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Shia Kapos' must-read rundown of political news in the Land of Lincoln | | | | |  | | By Shia Kapos | TGIF, Illinois. We made it. Have a good weekend.
|  | TOP TALKER | | Tensions continue to build in Illinois in wake of the Hamas attack on Israel and subsequent counterattacks on Gaza. Fired on the spot: An attorney with the Illinois Comptroller’s Office was fired after she posted antisemitic comments on her social media pages. The message: “Comptroller [Susana] Mendoza has zero tolerance for anti-semitism or hate speech,” said spokesman Abdon Pallasch. Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner has the story. Mendoza had earlier expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself in its war against Hamas. In a primetime speech Thursday from the Oval Office, President Joe Biden invoked the name of Wadea al-Fayoume, the 6-year-old Chicago-area boy who was stabbed to death in what police say was a hate crime against Palestinians and Muslims. “His name was Wadea,” Biden said. “Wadea, a proud American, a proud Palestinian-American family. We can’t stand by and stand silent when this happens.” Biden then called the boy’s family, “speaking to his father and uncle. The White House said the president and the first lady expressed their condolences to the family and their commitment to speaking out against anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bigotry,” reports NBC’s Natasha Korecki. Earlier in the day in the suburb of Lombard, a man was charged with committing a hate crime and assaulting two people because they are Muslim, reports Daily Herald’s Susan Sarkauskas. And in Skokie, pro-Palestinian protesters staged a sit-in at Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky's office. They called for an end to the war between Israel and Hamas. Schakowsky expressed her own frustration with the situation in the Middle East. In a statement, she said, “We cannot achieve lasting peace and security for Israelis without addressing the humanitarian crises in Gaza and the West Bank and ending the occupation." More from Biden’s speech: America at ‘inflection point’ in Israel and Ukraine, by POLITICO’s Myah Ward and Jonathan Lemire.
| | THE BUZZ | | Tensions about migrants, too: A Chicago City Council member and her aide were knocked around at an anti-migrant rally on Chicago’s West Side on Thursday. It’s the latest in the growing concern about where to locate migrants in order to get them off of the floors of police stations and the airport before winter. Freshman Ald. Julia Ramirez and Alexander Diaz were pushed and shoved by protesters as they were headed to speak to constituents about building a tent camp near 38th Street and California Avenue. Diaz was taken to the hospital, according to the Sun Times’ report. Mayor Brandon Johnson “condemned” the attack and said his administration “supports the right to peaceful protest and free speech, but this type of action against a public servant is unconscionable,” via a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter. Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) also criticized the hostility against Ramirez, saying, “All people have a right to peacefully protest and make their concerns known, but we can never tolerate violence towards elected officials and their staff.” Calling on electeds: Ramirez’s council colleagues sent out a statement, “The anti-immigrant discourse we’ve heard at this moment, stoked for years by the right-wing, is at the heart of today’s violence. We call on all elected officials and leaders to stop stoking the anti-immigrant discourse in our neighborhoods. Immigrants, regardless of where they come from, are welcome in our great city and country,” said the joint statement from the council’s Progressive Caucus and Latino Caucus. Ramirez said she understands’ constituents’ concerns. “I call on the mayor’s office for more transparency, accountability and more local involvement in the decision-making process to explore more options for establishing permanent shelters, and reevaluate if tents are an appropriate solution at this site,” according to a statement. RELATED — Top mayoral aide defends decision to budget $150M for migrant crisis: “Tell me the alderman who is standing up saying, ‘I want the city [to] pay $400 million or $500 million,’” Jason Lee tells Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman. If you are Julia Ramirez, Playbook would like to hear from you. Email skapos@politico.com
| | WHERE'S JB | | No official public events.
| | WHERE's BRANDON | | No official public events.
| | Where's Toni | | In Charlotte, N.C., for the National Organization of Black County Officials convention. One for the money. Two for the show. Three to get ready, now email: skapos@politico.com
| | | | GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here. | | | | | | | THE STATEWIDES | | — Gov. JB Pritzker says he’d agree to extend ‘Invest in Kids’ tax break for scholarships program if legislators send him a proposal: “The governor had previously been noncommittal over whether the controversial scholarship program should continue beyond its Dec. 31 expiration date. There has long been a debate of whether state tax credits should be used to fund primarily religious schools,” by Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner. — Also on the docket for next week’s veto session: Lawmakers could consider legislation ending a moratorium on nuclear reactor construction, holding insurance companies accountable and a bill that would open the door for rent control in municipalities around the state, by State Journal-Register’s Patrick M. Keck. — In a pickle: State Sen. Doris Turner has introduced legislation that would increase the number of pickleball courts in Springfield.
| | | BUSINESS OF POLITICS | | | — Illinois lawmakers ban campaign donations from red-light camera companies — and then accept the donations: “Among those accepting campaign contributions after supporting what was portrayed as reform legislation was state Senate President Don Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat,” by Sun-Times’ Robert Herguth.
| | | COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS | | | — Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez has opened up a Domestic Violence Survivor Center at the Markham Courthouse. “It was personal,” Martinez told Playbook she’s seen domestic abuse within her family. But she was prompted most recently to open the center when said she heard from advocates who said alleged perpetrators would lurk about when women came into the courthouse to fill out paperwork seeking protection orders. “They lurk nearby and watch. It's intimidating to the victims who are mostly women,” said Martinez, who as a state senator sponsored legislation to train salon stylists on how to identify clients experiencing domestic violence. Martinez’s work in the court comes in the middle of a reelection bid. She faces Mariyana Spyropoulos in next year’s highly competitive primary. — Calumet City administrators knew stormwater pumps were in ‘poor condition’ a year before massive flood, report shows, by Daily Southtown’s Hank Sanders — County executive awards demolition contract for former Will County Courthouse, by Daily Southtown’s Michelle Mullins
| | TAKING NAMES | | — Gov. JB Pritzker gets the New Yorker treatment in a piece that revisits his past and spotlights his “unapologetically liberal agenda,” via Peter Slevin for The New Yorker. — Josina Morita, the first Asian-American woman to serve on the Cook County board and co-founder of the Mama’s Caucus, was named one of three Top Women Legislators by the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois. — Ivo Daalder, CEO of Chicago Council on Global Affairs, was named to the advisory board of Workstorm videoconferencing company.
| | | | PLAYBOOK IS GOING GLOBAL! We’re excited to introduce Global Playbook, POLITICO’s premier newsletter that brings you inside the most important conversations at the most influential events in the world. From the buzzy echoes emanating from the snowy peaks at the WEF in Davos to the discussions and personalities at Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to the heart of diplomacy at UNGA in New York City – author Suzanne Lynch brings it all to your fingertips. Experience the elite. Witness the influential. And never miss a global beat. BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | Reader Digest | | We asked what Illinois thing should be taken national. Pat McCann: JB Pritzker. Becky Carroll: An assault weapons ban. Cynthia Given: Minimum wage law. Marilynn Miller and Mark Rosenberg: Reproductive freedom. Patricia Ann Watson: “Being a truly welcoming state.” Lloyd Brooks: Chicago hot dog “with all of the fixings, including celery salt.” Robert Christie: Garrett Popcorn. Josh Mogerman: Horseshoe sandwiches. Steve Sheffey: Deep-dish Chicago-style pizza. Eugene Daly: “Putting politicians in prison.” Just lawbreakers, of course. Nick Kalm: “The ability to give directions using North, South, East and West. Everyone should carry a compass or at least know where the sun is.” What first led you to be politically engaged? Email skapos@politico.com
| | DELEGATION | | — Congressman Mike Bost had it up to here! When Rep. Matt Gaetz stepped to the microphones during Thursday’s three-hour private House GOP meeting, the Florida Republican was met with boos, profanities and “calls to back off,” via POLITICO. Gaetz refused, prompting Bost to stand up and holler something along the lines of: “If you don’t sit down, I’ll put you down.” Memory lane: In 2012 Bost really lost his temper while serving in the Illinois General Assembly. Video here
| | THE NATIONAL TAKE | | — House GOP drowning as crisis reaches breaking point, by POLITICO’s Olivia Beavers, Jordain Carney and Sarah Ferris — How Biden is betting on the politics of war, by Michael Hirsh for POLITICO — Trump’s claim of immunity from prosecution defies American history, special counsel argues, by POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein
| | TRIVIA | | THURSDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Ashvin Lad for correctly answering that Montgomery Ward's 19 tailors and clothing cutters walked out in 1905, leading to a historic Teamsters strike. TODAY’s QUESTION: What two Chicago streets intersect near Irving Park Road, again at Montrose Avenue and for a third time at Devon Avenue? Email skapos@politico.com
| | HAPPY BIRTHDAY | | Today: Veep Kamala Harris, former Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, former state Rep. Carolyn Krause, former state Rep. Bob Biggins, Jasculca Terman Strategic Communications co-founder Rick Jasculca, political consultant Rebecca Williams, OneDigital client executive Bart Marchant, author Taylor Pensoneau and Sun-Times editorial board member Lee Bey. Saturday: Cook County Commissioner Bill Lowry, former Chicago Ald. Howard Brookins Jr., former DeKalb Ald. Bill Finucane, Goliath Slayer Communications’ Jon Zahm, political fundraising consultant Maureen O’Sullivan Artl, attorney Coco Soodek, Marquardt and Co.’s Carrie VanTilburg, U. of C. Crime Lab senior comms exec Maggi Ibis, congressional staffer Matt Ide and Playbooker Rosemary Hall. Sunday: Chicago Ald. Anthony Beale, former state Sen. and gubernatorial candidate Patrick O’Malley, former state Rep. Bob Flider, broadcast media strategist Jay Foot, LocalLabs CEO Brian Timpone and Sun-Times reporter Stephanie Zimmermann. -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 | | | | |  |
