Chicago Public Square will take a break Thursday, to join Northwestern University’s Chicago Local News Summit.* Back Friday.
Climate milestones. Under a historic agreement reached in Dubai, a UN climate conference statement for the first time includes what Chicago correspondent Mike Fourcher calls “specific mentions of fossil fuels, urgings to decrease their use, and climate finance dollar targets.”
■ Also: Nuclear fusion.
■ The Washington Post: It’s unprecedented.
■ But, as Politico notes, “the world still can’t quit oil” …
■ … and one climate activist sees “cavernous loopholes.”
■ You can download the statement here.
■ The Tribune: Illinois homeowners are turning to solar power as never before.
Biden cautions Israel. The president says Israel’s “indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza risks a loss of support by much of the world—including the U.S.
■ Israel seemed not to take the hint.
‘Saying you’ll be a dictator if elected is a classic form of humor.’ USA Today columnist Rex Huppke crafts a Republican Party statement “regarding the hilarious comedic stylings of leading GOP presidential primary candidate Donald Trump.”
■ The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Will Bunch: “I’m sure some folks at The Atlantic or The New York Times think merely publishing headlines about a Trump dictatorship will wake up all the good and decent people, and his campaign will melt like the Wicked Witch of the West. But it can happen here.”
■ Press Watch proprietor Dan Froomkin: “Here’s what news organizations need to tell the public about the 2024 election.”
■ The U.S. Supreme Court’s agreed to hear an appeal that could undo riot charges against hundreds of defendants in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
‘It reeks of desperation.’ Trump’s niece, Mary L. Trump, ridicules Trump’s sale of tiny pieces of the suit he wore in that Georgia mugshot.
■ The Daily Beast: Trump paid an expert almost $1 million for shoddy testimony at that bank fraud trial.
Not so fast. Still out of commission almost a month after a train collided with a snowplow, the CTA’s Yellow Line will operate with a lower speed limit when it finally returns to service.
■ The National Transportation Safety Board says the CTA gets to make the call on when that’ll happen.
‘Reprehensible.’ That’s Gov. Pritzker’s word for the president of the Illinois National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s comparison of migrants to “savages”—accusing them of rape.
■ Reached by phone on vacation in Dubai, she denied saying it and, when told she was caught on video doing so, she told WLS-TV: “With AI, anything is possible.”
■ Block Club: Chicago’s paying well more than typical rent for migrant shelter buildings—and keeping the details secret.
A choice on choice. In accord with Mayor Johnson’s campaign promise, a Chicago school board resolution poised for approval tomorrow would shift the city away from a maddening system of school choice in favor of more neighborhood schools.
■ Johnson’s yanked a widely criticized plan to limit public seating at City Council meetings.
Thompson Center rebirth. Google’s unveiled plans to remake the former State of Illinois Center into its new Chicago HQ—with a new glass exterior, more retail and an all-electric energy supply.
■ A floor-by-floor gutting begins next year.
Tech troubles. Tesla’s recalling almost all its vehicles sold in the U.S. to fix a problem with Autopilot software designed to make sure drivers are paying attention …
■ … a flaw that may have contributed to at least some deadly accidents.
■ The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple’s prepping a software upgrade to keep criminals from using your passcode to access saved passwords, steal money and lock you out of iCloud-stored photos and videos.
■ The New York Times has a new “editorial director of artificial intelligence initiatives.”
Ring of profit. Popular Information spotlights ties between the Wreaths Across America charity and the Maine-based wreath company with a cozy relationship to Fox “News” …
■ … and a history of labor violations (March link).
‘An intensely dramatic, intensely funny actor’s actor.’ Hollywood Reporter critic Daniel Fienberg celebrates the life of Andre Braugher, who died Monday at 61.
■ Pondering a lawsuit against Oak Park-born comedian Kathy Griffin, law professor Joyce Vance asks, “Can a court in Tennessee rule against you if you live in California?”
Time to vote. Ballots for the Chicago Reader’s Best of Chicago poll go live at noon today.
■ Chicago Public Square humbly requests your vote for Best Email Newsletter and Best Independent Website or Blog.
* Speaking of which, here’s a roundup of astute observers’ take on the state of local news.