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Reader comments closed for the weekend
Friday, Sep 12, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * A joint statement from Senate President Don Harmon and Senate Minority Leader John Curran…
* Trombone Shorty and the New Breed Brass Band have a new album. Here’s a cut…
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Friday, Sep 12, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Sun-Times…
Senate President Don Harmon’s response to Bergquam’s asking his followers to “take action”…
* WMBD…
* Center Square | DOJ arguing against Illinois’ gun ban ‘monumental,’ advocate says: Oral arguments are scheduled for Sept. 22 in the case Barnett v. Raoul, challenging the state’s gun and magazine ban. A federal district court found the law unconstitutional last year after a four-day bench trial. In the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, the U.S. Department of Justice motioned to be allowed time to argue. * The Hill Op-Ed | Trump is wrong: No-cash bail reform actually means less crime, not more : We have worked in the survivor community for years, and we fought to replace cash bail in Illinois with a system based on risk that took into account victims’ voices. We want to be clear: What actually harms victims of gender-based violence is this administration’s efforts to reduce funding to organizations providing critical services to victims of domestic and sexual violence. Ending the reforms we’ve instituted related to money bail will just make things worse. * Center Square | Reporting firearm threats to principals ‘common sense,’ IL legislator says: An Illinois lawmaker and law enforcement officer reacts to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s enacting a law requiring schools to report firearms or threats to principals, a move supporters say improves safety. State Rep. Dennis Tipsword, R-Metamore, described the bill as “just common sense kind of legislation” that ensures threats are at least reported to the proper school authorities. * Sun-Times | Retired Ald. Walter Burnett, wife received over $260,000 in rent payments as housing voucher landlords: The Burnetts have had at least 10 contracts for properties rented to CHA voucher holders, including two ongoing contracts and five contracts that were active during Williams-Burnett’s tenure as an employee at the housing authority. […] Burnett responded to a Sun-Times phone call seeking comment with a text Thursday declining to comment, saying he is “just a private citizen.” […] Williams-Burnett disclosed her and her husband’s role in the housing voucher program to CHA at least between 2014 to 2018 when employed at the agency, according to public records. She previously worked for the housing authority as deputy chief of fleet and facilities in the general services department and violated CHA’s ethics policy in 2022, the same year she resigned, public records show. * Block Club | Thrive Englewood, Area’s 1st Family Housing Development In Over 50 Years, Welcomes Residents: The six-story building has 62 apartments, including 27 one-bedroom units, 30 two-bedroom units and five three-bedroom units. Over 80 percent of the apartments will be affordable for families earning up to 60 percent of the area’s median income. The housing development has two live/work lofts and a 2,400-square-foot commercial retail space on the ground floor not yet occupied. Residents have access to amenities including a fitness room, resident lounge, outdoor patio and bike storage, and laundry services are available on every floor. * SunTImes | Raymond Lee, an advocate for Chicago’s Chinatown who helped create Ping Tom Park, has died at 90: Mr. Lee was hesitant because he had a business to run but agreed and joined the park board, where he secured funding to help get the park off the ground. It fully opened in 2005 and was named Ping Tom Memorial Park after his friend, who died in 1995. After several months on the park board, Mayor Richard M. Daley tapped Mr. Lee for the Chicago Board of Education, where he helped secure money for a renovation of his alma mater, Haines Elementary School. * Sun-Times | Revolution Brewing’s latest venture shows demand for THC-infused drinks still strong amid slowing beer sales: The company recently launched Reverb Splash, a line of hemp-derived THC and CBD-infused sparkling waters with fruit. The drinks have 5 milligrams of THC and CBD, and they’re attracting a diverse fandom, from longtime brewery patrons and the curious to cannabis enthusiasts and alcohol abstainers. That diverse customer mix also reflects who’s driving the strong demand for THC beverages across Chicago-area bars, restaurants, liquor and convenience stores and music venues, like the Salt Shed, which became one of the first concert locations in the country to green-light THC drink sales in January. * Block Club | The Sky’s Mascot, Skye The Lioness, Has Had A Glow-Up — And Fans Love Her: It’s a welcome change for the team, whose previous mascot — Sky Guy — was so unpopular that Sky fans petitioned for him to be removed. “It was good