‘Democracy lives.’ Tribune, New York Times and Washington Post alumnus Susan Berger hails the Supreme Court’s decision to block Donald Trump’s restrictions on ballots mailed in for November’s elections.
■ CNN calls it “a significant loss for the president.”
■ Trump’s condemning the justices he put on the court: “Not the people I interviewed.”
Not all that thrilled? In what Politico’s Shia Kapos calls “a notable break,” Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey seems less than enthusiastic about his endorsement by Trump.
■ Bailey issued a statement declaring, “That’s not what this race is about.”
Illegal bust? A suburban police department’s investigating the possibility its officers violated a state law forbidding local cops from assisting federal immigration enforcement—as ICE arrested two Venezuelan immigrants after a routine traffic stop (Tribune gift link).
■ Chicago and Illinois are suing the Trump administration over a rule set to take effect Friday, giving the feds more power over immigrants who get welfare benefits.
■ A Trump administration rule would leave thousands of acres in Shawnee National Forest vulnerable to drilling and logging.
‘An extraordinary development.’ Historian Heather Cox Richardson assesses ProPublica’s report that Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding was secretly bankrolled by a Russian oligarch close to President Vladimir Putin.
■ The new bride ain’t denyin’ it.
■ CNN’s Brian Stelter: “There’s no looking away from this Trump scoop.”
‘Private gain and antidemocratic reaction.’ The Atlantic (gift link) says “Far-right ideologues have transformed American foreign policy.”
■ Popular Information: Senate legislation on the crypto industry would greenlight Trump corruption. (Cartoon: Jack Ohman.)
■ Stop the Presses columnist Mark Jacob: “Journalists need to resist the right’s attempts to set their agenda.”
‘Glitch McConnell is kinda sorta somewhat almost alive!’ Columnist Jeff Tiedrich is amazed that, for the first time in three months, Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell showed up on the Senate floor yesterday.
■ Also back to the Senate today: FBI Director Kash Patel, to face questions from, among others, Illinois’ Dick Durbin—who called Patel “the least qualified and most partisan FBI director in our nation’s history.”
‘There is no longer anything Grand about the deranged cult.’ Columnist Eric Zorn explains why he eschews “GOP” as a nickname for the Republican Party.
■ Your Chicago Public Square columnist in 2016: “Death to ‘GOP.’”
‘Jeffrey Preston Bezos … needs to pee all the time.’ Author, tech watchdog and enshittification coiner Cory Doctorow cites that inevitability of the Amazon founder’s age (62) “because of how hard it is to reconcile the very different circumstances of Bezos’s bladder with the bladders of the hundreds of thousands of Amazon delivery and warehouse workers who are not allowed to pee at all.”
■ After a Miami crash that killed five, Amazon is suspending use of cargo airline 21 Air.
DIY bus benches. Block Club: Without city permission, volunteers are installing seats at Chicago bus stops.
■ They’re open to collaborators.
■ Also from Block Club: Urban historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas is in a legal fight with a Swedish ski apparel brand over his slogan “Everything Dope About America Comes From Chicago.”
‘I can’t think of any reason why anyone shouldn’t be allowed to make this deeply personal choice for themselves.’ Eric Zorn salutes radio star and newspaper veteran Judy Markey’s “deliberate and well-timed” decision to end her life on her terms.
■ A federal judge has at least temporarily blocked Illinois from requiring Catholic healthcare providers to accommodate the state’s new medical aid-in-dying law.
Colbert show’s last laugh. His show canned by a sycophantic CBS, Stephen Colbert last night took the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Series.
■ In a post-Emmys interview, he declared free speech “alive and well.”
■ He’ll appear tonight with Jimmy Kimmel …
■ … whose online-only sit-down with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico has become his most-watched post in two years.
■ Here’s the full list of last night’s Emmy winners …
■ … which went heavily to Apple-produced shows.
New life for old(er) things? Apple’s released its 2027 software updates.
■ TidBITS offers guidance for “who should upgrade immediately, and who should wait.”
■ ZDNET salutes Energizer for making the batteries used in AirTags and other small devices less lethal for kids who swallow them.
Publication’s price. This month’s Mailchimp bill for distributing Square will run 12% more than the previous high.
■ Your support keeps this service coming free for all.
■ Mike Braden made this edition better.