* ICYMI…

I’ll save you the click as I know that anything that has the words “Bears” & “stadium” sends the press into a whirl - but Kevin Warren asked for a breakfast &, as he has done with a lot Illinois CEOs, the Gov sat down w/him.Where he said nothing privately he hasn’t said publicly. https://t.co/zYBt7jyHsk

— Anne Caprara (@anacaprana) July 16, 2024

Gov. Pritzker will be at the Argonne National Laboratory to celebrate improvements to Argonne Advanced Photo Source at 1:30 pm. Click here to watch.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Tribune | Latecomer GOP state legislative candidates have raised little cash, records show: The latest campaign finance disclosures — covering April through June — showed significant fundraising in some more competitive general election races. Tosi Ufodike, a Republican challenging freshman Democratic Rep. Nabeela Syed for a northwest suburban seat, raised more than $10,000 in the past quarter and reported $68,000 in the bank; Syed reported a war chest of nearly $400,000 with nearly $22,000 raised this past quarter, and has since raised thousands more in large-dollar donations.

* Casino Reports | VGTs Remain The Major Roadblock For Illinois Online Casino Legalization: Two power blocks exist in the VGT realm, [Steve Brubaker, a mobile gambling analyst and longtime Illinois lobbyist] said: terminal operators and retail locations. Terminal operators’ power originates, simply, with the amount of money VGTs make the state. In fiscal year 2023, the last full fiscal year of available data, VGTs produced $818.1 million in tax money for Illinois, trailing only the Illinois Lottery and its $872 million, according to the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA). Casino tax revenue was a distant third at $157 million, followed by sports betting ($143 million) and horse racing ($6 million).

*** RNC ***

* Tribune | US Rep. Mary Miller at RNC says media has ‘demonized Trump,’ symbolizes rightward shift of Illinois GOP: Miller’s comments on Tuesday came during a rare appearance before a group of mostly Chicago-area reporters following a delegation breakfast at a hotel outside of Milwaukee. The two-term downstate congresswoman, a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, has gained a reputation for refusing to respond to media requests for comment. “I’m happy to talk to people. But we would like fair coverage from the media. The media has demonized President Trump. Name-calling. That’s what my little kids did. Name calling,” said Miller, of Hindsboro, about 40 miles south of Champaign, “I always told them when you use bad language and you name call, that shows that you’re of low intellect or you don’t have anything positive to say.”

* WTTW | Democrats Restart Campaign Against Trump at RNC With Focus on Project 2025: Booker pleaded with reporters to focus on what Trump did as president — not what he is saying while running for a second term. “It doesn’t take much to just look at the four years of Donald Trump and see what you got: an erosion of women’s rights, an erosion of reproductive rights, an erosion of abortion rights,” Booker said. “I don’t care what they say. You have evidence. We have clarity.”

* ABC | FBI, DHS warn of possible ‘follow-on or retaliatory’ attacks in wake of Trump assassination attempt: The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have issued a bulletin to law enforcement across the country warning them that, in the wake of Saturday’s attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, violent extremists could try to conduct “follow-on or retaliatory” attacks at events over the next few months related to the 2024 presidential election. The bulletin urged local, state and federal law enforcement — and their partners — to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behavior.

* Daily Herald | ‘Very extremist views’: Pritzker, Durbin rip into VP nominee Vance: “He is someone who has very extremist views,” Pritzker added. “He’s not just anti-choice, against reproductive rights, but he also thinks that if you have been raped, or had incest committed against you, that you should be forced to have that child.”

* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois Republicans urged to look beyond traditional base as national party courts unions: “We need to challenge ourselves to get out and talk to the people who vote the least, talk to the people who have voted Republican the least,” former Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin told Illinois delegates to the GOP convention in Milwaukee. That includes finding new, persuadable voters within groups often considered Democratic strongholds, he said. “And don’t just pander to them by saying, ‘I love Black people, vote for me. I love Hispanic people, vote for me. I love Asian people, vote for me.’ That doesn’t work and it shouldn’t work,” he said. “It’s about us being proud, principled conservatives, going to those voters who are longtime disenfranchised Democratic voters and telling them it doesn’t have to be this way anymore.”

