Democracy’s ‘major victory.’ A Republican-backed plan that would have raised the bar for passage in November of a constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights in Ohio went down to resounding defeat.
■ In the words of the Abortion, Every Day newsletter’s Jessica Valenti: “It failed fucking spectacularly” …
■ … signaling what one conservative fellow calls “a five-alarm fire” for the anti-abortion movement …
■ … and what Pod Save America’s Dan Pfeiffer calls a blueprint for Democrats in 2024.
■ The Associated Press: “A sizable number of Republicans voted against the measure.”
■ Popular Information: A federal judge appointed by Donald Trump has ordered Southwest Airlines attorneys to get “training” from an extremist anti-abortion group.
■ At The Nib, cartoonist Jen Sorensen offers makeover help for reactionaries, including these:
‘For once in his life, Trump was telling the truth.’ Politico’s Jack Shafer says Trump would be justified in skipping Republican presidential debates—because “he has such a stupendous start … that the cosmos would have to split open and smite him to block his nomination.”
■ And yet, columnist Lauren Martinchek says, “I need to see … Trump and Chris Christie debate.”
Inferno in paradise. “Apocalyptic” Hawaiian wildfires have forced people to flee into the ocean.
■ The Conversation: Scientists and volunteer divers are racing to save Florida’s valuable coral reef from devastating ocean heat.
■ Sen. Bernie Sanders, writing for—believe it or not—Fox: “Climate change is a threat to the planet.”
■ The Lever turns up the heat on corporate lobbying groups blocking wildfire protections for workers.
■ General Motors says its new electric vehicles will be able to act as backup power supplies during blackouts—but that feature will cost extra.
Water, water. An Indiana family says a 35-year-old mom of two daughters under 10 is dead after drinking too much water.
■ Odor relief may be in the works for the south suburban Thornton Reservoir, maybe best known for stinking up cars passing along the Tri-State Tollway.
■ Borderless: Archaic wastewater systems, crumbling infrastructure and segregated housing create a perfect storm of flooding vulnerability in Chicago.
■ Axios: Chicago has some of the nation’s worst noise pollution.
She’d just bought ice cream for herself and her dad. The shooting death of a 9-year-old girl has brought first-degree murder charges against her neighbor.
■ Her mom was shot and killed in 2018.
■ A Sun-Times editorial: “Firearms … can quickly turn a fit of anger into a violent tragedy.”
‘If he doesn’t figure out this words-convey-meaning business, it’s going to be a very long four years.’ Columnist Neil Steinberg takes Mayor Johnson to dictionary school over a statement that Steinberg says “was a slow pitch down the middle to Fraternal Order of Police head John Catanzara.”
■ A Chicago cop caught on video bullying a Black woman walking her dog along North Avenue Beach during a pandemic shutdown is off the hook for felony charges …
■ Here’s video of the confrontation.
■ Chicago magazine’s Edward McClelland in 2019: The present version is “ugly as sin.”
‘An 80 to 98% likelihood of false claims on … the news.’ NewsGuard’s latest checkup on leading artificial intelligence chatbots finds them still spewing crap.
■ Opinion at The Atlantic: “Funding local news would more than pay for itself” by keeping government honest and frugal.
Creator of a wedding staple. DJ Casper, the Chicagoan who brought the world Cha Cha Slide, is dead at 58.
■ LL Cool J on Sunday headlines a United Center celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary.
‘Sounds great to me.’ Critic Richard Roeper gives 3 1/2 stars to the new season of Only Murders in the Building.
■ The Guardian gives it 4.
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Thanks. Jim Parks made this edition better.