* The governor’s office is not happy with Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet)…

Flagging an interaction from a Senate Appropriations hearing yesterday as well as a statement from Chief of Staff Anne Caprara in response.

Transcript:

Sen. Chapin Rose to [Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity] Director Kristin Richards: “They asked me if…after making two girls cry already if I could make you guys cry. Anyway, I was [unintelligible] you guys might make me cry.”

Director Richards: “Women, Senator.”

Sen. Rose makes mocking hand motion while Director Richards speaks.

Sen. Rose to DCEO Chief Financial Officer Phil Keshen: “I might make this guy cry.”

Director Richards: “No you won’t.”

In response to the exchange and other reports of inappropriate conduct, Chief of Staff for Governor Pritzker Anne Caprara issued the following statement:

“Director Richards is a consummate professional who has spent more than 2 decades serving the people of Illinois in roles ranging from Chief of Staff to Director of one of the most important agencies. Speaking on behalf of all of the incredible women who serve in state government, Sen. Rose has vastly underestimated our capacity to deal with performative bullsh*t [redacted]. My suggestion would be for him to woman up, focus less on playing for the cameras and more on doing his job.”

A short clip…

You can click here to watch the full interaction on BlueRoomStream.

Rich has reached out to Sen. Rose for comment.

…Adding… From Sen. Rose…

State Senator Rose (R-Mahomet) issued the following statement about yesterday’s exchange during the appropriations committee meeting.

“Context is everything. I had just finished praising Comptroller Susana Mendoza, as this was her last budget request because she is leaving office after this term. Comptroller Mendoza told me that I was making her cry because I spoke so glowingly about how great of a job she has done as Comptroller. As Director Richards came up for the DCEO budget, I lightheartedly pointed out that I knew I wouldn’t be able to make her cry, and that, in fact, she might actually make me cry - clearly implying that she is a tough and respected person in the Capitol. Judging by how hard she and others laughed at the time, which can clearly be heard in the actual video of the exchange, the exchange was received as lightheartedly as it was sent. Again, context is everything.

“So here is some more context: this all happened yesterday, and so I might question why I’m hearing about this today? Or could it be that Chief of Staff Caprara, who wasn’t even there, decided to make an issue out of it only after my press conference with Angel Father Joe Abraham today. The media would be better off covering Joe Abraham’s comments, and the pain of a father who lost his beloved daughter, then this nonsense of a nothing burger distraction. Just watch the video of the exchange, then ask yourself why Chief Caprara would want to concoct something from nothing.”

The clip.

* Injustice Watch…

About a decade into his prison sentence for a murder he always said he did not commit, Tyrece Williams told his mother to stop bringing his four children to see him. […]

Williams was finally released in 2009, after finishing his term for the 1990 murder in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. His mother, who kept a bottle of champagne she planned to open the day he walked free, died before that day came. […]

But prosecutors under State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke are fighting to keep Williams from getting the certificate, arguing he can’t prove his innocence. […]

[Former State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s] prosecutors usually took no position, objecting to only 1 out of every 4 certificates sought by people exonerated in her second term. Burke is almost the opposite: Her office has objected in 4 out of 5.

These objections turn into monthslong court battles with prosecutors that have been painful for people who already spent decades in prison and missed out on their youth, lost parents while incarcerated, and watched their children grow up without them. In interviews, eight exonerated men — some of whom have received certificates of innocence, others who are still waiting, and one whose petition was rejected by a judge — said they want the certificates for a mix of practical and profound reasons: to hand to wary employers, to display to guests in their homes, or just to force the system to admit it was wrong.

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* Former GOP consultant Collin Corbett has announced an independent bid for Governor…

…Adding… CNN…

JB Pritzker will keynote the opening luncheon of the Texas Democratic Party's convention on June 26 in Corpus Christi, the party announces.

"Texas Democrats have special respect and appreciation for Gov.Pritzker who hosted" state lawmakers during last year's quorum break.

— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) April 30, 2026

*** Statewide ***

* WBEZ | Illinois schools have been required to teach Asian American history for 5 years. How is it going?: It’s been nearly five years since Illinois lawmakers passed the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History Act, or TEAACH Act. It ensures that students in every public elementary and high school in Illinois learn about the contributions of Asian Americans in the economic, social, cultural and political development of the U.S.

