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| By Shia Kapos |
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Good Monday morning, Illinois. The Illinois General Assembly is out, but Congress is in with a border deal looming.
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 | TOP TALKER | |
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Retired Judge Clark Erickson, seated at left, watches video presented in arguments on whether to disqualify former President Donald Trump from the Illinois primary on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. | Shia Kapos/POLITICO |
HEAD-TURNER: A judge who heard arguments on whether Donald Trump should be on the Illinois ballot agrees with objectors that the former president took part in the Jan. 6 insurrection and therefore should be shut out of the March 19 primary. But there’s a twist: In issuing his opinion, retired Republican Judge Clark Erickson said a higher court, not the State Board of Elections, should make the ultimate decision. Just an opinion: “A preponderance of the evidence” proves that Trump “engaged in [an] insurrection, within the meaning of Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment,” Erickson wrote in his nonbinding opinion after hearing attorneys for objectors and Trump make their cases Friday in a State Board of Elections hearing in downtown Chicago. The full opinion is here. Add it to the list: The opinion is still seen as a setback for Trump, whose candidacy has also been challenged in 35 other states. Colorado and Maine already disqualified him. A spokesman for Trump didn't immediately return a request for comment. It’s likely his team won’t comment until a decision is made by the Board of Elections at a hearing planned for Tuesday. That’s when we’ll know if the board will consider Erickson’s recommendation to send the case to a higher court. Free Speech for People, the group leading the objections against Trump, praised the opinion, saying, “We expect that the board and ultimately Illinois courts will uphold Judge Erickson’s thoughtful analysis of why Trump is disqualified from office.” RELATED Illinois Republicans offer their take on the Republican presidential race, by Derrick Blakley for the Center for Illinois Politics
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| THE BUZZ | |
COUNTERPOINT: Chicago Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez has sent a letter to fellow City Council members, urging them to pass the ceasefire resolution that’s coming up Wednesday in the Chicago City Council meeting. In a letter obtained by Playbook, Sigcho-Lopez asserts: “By voting to pass the ceasefire resolution, Chicago is rightfully asserting our compliance with our obligations to not perpetrate genocide, support a genocide, and to not normalize genocide.” The opposition: The letter comes on the heels of Ald. Debra Silverstein urging Council members in a letter to reject a resolution that puts Chicago at odds with the Biden administration’s view on the war in the Middle East. Sigcho-Lopez counters that the United States “must be careful to ensure that it is also not in breach of its obligations under the Genocide Convention.” RELATED More than 300 Illinois National Guard soldiers prepare for deployment to Middle East, by ABC 7’s Stephanie Wade Students supporting Palestinian rights say they lost out on jobs, were targeted online for their activism, by the Sun-Times’ Mary Norkol If you are Clark Erickson, Playbook would like to hear from you. Email skapos@politico.com
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| WHERE'S JB | |
At Google's Chicago offices to announce next steps for Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative.
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| | WHERE's BRANDON | |
No official public events.
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| Where's Toni | |
No official public events. Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or (gasp!) a complaint? Email skapos@politico.com
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| JOIN 1/31 FOR A TALK ON THE RACE TO SOLVE ALZHEIMER’S: Breakthrough drugs and treatments are giving new hope for slowing neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and ALS. But if that progress slows, the societal and economic cost to the U.S. could be high. Join POLITICO, alongside lawmakers, official and experts, on Jan. 31 to discuss a path forward for better collaboration among health systems, industry and government. REGISTER HERE. |
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| CONVENTION ZONE | |
— The DNC is launching a neighborhood ambassadors program to recruit volunteers: “Organizers want 12,000 volunteers and to make sure Chicago’s neighborhoods see economic benefits from the Democratic convention,” by WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel and Tessa Weinberg. — PLAYBOOK IN PERSON: Christy George, the executive director of the Democratic National Convention’s host committee, will sit down with your Playbook host at the Hideout on Thursday. Details here (I’ll be doing shoutouts to Playbookers, so let me know if you’re going!)
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| THE STATEWIDES | |
— Illinois home-based child care providers often make minimum wage — or less: “As more day care operators leave for better-paying jobs, families have fewer child care options, according to the union that represents 15,000 providers,” by the Sun-Times’ Esther Yoon-Ji Kang. — Pair of mass shootings in suburbs offers grim reminder: Illinois and Chicago routinely rank among nation’s worst for such crimes: “In the last 11 years, Illinois accounted for close to 10 percent of all mass shootings in the nation, with almost 490 across the state, killing 356 people and wounding more than 2,080 others,” by the Tribune’s Claire Malon and Sam Charles. — Illinois River is expected to stay in flood stage until early February, report the State Journal-Registers’ Steven Spearie and Zach Roth — OPINION: Former Gov. Bruce Rauner is out of Illinois politics, but he pops up now and again. Here’s an opinion piece titled: Unions such as the CTU are taking away school choice from parents and their children, via the Tribune.
