Stormy days. Donald Trump’s been smacked in New York with an indictment long anticipated—but a surprise nevertheless …
■ … in connection with charges arising from hush-money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign.
■ Although the precise nature of the accusations remained secret, a person familiar with the matter tells The Associated Press that Trump’s expected to surrender next week.
■ Invoking an antisemitic trope, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says his state “will not assist” in Trump’s extradition to New York.
■ The Conversation: The indictment reaffirms that presidents are not kings …
■ Daily Show guest host John Leguizamo: “Let this be a lesson to all you kids out there, OK? If you commit fraud to cover up an affair with a porn star, the law will catch up to you after, like, seven years and a full term as president” (link corrected).
■ The Shovel: “Extra from Home Alone 2 indicted.”
‘The most insightful comment about Trump’s indictment.’ Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch credits that to former Vice President Mike Pence—“unintentionally, of course.”
■ The news brought audible gasps from Fox workers …
■ … before, as CNN’s Oliver Darcy notes, the channel, “which had given the former president the cold shoulder since the Jan. 6 attack, … quickly pivoted into … defending Trump at any cost and portraying the legal system as a deep-state, corrupt force in American society.”
■ Columnist Neil Steinberg says the indictment won’t change Trump backers’ mindset: “Once you start ignoring reality … the specifics of the reality being ignored hardly matter.”
‘It is a joyless occasion.’ That was MSNBC’s Joy Reid yesterday discussing the Trump indictment …
■ … an assertion blown away by Stephen Colbert and his audience …
■ … although Rolling Stone’s James West cautions: “This is no time to celebrate. The system is about to be tested like never before.”
■ Author Dan Sinker—maybe best known as the journalist who created that fake Mayor Emanuel account on Twitter (2011 link)—has launched an email newsletter, indictment.fyi.
Vallas 2023 vs. Vallas 2021. A statement from mayoral candidate Paul Vallas yesterday hailed Trump’s indictment as proof “that no one is above the law and everyone must be held accountable for their actions” …
■ … but here he was on the radio two years ago, calling Trump’s impeachment “a witch hunt.”
■ Brandon Johnson reportedly owes the city thousands of dollars in unpaid bills and fines.
■ The Tribune takes a close look at Johnson’s four years on the Cook County Board.
■ Sen. Bernie Sanders joined Johnson yesterday for a rally aimed partly at turning out the youth vote.
■ Tuesday’s Election Day. Time to dig into the Chicago Public Square voter guide for the city and the suburbs.
‘I am embarrassed to be a Chicagoan today.’ Chicago Ald. Anthony Beale condemns the lame-duck City Council’s OK of a plan—hatched by some of Mayor Lightfoot’s closest allies—to expand the number of council committees.
■ Lightfoot’s statement on the plan: Whatevs.
Stormy night. The Chicago region’s in for potentially damaging weather …
■ The wider Midwest and South are also in jeopardy.
‘Please hurry.’ 911 call recordings convey the terror inside the Nashville school ravaged Monday by a killer.
■ A Sun-Times editorial asks, “How much more powerful will civilian weapons get as gun manufacturers, gun rights groups and their lackeys in public office escalate their assault on the lives of Americans?”
Dingus of the Week. Lyz Lenz bestows that honor on lawmakers “working on a simple solution for that ONE SINGLE thing ravaging the lives of American youth—TikTok.”
■ Futurism: “BuzzFeed is quietly publishing whole AI-generated articles, not just quizzes.”
■ Casey Newton at The Platformer: “The AI industry really should slow down a little.”
Not so affordable. A key component of the Affordable Care Act—providing free preventative care for cancer screenings, mammograms, colonoscopies and more—has run afoul of a federal judge in Texas.
■ Gov. Pritzker says he’ll do what he can to minimize the ruling’s impact on Illinoisans.
If it’s Friday, it’s News Quiz Day. Your Square columnist will doff his cap to you if you beat his 7/8 score on this week’s offering from Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions winner Fritz Holznagel.
■ Speaking of caps: You get $5 off a Square cap or a shirt if you support Square at any level—even for as little as $1.