‘Democrats defied history.’ In a runoff that The New York Times says “will almost certainly lead to soul-searching” by Republicans, Democratic Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock narrowly defeated Donald Trump’s handpicked nimrod, Herschel Walker …
■ … giving Democrats a clear majority in the Senate.
■ In his acceptance speech (which you can watch here), Warnock praised his mother, who “grew up in the 1950s … picking somebody else’s cotton and somebody else’s tobacco. But tonight, she helped pick her youngest son to be a United States senator.”
■ In what’s widely being called a concession speech—introduced by an ex-Chicago Bear—Walker stopped short of actually conceding: “The numbers doesn’t look like it’s gonna add up.”
Mr. Walker, who lies as he likes,Is out, having gotten two strikes;This noted disgraceHas lost in his raceBut just by a little, so yikes.
■ The Bulwark’s Charlie Sykes: “We doubt that the GOP will spend much time rummaging through the soul they mislaid years ago.”
‘Oh, Santa, you got my letter!’ Stephen Colbert celebrated news that two Trump Organization companies have been convicted on 17 federal state counts.
■ Trevor Noah: “Donald Trump is going to prison … to visit all the lower-ranking people that did this without his knowledge or his permission.”
■ USA Today’s Rex Huppke: “BREAKING: South Florida under emergency ‘ketchup tsunami’ warning.”
He’s No. 1. Ja’Mal Green has landed top spot in a lottery to determine the order of candidates on Chicago’s February ballot for mayor.
■ With a nod to Chicago’s role in their rise, Men Yell at Me columnist Lyz Lenz reflects on the decline of overwhelmingly white Iowa’s caucuses.
‘Automakers: Fix front-end blind zones.’ Citing visibility problems with big-ass pickup trucks and SUVs—whose design lets drivers “unknowingly hit people directly in front of them”—Consumer Reports is launching a petition drive.
■ The Nib cartoonist Jen Sorensen sees some alternatives.
‘If there was ever a piece of legislation that should be handled in nonpartisan fashion, this is that.’ A Tribune editorial pleads with Republicans in the General Assembly to support a proposed state ban on assault weapons.
■ Chicago cops were seeking a band of masked gunmen who committed six robberies in Humboldt Park Tuesday morning.
■ With little fanfare, Gov. Pritzker’s signed revisions to Illinois’ controversial criminal justice overhaul, the SAFE-T Act.
Person of the Year. Time’s pick: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
■ Also: Time’s Heroes of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, Innovator of the Year, Icon of the Year and more.
‘It is harmful to allow Ye … to use the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to help legitimize hatred and violence.’ An online petition calls for the school to revoke the honorary doctorate it awarded Kanye West in 2015.
■ At Square’s deadline, the petition had more than 3,100 signatures on the way to its goal of 5,000.
Curtain coming down. Crippled by the pandemic, an iconic suburban movie theater will call it quits in January.
■ Apartments are in the works for Skokie’s Old Orchard Mall …
■ … which aims to “evolve … into a micro-cityscape.”
The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is a Square advertiser.
Time(s)out? Employees of The New York Times are threatening a 24-hour walkout Thursday.
■ Politico’s Jack Shafer: “Newspaper unions can annoy their bosses … but they can’t hurt management like they could in the old days.”
Apple’s ‘chilling’ problem. A class action lawsuit complains that the company’s AirTags have become “one of the most dangerous and frightening technologies employed by stalkers.”
■ TidBITS proprietor Adam Engst sees no reason not to go with the new iPhone software update.
Time’s running short. Nominations close Friday at noon in the Reader’s Best of Chicago nomination round.
■ Don’t forget to tab Chicago Public Square for best newsletter and best blog.
■ Ron Schwartz and Mark Wukas made this edition better.
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* In a post spotted by columnist Eric Zorn.