Insurgent progressives’ win. That’s how the AP assesses the outcome in Minnesota’s Democratic Senate primary.
■ The Minnesota Star-Tribune says ICE’s Operation Metro Surge turned a losing candidate’s congressional vote for the Laken Riley Act—which supercharged Homeland Security into a Gestapo-like organization—into “a defining liability” …
■ … but a center-left candidate’s win in Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary dealt what Axios calls a blow to the progressive left.
■ On the Republican side, The Wall Street Journal (free link) perceives “a Trump slump” …
■ … as voters put MyPillow founder Mike Lindell’s gubernatorial hopes to sleep.
Shocking development. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to outfit its officers with gloves capable of delivering painful electric jolts.
■ On the upside, putting such devices in the hands of incompetents raises the prospect of some fun video (February link).
3 twisters. At least that many hit Chicago’s south suburbs yesterday …
■ … as Illinois nears a new national record for the most tornadoes in one state in a single year.
■ Nearly half a million people in the region lost power in the storms.
■ And today wasn’t looking a lot better.
■ City Cast: Yeah, tornadoes can hit big cities.
■ Acknowledging the punishing heat, the Chicago Park District’s keeping some pools and beaches open through Labor Day.
Data damper. Mayor Johnson’s stepping up Chicago regulation of power-hungry data centers …
■ … which Block Club reports are popping up everywhere in the city.
■ Heated: A new study concludes AI’s climate impact extends well beyond the data center footprint—because “Big Oil’s use of AI to produce more oil and gas could create … 13.3 times more climate pollution than powering AI’s data centers.”
5 scandals in 1. Former Politico editor Garrett Graff says Donald Trump’s sneak out of last month’s NATO summit constitutes “a Russian nesting doll of scandal and corruption.”
■ The AP dives into “the extraordinary nature of the subterfuge.”
■ Poynter’s Tom Jones: “Trump left Air Force One because of a threat. Journalists stayed aboard.”
■ Liz Dye at Public Notice: “The episode highlights the grossly dysfunctional relationship between the president and the media, which puts up with ever-escalating abuses as the price of access.”
■ Jimmy Fallon last night mockingly recreated Trump’s escape.
■ Self-declared “AI slop” cartoonist Jan Kodner envisions a couple of different hiding places for Trump.
Speaking of slop … Popular Information shines a spotlight on the misinformation flooding the cryptocurrency-based prediction market gambling platform Polymarket.
■ Flight-tracking platform FlightAware is suing Kalshi over flight cancellation bets—which could give people an incentive to cause cancellations.
■ Poynter’s Tony Elkins spotlights the dangers of USA Today’s partnership with tech company Palantir, whose co-founder Peter Thiel “has enough money, power and influence to destroy a media company if he does not like their coverage.”
Knock, knock. Calling the FCC’s license renewal squeeze on ABC-owned TV stations “mere pretext … because the Trump Administration disliked what ABC’s on-air talent [Jimmy Kimmel] had to say,” the American Civil Liberties Union* has filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the commission’s emails, meeting notes, legal memos and other records tied to the decision.
■ Read the ACLU’s letter here.
What’s up, docs? If you can’t find a primary care doctor, Your Local Epidemiologist says you can blame … economics.
■ Economist Paul Krugman explains “why MAGA wants children to get sick and die.”
■ Former AP D.C. bureau chief Ron Fournier: Dick Cheney’s doctor says Trump is unwell.
■ Columnist and former U.S. Rep. Marie Newman: Loneliness has become America’s most dangerous political force.
■ The Onion: “Melania Trump Discovered To Be Russian Listening Device.”
Tesla tampdown. If you’ve found yourself cursing next-gen car headlights that are too bright, you’re not alone: The company’s recalling 20,000 vehicles to repair a problem it’s known about for years.
■ Toyota’s recalling half a million to fix a glitch with its instrument displays.
How to see ’em. Kim Komando offers a guide to spotting—and photographing—up to 100 shooting stars an hour during tonight’s Perseid meteor shower …
■ … as if Tuesday’s sellout White Sox “Pope Hat” night wasn’t enough Chicago evening entertainment for the week.
Bluesky blues. Tech Crunch: The Twitter X rival’s user base is shrinking …
■ … but it’s still the place to get between-edition updates from Chicago Public Square.
End pledge tyranny. Some websites dictate how much you pay to express your support. But you can back Square—recurringly or with a one-time tip—in any amount you choose.
* Of which your Square columnist has been a fan since high school.