* Daily Herald | ‘A great successor’: New Illinois GOP Chair Kathy Salvi greets delegates at RNC: Salvi is expected to preach a message of unity for a state party that no longer has a statewide officeholder and is in the super minority in both chambers of the General Assembly. “I look forward to working with her to flip Illinois red,” U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, of downstate Oakland, said during remarks at Tuesday morning’s breakfast.

* WGN | Illinois GOP’s turn toward Trump keeps moderates at home: Former Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, once a convention fixture who delivered delegates for John McCain in 2008, puts it bluntly: “This party left me.” “It’s unbelievable we’re left with a pathological liar, a narcissist and a bully against a person who no longer has the ability to serve mentally or physically,” he said. “But we’re left with no options.”

* Daily Herald | RNC Notebook, Day Two: Bob Fioretti, Charlie Kirk and cops from Illinois all in town: Perennial candidate Bob Fioretti — who has been running as a Republican since 2022 — is in town for all the RNC festivities this week, believing his tough-on-crime message vibes with Donald Trump’s. “We are combining messages, absolutely,” said Fioretti, who is running for Cook County state’s attorney against Eileen O’Neill Burke, who won the Democratic primary. “We need safe streets, strong communities, and the only way we achieve it is by having order, instead of bedlam and chaos that we’re seeing in our major cities.”

* 21st Show | What do Illinois’ former GOP leaders think of the party now?: So what happened? How did the party go from shared governance to struggling for a seat at the table? We are joined by three former high-ranking Republican officeholders to talk about the past, present and future of the Republican party in Illinois.

* WGN | Illinois lawmaker suggests officials are ‘cooking the books’ to show crime drop: “I would suggest they’re cooking the books,” said State Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro). “I would like to see what their data is, because perception is reality, simply because you’re the person whose living there. And when you have to sleep with a firearm next to your bed, or you have to walk around worried about whether you can safely walk on a street, the data cannot possibly be right.”

* WTTW | Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin Hosts Black Republicans From Around US, Downplays Past Trump Criticism and Future Runs For Office: Asked about his past criticism of Trump on Tuesday, Irvin said the more important focus should be on a presidential election that’s a choice between an “elderly man” and a candidate who conveys strength and power when he speaks. “It’s clear what the choice needs to be, and although I have been critical of many of our elected officials, and I think rightfully so — we should criticize those officials, folks criticize me all the time — that don’t mean I don’t believe that we have what it takes to go forward and vote,” Irvin said.

OH on convention floor near the Illinois delegation: “PLEASE tell me that Blagojevich isn’t speaking at this convention.”

— David Weigel (@daveweigel) July 17, 2024

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Ahead of DNC, Brandon Johnson puts homeless on the street to make room for tent city occupants: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is putting unhoused people back on the streets to make room for relocated tent encampment occupants who are being moved before the Democratic National Convention next month. […] A domestic violence survivor, a recovering alcoholic and others with anxiety or chronic medical conditions were among those kicked out of the hotel in the last week, according to interviews.

* First Defense | New Report Suggests Chicago Police Are Failing To Provide Lawyers/Phones To People In Custody, Ahead of DNC: A new expert report in a civil rights lawsuit challenging “incommunicado detention” in Chicago police stations has found that almost no one in police custody is consulting with a lawyer and more than half of the people in Chicago Police Department custody are not making a phone call within three hours of arrest. These findings are despite a consent decree in the case, #LetUsBreathe Collective, et al. v. City of Chicago, requiring the City of Chicago to provide prompt access to attorneys and lawyers for all people in police custody.

