‘This is … really, really bad.’ Law professor Joyce Vance says President Trump’s plan to give $1.8 billion in taxpayer money to people who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, is “corruption in plain sight.”
■ Read Trump’s “settlement” with his own administration to create an “Anti-Weaponization Fund”—a scheme that Law Dork Chris Geidner calls “a cartoonishly evil, corrupt act in defiance of all ethical and democratic norms.”
■ Read Trump’s “settlement” with his own administration to create an “Anti-Weaponization Fund”—a scheme that Law Dork Chris Geidner calls “a cartoonishly evil, corrupt act in defiance of all ethical and democratic norms.”
■ Columnist Jeff Tiedrich: “Donny phoned up Todd Blanche—the acting attorney general who is apparently under the impression that he’s still Donny’s personal lawyer—and said ‘give me money,’ and Todd was all ‘how much?’”
■ The Bulwark’s Andrew Egger: “Everything about the settlement fund … is deliberately structured to short-circuit all outside accountability, government oversight or judicial review.”
■ Without comment—but with noteworthy timing—the Treasury Department’s top lawyer quit hours after the deal was announced.
■ Stop the Presses proprietor Mark Jacob appeals to mainstream media: “Stop calling it ‘a break from norms.’ … Make sure everyone knows the president is a crook.”
■ The Onion paraphrases: “I’ve gone too long without $1.2 trillion that I’d very much like to have so I can spend it on things I want. It is also possible I’ll want to have more money at a later date, and I will request it then.”
‘Is there a future in politics for Republicans who cross President Donald Trump?’ The AP says the signs in today’s primaries point to “No” …
■ … but columnist Eric Zorn says that’s not necessarily bad news.
■ Politico lists six contests to watch.
‘Masked federal agents were terrorizing our communities.’ A Chicago City Council member’s suing federal immigration agents, alleging they abused her in October.
■ A Minnesota county prosecutor’s filing state charges against an ICE agent for the shooting of a Venezuelan man through the front door of his home.
■ Popular Information: “Inside California’s ICE facilities: Deaths, denied care and ‘dog food.’”
■ The New York Times (gift link): Trump’s deportations are costing Americans jobs—especially in the construction biz.
■ A new Brookings Institution report counts more than 100,000 family separations in Trump’s deportation onslaught (another Times gift link).
Ebola rising. The World Health Organization’s director-general says the “scale and speed” of an outbreak in the Congo has him “deeply concerned.”
■ Your Local Epidemiologist: “Mother Nature seems mad at us. Or … this is what happens when we dismantle public health systems.”
■ PolitiFact tackles questions about the outbreak.
■ Inside Medicine columnist Dr. Jeremy Faust: The CDC won’t say the “Q word.”
■ Illinois is among 25 states that have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, contending its limits on graduate students’ federal loans will exacerbate a health care workforce shortage (Washington Post gift link).
Transit crime task force. A coalition of agencies is pledging new focus on violent crimes committed on CTA buses and trains.
■ Scheduled for Chicago’s lakefront tomorrow evening: An 8 1/2-mile “Ride of Silence” to mourn the lives of bicyclists killed on public roadways.
■ Someone new to curse: A New York-based investment firm is in line to take over Chicago’s parking meters.
Who goes there? 404 Media reports that the FBI wants to buy access to automated license plate readers nationwide, which would help the agency “track the movements of vehicles—and by extension people—across the country without a warrant.”
■ One of only a few companies likely to be able to provide that functionality? Chicago-based Motorola Solutions.
‘Führer Trump was furious at Colbert’s mocking.’ Columnist Robert Reich bids farewell to the CBS show hosted by Stephen Colbert …
■ … whose week began with a “Worst of” episode—the unedited version of which has been posted online …
■ … and whose Thursday finale the network says will run long.
■ His longtime collaborator Jon Stewart last night closed The Daily Show with a “Moment of Zen” for Colbert.
■ Adjusting to the end of federal subsidies, National Public Radio’s offering buyouts to 300 workers—although it’s apparently looking to grant only about 30.
So much for ‘climate-friendly’ style. Clothing company Everlane is reportedly selling out to Shein …
■ … which the environmental newsletter Heated calls “the most-polluting fast fashion brand on Earth.”
■ Trump’s EPA is proposing to repeal limits on “forever chemicals” contaminating the nation’s drinking water.
‘A very long TV episode—and just an OK one.’ The first new Star Wars movie in seven years—The Mandalorian and Grogu—is getting lukewarm reviews.
■ The Hollywood Reporter: “Just good enough to make you wish it were better.”
■ Variety calls it “efficient.”
Bear emotions. Spotlighting a tense relationship between the two men, Gov. Pritzker says Mayor Johnson has “no plan” to keep the Bears in Chicago.
■ In an interview with Chicago magazine, Pritzker insists a presidential campaign is “not something that’s occupying my psyche.”
■ Cubs fans who like to piss away money gamble with DraftKings won’t be able to do it in person at Wrigley Field after this month.
‘Give those pearls a rest, Methuselah.’ Columnist Mike Gold comforts oldsters mourning the decline of cursive writing.
■ Hey, Louisiana’s on the case.
■ Candidates for Chicago’s first fully elected school board have a week left to file the necessary signatures.
■ It’s still here, free for all, because readers voluntarily have pitched in to underwrite the cost of its production and distribution.
■ If you haven’t done so yet, now’s a great time to kick in a buck or two.
■ Mike Braden made this edition better.