Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Feb 28, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Oops…
* Here’s the roundup…
* Tribune | As many as 700,000 Illinois residents could lose Medicaid health coverage this year: “We are very concerned that people are going to fall off (Medicaid), and they won’t know about it until it’s too late,” said Susan Vega, programs manager at Alivio Medical Center, a federally qualified health center that serves many Chicago-area patients on Medicaid. * Daily Herald | Rolling Meadows candidates welcome Bears but fear strain on city services: Incumbent Ward 5 Alderman Jon Bisesi and challenger Stefanie Boucher agree that the Bears’ redevelopment of the shuttered Arlington Park racetrack would overall be a benefit to their town. But they also worry about the strain on city services on gamedays and emphasized the need to be prepared for what may come. * St. Louis Post Dispatch Editorial | Illinois Gov. Pritzker’s rhetoric and record are a fitting retort to a radical GOP: Pritzker warned of “a virulent strain of nationalism plaguing our nation,” one that seeks to make America a country “that bans books from school libraries about racism … and tells kids they can’t talk about being gay” and “signals to Black and brown people and Asian Americans and Jews and Muslims that our authentic stories can’t be told.” He called for learning that teaches kids “our true history, warts and all.” This is 180 degrees from DeSantis’ ideological agenda in Florida — an agenda supported nationally by too many in his party. * Daily Herald | ‘What if that happens in my town?’ Mayors urge feds to slow merger after Ohio rail disaster: State Rep. Maura Hirschauer of Batavia referenced a plume of toxic gas going across residential neighborhoods in Ohio and noted that thousands of suburbanites live along the CP tracks. “A derailment like we saw in Ohio would be catastrophic.” * Tribune | Walgreens to sell off Deerfield buildings, shrinking its HQ yet again as more employees work from home: No changes are planned for employees working in downtown Chicago’s Old Post Office. Walgreens moved many digital and IT employees there in early 2020, one of the first tenants to occupy the hulking riverfront structure after its renovation into an upscale office property. * Sun-Times | O’Hare receives $50 million in federal grant money for upgrades at Terminal 3: The funds will be used for upgrades at Terminal 3, including an expanded passenger corridor and approximately 10,000 square feet of new concessions and amenity spaces. * SJ-R | Audio, minutes of 2021 executive session about Wyndham’s $1.25 million utility bill released: In the Nov. 2, 2021 executive session, which was not open to the public, Mayor Jim Langfelder proposed negotiating $250,000 in debt forgiveness for the troubled downtown hotel, which has been up for sale. * WAND | Illinois State Board of Elections prioritizing security well before 2024 election: Dietrich said eight cyber navigators are assigned to four geographic zones across the state to conduct risk assessments on electronic systems and assess the security of physical offices. He explained that the board also helps local election authorities improve their security yearly. * AP | COVID-19 origins still a mystery 3 years into pandemic, despite report hinting at a lab leak: Now, the U.S. Department of Energy has assessed with “low confidence” in that it began with a lab leak, according to a person familiar with the report who wasn’t authorized to discuss it. The report has not been made public. * Daily Herald | After historic find, University of Illinois soil scientists want to dig up more on state’s land: “I checked it out, and lo and behold, we had soil jars going back as far back as 1862,” he said. “Three years and a lot of grants later, we’re working to curate, to clean up and digitize them. We made a lot of progress on understanding how old the soils are and where they were taken.” * AP | Latino Republicans push back on party’s immigration agenda: Overall, about a third of Latino voters were in favor of increasing law enforcement at the U.S.-Mexico border, while two-thirds were opposed. About half said they disapproved of the way President Joe Biden was handling border security. Majorities of Latino voters who supported Republicans disapproved of Biden on border security and were in favor of increased enforcement at the border. * Politico | Murdoch and other Fox execs agreed 2020 election was fair but feared losing viewers, court filing shows: The admission from Murdoch came in a libel suit voting equipment maker that Dominion Voting Systems is pressing against the TV network over its coverage of the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. * Mediaite | Murdoch Said Hannity Was ‘Privately Disgusted’ By Trump But ‘Scared to Lose Viewers,’ According to New Court Filing: The filing also noted that Murdoch and Scott, the CEO of Fox News, discussed the day before the Jan. 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, having Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham issuing a joint statement declaring Biden had won and putting an end to the election conspiracy theories, which fueled the attack. * Bloomberg | Murdoch Testified Fox Commentators ‘Endorsed’ Trump’s 2020 Election Lie: “It is fair to say you seriously doubted any claim of massive election fraud?” Murdoch was asked by a Dominion lawyer. “Oh, yes,” Murdoch said. * NYT | Murdoch Acknowledges Fox News Hosts Endorsed Election Fraud Falsehoods: Asked whether he doubted Mr. Trump, Mr. Murdoch responded: “Yes. I mean, we thought everything was on the up-and-up.” At the same time, he rejected the accusation that Fox News as a whole had endorsed the stolen election narrative. “Not Fox,” he said. “No. Not Fox.”
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- Techie - Tuesday, Feb 28, 23 @ 7:47 am:
“Murdoch and other Fox execs agreed 2020 election was fair but feared losing viewers, court filing shows”
It’s almost as if some “news” outfits are just entertainment dressed up as news. Almost…
- H-W - Tuesday, Feb 28, 23 @ 8:19 am:
Re: StL Post Dispatch story
== Pritzker’s strong advocacy of reasonable firearms restrictions has helped keep Illinois in the bottom half of states in terms of firearms death rates, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ==
This right here.
- Homebody - Tuesday, Feb 28, 23 @ 8:37 am:
Best part is Ja’Mal Green copying and reposting Segway Batman’s video without attribution, because Segway Batman is vocally anti-Green, and pro-Buckner/Johnson.
- a drop in - Tuesday, Feb 28, 23 @ 8:42 am:
I think the only hope for Fox News is the professional wrestling defense: “Of course it’s not news. It’s only entertainment.”
- Ron Burgundy - Tuesday, Feb 28, 23 @ 8:48 am:
The difference with wrestling is everyone is in on the bit. A major media company just can’t defame another company and accuse them of criminal acts without facing the music for it. I think Dominion is looking at a gigantic payday here.
- Lincoln Lad - Tuesday, Feb 28, 23 @ 9:08 am:
The election results are not the only time where Fox News mislead or directly lied to viewers… it’s a long list. Covid may be the worst, at least in the terms of the number of people who’ve lost family members.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Tuesday, Feb 28, 23 @ 9:09 am:
The bus video is worth a few laughs. A perfect metaphor for a campaign going nowhere…
- Torco Sign - Tuesday, Feb 28, 23 @ 9:12 am:
Looking at the giant bus, I can’t help but be excited for the election cycle when Democrats stop using that color combination for their campaigns. Enough with the blue-green-white, please.
- Responsa - Tuesday, Feb 28, 23 @ 9:32 am:
The article on historic soil samples is probably the most important item on this morning’s briefing. Thank you Isabel.