* NBC Chicago | A popular tree planted all around the Chicago area will soon be illegal: The invasive trees (Bradford Pear) are currently blooming all around the region “and are now spreading into natural areas.” According to the University of Illinois, the trees were widely planted in the 1950s as “a fast-growing popular ornamental tree despite weak branches that break off easily from storms.” (From Isabel: They also stink, good riddance)

*** Statehouse News ***

* Evanston Now | Biss backs push to repeal anti-BDS law he voted for: In 2015, then-State Sen. Daniel Biss of Evanston was among the 49 state senators and 102 state representatives who unanimously supported a bill signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner that required Illinois to divest its public pension funds from companies that participated in the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, in protest against Israel. On Thursday, Biss, now the Democratic nominee to represent Evanston in Congress to replace Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston), wrote in a statement that he “would not cast the same vote today,” throwing his support behind a push from State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid to repeal the 2015 law.

* Capitol News Illinois | New Illinois Chamber president seeks to bolster Statehouse relationships: Jimmy Clayton has been named new CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce following a decade of managing government relationships for the Illinois REALTORS. He told Capitol News Illinois he is focused on building relationships between the chamber and legislators while pushing lawmakers to take a balanced approach toward new regulations that will allow Illinois to attack new businesses. Clayton took over the role in April, replacing Lou Sandoval, who abruptly resigned in November. It gives one of the state’s largest business organization an opportunity to reset its Statehouse priorities and political relationships.

* Press release | Ellman proposes plan to ban toxic herbicide linked to Parkinson’s disease: Senate Bill 3161 would prohibit the use of paraquat beginning next year, with limited exceptions for research conducted under strict protocols established by the Illinois Department of Agriculture. […] Senate Bill 3161 was heard in a subject matter hearing in the Senate Agriculture committee on Thursday and awaits further consideration.

*** Chicago ***

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Macquline King, interim CEO of Chicago Public Schools, hired as permanent leader: The board voted 18-1 to hire King, who has been the district’s interim leader since last June, when former CEO Pedro Martinez left after being fired without cause. Elected board member Jennifer Custer voted no. The board officially picked King last week over Sito Narcisse, the former superintendent of East Baton Rouge Parish schools in Louisiana who was named another finalist earlier this month.

* Tribune | In 4th District, independents unite behind beating Democrat Patty García: President Donald Trump must be beaten, each independent in Illinois’ 4th Congressional District said Wednesday during the campaign’s first town hall. And the five hopefuls, many Democrats themselves, agreed: Patty García, the Democratic nominee, needs to go down too. Nobody in the group that appeared at a forum put on by the College Democrats at the University of Illinois Chicago has major party backing. And they all face the daunting task of collecting thousands of signatures in order to make the general election ballot, at which point they would be underdogs against Patty Garcia.

* Sun-Times | Ald. Knudsen proposes banning city employees from using inside info to bet on prediction market apps: Knudsen is following the trail blazed by Gov. JB Pritzker and his counterparts in six other states by introducing an ordinance that would prohibit present and former city employees — and elected officials — from using insider information to bet on prediction markets. Apps that include Kalshi and Polymarket are being used to place bets on everything from election winners and the number of candidates entering a specific race for office, to budgetary and foreign policy decisions by elected officials.

* Crain’s | Molson Coors beer shipments hampered by glass supply shortage: The Chicago-based maker of Coors Light and Miller Lite expects volume to decline 6% to 9% this quarter due in part to challenges with glass suppliers, Chief Financial Officer Tracey Joubert said during a call with analysts on Thursday. Despite the company’s efforts to work with partners on a solution, “a few pinch points” remain that are impacting shipments, Joubert said. In the first quarter, the company also faced disruptions at some facilities from weather, energy supply and upgrades, Joubert added.

* Crain’s | Bank of America CEO eyes Chicago growth as commercial loans rise 15%: Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan refuses to prioritize which operations — ranging from wealth management to commercial banking — are the most important in the Chicago market. “We have eight lines of business to operate around the world,” Moynihan told Crain’s in an interview. “In Chicago, they all happen to be here. All of them have to grow to make the business work.”

* Crain’s | Chicago museums would rather lose federal grants than ‘whitewash’ history: The Public Housing Museum last year lost four grants totaling more than $500,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS), although the two IMLS awards totaling more than $300,000 were reinstated. She’ll continue to seek federal funding on an ongoing basis, or new funding. “Our museum board really said, ‘As long as you don’t have to sign a loyalty oath and as long as you feel like your values aren’t compromised, then you should apply,’” Lee says. “We’ll see how it plays out.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Press release | Clerk Gordon Statement on SCOTUS Ruling Impacting the Voting Rights Act: As the chief election authority for suburban Cook County, I see every day how essential trust is to our democracy. Our responsibility is to make voting accessible, secure, and fair for every resident – no matter who they are or where they live. That work does not change because of today’s ruling. If anything, it becomes more important. We will continue to expand access, protect the integrity of our elections, and meet voters where they are. But safeguarding the right to vote has always required partnership across every level of government. Today is no different. This decision is a reminder that the work of protecting equal representation – and the full promise of our democracy – is far from over.