* F.K. Plous | Poor planning blocks the way for a vitally needed Chicago rail connection: In September 2022, the Department of Buildings issued a permit for the construction of a 33-story apartment building at 350 N. Canal St. This past May, the new tower welcomed its first tenants. But when the city signed off on the new building, it inadvertently foreclosed on the possibility of a critically needed regional transportation asset: 350 N. Canal blocks a potential connection of the former Chicago & North Western Railway’s tracks serving the Ogilvie Transportation Center with the Amtrak main line that brings trains from north of the city into Amtrak’s Chicago Union Station.

* Chalkbeat | More than $400,000 raised so far in Chicago’s 2024 school board elections: The money is a mix of small donations from candidates’ friends and family, sizable personal loans, and in-kind and financial support from existing political and labor groups, according to a Chalkbeat analysis of state campaign finance records. The political fundraising arms of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, which has $3 million on hand, and the Chicago Teachers Union, which has around $175,000, are holding their fire for now, putting off making major donations to candidates. That’s not surprising: Many candidates are still sorting out challenges to their petitions to get on the ballot, and spending is likely to pick up once a clearer picture of the most competitive races and candidates emerges.

* CBS Chicago | Rush University Medical Center and Northwestern Memorial Hospital tie for top hospital in Illinois: Northwestern Memorial Hospital was nationally ranked in 11 adult specialties – including 7th for cardiology, heart & vascular surgery and 8th for diabetes and endocrinology – and rated high-performing in 21 adult procedures and conditions. Rush University Medical Center was nationally ranked in 11 adult specialties – including 7th for neurology and neurosurgery, 10th for geriatrics, and 10th for orthopedics – and rated high-performing in 18 adult procedures and conditions.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* CBS Chicago | Thornton Township Board in south Chicago suburbs clashes with supervisor over spending: A meeting of the Thornton Township Board grew heated Tuesday night, as the embattled board supervisor squared off with members of the board over spending. Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard was accused by board members of keeping certain items off the agenda Tuesday night—including an ordinance that board members say would cap spending by the supervisor and also to minimize non-approved spending. As a result, some board members refused to approve the hiring of landscaping contractors for the township.

*** Downstate ***

* Illinois Times | Probe into shooting of Sonya Massey complete: Massey’s family plans to meet with ISP officials and the Sangamon County state’s attorney the afternoon of July 17 at the Springfield NAACP building at 801 S. 11th St. to discuss the status of the case. […] An anonymous source also confirmed that Ben Crump, the prominent civil rights attorney who is representing Massey’s family, plans to be in Springfield on July 19 – the day of Massey’s funeral – and will speak to the news media after funeral services.

* STLPD | Mine sinkhole in Alton caused by collapse of ancient cave, preliminary reports say: A buildup of mud and sediment in an ancient cave above a limestone mine here collapsed into the mine, causing it, in turn, to partially collapse and leave a massive sinkhole in a city park, according to preliminary reporting from the Mine Health and Safety Administration.

* PJ Star | Thousands in Peoria area remain without power following severe storms. Here’s what we know: According to Ameren, 4,872 customers in Peoria County were without power as of 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, representing around 5% of the company’s 91,243 customers in the county. The outages in Peoria County are widespread, with many popping up around 9 p.m. Monday night. Others were reported by customers to them over the course of the morning and afternoon.

* Herald & Review | Decatur cannabis dispensary? Not likely: An attempt to plant just a seed of the concept for discussion was made by Councilman David Horn, who noted the surrounding communities of Forsyth and Mount Zion were chewing over the issue of allowing dispensaries. […] Councilman Chuck Kuhle told Horn he had attended a recent Forsyth Village Board public meeting on the cannabis issue to voice his opposition. “I would just like you to know, Councilman Horn… I was adamant that they not approve a dispensary in Forsyth,” Kuhle said.

* Herald Whig | Judge cites state agency for contempt at Tuesday hearing: Judge Tad Brenner issued a contempt citation against an Illinois state agency on Tuesday, one of two cases bringing into question the response from the state in Adams County cases. In a hearing for Bruce Dyer on charges for which he was found unfit to stand trial, a secretary-designate for the Illinois Department of Human Services was expected to appear. Since no representative of the office was in court as ordered on Tuesday, Brenner issued the contempt citation and asked that the Illinois attorney general’s office be notified. He set another hearing in the case for 10 a.m. July 24.

