Today Sen. Mark Kirk was transferred from Northwestern Memorial Hospital to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) where he will be under the care of Dr. Richard L. Harvey, Medical Director of RIC’s Center for Stroke Rehabilitation.
Dr. Harvey said, “RIC’s team of experts will spend the next few days assessing Senator Kirk’s condition and developing a comprehensive, targeted rehabilitation program tailored to achieve the goals that will be established by Senator Kirk and his family. The Senator has several pre-stroke factors in his favor that our research and experience demonstrate will foster a better recovery, including his relative youth, good general health and fitness, strong personal motivation, and high intelligence.”
The office of Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) today released the following statement at the request of Senator Kirk’s family:
“We want to extend our deepest gratitude to the incredible team at Northwestern Memorial for all they have done for Mark. Words will never be good enough to express the love and appreciation we feel. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. As Mark begins the next phase in his recovery, we want to thank the thousands of people around the state, the nation and the world who have called, written notes, sent flowers and offered their thoughts and prayers. Mark’s drive and spirit are stronger than ever and we know he will give 110% in the days ahead.”
* At least two neighboring states, Missouri and Wisconsin, plan to use money from the national foreclosure settlement to help balance their budgets…
The Missouri House Budget Committee chairman said today that he supports Gov. Jay Nixon’s proposal to use $40 million of a multi-state bank settlement to ease higher education budget cuts.
Gov. Scott Walker, who joined Van Hollen for the announcement, says about 18 percent of the settlement – or $25.6 million – will go into the state’s general fund.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett begs to differ. After hearing Walker’s plan, Barrett called a news conference to urge the governor and attorney general to return the funds to the communities, instead of using them to balance the budget.
* Overall, the national settlement will require about a billion dollars to be spent in Illinois compensating mortgage holders who were victims of robo-signing schemes and to lower principal on certain mortgages.
Illinois’ governmental share is about $100-110 million, according to Attorney General Lisa Madigan. AG Madigan told me today that the settlement creates a special trust fund in Illinois, controlled by her office, which she will then use to keep people in their homes.
*** UPDATE *** AG Madigan’s staff just contacted me to further clarify Madigan’s comments on the trust fund. This is actually a federal trust fund and Illinois’ share is $100-110 million. That money, per the settlement, will be overseen by the AG’s office.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Asked about other states which are using the cash for their budgets, Madigan said that while she understood the states’ financial problems, the settlement was all about the mortgage issue and the money ought to go for that.
“The one sector of our economy that is showing no signs of recovery is the housing market,” Madigan said. “One of the best things you can do is to make resources available to help people pay on their mortgages and stay in their homes. That will help our state economy… That’s what this was all about. That’s what [the money] should be used for.”
* Madigan also pushed back against reports like this one…
The $25 billion settlement with banks over foreclosure abuses may result in a wave of home seizures, inflicting short-term pain on delinquent U.S. borrowers while making a long-term housing recovery more likely.
The deal could help break a logjam that has stalled foreclosures from moving through courts, a scenario that has allowed some delinquent homeowners to stay in their homes more than two years without making any mortgage payments.
According to Madigan, the banks “paused” foreclosures for a couple of months, but she did not believe there was a large backlog that would suddenly create a flood of foreclosure proceedings. She also noted that part of the proceeds from the $100 million will go to some legal aid groups to help homeowners facing foreclosure.
* There is another school of thought, particularly with some liberals, that the $2,000 people can get if their mortgage documents were robo-signed translates into: “They stole my house, I got $2,000.” But the robo-signing doesn’t mean that people necessarily lost their homes when they shouldn’t have. If a home was actually taken without cause, another program, run through the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, will make former homeowners whole, Madigan said. That program has an application deadline of April 30th.
As for other issues involving the mortgage meltdown, Madigan said, “This was not intended to address every issue, it’s purely focused on robo-signing and the complete overhaul of servicing standards.” Her office also released a document entitled “Setting the Record Straight about the Bank Foreclosure Settlement.” Click here to read it.
* Related…
* AG: Homeowners can seek hotline after mortgage settlement
* Quinn: Mortgage settlement will help Illinoisans
* Madigan: Illinois to get $1 billion as part of multi-state mortgage settlement
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says if he wins the $310 million Powerball jackpot this weekend, he’ll still keep his job.