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| 2024 WATCH | |
— SEIU, Service Employees International Union Illinois State Council, is out with endorsements for the March 29 primary. Details here — Clayton Harris III, who’s running for Cook County state’s attorney, is being endorsed by progressive Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th).
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| CHICAGO | |
— How Many People Experience Homelessness In Chicago? Annual Count Aims To Boost Services: “City staffers and volunteers connected with hundreds of unhoused Chicagoans during the annual point-in-time count Thursday night. Meanwhile, thousands of migrants face homelessness as the city’s shelter stay limit approaches,” by the Block Club’s Colin Boyle. — Buona Beef-connected group gets $45M contract for migrant shelter meals, by the Block Club’s Madison Savedra — Sen. Dick Durbin attends launch of community mental health center, via NBC Chicago
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| SPOTLIGHT | |
— Man who conspired with sister in infamous 1993 ‘black widow’ murder case released from prison: “Andrew Suh had been serving an 80-year sentence for the Sept. 25, 1993, murder of his sister’s boyfriend, Robert O’Dubaine, in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood. Suh has long admitted he pulled the trigger in the premeditated, ambush-style killing. But, in repeated clemency requests, he argued his remorse and efforts to better himself have earned him a measure of mercy,” by the Tribune’s Christy Gutowski
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| COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS | |
— As buses of migrants arrive in Chicago suburbs, residents debate the role of their towns: “In recent weeks, buses have been bypassing the city for its smaller outlying communities, where people are unaccustomed to the flow of newcomers,” by The New York Times’ Julie Bosman. — Despite state law to address controversy, Wheeling Township blocks taxes for new mental health program approved in referendum, by the Tribune’s Robert McCoppin — As Kankakee River water levels decrease after ice jam flash flooding, Will County assesses damage, by the Tribune’s Adriana Pérez
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| TAKING NAMES | |
— State Treasurer Mike Frerichs has been named the Policymaker of the Year for 2023 by the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems, via BusinessWire. — Chris Koos, the mayor of Normal, has been confirmed to the Amtrak Board of Directors. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin delivered a speech on the Senate floor Thursday congratulating Koos. — Thomas McAfee, president of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, has been elected to the Board of Trustees for the Illinois Health and Hospital Association.
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| YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics. |
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| Reader Digest | |
We asked about elected officials that eventually won you over: Graham Grady: Mayor Brandon Johnson Ed Mazur: Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas Marilynn Miller: “Harry Truman. I was pretty young when he became president. But I hated him then. History taught me he was great. ‘The buck stops here’ is a favorite expression.” James Straus: “As a Dem, I was able to support Mark Kirk and John Porter.” Mike Kohr and Chris White: Gov. JB Pritzker. NEXT QUESTION: Calling or texting?
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| THE NATIONAL TAKE | |
— The huge wedge between McConnell and Johnson: Donald Trump, by POLITICO’s Jordain Carney and Burgess Everett — Politics threatens to spoil Paris 2024 Olympics, by POLITICO’s Louise Guillot — ‘F---ing lunatics': Deadly Jordan attacks spur open GOP feud, by POLITICO’s Anthony Adragna
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| TRANSITIONS | |
— Stacey Berdejo is now the Chicago director for Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s office. She had served as counsel in the same office. She received her JD from DePaul University and is a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute alumni. — Will Shih is now deputy executive secretary at the White House Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. He was economic policy adviser for Duckworth’s office in Washington, D.C. and before that was a policy staffer in the Lightfoot administration. — Roberto Requejo is stepping down as head of Elevated Chicago, which focuses on equitable transit issues. He’s the founding director of the nonprofit and will be on the job until May 3. — MEDIA MOVES: Olivia Olander will be a senior reporter covering state government at the Tribune. She had been a labor and employment reporter at POLITICO and earlier contributed to Illinois Playbook!
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| TRIVIA | |
FRIDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Illinois state Senate candidate La'Mont Williams for correctly answering that Hieronymus Mueller was the city of Decatur’s first plumber. A museum in Decatur honors him. TODAY's QUESTION: Who founded the Chicago Defender and where was its 1920s headquarters located? Email skapos@politico.com
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| HAPPY BIRTHDAY | |
Oprah, U.S. Health and Human Services Regional Director Mike Cabonargi, Greene County Dem Central Committee Chair Jimmy Naville, Illinois Gaming Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter, Medicaid Innovation Office Senior Adviser Julie Hamos, 5th Ward Chief of Staff Charles Kyle, JLL Facilities Coordinator Skylar Rolle and author and women’s advocate Rebecca Sive. -30- |
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