If Pritzker goes … Politico’s Shia Kapos says a vice-presidential run and election for Gov. Pritzker would upend Illinois’ political landscape.
■ Present VP Kamala Harris reportedly was near a decision on her running mate …
■ … with whom she’s committed to appear tomorrow in Philadelphia.
Republicans for Harris. Democrats have launched that “campaign within a campaign”—targeting primary voters who supported former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s challenge to Donald Trump.
■ Members include ex-Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar, ex-Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and ex-Reps. Joe Walsh and Adam Kinzinger.
■ Historian Heather Cox Richardson looks back to the Republican Party’s 1850s origin as a coalition “against an oligarchy whose leaders were explicit about their determination to overthrow democracy.”
■ Pro-Israel Political Update columnist Steve Sheffey: “Jews should support Kamala Harris.”
■ A trio of law professors: Harris couldn’t easily make Roe v. Wade federal law—but she could make abortions easier to get.
■ Veep star—and Northwestern University alumna—Julia Louis-Dreyfus pledges to be “extra-involved” in Harris’ campaign.
■ The Onion: “Divided Nation Comes Together To Keep Beach Ball In Air.”
The case for ‘nauseous optimism.’ Celebrating “the positive energy unleashed by Kamala Harris,” columnist Robert Reich nevertheless flags “four reasons to expect trouble”—including: “Mainstream media can’t abide a love fest for long.”
■ Press critic and former New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan condemns a “terrible” Times headline about Trump’s backout from a debate with Harris.
■ Economist Umair Haque: “It was one thing when it was sort of cute, how … old-school newspaper coverage was, and we’d make fun of it in harmless ways on Twitter. … But this … is an institutional failure that is placing all of us at risk.”
■ Stop the Presses columnist Mark Jacob runs down a dozen ways Trump and Trumpy Republicans get away with dodging reporters’ questions.
■ A real AP headline today: “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he left a dead bear in Central Park as a prank.”
Keep an eye on Georgia. Law prof Joyce Vance: That state’s Republican secretary of state has launched a web portal that lets anyone request anyone else be “purged” from voter rolls.
■ Law and Chaos columnist Liz Dye: “Trump is back in court with his least favorite judge” …
■ … and, columnist Jeff Tiedrich observes, “She’s not screwing around.”
‘I mourn the loss of what was a functioning and very interesting public square enterprise.’ A political cartoonist and University of Louisville law professor found himself shut out of Twitter after publishing a cartoon about the police killing in Springfield of Sonya Massey …
■ … whose memory bikers from across the country honored Saturday with a ride through town.
‘Shocked.’ Chalkbeat Chicago: Some principals have been taken aback by dramatic cuts in the city’s funding for after-school programs pumped up during the COVID pandemic.
■ Here’s who’s running for the Chicago Public School Board Nov. 5 …
■ … and a map to determine which district you’re in.
Whoops. A joint Illinois Answers Project / Tribune investigation finds Cook County misclassifying hundreds of properties—costing government millions last year alone.
■ At the heart of a corruption investigation in a Chicago suburb: A bathtub bought with a government credit card and installed with municipal labor.
Driving while hot. A civil engineering professor surveys the dangerous toll climate-driven heat waves are taking on America’s roads and bridges.
■ Block Club Chicago: Got rabbits galore this summer? Blame a mild winter.
■ Illinois’ rising tornado totals may be driven in part by better detection tech.
‘Our vendor, Chicago Tribune Company, has successfully repaired its printing presses.’ The Sun-Times’ executive editor celebrates “more than a week with no issues.”
■ Kansas Reflector and The Handbasket: A year after a chilling and deadly police raid on a Kansas paper and the publisher’s home, official reports and criminal charges have yet to emerge. [Update, 11:48 a.m. Now they have.]
■ A news “reality check” from NewsGuard: “USNewsper.com is not American or news; it’s Lithuanian AI!”
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