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Library bomb threats. After a fresh round of—apparently unfounded—threats closed all Chicago Public Library branches and many other libraries across Illinois yesterday, Chicago’s police chief of patrol is pledging “special attention” to libraries.
■ Literary Activism: School book fairs are the next frontier in the book ban movement.
■ A letter to the Sun-Times: These threats evoke Fahrenheit 451, the dystopian novel by Waukegan-born author Ray Bradbury …
Take your comic book cash and shove it. Accusing DC Comics of screwing around with him for years, Fables creator Bill Willingham is releasing the property into the public domain.
■ The Beat calls it a “copyright bombshell” for the comics biz.
■ Comics legend Alan Moore has told DC to send all royalties from adaptations of his work—including Watchmen and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen—to Black Lives Matter.
■ The late Marvel Comics progenitor Stan Lee’s estate has lost a years-long elder abuse lawsuit against his former lawyer.
Not so fast. The new round of COVID-19 vaccines won’t make its debut in Chicago for a few days more.
■ Is your vax card lost or full? Experts answer the Tribune’s questions about the new shots.
■ USA Today columnist Rex Huppke channels Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis: “Sure, all the so-called doctors and scientists are telling you this vaccine is safe and will save lives. But I’m telling you it’s OK to ignore them … and to put your faith in me, a person who is definitely not opportunistically catering to the radical, anti-science elements of his base in an effort to gain traction in a primary race I am losing, badly.”
■ Politico: DeSantis is using Illinois as a political punching bag—with tactics that include billboard ads here encouraging Chicago cops to apply for jobs in Florida.
‘File the fucking motion.’ Apparently at wit’s end trying to manage his (even more) reactionary Republican colleagues, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy yesterday reportedly and profanely dared his critics to depose him.
■ The Onion mocks: “Republicans Explain Why Speaker McCarthy Must Be Ousted.”
‘A Department of Justice that cares more about politics than law enforcement.’ To protest the federal prosecution of Donald Trump, Ohio Republican Sen. and hillbilly elegist J.D. Vance is blocking confirmation for, among others, a candidate who would be the first woman to hold the job of U.S. attorney in Chicago.
■ Columnist Charlie Sykes: “The Wisconsin GOP’s … attack on democracy could be fatal—for the GOP.”
Premium insurance. Amid a rash of extreme weather disasters in states such as Florida and California, Crain’s Chicago Business reports that insurance companies are raising homeowners’ rates more in Illinois than in all but five other states (story behind paywall).
■ The Heated newsletter: As major U.S. insurers drop coverage for people in states vulnerable to climate change, they’re also investing billions in the companies that fuel it.
Emergency break. In a first for the auto industry, the United Auto Workers is on strike at all three Detroit automakers.
■ The Chicago City Council's OK’d a requirement that new high-rise or and single-family homes provide charging for electric vehicles.
■ The Onion again: “Drew Barrymore Opens GM Assembly Plant.”
■ The Onion again: “Drew Barrymore Opens GM Assembly Plant.”
Hunter hunted. The president’s son, Hunter Biden, has been indicted on federal firearms charges.
■ MSNBC’s Steve Benen: “Republicans are likely to complain that the charges simply aren’t good enough for them.”
‘A serious civic mistake.’ That’s how veteran journalist and former Chicago Tonight host Carol Marin* describes WTTW’s decision to scale public television’s local newscast back from four nights a week to just two.
■ CNN: ABC News staffers are “freaking out” over reports Disney may sell the network …
■ … maybe to Nexstar, which now owns WGN-TV and -AM and the NewsNation cable channel …
■ … which Daily Beast columnist Joe Berkowitz calls “Fox News Lite.”
■ Big Technology columnist Alex Kantrowitz: Since 2005, “advertisers have all but abandoned news, slashing their newspaper spending by 80% … and largely avoiding news sites.”
Assholes behaving badly.
■ Purportedly bankrupt conspiracy blowhard Alex Jones spent $93,000 on himself in July—but has yet to give a dime to families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims, to whom he’s under court orders to pay $1.5 billion.
■ Before U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert was kicked out of a theater performance for vaping (caught on video doing it), she called a pregnant woman who asked her to stop “a sad and miserable person.”
Beginner’s guide to cord-cutting. Tech Hive updates advice for longtime cable or satellite TV users.
■ Also, updated codes for getting Paramount+ and Showtime for free, even if you’re already a subscriber.
‘Earthquakes and handshakes, lionfish and suncreen and bourbon, oh my.’ That’s what The Conversation’s quizmaster, past Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions winner Fritz Holznagel, promises in this week’s news quiz.
■ If you score more than 7/8 on this one, consider yourself superior to your Square columnist.
Shirt thing. If you want a Square cap or T-shirt, act now. Time’s running out for you to look as fashionable as reader Barry Koehler—who got his after helping troubleshoot some Square coding glitches this week.
■ Get yours, send a pic, see it here.