The Democrat purchased a $2 ticket Thursday for the Illinois Lottery game. […]
When asked if he’d use the winnings to help pay down the state’s massive backlog of unpaid bills, Quinn said he’s got to pay down some of his own bills, but there would be money left over.
* The Question: What do you think Gov. Quinn will do with the money if he wins the Powerball jackpot tomorrow?
* Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s newly unveiled handgun registration proposal has zero chance of passage, but will probably rake in big bucks for the pro-gun lobby. Check out this Illinois State Rifle Association e-mail…
URGENT ALERT:
CHICAGO MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL LAUNCHES NEW ATTACK ON YOUR RIGHTS
On Thursday, February 9th, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called for the Illinois General Assembly to pass a $65 per handgun fee to be levied against every law-abiding gun owner in Illinois – INCLUDING YOU. Of course, gang bangers, murderers, robbers and rapists are exempt from the fee. This fee would be charged every 5 years on every handgun you own. Additionally, you would have to register with the government in the same manner as sex-offenders.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU
If Rahm Emanuel’s gun tax passes, you will be required to pack up your handguns and take them to the local police station for examination and registration. If you have 10 handguns to bring in, you’ll walk out paying $650 in taxes. If you own 100 handguns, the government will lighten your wallet to the tune of $6,500. And, you’ll have to repeat this process every 5 years – unless Emanuel and his buddies in the legislature bump this up to an ANNUAL FEE.
WHAT IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY THE TAX?
If you cannot pay the $65 tax on EACH of your handguns, you will have to surrender your guns to the local police for destruction.
WHAT IF YOU DECIDE NOT TO PAY THE TAX?
If you decide not to pay the tax, the police will come to your house and take your guns away. They will also arrest you and charge you with a CLASS 2 FELONY.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP STOP THIS HANDGUN TAX IN ITS TRACKS?
1. Using the link below, contact your State Senator and State Representative and politely tell them that you are a law-abiding Illinois firearm owner who does not want their rights taxed. Tell your Senator and Representative that you expect them to vote AGAINST Rahm Emanuel’s gun tax should it come to the floor of the legislature.
2. Please pass this alert on to all your gun-owning friends and family, tell them to follow the directions contained in the alert.
3. Please post this alert to any and all Internet Blogs or Bulletin Boards to which you belong.
4. Go to the City of Chicago web page and fill out this form. Tell Emanuel that you will NOT LET HIM TAX YOUR GUNS.
http://webapps.cityofchicago.org/eforms/org/cityofchicago/eforms/controller/contactUsForm/preFeedbackForm.do
5. Please use the donation link below to send a generous donation to the ISRA, today. We badly need the money to continue to fight against Emanuel and his gun-grabbing pals. Think about it:
would you rather send your money as taxes to Emanuel, or donate to the ISRA?!
* As I pointed out yesterday, Mayor Emanuel has worked hard to convince Downstate Democrats to help with his agenda. They are not happy campers…
Rep. Brandon Phelps, who has championed efforts to pass a concealed weapons bill in Illinois, said the mayor’s office called him Thursday morning to let him know the registration proposal would be introduced.
“Number 1, my first response was I don’t know why you’re trying to do this statewide because we don’t want your policies on us downstate,” said Phelps, a Southern Illinois Democrat from Harrisburg. “Number. 2, it’s never going to work. They’re trying to go after criminals. They’re never going to register their guns. They won’t pay the fee. “
Phelps called Emanuel’s initiative a “slap in the face of every law-abiding gun owner.”
But metro-east legislators, who have been working in the opposite direction, to allow concealed carrying of handguns, say they’ll fight Emanuel’s proposal hard. One of them called the bill ridiculous, and another, Sen. Bill Haine, said there’s “just no damned way we’re going to let that happen.”
“Why does Chicago think they’re smarter than anybody else in the rest of the United States? I don’t think they are,” says Senator Gary Forby. […]
“The city and the area of the country with the toughest gun laws in the country is also the highest crime rates in the country and I don’t think that’s a simple coincidence,” says Bradley. […]
“People down here I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if they have 25, 50, 100 guns down here. Can you imagine $65 for every gun?,” asks Forby.
