TGIF, Illinois. Please drink your green beer responsibly.
SOUNDS FAMILIAR: The Trump administration is targeting Chicago again. This time, the newly created Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism is investigating incidents and allegations of antisemitism at schools and college campuses in Chicago, Boston, New York City and Los Angeles.It’s a trend: They’re all cities led by the same Democratic mayors who recently testified before members of Congress about their enforcement of sanctuary status.Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the other three mayors are now being asked to discuss their handling of protests over the Middle East war.Sending a message: “Too many elected officials chose not to stand up to a rising tide of antisemitism in our cities and campuses following the horrific events of October 7, 2023,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrotein a statement announcing the probe. “Actions have consequences – inaction does, too.”This time, instead of being called to Washington, Bondi’s team indicated it will be coming to each individual city to address concerns.Get used to it, says Jason Lee, the mayor’s senior adviser. “The same cities are going to be scrutinized across every front. Based on the political climate that we’re in, there will be things that we will have to deal with,” Lee told the Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman and Tina Sfondeles. “Residents of Chicago can draw and have drawn their conclusions as to why we may be the target of certain actions.”PREACHING TO THE CROWD: Gov. JB Pritzker couldn’t have asked for a better setting to attack the Trump administration about its recent plans to fire 1,300 employees in the U.S. Education Department.Pritzker also took a swipe at Linda McMahon, the new secretary of education and the former CEO of the World Wrestling Entertainment. “Now wrestling can be entertaining. I’ll admit, I don’t watch much of it,” Pritzker told the crowd gathered at a hotel ballroom. “But that’s not the kind of expertise that most Americans are looking for when it comes to carrying out good public policy for our families. Education is either the foundation of our nation’s future success or, if we fail, it can be our nation’s undoing.”Capitol News’ Peter Hancock has more.Legal action: Illinois Attorney Gen. Kwame Raoul is among 21 Democratic AGs who sued the Trump administration Thursday after news that 1,300 Education Department employees would be fired. Raoul said such layoffs would “severely hamstring the processing of essential financial aid,” according to a statement about the lawsuit. Former Education Secretary Arne Duncan is also quoted, saying, “What’s happening now in D.C. is devastating, disheartening and destructive to our nation’s education system.”
— BELOW THE BELT |Nobody wants to drink sparkling wine from the Midwest: “Tariffs on products from the Champagne region of France will not make products from the Champaign-Urbana region of Illinois more appealing,” by Bloomberg’s Jessica Karl.—State considers a ban on black market restaurant reservations: “The state joins California, Florida, and Nevada with legislation that mirrors a New York law passed in December,” by Eater’s Ashok Selvam.—‘This experience is very traumatizing’: Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot testifies about death threat she received in 2022: “Growing occasionally emotional, former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday testified during a bench trial that she was disturbed and traumatized by a profane and racist death threat sent to her in 2022 through a city feedback email system,” by the Tribune’s Madeline Buckley.
—The Chicago metro area and Cook County are growing again: “The 12-county metro area added 70,762 residents between July 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024, an increase of 0.8 percent, to 9.4 million. Cook County added 40,095 residents, also an increase of 0.8 percent, to almost 5.2 million,” according to new Census Bureau estimates, by Crain’s John Pletz.—Chicago’s school board debates high-stakes budget amendment ahead of vote: “Some board members urged the district to pay the city $175 million to cover a portion of an annual payment to fund the retirements of non-teaching school staff. That payment has caused a major rift between district leaders,” by Chalkbeat’s Mila Koumpilova.—Chicago attorneys accuse federal agents of violating immigrants’ rights and take legal action: “In one case, attorneys say a Chicago resident was detained for hours and only released after federal agents realized he was a U.S. citizen,” by WBEZ’s Adriana Cardona-Maguigad.— SPOTLIGHT: Black Millennial Renaissance, a network of groups targeting systemic racism, is accepting applications for its 2025 Justice & Equity Fellowship, a summer program for young people from ages of 16 to 23.
— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has documented accomplishments in her first 100 days in office, including a new detention policy related to the proliferation of machine-gun conversion devices (also known as switches), ghost guns, drums and extended magazines. According to her team, prosecutors have sought pre-trial detention for 202 felony firearm cases involving switches, ghost guns, or other modified weapons; and judges agreed 115 times, or 58 percent.A message to judges: “We will continue seeking pre-trial detention for offenders who use these weapons of war to terrorize our communities and prison time when we win a conviction. A 58 percent pre-trial detention rate for automatic weapons is frankly too low,” O’Neill Burke said in a statement.Prosecutors also approved 86 percent of felony retail theft cases — more than 850 in total, according to Burke’s office.Here are stats on pre-trial detentions,felony retail theft and the number of cases filed.— IN CHICAGO:Slim odds of an arrest when someone is shot and wounded: “If you’re among more than 19,000 people wounded by gunfire since 2018, the chances that anyone will be charged with shooting you are only about 6 percent,” by the Sun-Times’ Andy Grimm and Tom Schuba.
— Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02) led a letter to President Donald Trump demanding that he reopen the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. The office was closed after he took office in January. Also signing the letter from Illinois are Democratic Congress members: Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (IL-04), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Danny Davis (IL-07), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) and Bill Foster (IL-11).
— Today at 10 am: Robert Eschbach, former mayor of Ottawa, will discuss his decades of public service with John Shaw, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. The Zoom conversation is free, but you have to register here.THURSDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Chris Jackowiak for correctly answering that former Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, a Democrat, served as a Republican when he was in the state legislature.Programming note:We’re pausing Trivia next week while your Playbook host relaxes on a beach for spring break. Trivia will return March 24 with the answer to today’s question.
