| | | | |  | | By Shia Kapos | | | TGIF, Illinois. A big thank you to Chicago Alds. William Hall and Bennett Lawson for the fun and informative discussion at the Hideout (and before the SOTU)! — Don’t forget to change your clocks! Here’s why we do it, via The Associated Press
|  | TOP TALKER | | | | 
President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address on Thursday, March 7, 2024. | Andrew Harnik/AP | PROPS FROM THE PRES: In his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress Thursday night, President Joe Biden singled out Illinois for the “great comeback story” of the Belvidere Assembly Plant that had closed in early 2023. The backstory: The plant had been a central point of last year's national United Auto Workers strike — Biden even joined workers on the picket line in Michigan. The UAW and Stellantis eventually negotiated a deal that led to the Illinois plant reopening. And Biden visited Belvidere to celebrate. In his SOTU, Biden called the deal “transformative,” adding that UAW “worked like hell” to keep the plant open and get those jobs back. “Instead of a town being left behind it’s a community moving forward again!” said Biden. “Once again, Wall Street didn’t build this country! The middle class built this country! And unions built the middle class!” In the audience in the House chamber: Biden recognized UAW President, Shawn Fain, “a great friend, and a great labor leader,” and Dawn Simms, “a third generation UAW worker in Belvidere.” Biden also channeled Chumbawamba: “When Americans get knocked down, we get back up!” SOUNDS FAMILIAR: Some Illinois Dems said Biden’s plan for America sounds a lot like Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan for Illinois: An assault weapons ban, a fair tax, raising the minimum wage, affordable healthcare and childcare and more manufacturing. The Illinois Republican Party seems to agree. It criticized Biden’s presidency and what it called the “Biden-Pritzker agenda.” TAKEAWAYS Biden chooses a hammer over an olive branch, by POLITICO’s Jonathan Lemire Embracing his age, via POLITICO video There were hecklers, via POLITICO staff And a reset on the Israel — Hamas war, by the Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet REAX Praise from Pritzker: “The message is clear — together we can continue the historic progress of the last four years and create a future that lifts all communities and leaves no one behind.”... From Sen. Tammy Duckworth: Biden "reminded the nation of Republican’s hypocrisy on everything from border security to reproductive rights.”... And in the moment, Congressman Sean Casten said, “This speech is really good.” There were Democratic critics: U.S. Reps. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia and Delia Ramirez called out Biden for saying Laken Riley, a nursing student in Georgia, “was killed by an illegal.” Posted on X Convention zone: Matt Hill, spokesman for the Democratic National Convention, posted Reince Preibus’ take on Biden’s speech, saying Biden “delivered a convention-like speech and passed a health and wellness check.” Preibus is, of course, the chair of the Republican National Convention to be held this July in Milwaukee. Check it out
| | THE BUZZ | | WHERE'S RAHM: U.S. Ambassador to Japan and former Mayor Rahm Emanuel is rolling out the welcome wagon for Chicago this spring. He and wife Amy visited with Chicago-area native Jeff Tweedy and the Wilco band before they performed at the Roppongi Hills club in Tokyo. (Tweedy was going on to perform in Osaka, a Chicago sister city). On Wednesday, the Emanuels hosted a dinner party for Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Riken Yamamoto. On hand was Chicago billionaire Tom Pritzker, along with government leaders and executives from Japan. And next month, the Emanuels will host a dinner party for a group of Chicagoans on the boards of the Art Institute of Chicago and Museum of Contemporary Art for Chicago artist Theaster Gates’ first exhibit at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo. “It’s a Chicago spring in Tokyo,” Emanuel told Playbook. If you are Dawn Simms, Playbook would like to hear from you. Email skapos@politico.com
| | | | A message from Amazon: Luke and his wife started Fire Department Coffee in their hometown of Rockford, Illinois. They turned to Amazon to help grow by using the tools it offers sellers. “With all the tools Amazon offers we are able to meet the customer where they are,” Luke said. Amazon offers seller tools to help with every step of the process, from marketing to shipping, helping small businesses to thrive. See the impact. | | | | | WHERE'S JB | | No official public events.
| | | WHERE's BRANDON | | | No official public events.