“I didn’t go into it because I thought it was a slam dunk. You don’t need me for that. You don’t need my political capital for the easy things. You use your political capital for the tough things that are the right things to do,” the mayor said during a news conference at a Roseland youth center across the street from a memorial to the victims of youth violence.
“This is a tough issue politically. But I want you to measure that against the toughness of that memorial [across] the street.”
Emanuel noted that 56 percent of the guns used in Chicago crimes were purchased in Illinois, but outside the city. That leaves what he called a “gaping hole” that criminals are exploiting.
“We need to close that hole, shut it down, so that the hard work of the law enforcement community, the hard work of our community groups, the hard work of our faith-based community, the hard work of our parents [doesn’t go to waste and] our laws are backing them up and keeping their kids safe, rather than making them more vulnerable,” the mayor said.
“You already buy a title for a car. You already buy a title for a motorcycle. You buy a title for a boat. I’m not asking you to do anything you don’t do already.””
The mayor didn’t get immediate public support from Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. While the governor campaigned on a statewide ban on assault weapons, he said Thursday that he would reserve his opinion on Emanuel’s gun registry plan. Quinn wants lawmakers to first weigh in and “give their wisdom.”
That’s the smart move. Why alienate a huge bloc of legislative votes over somebody else’s bill that isn’t going anywhere?
* Reminder: Keep your overheated slogans to yourself. Also, the stupid references to Nazi Germany yesterday were blocked before they were even posted, so don’t even try that goofiness here.
* According to the Tribune, 65 percent of collar county voters and almost 60 percent of Republicans favor the “workers pay more” option. More…
[On cutting benefits for current retirees] Opinion was divided along income levels, with 13 percent of those earning less than $50,000 a year supporting benefit cuts for retirees, and 28 percent of voters earning more than $100,000 a year favoring it. […]
30 percent of voters would support cutting other state programs to better fund pensions. Opinion is heavily divided along partisan lines, with just 17 percent of Democrats supporting that idea compared with 50 percent of Republicans.
* The Tribune has released its poll results for Gov. Pat Quinn’s job approval rating. Quinn’s rating is as dismal as always: 30 percent approve and 54 percent disapprove. TPM poll tracker has Quinn’s average job approval rating at 31.9 percent over the past 2 years, while his average disapproval rating is 54 percent.
The poll of 600 registered voters, which has an error margin of 4 percentage points, was conducted Feb. 2-6. The interviews began a day after Quinn delivered an optimistic State of the State speech to lawmakers in Springfield in which he declared that after three years of his leadership, “Illinois is back on course. Illinois is moving forward. And Illinois is a place that we can be proud to claim as our own.”
That’s not the view many Illinoisans hold about the state’s economy. About three-quarters of Illinois voters said they failed to see an improvement in Illinois’ economy or thought that it is getting worse. Of that group, 88 percent disapproved of Quinn. […]
The governor scores best within his own party, though the poll found fewer than half of those who identified themselves as Democrats approve of Quinn’s job performance — 44 percent. But 61 percent of independent voters, always a key political demographic in statewide elections, expressed disapproval with his handling of the job.
Outfit crime boss Michael “The Large Guy” Sarno was sentenced to 25 years in prison this week. Sarno ordered the bombing of a business that was encroaching on his illegal video poker racket.
I’m glad that Sarno’s going to prison. I’m also happy that Illinois finally wised up and legalized video poker machines for taverns, fraternal clubs and truck stops.
A legal, regulated video poker industry means wise guys like Sarno will be put out of business. Illinois’ ridiculous “For Amusement Only” tax stickers on poker machines will finally come to an end once the legal, regulated machines are put into place. Nobody plays video poker at a tavern purely for their own amusement. They play because they’re hoping to win an illegal jackpot.
I have no fundamental problem with people who want to plunk quarters into a poker machine while they sip a beer and watch a game at their corner tap. They’re not criminals.
The problem, you see, isn’t video poker.
