■ She tearfully told the court today: “If I knew then what I knew now, I would have declined to represent Donald Trump.”
■ Trump had arrived in person again this morning as a fraud case against him unfolds in a New York courtroom.
‘A House version of the movie The Purge.’ That’s how Politico perceives the next round of Republicans’ struggle to elect a new speaker.
■ The AP surveys the list of contenders: “Long and jumbled with no obvious choice.”
■ Jimmy Kimmel: “There are now eight candidates for speaker: Seven white men and one Black man—or, as Republicans call it, a very diverse slate.”
‘43 minutes of horror.’ That’s CNN’s Oliver Darcy describing the graphic footage the Israeli military shared with reporters yesterday, documenting Hamas’ attack on civilians two weeks ago.
■ The BBC: “Bodycam footage, cut together with clips from CCTV, dashboard cameras and the mobile phones of both Hamas gunmen and victims, showed in stark detail … Hamas gunmen cheering with apparent joy as they shot civilians on the road, and … killing parents and children in their homes.”
■ Ex-President Obama: “Israel has a right to defend its citizens. … But … how Israel prosecutes this fight against Hamas matters.”
■ One of columnist Eric Zorn’s readers writes: “I am surprised by how many people cannot hold two thoughts in their head. One, that the Hamas massacres in Israel were monstrous and evil. Two, that the Palestinians are an oppressed and occupied people subject now to a far-right intransigent government led by a political scoundrel.”
■ A coalition of Jewish groups demanding a cease-fire blocked downtown traffic during yesterday’s rush hour.
■ Without mentioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by name, ex-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel—now U.S. ambassador to Japan and the son of an Israeli immigrant—predicts the failure to anticipate and foil Hamas’ surprise attack could cost Israel’s leadership a political defeat.
The New York Times’ not-quite apology. The paper says its editors “should have taken more care” in initial reporting on an explosion that killed hundreds at a Gaza Strip hospital last week.
■ Columnist Parker Molloy appeals to the Times and other news organizations: “Write your headlines, tweets, and push notifications as though they’re the only things most people will see.”
‘Claims of rising crime are often totally false.’ And yet, columnist Mark Jacob asserts, “When all else fails, Republicans turn to crime.”
■ A 12-year-old boy walking to his grandmother’s home in Englewood was shot and killed Sunday.
■ At least one person was wounded when shots were fired yesterday afternoon just steps from Michigan Avenue—on the 500 block of North Rush Street.
■ Block Club Chicago: “Lincoln Square residents told to move Halloween decorations as porch arsons continue.”
Tent intent. Despite strong protest in advance, City Hall confirms plans to turn a Brighton Park site into a tent shelter for migrants.
■ Block Club: “Chicago needs 18,000 coats for migrants. Here’s how you can help.”
Back to the 80s. Chicago’s forecast today flirts with the record of 83 degrees on this date in 1963.
■ A “superfog” fueled by wetland fires near New Orleans is getting the blame for highway crashes that left seven people dead yesterday.
■ The executive director of the Sierra Club: U.S. Steel smothered Gary, Indiana, with heavy pollution—and community activists deserve a say in the site’s cleanup.
Someone you should have known. Beloved veteran CBS 2 Chicago TV reporter Harry Porterfield—maybe best remembered for his series of profiles of ordinary Chicagoans doing extraordinary things—is dead at 95.
■ Channel 2’s Jim Williams recalls: “In the mid-80s, station management made an ill-advised move, pulling Harry from the anchor desk.”
‘Have I got a show for you.’ Critic Rick Kogan recommends a forthcoming edition of PBS’ American Experience, “The War on Disco” (corrected link), to those of a certain age.
■ Displaying what in retrospect feels like historical cluelessness, your Chicago Public Square columnist’s first newscast on WXRT—July 13, 1979—buried mention of the previous evening’s pivotal “Disco Demolition Night.”
It’s that time. The Reader’s Best of Chicago 2023 poll is open for nominations. 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.
■ Thanks to Mike Weiland, who made this edition better.