Sorry for that delay. Yesterday’s Chicago Public Square arrived late because of a still-unexplained Mailchimp outage. Fingers crossed you’re getting this edition on time.
Weather woes. Brace today for what one meteorologist calls “relentless rain” in Chicago …
■ … a day after a number of suburbs heard tornado sirens …
■ Axios’ Monica Eng shares tips for driving through flooded streets.
Turning Point’s turning point? Wonkette: “JD Vance tried to do a Turning Point USA event at the University of Georgia, and … nobody showed up, not even Erika Kirk,” the founder’s widow.
■ Vance told the largely empty venue, “It’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology” (New York Times gift link).
■ As The Daily Show’s Ronnie Chieng paraphrased: “Get over it, snowflakes. Where in the Trump Bible does it say you can’t worship false idols?”
■ Columnist Neil Steinberg offers an explanation for Donald Trump’s feud with Pope Leo: “There is no Congress. No courts. No law. No pope. He is the pope.”
■ The Daily Beast: Trump melted down overnight in a Truth Social posting spree.
■ A Tribune editorial says Chicago’s archdiocese owes parishioners more information on the financial scandal that prompted an Evanston pastor’s removal.
■ Farewell to Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights.
Current event. Citing a recent Supreme Court decision narrowing the scope of federal bribery law, a federal appeals court has ordered release and a new trial for former Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore and longtime Springfield lobbyist Mike McLain, who were convicted of bribing ex-House Speaker Mike Madigan.
■ Law Dork Chris Geidner: Two Trump appeals court appointees have blocked a lower court from considering criminal contempt for the Trump administration in connection with flights that carried Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador.
Hospital recovering? Oak Park’s abruptly shuttered West Suburban Medical Center has resumed some services …
■ … as its owner and landlord duke it out in court.
‘Do you support the right of individuals and organizations, including state contractors, to boycott, divest and sanction Israel?’ That potential ballot question, up for discussion at Oak Park Township’s annual meeting last night, drew a crowd so large that the meeting had to be postponed.
■ The Associated Press: Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed children far from the conflict’s front lines.
■ Also from the AP: “The Arab American community that helped propel Trump is now grappling with Iran war’s fallout.”
Gone in a Snap. Snapchat’s parent company is cutting 1,000 jobs as it faces what its CEO calls “a crucible moment.”
■ Same number of cuts at Disney.
■ 7-Eleven plans to close 645 stores this year.
■ If United and American airlines merge, an industry watchdog tells the Tribune (gift link) “it would be very bad for competition in Chicago.”
■ A George Washington University law professor sees the antitrust implications as “hopeless … no amount of divestitures would fix it.”
‘You keep eliminating jobs, who’s going to buy your goods?’ Labor leaders rallied in Springfield yesterday to oppose legislation allowing pilot programs for driverless vehicles.
■ Block Club: In an ad posted at the scene of the accident, “Food Delivery Robot Says Sorry For Smashing Bus Shelter.”
■ In her final report as Chicago’s inspector general, Deborah Witzburg cites a fresh roundup of problematic city government behavior—including alcohol consumption on the clock at the Aviation Department.
‘Trump’s litigation extortion machine.’ Public Notice columnist Lyz Dye on the death of the president’s “trollsuit” against The Wall Street Journal: Newspapers and others he targets “are forced to spend hundreds of thousands on lawyers, schlep down to Florida, and endure months of stress and uncertainty. And that is the entire point of this exercise.”
■ Wired: “The FCC has a fast lane for complaints about Trump’s media critics” …
■ … which hastened the attacks on Jimmy Kimmel.
■ The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has dodged death—with acquisition by the nonprofit that owns the online startup Baltimore Banner.
Happy Tax Day. Discounts abound as retailers hope to lure some business from harried—or relieved—taxpayers.
■ Popular Information: “These highly profitable corporations paid zero federal income taxes last year.”
If you love this Windy City,
Prove it with a rhyme that’s witty.
For a special edition dedicated to Chicago, Poetry magazine is soliciting poems from people born and/or raised in the city or those who’ve lived here for at least seven years—not necessarily continuous years.
■ The deadline’s May 15. Here’s how to submit.
■ The “Illinois Voices 250” project invites people to record their Illinois stories—remotely or in-person—to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary.
■ Share yours here.
■ Speaking of the Fourth of July: Navy Pier’s promising its biggest fireworks show ever.
■ Returning to The Daily Show, Illinois-born Nick Offerman ripped into Trump’s 250th plans for the U.S.
A Square public service announcement*
■ Contribute as little as $1, just once, now and see your name atop tomorrow’s rundown—even if you’ve already been named there in previous days.
■ Chris Koenig and Angela Mullins made this edition better.
* At the suggestion of a Square supporter.