The problem is that the Outfit has been able to rake in untold millions of dollars while Illinois turned a mostly blind eye. Yeah, a few guys with bent noses and a handful of tavern owners were busted once in a while, but nothing ever stopped.
Legalization is the only proven way to cut the gangsters out. Illinois quickly killed off the illegal numbers rackets when the state started its own lottery, for instance.
On Friday, Gov. Pat Quinn will hold a press conference to “encourage people to support education and capital construction programs by playing Powerball,” according to his office. Before legalization, the numbers games just lined the pockets of violent criminals. Now, they help fund schools and roads.
Legalization also worked when the United States decided to end Prohibition. The Mafia doesn’t control the liquor industry, multinational corporations do. And whatever else you can say about them, rival corporate CEOs rarely bomb one another.
It’s never easy to legalize a “vice.”
The opponents of legalized video poker are still screaming about the “massive expansion” of sinful gambling it represents, as if the tens of thousands of machines that illegally pay out somehow don’t exist.
While most opponents are quite sincere, all their opposition really ends up doing is helping the mob. People are going to gamble. If a game of chance is illegal, the mob will find a way to make money. Lots of money. And then other people are going to be hurt, or killed, or bombed or bribed or whatever. Bet on it.
Lately, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has been pushing hard to lower the penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana. There’s no reason, she says, to keep locking people in steel cages with violent criminals simply because they’ve decided to put something into their own bodies.
Preckwinkle appears to be making progress with Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy, who said this week that he’s “all in favor” of issuing tickets for possessing small amounts of pot.
And while this is a necessary first step, it doesn’t go nearly far enough. It would be like decriminalizing a can of beer instead of ending Prohibition, or handing out small fines for possessing a numbers ticket in the 1960s. It doesn’t stop the real, festering societal problem of the control of vice by pathologically violent criminals.
If you truly want to hurt the Outfit and the street gangs, the only proven method is to legalize, regulate and tax their vice products.
* Related…
* War against drugs has failed on many fronts, panel says
* Preckwinkle Decries War On Drugs At Palatine Breakfast
* “Downstate has seceded from the Democratic Party,” bemoaned a Democratic operative a few months back. The Tribune’s latest poll shows President Obama, who split the Downstate vote with John McCain in 2008, is in bad shape in the region. These first numbers are the president’s job approval ratings…
* And these ratings are for his handling of the economy…
Democratic legislative leaders are pushing hard to win every possible suburban seat they can because they’re deathly afraid of a Downstate bloodbath. Those results show you why.
* However, the Tribune poll also clearly shows that Obama is rebounding in suburban Cook and in the collars. That October poll mentioned above had Obama upside down in the collar counties, 43 percent approved, 55 percent disapproved.
The survey found Obama to be particularly strong among women — especially among white suburban women who tend to be more socially moderate. Obama wins 63 percent of their vote against Romney and 65 percent of their vote against Gingrich, the poll found.
Yikes.
Suburban Republican candidates, particularly in Cook County, are not gonna like those numbers.
While tea party support for a congressional candidate has some influence among Republican voters, only 17 percent of voters overall said such an endorsement would make them more likely to vote for a contender.
Fully 34 percent of all Illinois voters said a tea party endorsement would make them more likely to vote against a candidate, and 39 percent said it would have no effect on their votes.
* But that’s about November. Let’s look at some primary news. House Speaker Michael Madigan’s primary campaign is getting some help from what some might think is an unlikely source…
A mostly Latino group headed by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights has scheduled a press conference for Friday morning and a rally for Saturday that’s aimed directly at Michele Piszczor, the young legal assistant who’s actually daring to take on the speaker in next month’s Democratic primary.
Joshua Hoyt, the group’s chief strategy executive, says Ms. Piszczor has refused to sign a “no hate” campaign pledge and is getting help from wealthy businessman Jack Roeser, a strong social conservative and vehement foe of the federal and state Dream Acts.
But Ms. Piszczor says she’s never even seen the pledge, and continues to deny any Roeser ties. “All of this is a play by Madigan.”
The pledge states that a candidate “will refuse any association with or support from — direct or indirect — individuals or entities that have a history of anti-immigrant extremism in Illinois.”