| | | Where's Toni | | At the Chicago Cultural Center at 9 a.m. for the Peggy A. Montes Unsung Heroine Awards, which will honor 18 women — one from each district of Cook County and one countywide. Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or (heaven forbid) a complaint? Email skapos@politico.com
| | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S HEALTH CARE SUMMIT: The stakes are high as America's health care community strives to meet the evolving needs of patients and practitioners, adopt new technologies and navigate skeptical public attitudes toward science. Join POLITICO’s annual Health Care Summit on March 13 where we will discuss the future of medicine, including the latest in health tech, new drugs and brain treatments, diagnostics, health equity, workforce strains and more. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | 2024 WATCH | | — In the Cook County state’s attorney race, Clayton Harris talked about his back story, including growing up around gunfire, during a City Club Q&A with attorney and former federal prosecutor Duane Deskins. “You have rock solid experience in the legal world in terms of government affairs and legislative affairs — 20 years of doing that — but it would be also equally true that if you are elected you would have the least Cook County prosecutor criminal court experience of any prosecutor in the last 30 years,” Deskins said. “Do you think you’re up to leading this kind of task?” Harris said, “Absolutely.” The Tribune’s A.D. Quig has the story. — Harris has been endorsed by Chicago Ald. Jason Ervin and Cook County Commissioner Tara Stamps. — Eileen O'Neill Burke’s plan for a Choice Protection Unit in the Cook County State’s Attorney Office has prompted endorsements from state Rep. Margaret Croke, 43rd Ward Democratic Committeewoman Lucy Moog and Chicago Ald. Monique Scott. — Labor union pulls endorsement of Rashid, backs Foster in 11th District, by the Daily Herald’s Russell Lissau — Helping the unhoused ‘a matter of life and death,’ Johnson says during Bring Chicago Home push, by the Sun-Times’ Kaitlin Washburn — Joy Cunningham released a new TV ad in her bid to stay on the Illinois Supreme Court.
| | THE STATEWIDES | | — Illinois moves to limit toxic forever chemicals contaminating wells throughout the state, by the Tribune’s Michael Hawthorne
| | | | A message from Amazon:   | | | | | MIGRANT MOVES | | — Amid migrant crisis, Chicago food pantries experience unprecedented demand, by the Tribune’s Kate Armanini — While newly arrived migrants can obtain work permits, some of the long-undocumented feel forgotten, by CBS 2’s Marybel Gonzalez — No plans to extend March 16 date for migrants to leave Chicago shelters, Johnson says, by NBC 5’s Bennett Haeberle and Lisa Capitanini
| | CHICAGO | | — Plan for hybrid elected Chicago school board now in Gov. JB Pritzker’s hands: “ Pritzker indicated his support. ‘Either way, I think that the city of Chicago is doing the right thing,’ Pritzker said at an unrelated event in Decatur. ‘The Chicago Public Schools will be better led by people who are representative of the people and not just appointed by the mayor of the city of Chicago,’” by the Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner. — How Brandon Johnson’s inner circle compares to past mayors’ staffs, by the Sun-Times’ Lauren FitzPatrick and Justin Myers — Bally’s Chicago revenue grows in February, generating more than $1M in local tax revenue, by the Tribune’s Robert Channick
the
— Measles case found in Chicago for the first time since 2019, by the Block Club’s Kelly Bauer — Obama gets first look at massive video exhibit slated for Obama Presidential Center. by the Sun-Times’ Emmanuel Camarillo
| | COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS | | — A new casino coming to the south suburbs says it will hit the jackpot despite a run on casinos: “The new Wind Creek Chicago Southland is opening just miles from a casino in Gary, Ind., and casino revenue is down in Illinois,” by WBEZ’s Michael Puente. — ONGOING SAGA: Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard vetoes calls for outside investigations of her spending, by the Daily Southtown’s Mike Nolan