* Daily Herald | Kane County revamping property tax bill look: For one thing, if you want to complain to somebody about how high your taxes are, the bills will now include the names and phone numbers of elected and appointed officials for the various taxing districts. “The people I serve are frustrated,” Kane County Treasurer Chris Lauzen said in a news release. “They want to know who to talk to. This puts that information in one place, right on the bill.”

* Lake County News-Sun | Waukegan joins school districts backing sales tax referendum: ‘A source of income that will benefit our students’: If public school districts representing more than 50% of the students in Lake County approve resolutions asking Karner to certify the referendum to County Clerk Anthony Vega by Aug. 26, voters will decide the fate of a proposed 1% sales tax funding education. The Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday at the Education Service Center in Waukegan directing Karner to put the referendum on the ballot, and voted 6-1 to allow the use of funds to abate property taxes. With 13,640 students, according to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), District 60 is the county’s largest. It joins six other Lake County districts that sent Karner resolutions, bringing the percentage to 27.6% — more than halfway to the needed threshold.

* Daily Herald | $15 million center for ‘complex’ GI care opens at Central DuPage Hospital: Nationwide, there are only a handful of standalone centers “that have this type of equipment, have individuals who do the techniques,” said Sethi, its new medical director. The center and its physicians are able to diagnose early cancers, remove tumors endoscopically and treat GERD, obesity and complex pancreatic and bile duct disease.

* ABC Chicago | Old Joliet Prison hosting Slammers baseball game to celebrate Route 66 centennial: Bill Murray is bringing the laughs and the baseball to the Old Joliet prison Thursday. The Joliet Slammers will play in the “Big House Ballgame” Thursday afternoon as part of the Route 66 celebration. Inmates used to play on the field up until the facility closed in 2002 and now the Joliet Slammers will take on the Gateway Grizzlies.

* Elgin Courier-News | Chicago mayor’s portrait added to Elgin High School’s Alumni Hall of Fame: “I know I am the mayor of Chicago, but I am still loyal to you, Elgin High,” Johnson told the gathering of invited guests, which included family members, old friends, former teachers, school administrators and local leaders. After being introduced by Elgin High School Principal Avelira Rodríguez González, Johnson quipped that her comments were the longest any principal had ever spoken about him.

*** Downstate ***

* Illinois Times | Some council members, community activists question SPD’s plans to purchase new armored vehicle: SPD’s current BearCat was obtained with Department of Homeland Security grant funds that were dispersed to the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System, which then granted the vehicle to SPD more than 20 years ago. ILEAS was formed in 2002 as a response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks to coordinate mutual aid among Illinois law enforcement agencies. Behl told the City Council on March 16 that SPD asked for a new BearCat from ILEAS but the request was denied.

* Fox 2 Now | School bus crash in Greene County sends 12 to the hospital: A school bus crash in Greene County, Illinois, left a dozen people injured Wednesday afternoon after another vehicle crossed the center line. According to Illinois State Police, the crash happened just after 3:45 p.m. on Highway 67 just south of Northeast 400 Street near Carrollton. Police said a North Greene school bus was headed north when a vehicle going southbound crossed into their lane on a curve.

*** National ***

* WSJ | U.S. Debt Tops 100% of GDP: As of March 31, the country’s publicly held debt was $31.265 trillion, while GDP over the preceding year was $31.216 trillion, according to data released Thursday. That puts the ratio at 100.2%, compared with 99.5% when the last fiscal year ended Sept. 30. That figure will likely climb for the foreseeable future because the federal government is running historically large annual deficits of nearly 6% of GDP, which add to the debt.

* AP | Inside ‘Scientology speedruns,’ the viral trend prompting the church to bolster security: The trend took off in early April, with users on social media posting videos of themselves — sometimes inexplicably in costume — entering multiple properties owned or inhabited in some way by the Church of Scientology. Participants film themselves “speedrunning” through the building, or aiming to complete a task as fast as possible per the common video game slang. That task? Map out the church’s buildings and get as much information as they can about the inner workings of the organization.