Ready, aim … vote? Newly empowered with a legislative supermajority, Democrats in the General Assembly have queued up a massive Illinois gun control bill that would outlaw assault weapons’ sale and forbid most under 21 from buying a gun.
■ Also in the works: Amendments to the controversial SAFE-T criminal justice reform act, which is set to take effect Jan. 1.
■ Among other changes: Expansion of the list of crimes for which a suspect can be kept in jail while awaiting trial.
Christmas in November. Democrats who—for at least a few weeks more—control the House Ways and Means Committee yesterday got six years of Donald Trump’s tax returns.
■ Moving with unusual unity after a midterm loss, House Democrats have elected Hakeem Jeffries to replace Nancy Pelosi, making him the highest-ranking Black congressional leader in U.S. history.
‘Terrorism Threat to the United States.’ That’s the title of a Department of Homeland Security bulletin warning of “a persistent and lethal threat” to Jewish, LGBTQ and migrant communities from Americans moved by violent ideologies.
■ Esquire’s Charlie Pierce: “The Oath Keepers may be going to jail, but the anger that moved them remains free.”
‘I take full responsibility … for my bad choice.’ Add a Naperville woman to the roster of those sentenced for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.
■ A Chicago man accused of ramming the Capitol doors that day has turned himself in.
A family gone. Five people—including two young children—were found dead yesterday at a Buffalo Grove home.
■ A neighbor tells the Daily Herald, “It was a domestic issue. And sadly, it’s no longer a domestic issue.”
■ Voting’s on in PolitiFact’s poll to determine 2022’s Lie of the Year. (Cartoon: Charis JB at The Nib.)
Taxing time. Cook County property tax bills are headed to mailboxes, and you can see yours here.
■ A report from the county treasurer’s office lists four reasons those bills are up.
■ ProPublica: “A billionaire [Chicago Fire owner and Morningstar founder Joe Mansueto] got the Chicago mayor’s support to lease public land. Then he wrote her campaign a $25,000 check” …
■ … and now she faces an ethics complaint.
Time’s up. The pandemic grace period for renewing an Illinois driver’s license ends today.
■ You may be eligible to renew online.
■ DoorDash is cutting 1,250 workers—many hired during a pandemic delivery surge.
■ ProPublica and Vanity Fair have corrected and updated an October story about COVID-19’s origins … but they stand by the possibility that a biosecurity breach at the Wuhan Institute of Virology may have sparked the pandemic …
■ … which makes Jon Stewart look at least a little smarter (June link).
‘The best video about health insurance, ever.’ The Arm and a Leg podcast spotlights the creator of “a terrible guide to … terrible terminology.”
Not just CNN. Layoffs at the network will reportedly extend to the channel formerly known as “Headline News”: HLN, now home to a flock of true-crime shows.
■ Also slicing jobs: The Washington Post, killing its weekly magazine …
■ … and the Gannett newspaper chain …
■ … but NPR says it can make do with just a near-freeze on hiring.
■ Journalism watchdog Dick Tofel on journalism’s life after Twitter: “Aggregation done right—well curated, attractively presented, truly distinctive—seems to me … likely to be at a premium in a post-Twitter ecosystem.”
Have you cast your ballot yet? Don’t forget to help this service regain its honor in the Reader’s Best of Chicago poll: Nominate Square for best newsletter and best blog.
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■ Pam Spiegel made this edition better.