| | | | On the ground in Albany. Get critical policy news and analysis inside New York State. Track how power brokers are driving change across legislation and budget and impacting lobbying efforts. Learn more. | | | | | | | Reader Digest | | We asked about the longest commute you had for a job: Mathias W. Delort, a retired judge: “Drove from Chicago to Marion and Harrisburg numerous times to appear in court on an Open Meetings Act case involving one of my former law firm's clients. It's at least a five hour drive each way, and I always did both legs in a single day.” Leslie Corbett: “Drove to Quincy and back from Chicago for a business lunch this fall. Who knew that Quincy wasn't one of the Quad cities? Oops!” Daniel Goldwin: “All in one day, I drove from Bloomington, Ind., to Indianapolis, Ind., to Peoria, Ill., and back to Bloomington. It was 1994, so thank God for books on tape and AAA Trip-Ticks.” Mark Heffington, Pittsfield High School history teacher: “My daily commute is 60 miles one-way (120 round trip). This isn't unusual in west central Illinois or even the longest among my small circle of friends.” Dan Mattoon: “In 1984, from northern Virginia to St. Charles, Ill. — 850 miles — to manage John Grotberg’s campaign for Congress.” Marilynn Miller: “When I was an IT consultant, I drove from Park Ridge to the west suburbs of Milwaukee every day.” JR Patton: “In March 2020, fellow political consultant Hannah Bartholf and I drove 17 hours straight through to Ft. Myers, Fla., to help a client who had two weeks left to get signatures to get on the ballot. It was the early days of Covid, so we didn’t fly. We were back in Chicago within 40 hours, having spent about 34 of them in the car!” Vickie Smith, CEO of the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, has driven Lexington, Ky., and Memphis, Tenn., as part of her job. Ashley Urisman: “From Logan Square to Naperville. It was brutal. I will never again consider a job not accessible by blue line.” John Straus: “Nine-plus years commuting from Evanston to Naperville.” Corrine Williams: “Probably the farthest was in D.C. when I lived in Chinatown and worked on the Hill — a 25 minute walk. Now, I work from home. Best commute ever.” NEXT QUESTION: What lunch item have you had stolen from the company refrigerator?
| | THE NATIONAL TAKE | | — Biden’s speech thrills Ukraine watchers. Others, not so much, by POLITICO’s Nahal Toosi — Top Donald Trump aide to run for Congress, by POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt and Meridith McGraw — George Santos announces a bid to return to Congress, by POLITICO’s Emily Ngo
| | WELCOME TO THE WORLD | | Assistant State’s Attorney Mia Buntic and Drew Beres of Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres welcomed Ema Buntic Beres into the world at on Monday, sharing a birthday with the city of Chicago, says her proud dad. Here is Ema meeting her brother, Lou. Pic!
| | | | A message from Amazon: Amazon’s independent selling partners employ more than 1.5 million Americans across the country.
That’s why Amazon invests billions of dollars in people, resources, and tools that support selling partners, like Fire Department Coffee, in every step of the process.
Learn how Amazon supports independent sellers. | | | | | TRIVIA | | THURSDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Ald. Jaylin McClinton for correctly answering John Getz is the Quad City native who’s appeared in “The Social Network,” “Zodiac,” “Grace and Frankie,” “CSI,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Mad Men,” “Three’s Company” and “The West Wing.” h/t Porter McNeil for the question. TODAY's QUESTION: What was the first hospital to train Black women to be nurses? Email skapos@politico.com
| | HAPPY BIRTHDAY | | Today: State Sen. Steve McClure, Republican Cook County state’s attorney candidate Ald. Bob Fioretti, congressional candidate Kina Collins, Cook County Zoning Board of Appeals member Judith Hamill, retired Chicago Police Lt. Gene Daly, PR pro Eileen Boyce, Hyde Park Hospitality CEO Marc Brooks, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace VP Evan Feigenbaum, public defender Aaron Goldstein, Pepsico corporate citizenship Director Taylor Lustig, Northwestern adjunct professor Bob Rowley, Kellogg School of Management MBA Admissions Director Beth Tidmarsh, Cook County state’s attorney data integration analyst Ridgley Knapp and JUF state legislative associate Jared Hoffman. Saturday: Former U.S. Ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman, philanthropist Sandra Guthman, political analyst Andrew Ellison, former Tribune Editor in Chief Bruce Dold and Cresco Labs marketing VP Sean Robberson. Sunday: Bettylu Saltzman, the veteran Democratic fundraiser credited with helping Barack Obama get his start, state Rep. Blaine Wilhour, Illinois Senate Dems comms specialist Erin Carney, restaurateur Manolis Alpogianis, CKL Engineering CEO Mae Williams, relationship expert Bela Gandhi and PR pro John Youngren. -30- | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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