to see [Sky] participate more and do more interesting things,” said Sky fan Daniel Rodriguez, of Lakeview. “It’s good to see her putting the work in and being more a part of the team and more a part of the city.” * Tribune | Pritzker calls for ‘full, factual accounting’ after ICE agents fatally shoot man in suburban traffic stop: Gov. JB Pritzker called for transparency after a federal immigration agent fatally shot a man in northwest suburban Franklin Park after the agency reported the man tried to flee a traffic stop and struck the officer with his vehicle. […] “This is a developing situation and the people of Illinois deserve a full, factual accounting of what’s happened today to ensure transparency and accountability,” Pritzker said. * Daily Herald | Melissa Bean enters 8th Congressional race, 15 years after loss to Joe Walsh : Former Democratic Congresswoman Melissa Bean of Barrington has announced her campaign to reclaim the 8th District seat she lost to Joe Walsh in 2010, just as a second Republican candidate is poised to announce her run in next spring’s primaries. While entrepreneur, author and keynote speaker Jennifer Davis of the Huntley area is scheduled to announce her candidacy next Thursday for the Republican nomination already sought by Mark Rice of Chicago, Bean joins a crowded field of eight Democrats aiming to succeed five-term incumbent Raja Krishnamoorthi. * Daily Southtown | Tinley Park District 146 teachers’ union authorizes strike over contract negotiation impasse: “This board of education has pushed us far enough,” District 146 Educators Council President Eileen Von Borstel said in a news release Friday. “The district has the funds to ensure we can recruit and retain high quality educators, but the board of education is refusing to use that money to invest in our students and the people who teach them. We have no choice but to move toward a strike if they refuse to bargain a fair contract.” The news release said 230 of 232 union members voted in favor of a strike “if there is no other path to an agreement at the bargaining table.” * Aurora Beacon-News | Kane County Board OKs recommendation that departments, offices reduce expenses to help close budget shortfall: In the latest attempt to solve a looming budget shortfall, the Kane County Board has OK’d a recommendation that county offices and departments reduce their expenses by roughly 8% from last year’s budget. A recommendation to reduce expenses in the budgets that have been proposed by the county’s offices and departments was presented to the board for a vote last month, but a final decision was ultimately delayed, and the proposal went back to the Kane County Board Finance Committee to be revised. * River Bender | Adams Co. Juvenile Detention Center requesting more officers: Cooley told board members the facility must be PREA compliant by 2027. PREA stands for the Prison Rape Elimination Act, aimed at the prevention and elimination of sexual abuse and sexual harassment. The Adams County Juvenile Detention Center proposal involved adding six positions: One PREA coordinator, one training officer, and four new officers. The cost would be $344,070.40, which would be offset with grant money from the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts. Adams County would be responsible for $103,000 in fringe benefits, according to the briefing provided by Cooley. * WGLT | McLean County Board hears details of proposed $144.5 million budget: A 5.2% decrease in the property tax rate, due to continued increases to equalized assessed values in McLean County, is reflected in the budget. The owner of a $210,000 home would see their tax bill decrease by $32.29. Some homeowners may end up seeing a higher tax bill due to higher property values, partly due to the housing shortage. * Crain’s | Employers face yet another surge in health costs in 2026 as companies scramble for solutions: Two new reports out this month show the burden of health care insurance is only worsening for employers, with high demand and inflation putting more and more pressure on companies to keep costs of benefits under control. Aon says employer health costs nationwide will rise 9.5% in 2026. It’s the third year in a row the increase is up near double digits, and it’s the fastest rate of increase in at least 15 years. The professional services firm’s annual estimate puts the average cost per employee at more than $17,000. * NCSL | Mid-Decade Redistricting: At least 11 states explicitly prohibit legislative mid-decade redistricting, congressional mid-decade redistricting or both in their constitutional language: Alabama, Alaska, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Utah. * Politico | Why Hakeem Jeffries hasn’t been able to bend Democrats to his will on redistricting: But behind the scenes, the House minority leader is encountering the limits of his power — and the credibility of Democrats’ counterattack. Just this week, some Illinois lawmakers sent Jeffries a clear message they were not interested in pursuing a redraw that could dilute their districts with additional GOP votes.