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SOUNDS FAMILIAR: The Trump administration is targeting Chicago again. This time, the newly created Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism is investigating incidents and allegations of antisemitism at schools and college campuses in Chicago, Boston, New York City and Los Angeles.It’s a trend: They’re all cities led by the same Democratic mayors who recently testified before members of Congress about their enforcement of sanctuary status.Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the other three mayors are now being asked to discuss their handling of protests over the Middle East war.Sending a message: “Too many elected officials chose not to stand up to a rising tide of antisemitism in our cities and campuses following the horrific events of October 7, 2023,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrotein a statement announcing the probe. “Actions have consequences – inaction does, too.”This time, instead of being called to Washington, Bondi’s team indicated it will be coming to each individual city to address concerns.Get used to it, says Jason Lee, the mayor’s senior adviser. “The same cities are going to be scrutinized across every front. Based on the political climate that we’re in, there will be things that we will have to deal with,” Lee told the Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman and Tina Sfondeles. “Residents of Chicago can draw and have drawn their conclusions as to why we may be the target of certain actions.”PREACHING TO THE CROWD: Gov. JB Pritzker couldn’t have asked for a better setting to attack the Trump administration about its recent plans to fire 1,300 employees in the U.S. Education Department.Pritzker also took a swipe at Linda McMahon, the new secretary of education and the former CEO of the World Wrestling Entertainment. “Now wrestling can be entertaining. I’ll admit, I don’t watch much of it,” Pritzker told the crowd gathered at a hotel ballroom. “But that’s not the kind of expertise that most Americans are looking for when it comes to carrying out good public policy for our families. Education is either the foundation of our nation’s future success or, if we fail, it can be our nation’s undoing.”Capitol News’ Peter Hancock has more.Legal action: Illinois Attorney Gen. Kwame Raoul is among 21 Democratic AGs who sued the Trump administration Thursday after news that 1,300 Education Department employees would be fired. Raoul said such layoffs would “severely hamstring the processing of essential financial aid,” according to a statement about the lawsuit. Former Education Secretary Arne Duncan is also quoted, saying, “What’s happening now in D.C. is devastating, disheartening and destructive to our nation’s education system.”
— BELOW THE BELT |Nobody wants to drink sparkling wine from the Midwest: “Tariffs on products from the Champagne region of France will not make products from the Champaign-Urbana region of Illinois more appealing,” by Bloomberg’s Jessica Karl.—State considers a ban on black market restaurant reservations: “The state joins California, Florida, and Nevada with legislation that mirrors a New York law passed in December,” by Eater’s Ashok Selvam.—‘This experience is very traumatizing’: Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot testifies about death threat she received in 2022: “Growing occasionally emotional, former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday testified during a bench trial that she was disturbed and traumatized by a profane and racist death threat sent to her in 2022 through a city feedback email system,” by the Tribune’s Madeline Buckley.
—The Chicago metro area and Cook County are growing again: “The 12-county metro area added 70,762 residents between July 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024, an increase of 0.8 percent, to 9.4 million. Cook County added 40,095 residents, also an increase of 0.8 percent, to almost 5.2 million,” according to new Census Bureau estimates, by Crain’s John Pletz.—Chicago’s school board debates high-stakes budget amendment ahead of vote: “Some board members urged the district to pay the city $175 million to cover a portion of an annual payment to fund the retirements of non-teaching school staff. That payment has caused a major rift between district leaders,” by Chalkbeat’s Mila Koumpilova.—Chicago attorneys accuse federal agents of violating immigrants’ rights and take legal action: “In one case, attorneys say a Chicago resident was detained for hours and only released after federal agents realized he was a U.S. citizen,” by WBEZ’s Adriana Cardona-Maguigad.— SPOTLIGHT: Black Millennial Renaissance, a network of groups targeting systemic racism, is accepting applications for its 2025 Justice & Equity Fellowship, a summer program for young people from ages of 16 to 23.
— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has documented accomplishments in her first 100 days in office, including a new detention policy related to the proliferation of machine-gun conversion devices (also known as switches), ghost guns, drums and extended magazines. According to her team, prosecutors have sought pre-trial detention for 202 felony firearm cases involving switches, ghost guns, or other modified weapons; and judges agreed 115 times, or 58 percent.A message to judges: “We will continue seeking pre-trial detention for offenders who use these weapons of war to terrorize our communities and prison time when we win a conviction. A 58 percent pre-trial detention rate for automatic weapons is frankly too low,” O’Neill Burke said in a statement.Prosecutors also approved 86 percent of felony retail theft cases — more than 850 in total, according to Burke’s office.Here are stats on pre-trial detentions,felony retail theft and the number of cases filed.— IN CHICAGO:Slim odds of an arrest when someone is shot and wounded: “If you’re among more than 19,000 people wounded by gunfire since 2018, the chances that anyone will be charged with shooting you are only about 6 percent,” by the Sun-Times’ Andy Grimm and Tom Schuba.
— Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02) led a letter to President Donald Trump demanding that he reopen the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. The office was closed after he took office in January. Also signing the letter from Illinois are Democratic Congress members: Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (IL-04), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Danny Davis (IL-07), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) and Bill Foster (IL-11).
— Today at 10 am: Robert Eschbach, former mayor of Ottawa, will discuss his decades of public service with John Shaw, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. The Zoom conversation is free, but you have to register here.THURSDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Chris Jackowiak for correctly answering that former Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, a Democrat, served as a Republican when he was in the state legislature.Programming note:We’re pausing Trivia next week while your Playbook host relaxes on a beach for spring break. Trivia will return March 24 with the answer to today’s question.
