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Shia Kapos' must-read rundown of political news in the Land of Lincoln | | | | |  | | By Shia Kapos | With help from Olivia Olander Happy Tuesday, Illinois. And congrats if you put money on Bruno Mars as the surprise headliner for the inauguration gala. He was boss.
|  | TOP TALKER | | | 
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker delivers his inaugural address during ceremonies Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, in Springfield, Ill. | AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast | SPRINGFIELD — Hours after Gov. JB Pritzker vowed in his inauguration speech to make Illinois the ninth state to ban assault weapons, the Illinois Senate helped make his wish a reality. It approved an assault-ban measure that is expected to gain final House approval today, giving the governor a win just as he starts his second term. “I’m done with the NRA having its way when it comes to mass shootings,” Pritzker told a crowd at the Bank of Springfield Center before a deal was reached on the legislation. “We ought to have a real accounting of the assault weapons currently in circulation. Let’s get it done, and then the federal government should follow our lead,” Full remarks here. Along with cleaning up guns, Pritzker laid out a vision for his second term that includes making abortion a constitutional right in Illinois, making preschool available to every family and making public colleges free for children in working-class families. The Tribune has a full report. Pritzker also vowed to “fight against a rising tide of hate,” Sun-Times’ Tina Sfondeles discusses in her report. How they landed the plane: It took hours of behind-the-scenes negotiating before Pritzker, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon emerged with a joint statement supporting the assault weapons ban measure. “This is a historic attempt to curb gun violence in Illinois,” Harmon told Playbook as he arrived for the inauguration festivities. “It took an awful lot of work from an awful lot of people. I'm so glad that we all came together in the end to achieve our common goals.” About the bill: It ends the sale, delivery and purchase of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, calls for owners of guns on the assault weapons list “to provide information to the Illinois State Police” and immediately bans the possession and use of rapid-fire devices, according to a statement from Harmon’s team. Other elements include expediting universal background checks and exemptions for hunters and private security contractors. The FOID card age remains at 21. At the inauguration: Along with Pritzker, all the state-wide elected leaders were sworn in to four-year terms: Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Comptroller Susana Mendoza and Treasurer Mike Frerichs took their oaths after winning reelection. And Alexi Giannoulias was sworn in as Illinois secretary of state, replacing Jesse White, who didn't seek reelection after serving 24 years. Biggest applause: It came when Frerichs made a big announcement in his speech. “This has been a really great year,” he said. “I got married. I became a dog owner. I got re-elected. A lot of my friends got re-elected. We passed the Workers’ Rights Amendment. And, a couple weeks after the election, my wife let me know that this year, we will be growing our family.” At the inaugural gala: It was over-the-top with full bars and food stations at every turn, including mini beef sandwiches with giardiniera, soft pretzels and spicy cheese. Guests were greeted by a pair of models dressed to showcase the state flower (common blue violet), state bird (northern cardinal) and state butterfly (monarch). And the irony wasn’t lost on the crowd when Bruno Mars sang “I wanna be a billionaire so f***ing bad,” via Lee Enterprises’ Brenden Moore. Spotted: House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, who brought his mom, Willa, as his date, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, former Pritzker political director and Sen. Raphael Warnock campaign manager Quentin Fulks, GCM Grosvenor Michael Sacks, R4 Services CEO Trisha Rooney, SPAAN Tech CEO Smita Shah, Black Opal Beauty CEO Desiree Rogers, Corporate Cleaning Services CEO Neal Zucker, Terminal Getaway Spa CEO Marko Iglendza, the secretary of state’s mom Anna Giannoulias, Chicago Foundation for Women CEO Felicia Davis Blakley, Democratic adviser Chris Dunn, state Rep. Theresa Mah, outgoing state Rep. Jim Durkin, Walgreens government relations exec Donovan Pepper, Chicago aldermanic candidate Bill Conway Jr., political consultant Porter McNeil, Latino Policy Forum’s Sylvia Puente and UCAN’s Christa Hamilton.
| | THE BUZZ | | LIGHTFOOT ON CRIME: Mayor Lori Lightfoot is out with a new ad, and this one takes on crime head-on. “You wouldn’t know it by watching the news or listening to the haters,” says the narrator as he walks down a Chicago street, adding, “but on crime, Lightfoot has a plan.” The 30-second spot highlights Lightfoot’s efforts to invest more money in public safety than the mayors before her — in terms of hiring officers, getting guns off the streets and investing in neighborhoods, according to the narrator. Crime remains a No. 1 issue for voters. And the mayor’s opponents continue to hammer her on it — particularly Paul Vallas, who was just endorsed by the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police. Lightfoot’s ad not-so-subtly responds, “anyone that says there are simple solutions is lying.” If you’re Quentin Fulks, Playbook would like to know what your next political project will be? Email skapos@politico.com.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | WHERE'S JB | | No official public events.
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| | Where's Toni | | No official public events. Have a news tip, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? I’d like to hear from you: skapos@politico.com
| | THE STATEWIDES | | — Sterigenics settles hundreds of ethylene oxide lawsuits for $408M: The settlement came about after the jury hit the company with a $363 million verdict for a Willowbrook cancer survivor, reports by Tribune’s Michael Hawthorne. — Pritzker signs pay increase bill for legislators, statewide officeholders, by State Journal-Register’s Patrick Keck
| | BUSINESS OF POLITICS | | — How to fill Rep. Jim Durkin seat:“Republican leaders from DuPage and Will counties will meet with GOP heads from four suburban Cook County townships to discuss how to go about replacing the 13-term legislator,” by Daily Herald’s Jake Griffin.”