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Bailey releases poll showing him ahead in Republican primary, but lots of undecideds
Friday, Sep 12, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Reveille Research press release…
* Let’s start with state direction…
As we’ve discussed before, that’s actually not a horrible “wrong track” number. Wrong track polled in the high 60s to mid 80s starting in 2008, peaking at 84 percent under Bruce Rauner. The last time I wrote about it, in 2022, wrong track was down to 52 percent. * Republican Primary ballot test…
* Demographics…
* Methodology…
Bailey clearly has significant name ID. We’ll see how much money Dabrowski can raise. He’s busted the caps and pulled in over $900K this week, on top of his $250K loan. Not sure about that “rigorous weighting process” part, but I’m told 454 self-identified Republican primary voters were polled on the GOP questions.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Various stuff
Friday, Sep 12, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Pritzker signs executive order to ‘protect vaccine access’
Friday, Sep 12, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Crain’s earlier this week…
* Gov. Pritzker issued an executive order today. Press release…
* From the order…
* Related…
* Sun-Times | COVID-19 vaccines arrive at Chicago pharmacies as pediatricians wait for doses, guidance: Doctors and medical experts say Illinois will likely issue more expansive recommendations that will support vaccinations for more people than the FDA’s limited recommendations. That could mean authorizing pharmacists to administer vaccines off-label, as they do in other states. Doctors already are authorized to give vaccines off-label. * WaPo | Trump officials to link covid shots to child deaths, alarming career scientists: The plan has alarmed some career scientists who say coronavirus vaccines have been extensively studied, including in children, and that dangers of the virus itself are being underplayed. CDC staff in June presented data to the same vaccine committee showing that at least 25 children died who had covid-associated hospitalizations since July 2023 and that number was likely an undercount. Of the 16 old enough for vaccination, none was up-to-date on vaccines. * OPB | CVS reverses course, won’t give COVID vaccines to Oregonians without prescriptions: CVS Pharmacy spokesperson Amy Thibault told the Capital Chronicle on Friday that the company was offering the vaccine in the state, while acknowledging the potential for individual appointment cancellations at its pharmacies. The company has been promoting access without a prescription in the state as recently as last week, when the democratic governors of Oregon, Washington and California announced a “West Coast Health Alliance” aimed at safeguarding access to vaccines. The state Board of Pharmacy on Friday said it would have more clarity for vaccine access rules after the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meets on Sept. 18-19. That’s the first meeting since the FDA issued more restrictive annual guidance in August which limited the vaccine to people aged 65 or older or those with an underlying health condition that would risk severe illness.
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A quick briefing on Ted Dabrowski’s running mate (Updated)
Friday, Sep 12, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Republican gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski announced his running mate today. Her name is Carrie Mendoza, an emergency medicine physician and activist. Oddly, Mendoza didn’t speak at today’s announcement (even though Dabrowski’s mother did) and neither candidate took questions from the media. As I write this, no press release has been issued. So, we’re kinda flying blind and we decided to put together a quick look at her background. …Adding… We just received the release. Only a brief mention of his running mate…
* Like her husband Myles Mendoza (who helped pass the state’s now-defunct tuition tax credit program when he ran Empower Illinois), Carrie Mendoza is a school vouchers advocate. Dabrowski and Ms. Mendoza spoke at an event this past spring sponsored by the Liberty Justice Center: “Legal landscape of trans-related issues in schools and society: Liberty Justice Center talks to a full house at Mallinckrodt” * From Wikipedia…
FAIR in Medicine’s website is here. * The Record Community News Group…
* NBC News…
* More from Isabel…