* Tri States Public Radio | WIU faculty union: Layoffs of tenured faculty coming: Tri States Public Radio obtained a copy of an email sent by Merrill Cole, President of the WIU Chapter of the University Professionals of Illinois. The union represents faculty members. In the email, Cole told union members that WIU President Kristi Mindrup has affirmed Unit A layoffs are coming. Unit A is tenured and tenure-track faculty.

* BND | Rain causes flooding all over East St. Louis, creating headaches for citizens, motorists: City Manager Robert Betts was out all day surveying the impact on the city. “The city of East St. Louis is being inundated by water right now,” he said Tuesday afternoon. “ We are praying the rain will ease up. We have multiple intersections that are flooded out.”

* WAND | New SMTD climate-friendly buses about to hit the road: In addition, new buses will be hitting the road in the summer of 2025 and the spring of 2026. The vehicles are low-emission, climate-friendly, diesel-hybrid and compressed natural gas buses. “If you believe greenhouse gas emissions are a problem, then you need to do something about it. And that’s what we’ve done with the bipartisan infrastructure law,” Senator Dick Durbin said Monday at the SMTD garage.

*** National ***

* The Mirror | Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings takes ‘cheap shot directed’ at Illinois contestant and former senator: Jay Fisher said: “Probably the shortest 10 year senator in Illinois history… 22 hours.” He continued: “In 2018, my senator lost his bid for re-election and decided to step down. The new governor called a lame duck session so I got down there at 2o’clock in the afternoon, made some votes that afternoon and the next morning and then the new general assembly were sworn in so my 10 year was over. Never figured out where the bathroom was and probably the only Illinois politician to lose money on the deal because I didn’t get the salary or per diem.” Ken laughed and then made a joke saying: “You’re an Illinois politician and you’re not in jail Jay, you did it.”

* The Atlantic | The chaotic aftermath of the assassination attempt shows a toxic information system working as designed: The basic facts held attention for only so long before being supplanted by wild speculation—people were eager to post about the identity of the shooter, his possible motives, the political ramifications of the event, the specter of more violence. It may be human nature to react this way in traumatic moments—to desperately attempt to fill an information void—but the online platforms so many of us frequent have monetized and gamified this instinct, rewarding those who create the most compelling stories. Within the first four hours, right-wing politicians, perhaps looking to curry favor with Trump, hammered out reckless posts blaming Joe Biden’s campaign for the shooting; Elon Musk suggested that the Secret Service may have let the shooting happen on purpose; as soon as the shooter’s name was released, self-styled online investigators dug up his name and his voter registration, eager for information they could retrofit to their worldview.

* Stateline | Angry patients spur new state watchdogs to bring down drug prices: Some state laws have authorized these watchdogs to regulate drug prices for certain groups of people, such as state employees or those with Medicaid plans. Legislatures in a few states — Colorado, Minnesota and Washington — granted boards broader power to oversee drug prices for everyone in the state. Over the past five years, 11 mostly Democratic-led states have created prescription drug affordability boards, and the model is picking up steam nationwide. Just this year, lawmakers in 14 more states proposed legislation to assemble their own boards. […] But consumers have yet to see significant savings. Most boards have had a slow rollout as they hammer out administrative and funding issues that come with creating a new state entity.

* The Athletic | French Federation to file complaint over ‘unacceptable racist’ chants by Argentina players in Copa America celebrations: Argentina defeated France in a penalty shootout in the 2022 World Cup final, with some fans of the South American nation at that tournament singing a chant ahead of that match referencing how many France players were of African heritage and were first or second-generation immigrants in the nation. […] France defender Wesley Fofana, a Black team-mate of Fernandez at Chelsea, then posted a video of the incident on X accompanied with the caption: “Football in 2024: uninhibited racism”. Fofana’s message was met with racist replies from other users on X and Instagram.