‘Oh crap, now what?’ That’s columnist Eric Zorn’s guess as to what Bears management is thinking now that Illinois lawmakers have called the team’s bluff on relocating to Northwest Indiana.
■ A Tribune editorial (gift link): “Chicago Democrats decided that … Hammond would bring as many (if not more) economic benefits … to the South Side of Chicago, and the nearby, mostly Black suburbs, than well-to-do Arlington Heights.”
R.I.P., RTA. The Regional Transportation Authority—parent to the CTA, Metra and Pace—is on its last legs, to be replaced Sept. 1 by a new Northern Illinois Transit Authority, which arrives with new cash for the region’s mass transit services.
■ Illinois rideshare drivers would have power to unionize under a bill passed by the General Assembly.
‘Chicago doesn’t just have a crime problem—it has a deployment problem.’ Columnist Andy Shaw says the city’s overdue in getting cops out of desk jobs and onto the streets.
■ Oak Park police shot and killed a man in what they describe as a prolonged struggle for control of a concealed firearm with a “defaced serial number.”
‘One of the biggest federal prosecution scandals ever.’ MS NOW’s Rachel Maddow last night hosted defense lawyer Chris Parente to discuss the collapse of the government’s case against the “Broadview Six” immigration crackdown protesters.
■ Legislation awaiting Gov. Pritzker’s signature would outlaw the placement of immigration detention centers near Illinois homes and schools.
■ Canceled last year in the face of federal oppression, Chicago’s El Grito Mexican Independence Day celebration is on again for Grant Park in September.
■ The Trib: A new wave of enforcement has left Chicago street vendors fearful and struggling.
■ Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had a date before the Senate this afternoon to answer questions about his threat to punish so-called “sanctuary cities” like Chicago for resisting federal immigration oppression.
‘Anti-weaponization’ retreat. With Donald Trump’s administration reportedly backing away from creation of a slush fund to compensate his political allies …
■ … Senate Republicans uneasy about the whole scam were set to meet today to consider next steps.
■ The AP surveys the many ways Trump’s used the presidency to benefit himself and his pals.
■ Law professor Joyce Vance: “It’s become hard to keep track of all of Trump’s losses in court.”
Trump ‘furious.’ A White House source says the president’s losing it over the embarrassment of being rejected by so many “Z-list” celebrities pulling out of his celebrations for the nation’s 250th birthday.
■ Jimmy Kimmel on Trump’s threat to turn the spotlight instead on himself: “The entertainment will be an 80-year-old man yelling about windmills.”
■ Columnist Jeff Tiedrich: “Let’s all point and laugh at the losing loser who just spent an entire day losing.”
■ USA Today’s self-proclaimed “loser lefty” columnist Rex Huppke has dubbed the fest “Wouldstink.”
■ The Onion: “‘Fuck It, A Gig’s A Gig,’ Says Bruce Springsteen, Agreeing To Headline Freedom 250 Concert.”
‘A digital blunder.’ Popular Information says a purportedly “progressive” super political action committee spending millions ostensibly attacking Democrats from the left has inadvertently revealed its link to House Republicans.
■ Updating coverage: It’s a big primary day across the nation.
■ NPR spotlights key races on those ballots.
Go figure. The Pentagon press office is now off-limits to … the press.
■ A federal appeals court has ruled that the Defense Department’s ban on transgender troops from military service was illegal.
■ Among legislation headed to the governor’s desk: New protections for LGBTQ+ people and trans foster youth.
‘Real tragedies.’ An environmental sciences professor mourns the Trump administration’s decision to dismantle a deep-ocean observation system designed to monitor powerful currents that affect Earth’s climate.
■ Bloomberg (gift link): The Republican administration’s boast of savings from its climate-protection rollbacks downplays the costs of those cuts.
Home-shopping? A new program offers up to $70,000 in help for those buying a new home in Chicago.
■ A new lawsuit spotlights what columnist Ben Kaufman calls the “big business” of “squeezing money out of renters.”
■ Gov. Pritzker’s plan to encourage more multiunit housing in single-family neighborhoods has stalled in Springfield for now.
■ A Sun-Times investigation finds two of Mayor Johnson’s aides had ties to a tech consultancy pushing City Hall to pay almost $10 million in questionable invoices.
‘Murder’ at 60 Minutes. In a short but contentious “get-acquainted” meeting for its new producer, veteran correspondent Scott Pelley accused management of “murdering” the show.
■ The New York Times (gift link) describes the session as “explosive.”
■ Stop the Presses columnist Mark Jacob: “Market forces and the right-wing assault on journalism have combined to create a crisis in America’s news industry.”
Trump Tower on Obama Avenue update. Remember how Chicago Public Square last week flagged a nascent campaign to rename the street on which the president’s Chicago high-rise is located? Welcome to the club, Axios, Block Club, City Club and Politico.
■ As of this morning, the online petition had close to 4,000 signatures—and rising.
■ Politico: The June 18 grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center is “the hottest ticket in town” …
■ … but Trump’s not invited.
■ And any contribution, in any amount, gets you $5 off a Square T-shirt or hoodie—in a bunch of new colors.
■ Mike Braden made this edition better.
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