* Transgender Map | Carrie D. Mendoza vs. transgender people: In an introductory video, Mendoza likened the “orthodoxy” of gender affirming care to forced sterilizations in Nazi Germany and Iran. […] Mendoza also drafted and distributed an open letter supporting Kenneth Zucker for publishing yet another ethically questionable article in the Archives of Sexual Behavior about “rapid onset gender dysphoria.” Mendoza also had study co-author J. Michael Bailey on to defend the article and Zucker. The paper was later retracted. * Illinois Families for Public Schools | Dark money orgs on the ground in school board races in Illinois: FAIR’s Illinois chapter coordinator Carrie Mendoza is the wife of Myles Mendoza, former president of Empower Illinois, the group that led the effort to create Illinois’ voucher program (and currently benefits from administering the program as a voucher middleman org that skims millions off the top of the voucher funds they distribute). The former Illinois lobbyist for Betsy DeVos’ American Federation for Children (see below) Nate Hoffman is a member of FAIR’s board of advisors. They have attacked Evanston D65 on issues of race and gender as well as New Trier D203. They attended Evanston High School D202 events in the fall of 2021 to disrupt affinity group activities for parents. * Southern Poverty Law Center | Group dynamics and division of labor within the anti-LGBTQ+ pseudoscience network: The group’s FAIR in Medicine program is led by Dr. Carrie Mendoza, who serves as an adviser to Genspect and Detrans Help – an organization that promotes therapists, doctors and detransitioners who are willing to testify before legislators and lawmakers against affirming care.[82] FAIR in Medicine also manages a “Gender Healthcare Policy Map” and attempts to distinguish “talk therapy” for transgender people from other forms of conversion therapy. Like SEGM, the group opposed a DHS nondiscrimination rule covering gender identity. FAIR, like Do No Harm, was founded to largely oppose anti-racist pedagogies in American education, and its members claim that therapists are trained to tell white patients that they are “oppressors.”[83] It has since become a key voice amplifying anti-LGBTQ+ pseudoscience. * NPR Nevada | As some states ban gender-affirming care, Nevadans work to protect it: Mendoza pointed out the fact that there are trans individuals who go through gender-affirming care and later decide to de-transition. “They were feeling optimistic and good through a pathway, and when they got to the end of the pathway, which was surgery for a lot of them, they reflected, ‘Well, this actually didn’t fix some of my problems,’” Mendoza said. “I’m open minded. I want all these kids to do well, but I want to make sure that we aren’t irreparably harming them; causing sterility, or causing worse mental health issues later.”
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Trump says the National Guard will deploy to Memphis though he “would have preferred going to Chicago” (Updated)
Friday, Sep 12, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * AP…
* Trump’s full remarks on the Fox News Channel…
Please pardon any transcription errors.
…Adding… Mayor Johnson…
* Related…
* Fox Chicago | Trump pivots, will send National Guard to Memphis instead of Chicago: Trump made the announcement during an interview on Fox News, saying he “would have preferred going to Chicago” but described the city as “hostile” with “professional agitators.” Both Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson opposed the idea of a deployment there.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Sep 12, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Hundreds of hotline calls but no clear arrest numbers days into federal immigration ‘blitz’. Tribune…
- The executive director at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights said the group’s family support hotline received 500 calls on Tuesday alone. Before the start of the Trump administration, the hotline received about 100 calls per month. -ICIRR did not have an estimate for the number of people detained this week. But the group’s leadership said that more people are being arrested than initially reported by the Trump administration. * Related stories… * Oak Park Journal | State Board of Elections to rule Oct. 21 on $9.8M Harmon campaign fine : The hearing will take place in both the ISBE’s Chicago and Springfield offices and will be live streamed on You Tube. “It should be conclusive,” Matt Dietrich, ISBE spokesman, said of the board meeting, with the caveat, “Barring anything out of the ordinary.” * Crain’s | Take a photo tour of Gotion’s $2B battery factory in Manteno: The factory floor is massive, bright and surprisingly quiet. Robots do the heavy lifting, and much of the configuring, welding and other work required to create batteries used for industrial and home power storage, electric vehicles and EV chargers. Automated vehicles, which look like industrial-size Roombas, are a constant presence on the factory floor. The assembly line is highly automated. Some workers mind the machines, others interact with them. * Evanston Now | Service cuts unlikely for PACE in 2026: The three transit operators, PACE, CTA, and Metra still face a combined $771 million fiscal cliff deficit next year, which, if not covered by the state legislature, will mean up to a 40% reduction in bus, “L”, and commuter train operations. However, PACE, which serves Evanston, among other places, apparently has enough unspent federal COVID relief dollars to make it through 2026 without cutting bus routes or frequency. * Press release…