| | TAKING NAMES | | — Springfield won’t soon see another pol like Greg Haris:“There are lots of ways to political fame. Having survived AIDS, multiple suicide attempts and governmental chaos are not normally among them. But then Greg Harris is not your typical Illinois legislator,” writes Crain’s Greg Hinz in a column on the retiring Illinois House majority leader. — How Nabeela Syed wants to make space for more people in Illinois state politics: “The 23-year-old Muslim rep.-elect once wondered if politics were meant for ‘people like me.’ Now, she’s being sworn into the Illinois General Assembly,” by WBEZ’s Mawa Iqbal.
| | CHICAGO | | — Chicago commuters lost more hours to congestion in 2022 than drivers in any other major U.S. city, report shows, by Tribune’s Sarah Freishtat — MIGRANTS IN ILLINOIS: West Ridge’s closed YMCA, now a migrant shelter, gets $3.75M for renovation, likely reopening, by Block Club’s Joe Ward — After a series of armed robberies of street vendors, Little Village residents organize to protect each other, by Tribune’s Laura Rodríguez Presa — Effort to expand protection for trans Chicagoans and those seeking abortions advances, by WTTW’s Heather Cherone — Alderpersons call in crews to cut branches of tree in Gage Park after they say homeowner refused to take down noose, by Sun-Times’ Sophie Sherry — ‘Horrendous drag strip’ on Montrose Avenue getting city traffic study after two crashes, neighbor complaints, by Block Club’s Alex V. Hernandez — He painted a mural of Kanye West. Then a rabbi called, via The Washington Post
| | COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS | | — Evanston promised Black residents reparations. Few have been paid: “Despite its problems, the city’s $20 million effort, aimed at rectifying decades of housing discrimination, is seen as a model for reparations being considered across the country,” via The Washington Post. — POT-POURRI: Libertyville may put marijuana question to voters April 4, by Daily Herald’s Mick Zawislak
| | DAY IN COURT | | — SAVE THE DATE: April 2024 trial date set in racketeering case against ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan, longtime confidant, by Tribune’s Jason Meisner and Ray Long — Ex-aide to embattled Ald. Jim Gardiner testifies he called critics ‘rats,’ vowed to rid ward of them, by Tribune’s Jason Meisner — SEC charges former McDonald’s CEO with making false statements about termination, by Tribune’s Talia Soglin — Families of three women who died from heat exposure in Rogers Park senior home win $16M settlement, by Tribune’s Adriana Pérez
| | | | JOIN NEXT TUESDAY TO HEAR FROM MAYORS AROUND AMERICA: 2022 brought in a new class of mayors leading “majority minority” cities, reshaping who is at the nation’s power tables and what their priorities are. Join POLITICO to hear from local leaders on how they’re responding to being tested by unequal Covid-19 outcomes, upticks in hate crimes, homelessness, lack of affordable housing, inflation and a potential recession. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | Reader Digest | | What’s something new you’d like to try this year: Bryce C. Harris , operations manager Universal Gaming Group: “Though I'm typically more of a casual backpacker, I want to try and complete a couple of through-hikes. I'm looking at the Centennial Trail in South Dakota (110 miles) in the spring and the River to River Trail in Southern Illinois (159 miles) in the fall.” Brent Zhorne: “To try learning a new language.” Dennis Rendleman : “To try living without the sense of doom, dread and malaise I've had ever since the 2016 presidential election and then Covid.” If you wrote a book about your career so far, what would the title be? Email skapos@politico.com
| | THE NATIONAL TAKE | | — White House cooperating after Obama-era docs discovered, attorney says: “Attorney General Merrick Garland referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney John Lausch in Chicago for review, according to a person familiar with the decision,” report POLITICO’s Olivia Olander, Josh Gerstein and Jonathan Lemire. — Biden team preps for end to Covid's public health emergency — after one more extension, by POLITICO’s Adam Cancryn — Mutually assured obstruction: House GOP aims 'weaponization' panel at DOJ, by POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney, Nicholas Wu and Jordain Carney
| | IN MEMORIAM | | — Ted Beattie, former Shedd chief who revived the aquarium, is dead at 77, by Crain’s Steven R. Strahler
| | Transitions | | — John D. Lee is now legislative director for Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.). He had been a senior policy adviser for Congressman Sean Casten (D-Ill.). — Gil Thompson is now senior foreign policy adviser for Congressman Brad Schneider (D-Ill.). He previously was a legislative assistant for New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer. — Julia Roundtree Livingston is now the diversity, equity and inclusion manager at the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism. She had been executive director of Macon County Court Appointed Special Advocates. — Kouri Marshall joined Chamber of Progress as director of state and local government relations for the central United States. Marshall was deputy director of agency personnel and executive appointments for Gov. JB Pritzker. — Elizabeth Grisanzio is now VP of Governmental Affairs & Business Development for Wynndalco Enterprises. She was LW&CO’s chief of staff. — Patrick Basler is now chief experience officer for the leadership team at Great Lakes Credit Union. He had been at the Illinois Credit Union League. — Making their exits: Four cabinet members in the Pritzker administration are stepping down, the governor’s office said in a statement. They are Department of Natural Resources Director Colleen Callahan, Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Director Sylvia Garcia, Central Management Services Director Anthony Pascente and Department of Innovation and Technology Secretary Jennifer Ricker.
| | EVENTS | | Feb. 19: Author, political insider Blumenthal will headline Abraham Lincoln birthday banquet, details by State Journal-Register’s Steven Spearie
| | TRIVIA | | MONDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Ed Mazur for correctly answering that John Wayne Gacy and Michael Swango both lived in Springfield and went on to become serial killers. TODAY’s QUESTION: In what Illinois city was the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal order of Civil War veterans, formed? Email skapos@politico.com
| | HAPPY BIRTHDAY | | Former state Sen. Dale Risinger, Organizing for Action’s Aaron Buchner and teacher Neil Calderon. -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 | | | | |  |
