success in 2024 will go up significantly as well.”
Ready to vote? Axios recommends intriguing spots Chicagoans can cast ballots early.
■ But first check the Chicago Public Square voter guide.
‘An explosion of influenza, RSV, COVID.’ That’s what Chicago-area doctors see as winter approaches.
■ Your Local Epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina: “We don’t have a triple threat yet, but … do your part by getting vaccinated, staying at home while you’re sick, and other measures like washing hands, wearing a mask, and getting that airflow moving.”
‘8,500 hours of passenger delays.’ That’s the estimate of how much time an overhaul begun yesterday at the rail hub near 75th Street and Western Avenue will save Chicago-area travelers annually when it’s complete in about four years.
■ U.S. Rep. Chuy Garcia says the project will advance economic justice on the South Side.
Recycling’s ruin. A new report from Greenpeace concludes that the vast majority of plastic you recycle winds up in landfills—or worse.
■ The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah: “We need to be drinking out of materials that are easier to reuse, like … the skulls of our enemies.”
■ A UN report issued today concludes that international climate pledges remain far off track …
■ … pointing toward, as The New York Times puts it, “a future marked by more intense flooding, wildfires, drought, heat waves and species extinction.”
■ Block Club Chicago: Someone’s been destroying native plant fences at Northwest Side forest preserves.
Media misery. CNN’s Reliable Sources reports that NBCUniversal Media has issued formal buyout offers to hundreds of staffers who are at least 57 years old and have worked at the company for at least a decade.
■ Axios sees a “brutal, fearful” winter ahead for U.S. media companies.
■ The Onion: “Netflix Limits Users To One Eye Per Screen.”
Journalistic ‘genius.’ Media writer Tom Jones says Bob Woodward’s release of 20 hours of audio interviews with Donald Trump provide insight into Woodward’s investigative prowess.
■ In an interview aired 25 years ago today, Woodward’s fellow White House reporter Helen Thomas told your Square columnist Richard Nixon was a crook at heart.
Twitter’s decline. Reuters says internal documents show the company’s struggling to keep its most active users engaged.
■ A tip from Advisorator: “Next time you’re reading an article online and come across a name, word, or phrase you want to research further, try this.”
Morning Brew is a Chicago Public Square advertiser:
‘Awful,’ but … Spotify’s CEO has condemned Kanye West’s antisemitic comments, but says he won’t yank Ye’s music unless the label requests it.
■ Quote: “It’s really just his music, and his music doesn’t violate our policy.”
You otter vote. The Shedd Aquarium is asking the public to help choose the name of one of two newly arrived sea otters …
■ … but the online ballot gives you just three choices.
Thanks. Mike Braden and Pam Spiegel made this edition better.