Casualty of war. Police have charged a Plainfield landlord with the stabbing death of a 6-year-old Muslim boy and the wounding of the boy’s mother …
■ … and they say the suspect was motivated by the war between Israel and Hamas.
■ The boy’s father recounts his son’s last words: “I’m fine.”
■ The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations predicted the boy’s funeral this afternoon would draw a large crowd. (Photo: Provided by CAIR.)
■ President Biden says the murder left him shocked and sickened.
■ The FBI, the Justice Department and the U.S. attorney’s office are also investigating.
‘The deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides.’ Updating coverage from The Associated Press: More than a million people have fled their homes in the Gaza Strip ahead of Israel’s threatened invasion to eliminate Hamas’ leadership.
■ Columnist Steve Sheffey, a frequent critic of Israel’s leadership: “Palestinians in Gaza will suffer terribly not because they deserve it—they don’t—but because Hamas started a war with Israel and deliberately operates from densely populated areas.”
‘SNL could not have handled it more perfectly.’ Media writer Tom Jones praises Saturday Night Live’s cold-open approach to the war.
■ See the video here.
■ HBO’s John Oliver supported those who “called for restraint … and not revenge.”
■ Comparing Israel’s response to the Hamas invasion with the U.S. response to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, an Ohio State professor of military history warns that reflexive acts of military revenge can backfire.
■ Time outlines a path to Middle East peace and prosperity.
Scholastic’s ‘bigot button.’ Popular Information says the kids’ book publisher has begun grouping books that feature people of color and/or LGBTQ characters into a collection that school officials can exclude from book fairs in one fell swoop.
■ Citing enacted or pending legislation in more than 30 U.S. states, Scholastic responds: “We don’t pretend this solution is perfect—but the other option would be to not offer these books at all.”
‘It should be easy to condemn … corruption … in the opposition party.’ Public Notice’s Noah Berlatsky interprets Republicans’ refusal to condemn indicted Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez: “Republicans look at Menendez shoving gold bars down the front of his pants, and they don’t say, ‘Hey, that’s a grotesque abuse of power!’ They say, ‘Cool. I’d like gold bars too.’”
■ Reflecting on The New York Times’ first-ever mention of Adolf Hitler—in which it cited sources who said “Hitler’s anti-Semitism was not so genuine or violent as it sounded”—columnist Mark Jacob warns that journalists are making the same mistake with Donald Trump.
■ Ex-Republican Illinois congressman and presidential candidate Joe Walsh blasts Rep. Jim Jordan’s run for House speaker: “He’s a divider. Always has been. … Less than 3 years ago, he was helping Trump try to overthrow an American election.”
‘Time for policymakers who claim to care about the menace of driving while Black to act.’ Noting WBEZ reporting that found Illinois traffic stops of Black motorists at record highs, columnist Laura Washington says the state needs to expand on then-Illinois state Sen. Barack Obama’s groundbreaking 2003 legislation that required the gathering of such data.
■ Block Club Chicago: A push to restore public basketball hoops ripped out of Beverly decades ago spotlights tension around race, recreation and safety.
Home, cheap(er) home. A new report finds Chicago rent prices finally dipping—a bit.
■ The Onion: “Landlord Forced To Raise Rent Due To Thinking Of Bigger Number.”
■ The Dallas Morning News observes (in a story behind a paywall): “Dallas-Fort Worth homes now less affordable than Chicago.”
‘Goodbye from the Burger King.’ Axios mourns the closing of a Chicago restaurant whose location marks the portal to another dimension in the hilarious and long-running fantasy improv podcast Hello from the Magic Tavern …
■ … which you can hear here.
It’s that time. The Reader’s Best of Chicago 2023 poll is open for nominations. Chicago Public Square welcomes your nod in two categories: Best Email Newsletter and Best Independent Website.
■ Email a screenshot of your Square nominations to BestOf@ChicagoPublicSquare.com and see your name in this space tomorrow.
■ Are you or your business also contending for a Reader nod? Advertise your campaign here—even if you, too, are aiming for Best Newsletter or Independent Website.
Just in time for the change of seasons. Chicago Public Square hoodies are in the house. And supporters of Square—at any level (even just … shhh … $1)—get an emailed code worth $5 off the purchase price.
■ Special offer: Become a new Square supporter at the Enthusiast level or better and get a hoodie free.
■ These hoodies come to you from Raygun, “the greatest store in the universe.”