* WCIA | Illinois’ veto session will have focus on energy, overcoming federal funding cuts: McCombie said her biggest red flags are coming from conversations around energy. “A really bad bill that actually scares me more than any increase in tax because at the end of Illinois, with a policy of bring your own energy,” said McCombie. * Center Square | IL Secretary of State candidate talks issues, Giannoulias yet to announce: Although Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has yet to announce plans for reelection in 2026, an Illinois Republican has launched her campaign. Diane Harris is a trustee for Joliet Junior College and the Joliet Public Library. Harris said her main focus is service. “My campaign is based on change and making sure that all Illinoisans have access to DMV services,” Harris told The Center Square. * Fox Chicago | Poll: Chicago Latinos oppose Johnson and Trump, support more police: According to the results, Latinos are overwhelmingly opposed to both Mayor Brandon Johnson and his ideological opposite, former President Donald Trump. Fourteen percent of respondents said they had a favorable opinion of Johnson, while 65% said they had an unfavorable opinion. Twenty percent said they had a favorable view of Trump, compared with 66% who said they had an unfavorable view. Gov. J.B. Pritzker fared better in the poll: 51% of respondents had a favorable view, while 33% had an unfavorable view. * Sun-Times | Residents plan flag-waving caravans for Mexican Independence Day weekend as a form of protest: Standing on top of the vehicle was Ricky, a driver who told the Sun-Times that “there will be a few caravans, starting Thursday or Friday, especially with everything going on,” referring to the arrests by ICE and immigration authorities in recent days. “We are not afraid and we are here to speak up and defend those that can’t because of their legal status,” said Ricky, who did not share his last name. “We will represent and defend ours.” He referenced some car clubs that would be participating in an organized way: Rack Em Ent, Santisima Trucking, 660, Los Rusos and La Clika 312. * WBEZ | How does immigration enforcement work in Chicago?: Immigration authorities primarily operate in three facilities in Chicago: one for court hearings, another for check-in appointments for those being monitored and a third that’s an administrative center. Under the Trump administration, those places have served an additional purpose: to arrest people. * WBBM | RTA survey: CTA satisfaction lags Pace, Metra: Since 2016, the RTA - which oversees CTA, Metra and Pace has surveyed riders at regular intervals about what they like, what they don’t like, and what they want changed. In that first survey nearly ten years ago, CTA rider satisfaction was around 85%. Now, it’s 70%. During Thursday’s RTA board meeting, agency deputy executive director Maulik Vaishnav spelled out what CTA riders are most concerned about: “Cleanliness, personal security, condition of assets and accuracy of real-time information.” That’s a fancy term for “ghost buses.” * WGN | Unique Pope Leo painting from Italy gifted to Chicago high school: His work has honored the canonization of Pope John Paul II and John XXIII. But it was another painting that put Pallotta on the map. He mounted the piece called Super Pope on a building near the Vatican. The image went viral, even Pope Francis was a fan. * Sun-Times | Taste of Chicago will move back to July next year, top cultural official says: Clinée Hedspeth, the head of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, said the pause in next year’s NASCAR will allow the city to return the popular food fest to mid-summer. * Chronicle | Addison Township sues former supervisor, three others for ‘misappropriation’ of grant: The Addison Township Board voted Wednesday to sue former Supervisor Dennis Reboletti and three other former officials for allegedly misappropriating more than $78,000 in funds, and using part of it to purchase a pickup truck. According to documents, the money was given to the township for its food pantry. Beside Reboletti, the lawsuit names former township Executive Director Sandy Bays, former Human Services Administrator Darcy D’Alessandro, and former Township Accountant Mary Mattia as defendants. * Tribune | Federal agents’ vehicles arrive in Evanston to serve warrant: The federal vehicles “received a parking citation from Parking Enforcement,” she wrote, but Deputy City Manager Carina E. Sanchez said Thursday that law enforcement officers associated with the federal vehicles identified themselves as law enforcement to an Evanston parking enforcement employee, and consequently no parking citation was given. […] Evanston police were not informed of any arrests on Wednesday, and had no further contact with the federal agents, Sophier said. EPD did not assist in any operations or investigation, he added. * Patch | Felony Charges Tied To Elmhurst Politician’s Petition: On Aug. 21, a grand jury indicted 74-year-old Lawrence Moretti of Addison on charges of possession with intent to deliver any document known to be altered or forged, according to DuPage County court records. Last December, Patch reported on problems with the signatures that Moretti purportedly collected for then-mayoral candidate Mark Mulliner’s petition. * Daily Herald | Federal suit alleges harassment, inappropriate practices in St. Charles Police Department: When longtime St. Charles Police Chief James Keegan resigned in March, after the previous four months on personal leave, city officials heaped praise on