This is about interests. And having a Speaker who is now on board with the group’s agenda is most likely seen as far more preferable than electing a freshman who happens to have been born a Latina, especially if she’s being supported by “the enemy.” It’s not personal, it’s just business.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is making an extraordinarily early move to shore up two embattled Republican members of Congress here.
The chamber this morning began a cable and broadcast TV ad blitz on behalf of U.S. Reps. Robert Dold of Winnetka and Judy Biggert of Hinsdale.
The “substantial” ad buy is the “earliest we’ve ever been up” in Illinois, according to a chamber spokesman, and comes a full month before the primary election, in which both are expected to be made the official GOP nominee for re-election.
Those surging Obama numbers may be one reason for the ads. I’m hearing that Obama is surging in Dold’s district, for instance. Here’s the Chamber’s Dold ad…
Well as if you did not have enough reasons to pick Congressmen Manzullo over Congressmen Kinzinger, here is another one. Adam Kinzinger does not even live in the 16th Congressional District!
I know, I know, I know, the Kinzinger campaign will come back with “Joe Walsh does not live in the 8th Congressional District but he is running for re-election.” The reason for that is simple he did not want to take on a fellow CONSERVATIVE Republican. Congressmen Walsh would rather take on the Chicago machine than go against Randy Hultgren.
You might ask yourself why didn’t Kinzinger run against the winner of the ultra-liberal Jesse Jackson Jr and the ultra-liberal Debbie Halvorson (who he beat in 2010) in the 2nd Congressional District? Well your guess is as good as ours!
The online group has endorsed Manzullo.
* The Question: Are the residency/should’ve stayed and fought the Democrats legitimate issues to attack Kinzinger with? Explain.
A number of Illinois lawmakers have started discussions to bring full marriage equality to the Land of Lincoln as early as 2013, according to an exclusive report in the Windy City Times.
Provides that: all laws of this State applicable to marriage apply equally to marriages of same-sex and different-sex couples and their children; parties to a marriage and their children, regardless of whether the marriage is of a same-sex or different-sex couple, have the same benefits, protections, and responsibilities under law; parties to a marriage are included in any definition or use of terms such as “spouse”, “family”, “immediate family”, “dependent”, “next of kin”, “wife”, “husband”, “bride”, “groom”, “wedlock”, and other terms that refer to or denote the spousal relationship, as those terms are used throughout the law, regardless of whether the parties to a marriage are of the same sex or different sexes; and, to the extent laws this State adopt, refer to, or rely upon provisions of federal law as applicable to this State, parties to a marriage of the same sex and their children shall be treated under the law of this State as if federal law recognized the marriages of same-sex couples in the same manner as the law of this State. Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act by making various changes concerning: parties who may marry; solemnization; prohibited marriages; jurisdiction; and other matters. Amends the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act. Makes various changes and additions regarding recognition of marriages. Authorizes the voluntary conversion of a civil union to a marriage under specified circumstances. Makes other changes.
David Smith, executive director of the Illinois Family Institute, said the bill will destroy traditional marriage and is a slippery slope toward polygamy.
“It’s an emotional argument. People say, ‘Well, they love each other.’ If four people love each other, are we going to say, ‘OK, polygamy?’ Right now, we’re not. But in 10 years, anything is going to go,” Smith said.
The state sanctions marriage, Smith added, because “it’s the best way for the next generation to be raised as healthy, productive members of society.
“A man and a man cannot procreate,” he said. “A woman and a woman cannot procreate. It’s not my bigotry. It’s nature.”
* The bill was introduced in the wake of a federal appeals court ruling that struck down a voter-approved California ban on same-sex marriage. Washington’s state legislature also passed a gay marriage bill this week. So, there was definitely a timing issue here.
Paula Basta is a former Equality Illinois board president and is heavily involved in groups affiliated with the LBGT community. Cassidy’s endorsement by Equality Illinois has ruffled some feathers.
One of Basta’s top campaign promises is to pass a gay marriage bill. Cassidy has Mayor Emanuel’s support, along with a whole lot of others, but Basta refuses to go away and every incumbent hates a primary, so a surge of publicity won’t hurt Cassidy’s primary bid at all.
