All in the family. The AP puts President Trump’s visit to the Middle East in context—as his sons deepen their financial ties to the region.
■ Popular Information: Business leaders who once deplored the Saudi crown prince’s approval of the murder of a Washington Post journalist abandoned such concerns Tuesday to join Trump and the prince at lunch.
■ The Daily Show’s Jordan Klepper: “You may be wondering: Why did Trump pick these three countries for his first foreign trip? Well, there’s a strong geopolitical balance of— I’m f*cking with you! Corruption!”
■ Contrarian Jen Rubin: The president’s willingness to accept a Qatari “gift” of a luxury jet is looking like “too much grift … even for MAGA Republicans?”
■ Columnist Bess Kalb: “Please be nice about the $400 million plane! Guys!! It is a GIFT from a FRIEND!!!”
■ Satirist Andy Borowitz: “Luxury 747 from Qatar Totaled After Hegseth Drives it Into Tree.”
■ Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy says Trump’s cryptocurrency machinations constitute “the most corrupt thing a president has ever done.”
■ As Trump’s pick for the U.S. attorney in Washington, Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, prepared to be sworn in, a Washington Post editorial (gift link, courtesy of Chicago Public Square supporters) suggested the appointment is illegal.
‘Even the pope couldn’t save them.’ Podcaster and columnist Keith Conrad mourns closure of the one Chicago store in the Aurelio’s Pizza chain—in the news recently for its hosting of the man who was to become Pope Leo XIV.
■ A suburban store dedicated to selling Trump-themed stuff faces closure for violating municipal sign and building codes.
‘Difficult decision.’ As a Biden-era program draws to an end under the Trump administration, Illinois state government’s likely to cut off publicly funded health care coverage for more than 30,000 non-U.S. citizens here.
■ California’s in the same boat.
■ ProPublica: “An agency tasked with protecting immigrant children is becoming an enforcement arm.”
■ The House is nearing a climactic vote on what Democrats call an “extreme and toxic bill” of tax breaks and spending cuts.
■ Jonathan Cohn at The Bulwark: “GOP Medicaid cuts are a big f*cking deal.”
■ Economist Paul Krugman sees that budget as a sign that “we may be losing our last, best chance to limit climate change.”
What will you be drinking? Trump’s EPA has announced plans to weaken drinking-water limits on the so-called “forever chemicals” linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease and low birth weights.
■ As Republicans across the country begin yanking cavity-preventing fluoride from local water supplies, the Trump administration is moving to phase out fluoride supplements dentists often prescribe for kids.
■ In the face of diminished federal funding for such work, a coalition of community leaders, university scientists and concerned citizens is working to figure out why basements in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood get flooded so damned often.
■ Journalism critic Jeff Jarvis condemns The New York Times for giving Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his allies “space for their heartless propaganda.”
Next: Northwestern. HHS is investigating Northwestern University for possible civil rights violations against Jewish students.
■ Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s charity reportedly has been suspending grants to nonprofits associated with “diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.”
■ Wonkette’s Marcie Jones: “SecDef Boozehole has sent out a missive … to identify trans people … force them to out themselves by a deadline and leave, or get witch-hunted and lose their benefits.”
■ Progressive Twitch streamer Hasan Piker—detained for hours at O’Hare as he reentered the country over the weekend—gives The Daily Show a tour of the internet’s toxic “manosphere.”
‘Support journalism. It’s important, and it doesn’t work without you.’ In an unusual close to his annual industry-roasting speech at Disney’s fall TV preview, ABC star Jimmy Kimmel called on advertisers to buy time on another network: “Support 60 Minutes. They deserve it. You have the power, because you have the money.”
■ Tribune columnist Laura Washington (gift link): Small, local news organizations represent journalism’s “bright future.”
■ Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg interviews Pulitzer-winning humorist Dave Barry …
■ … who’s speaking in Chicago tomorrow night …
■ … and who in 1992 explained his distinctive approach to grammar, typography and punctuation: “I want it to look like a raving lunatic is writing.”
‘There will be no funeral service. Tom didn't like them much.’ Former WGN Radio news director Tom Petersen is dead at 83.
■ The station’s assembled highlights of his time on the air.
■ Petersen, who put your Chicago Public Square columnist on WGN “from the update desk of ChicagoTribune-dot-com” (2002 link), died the day after his name appeared here as one of this publication’s supporters. (2016 photo: Glenn Kaupert.)
And in the end … This wraps up a daily roll call of those whose financial contributions have kept Square coming your way for almost 8 1/2 years—including Irv Leavitt, Joyce Cook, Bill Herbert, Jerry Delaney, Dave Kraft, Jeffery Angevine, Joe Gauss, Stephanie Springsteen, John D. Abel, Josh Mogerman, Jamie Aitchison, JoBeth Halpin, Sandy Kaczmarski, Brent Brotine, Roy Plotnick, Judy Hoffman, Aaron Smith, Ian Morrison, Jean Johnson, Beth Kujawski, Patricia Skaja, David Drew, Jeanette Mancusi, Stephanie Kiesling, Russ Williams, Kiki Marie-Henri, Andrew Mitran, Valerie Valenzo, James Gardner, Sally Donatiello, Adam Broad, John Greenwald, Ann Tanner, Mary Gannon Pittman, H. Evan Williams, Linda Paul, Carolyn Roberta Berg, Harlene Ellin, Jason Grey, Susann Slinic, Lucy Tarabour, Liz Strause, Michael Johnson, Cate Cahan, Julia Knier, Paul Clark, Richard M. Bendix Jr., Joyce Winnecke, Sallie Wolf, Doug Strubel, Brian Cassidy, Stephen Brenner, Bill Weldon, Michael Kelly, David Clauter, David Protess, Margo Bristow, Christopher Comes, Judy Davy, Jan Kieckhefer, Tom Marker, David Hammond, Gil Arias, Lawrence Perlman, Deborah Murphy, Justin Walker, Sheila Flaherty, Paul Colombo, Lizzie Schiffman Tufano, Nancy Burns, Becky Bloom, Patrick Egan, Deborah J. Wess, Tom Shepherd, Jeff Herden, Lisa Price, David Augustus, Louise Dimiceli-Mitran, Craig Parshall, Steve Nidetz, KT Sullivan, Susan Gzesh, Jill Chukerman, Jennifer McGuire, Scottie Kersta-Wilson, Andrew Nord, Paul Kungl, Barbara Miller, Daniel Parker, Dave McGovern, Stephen J. ONeil, Chris Goldrick, Jessica Mackinnon, David Jones, Emily Blum, Sam Hochberg, Julia Gray, Moondog, Bob Saigh, Garry, Leigh Behrens, Marie Dillon, Tim Woods, Arlene Johnson, Sheridan Chaney and Amy Dixon-Kolar.
■ Your contributions—even just $1, once—are always welcome here. And any amount will get your name added to The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians website …
■ … and added to this daily rundown the next time we do it.
■ Mike Braden made this edition better.