‘Boycott the State of the Union.’ Columnist and former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich makes the case for not watching Donald Trump tomorrow night: “Your senators and representatives in Congress should boycott it, too. You might call their offices to suggest this.”
■ Among Illinois representatives who planned to attend: Brad Schneider is bringing along a Chicago-based toymaker who won that landmark case against the president.
■ Law professor Joyce Vance wonders, “Will any of the justices show up in the wake of Trump’s Friday afternoon press conference, where he excoriated the ones who ruled against him in the tariffs case and called them an embarrassment to their families?”
■ Columnist Robert Hubbell on that Supreme Court ruling: “Take the win. … The fact that we are celebrating a victory does not mean that we have ‘gone gooey.’ … If we expect to motivate people to follow us into battle to save democracy, we cannot characterize victories as defeats in disguise.”
■ Gov. Pritzker’s demanding Trump repay Illinois $8.7 billion …
■ … issuing an actual invoice.
■ The New York Times reports (gift link) that judges are getting angry about the Trump administration’s violation of their orders.
‘The hidden ICE blueprint that should horrify every American.’ Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch (gift link) spotlights a Homeland Security document detailing ICE plans to “cram thousands of detained human beings inside a Georgia warehouse.”
Funny thing. Popular Information: Days after a $5 million donation, the Trump administration backed Crypto.com in a lawsuit.
■ C-SPAN says that wasn’t Trump in a crank phone call to the channel Friday—but Poynter’s Tom Jones says “it’s easy to believe he’d do something like that.”
‘He put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position.’ The Secret Service says it shot and killed an armed man who drove into Mar-a-Lago’s secure perimeter early yesterday.
■ Meanwhile, the Times reports (another gift link) the FBI’s director was having a grand time watching the U.S. men’s hockey team take Olympic gold.
■ Columnist Jeff Tiedrich: “Why the fuck was Kash at the Olympics? Did he have a hot tip that Nancy Guthrie’s kidnappers are fans of figure skating?”
■ Columnist Jeff Tiedrich: “Why the fuck was Kash at the Olympics? Did he have a hot tip that Nancy Guthrie’s kidnappers are fans of figure skating?”
‘Super PACs … actively working to influence Illinois congressional races.’ The Sun-Times’ Tina Sfondeles surveys how big money behind cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence and Israel is bombarding four key contests.
■ Columnist Steve Sheffey: An American Israel Public Affairs Committee-funded Super PAC that supports Laura Fine’s 9th District candidacy “is running incredibly inaccurate and misleading ads about Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss.”
■ Sheffey, whose newsletter is titled Pro-Israel Political Update, explains that “Pro-Israel is not synonymous with pro-AIPAC or pro-Netanyahu. Sometimes, it is the opposite.”
■ Former U.S. Rep. Marie Newman sees “A voting bloc harnessing unstoppable power for ’26 and ’28: Women over 50.”
■ Capitol News Illinois: “Since 2022, Illinois has seen more travelers seeking abortions from out of state than any other state in the country.”
■ Available to help Election Day? Chicago and Cook County need poll workers.
■ The Chicago Public Square Voter Guide Guide is here to help you decide who deserves your support.
‘Shelter in place.’ The State Department’s advising U.S. citizens in Mexico to find a safe place and stay there amid the outbreak of attacks by one of that nation’s fastest-growing criminal networks …
■ … retaliating for the killing of their boss in a confrontation with the Mexican military.
■ A Chicagoan stuck amid the violence tells Axios: “This guy came running towards our car with a gun … and told us to get out”—taking the car, blocking the road—and then “threw something in the car, and the car exploded.”
Bomb cyclone. New York City’s been buried by its biggest snowfall in five years—with more than 2 feet of snow in parts of the Northeast.
■ The city’s schoolkids are getting an old-fashioned “snow day” off—no virtual classrooms or other remote work.
■ Add this to your vocabulary: Bombogenesis.
■ The Supreme Court’s agreed to hear oil and gas companies’ objections to state and local governments’ lawsuits over fossil fuel’s impact on climate change.
■ Meanwhile in Chicago: Coyotes.
Not so fast. People hoping to get through U.S. airports quickly have been grappling with a shutdown of Homeland Security’s Global Entry program during a congressional standoff over agency funding …
■ … but, contrary to an early threat, TSA PreCheck’s still working.
‘Your phone number is the most dangerous number you own … and a criminal can steal it in minutes.’ Tech columnist Kim Komando explains how to activate your carrier’s free SIM protection.
■ For the third February in a row, the Sun-Times’ Neil Steinberg challenges Google’s AI, Gemini, to write a column in his style—prompting the question “Will we continue to care if things are true anymore?”
■ John Oliver last night assessed the state of Twitter X: “My personal advice is not to post on it at all.”
■ LateNighter: A bunch of TV hosts return this week to heightened political pressure.
Shape Chicago news’ future. Take a survey to help news organizations working with Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism better understand the public they serve—and you could win a $100 gift card.
■ Your participation shows potential funders—including advertisers—that the region’s journalists have substantial community backing.
It began as a joke. But you know, the annual National Support Chicago Public Square Day—launched whimsically in 2018—could actually be a thing now that so many readers have Square T-shirts, hoodies and caps.
■ So do your laundry, mark your calendar and let’s all don Squarewear Thursday, March 12.
■ Want a shirt or hoodie for free? Through the end of February, get your choice by supporting Square for as little as $1/week—which is to say $52/year. Or get $9 off for pitching in as little as $1, just once. (You can use PayPal if you prefer.)
■ Or get a limited-edition Square cap with a one-time contribution of $100.
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