* Mayor Rahm Emanuel has been working quite well with Downstate Democratic legislators since his election last year. I wondered aloud to subscribers several months ago, however, what would happen to those relationships he so carefully built once Emanuel unveiled the city’s annual gun control legislation. I guess we’re about to find out…
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel wants lawmakers to require that all handguns in Illinois be registered with the state, or gun owners could face felony charges.
A statewide gun registry is key in helping solve Chicago crimes that involve handguns from outside the city, and would also help crack down on gun trafficking, Emanuel is expected to argue Thursday.
Under Emanuel’s proposal, handgun owners would have to pay $65 for a registration certificate from the state, which would function much like the title to a car. Illinois law currently requires that gun owners and shooters have a firearm owners identification card, which works like a drivers license. But the guns themselves are not registered at the state level. […]
Chicago’s tough gun ordinance, which was passed in 2010 after the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the city’s outright ban on handguns, already makes owners pay a fee and register firearms with the city. But Emanuel will now push for a statewide handgun registry because the majority of guns recovered at crime scenes in Chicago - about 56 percent - come from outside city limits, but within the state, according to data from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that were provided by the Emanuel administration.
I can see his point about non-Chicago guns being used in crimes, and registering handguns probably doesn’t poll all that badly in the suburbs, either. But, as with Mayor Daley’s annual anti-gun legislative ritual, this idea is most likely doomed from the start. The job now for the mayor’s Springfield crew is to prevent this bill from damaging the city’s far more passable agenda items.
As always with this issue, keep your bumper sticker slogans to yourself and try your best to stay level-headed in comments or I’ll just ban you for life.
* Gee, wasn’t it just the other day that Senate President John Cullerton was worried that Carol Marin’s Sun-Times column would “harm his relationship with the governor during the spring session”? Why, yes, it was just the other day.
Cullerton has apparently changed his mind. The Senate Prez kinda went off on Gov. Pat Quinn during an editorial board meeting with the State Journal-Register…
“Well, it’s not [Quinn’s] strength to work with the legislature,” Cullerton said. “Obviously, he’s got a history of fighting the legislature, right?” […]
“I’ve been here (as president) just a little over three years, and I think that most of the accomplishments that we have had emanated from the legislature, rather than from the governor.” […]
Cullerton said the multibillion-dollar capital bill was “clearly something that came from the legislature” […]
“Well,” Cullerton said of Quinn, “he’s different than those other governors. I think it’s a weakness, if you will. But he’s hopefully getting better.”
It’s not that he’s wrong on the facts. Cullerton is actually right. I agreed with most of what he said in Bernie Schoenburg’s piece, including his positive remarks about Quinn’s much-needed addition of Gary Hannig as legislative chief.
* I’m on so many e-mail lists from so many candidates and political organizations that I’m literally overwhelmed every day and more than a little turned off. So I was pleasantly surprised to see this e-mail arrive yesterday via one of this site’s “contact” links…
Dear Capitol Fax,
My name is Lane Smith and I currently work with some up and coming indie bands here in Birmingham AL. One such band is called Let’s Manufacture Static. Its one of my management projects but also one of my new favorite bands. I am really hoping to get some coverage outside of this area. We have recently performed an interview on the local NPR stations and lots of local shows. I have included the EP that you can also find elsewhere on the internet. I hope you guys like this and take an interest. In the rare case that you don’t any feedback is greatly appreciated.
Lane Smith
* From the band’s Facebook page…
The Jimblejorp once proclaimed that a breed of giants would emerge from clouds and descend upon instruments in the form of man. This band is not those descendants. Furthermore, the Jimblejorp is only rumored to exist, much less tell prophecies, even much less tell them accurately. These are just four guys from Birmingham Al, who aspire to outlandish genres of musical creation and exploration, such as Extraterrestrial Jive, Metalo-Tribal Jazz Splice, Post-Minimalist Avant Pop, just to name a superfluous few. If you see the Jimblejorp, report him to this band for a reward and the authorities for benefit of humanity.
* They’re actually pretty good. I used the band’s EP as background music this morning when writing the Capitol Fax. You need to let this play a bit while it picks up steam, but definitely have a listen…