his nearly 11-year tenure but wouldn’t explain the reasons behind his departure. However, a lawsuit filed last Friday in U.S. District Court alleges he ran a department where discrimination, sexual harassment and questionable practices took place in the months leading up to his exit. * Daily Herald | St. Charles city considers new regulations, taxes for short-term rentals like Airbnb: With the goal of reducing short-term rentals’ impact on their neighbors, council members advocated for adding measures that would give the city power to enforce violations, a power the city currently doesn’t hold. […] Taxing short-term rentals would also access untapped revenue for the city. Staff estimated that over $70,000 in possible tax revenue from short-term rentals went uncollected in 2024, based on a 5% tax rate. * Daily Southtown | Dolton plans celebration for Pope Leo XIV’s 70th birthday on Sunday: House and other village trustees are also focused on efforts to highlight the home and support visitors. With Prevost’s 70th birthday on Sunday, the village will host a program and celebration outside of his childhood home from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., complete with a balloon release and a photo op with a Pope Leo XIV cardboard cutout. House said he hopes to make the party an annual event. * Crain’s | Highland Park blocks plan to sell million-dollar shares of former Michael Jordan estate: At a Sept. 8 meeting, the city council voted to amend its zoning ordinance to prohibit timeshares in single-family homes. The vote shuts down the plan John Cooper announced in January to sell ownership shares in the gated property he bought from Jordan in December for $9.5 million. Cooper declined Crain’s request for comment this week, but in a July email he wrote that Highland Park officials began looking into whether his proposed use was allowed under zoning regulations. “They are taking the position that my proposed use is not allowed,” he wrote. “I disagree with their assessment.” * WAND | Firefighters call for stronger protections after Champaign crews attacked on duty: Associated Firefighters of Illinois President Chuck Sullivan said what happened in Champaign is part of a broader issue. * WGLT | Fired CDC worker seeks to rebuild trust in public health at conference in Normal: Public health workers in Bloomington-Normal and across Illinois got a pep talk Thursday from someone who lost her job in public health. Abby Tighe was fired from her “dream” job in overdose prevention at the Centers for Disease Control in February. That’s when the Trump administration fired all probationary workers at the health agency. * WREX | Two Rockford Hispanic celebrations canceled amid immigration enforcement fears: On Thursday afternoon, 11th Ward Alderman Jaime Salgado posted a statement to socials, saying, “This difficult decision was made due to concerns for our residents’ public safety, stemming from the current climate of immigration enforcement, rhetoric, and the targeting of our Latino residents. The public safety of our community is our main priority, and we have therefore decided on this course of action to protect our residents from any potential safety concerns. * WQAD | Moline to deploy ‘Goosinator’ to help keep geese out of local parks: The ‘Goosinator’ is a device that designers describe as a combination of a Border Collie and a remote-control boat, meant to safely and nonlethally chase geese from public spaces “Birds can see colors very well so colors like orange, silver and yellow make a lasting impression on most migratory birds. All of the other materials are state-of-the-art and meant to last a very long time,” the Goosinator’s website reads. * NYT | $10 Million in Contraceptives Have Been Destroyed on Orders From Trump Officials: Internal State Department and U.S.A.I.D. documents and correspondence obtained by The New York Times show that several international organizations, including the Gates Foundation and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, had offered to buy or accept a donation of the contraceptives. The government would have incurred no costs or might have even been able to recoup taxpayer funds under those scenarios. * Korea Economic Daily | Korea’s major US investment projects halted as detained LG Energy workers set for release: The incident has thrown Korea’s flagship investment projects in the US into disarray. Sources said at least 22 other factory sites involving Korean business groups, in autos, shipbuilding, steel and electrical equipment, have been nearly halted. * NPR | They want COVID shots to protect their health or family. They can’t get them: Jason Mitton wanted one of the new COVID-19 vaccines before leaving on a business trip. But the pharmacists at a drug store near his home in Austin, Texas, refused. “He’s like: ‘Do you have a doctor’s note?’ I said: ‘No, I don’t.’ He said: ‘Well, the FDA standards say that you don’t qualify. And our policy is that we won’t administer it unless you qualify,’” says Mitton. Mitton, who’s 55 and says he has high blood pressure and high cholesterol that’s controlled by medication, plans to keep trying to get vaccinated.
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Good morning!
Friday, Sep 12, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * I have a powerful and complicated relationship with this song. I traveled to Kosovo in 1999 to cover the immediate aftermath of the Serbian invasion and the “Great Powers” response. The writing didn’t pay much, but it was exhilarating. I had almost decided not to come back to y’all because I was thoroughly engaged in the work and was convinced I could eventually make a living off foreign reporting - a longtime ambition - but then this song came on the radio. The coalition headed by the US military had taken control of all the Kosovar radio stations from ethnic Serbians and Albanians to avoid sparking conflicts. The lone station used an automated system, so it had no disc jockeys. I assumed that was done to avoid somebody saying something stupid on-air and causing who knows what sort of retribution and violence. The station played only American music. * During the war, thousands of ethnic Serbs had forced out ethnic Albanians and seized their homes. I visited several houses after the Serbs were eventually pushed out and saw vicious anti-Albanian, anti-Muslim graffiti painted on the walls, put there by the now-departed Serbs. The stories I was told and the clear evidence I saw about the Serbian occupation of Kosovo were horrific. But I also had my first up-close look at how false war atrocity rumors could spread by word of mouth for miles around in almost an instant. I canvassed an entire city block after hearing from numerous people in Pristina (including the grandmother of a friend, who said she had seen it with her own eyes) about a Kosovar being shot by allied troops in a town about 20 miles away. Everyone I talked to in that town insisted it didn’t happen. It’s a lesson I will never forget. Never automatically believe war rumors, even if a friend’s lovely grandma tells you one. * A friend I made while driving through southeastern Europe was killed by bandits during a diamond smuggling run in neighboring Albania (yes, I know it sounds crazy, but I wasn’t involved, because if I was I wouldn’t be telling you this story today /s). Another friend I’d met on the trip (the one with the grandma) had been an ethnic Albanian fighter in Kosovo before the war. He was badly injured in that same diamond run attack and was hospitalized in a rural Albanian hospital with a 24/7 police guard, charged with my other friend’s murder. The cops justified the charge because, they concluded, he’d been driving the car when it was chased off a cliff by AK-toting bandits. He was eventually freed after arranging payment to the proper authorities. Albania was wild back then, man. In Kosovo, military coalition members were literally everywhere. If there was a problem, you could easily find help. Albania was basically in a civil war and you couldn’t ask anyone for help. The cops were iffy at best, the militias were in league with various bandit groups and the foreign military had moved on to Kosovo. We were on our own. * After I don’t know how many hours of driving with an ethnic Kosovar who lived in Germany and who’d offered to be my translator even though he spoke no English, I eventually found the hospital my friend had been transferred to (no ashtrays, just throw your cigarettes on the floor) with pigs grazing in the courtyard (it was a Christian hospital in an Islamic region) and very near the police station on the little town square. Unbeknownst to me, the police station was attacked every night by armed rebels. I had parked my German rental car in front of the station, mistakenly thinking it would be a safe spot. A hospital doctor immediately grabbed my key and moved my rental car to an out of the way location after he found out what I’d done. He looked at me like I was crazy. The doctor also insisted I stay at the hospital instead of the local hotel, which was overrun by the rebels every night. It was a certain death sentence, he warned. I complied. * My hospital room gave me a clear view of the nightly rebels vs. police firefight, both outside my window and then inside the emergency room, which was a few feet from my room. Tracers were flying and the screaming wounded from both sides piled up in the hallway. It sounds silly to say, but I felt relieved during the firefight that the doctor had moved my car. I had asked my mom, who was with the US Department of Defense in Germany at the time and was doing some Kosovo logistics, to vouch for me with a German rental car company. Without her word, nobody would rent me a car to drive into a war zone. She would’ve been put in a mighty sticky wicket if I had brought it back riddled with bullet holes. Never do that to your mom. * Anyway, before I ventured into Albania, I was driving aimlessly through the Kosovo countryside grieving my murdered friend and my missing friend and my not great life back home when this tune came on the radio. I immediately pulled the car over and listened. The song convinced me to give my Illinois life one more shot and I eventually went home… And I dreamed your dream for you and now your dream is real I was also arrested in Serbia during that trip for illegal entry and suspicion of being an American spy. I was put on trial and expelled from the country. The story I wrote about that ordeal is not online (and probably never was), but I’ll see if I can find it in my own archives someday. * Sorry, this post kinda got away from me. What’s up with you?
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Friday, Sep 12, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Friday, Sep 12, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Friday, Sep 12, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Friday, Sep 12, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.
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