10-07-2025
A sanctuary showdown
Happy Thursday, Illinois. And thank you for your Reader Digest comments on dramatic takes on political scandals — Broadway better watch its back.
TOP TALKER
PUSHING BACK: The City of Chicago has joined a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration for withholding federal funds from sanctuary cities.
'Federal funding should never be used as a tool to coerce local authorities into compliance with unlawful mandates,' Corporation Counsel Mary B. Richardson-Lowry declared in a statement that cuts to the heart of the legal argument: that Washington cannot hold the purse strings hostage to force political compliance.
The city expects to receive about $3.5 billion in federal dollars this year, reports the Block Club's Quinn Myers.
The legal maneuver on Wednesday came a day after federal officers descended on the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture in Chicago, raising tensions between Illinois elected officials and the Trump administration.
According to museum officials, officers, who they presumed were immigration officials with U.S. Homeland Security, entered the museum parking lot Tuesday and refused requests to present a warrant, badge or identification. They were assessing entry and exit points for upcoming events, museum officials said at a press conference Wednesday. The museum is hosting its annual Barrio Arts Festival on Saturday and Sunday.
But, but, but: Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin denied the department targeted the museum, stating it was a visit by the Chicago Financial Crimes Task Force 'related to a narcotics investigation,' reports WTTW's Matt Masterson.
Whoever visited the museum created anxiety and fear within the community and prompted elected officials to organize a press conference to denounce actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
'This seems to be a plan to terrorize,' said Ald. Jessie Fuentes of the 26th Ward, where the museum is located. And Ald. Gilbert 'Gil' Villegas echoed the message, saying, 'Right now, what we have in the White House is a domestic terrorist.'
Their provocative language underscores the deep divide between Illinois and the White House on immigration issues.
Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, who was also at the press event, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, expressing her concerns about the museum confrontation.
Get used to the uproar: President Donald Trump's megabill includes $170 billion for border and immigration enforcement, which means Illinois will remain in the feds' sights. 'We're going to continue to fight every single way to block ICE,' said state Rep. Lilian Jimenez, architect of legislation that bars ICE from entering schools. 'This is our home.'
Here's the lawsuit that the city joined
And here's video of the press conference
More details: Federal officers' presence stokes deportation fears, by the Tribune's Nell Salzman
Related: The Chicago churches on the frontline of Trump's deportation wars, by The Bulwark's Adrian Carrasquillo
THE BUZZ
THE CHICAGO WAY: Walter Burnett, the long-serving alderman and vice mayor of Chicago, is stepping down at the end of the month to open a lane for his son to possibly take his seat.
According to Burnett: 'My wife told me she's been at home by herself for 30 years,' scooped the Block Club's Melody Mercado. 'She said, 'You put in your time. Now, come home.''
But Burnett still wants to keep working. He's being considered for a job heading the Chicago Housing Authority. And if that doesn't work, he may run for Congress in the 7th District seat, he told Playbook.
The dominoes: Burnett wants his youngest son, 29-year-old Walter Burnett III, to be appointed to his 27th Ward seat. Burnett's other son, state Rep. Jawaharial 'Omar' Williams, had expressed interest in the job, too, but recently changed his mind, Burnett told the Block Club.
If you are Tricia McLaughlin, Playbook would like to hear from you! Email: skapos@
WHERE'S JB
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WHERE's BRANDON
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Where's Toni
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BUSINESS OF POLITICS
— DAVID AXELROD predicts Democrats will win back the U.S. House in 2026. 'I would rate their chances very high, primarily because history is very, very strong in this regard,' he told the Sun-Times' Fran Spielman in an interview touching on a range of political issues and characters, including Brandon Johnson, JB Pritzker, Rahm Emanuel, Michael Madigan, Ed Burke, Rod Blagojevich and Donald Trump.
On Dems taking the House, the political guru said, 'Republicans have a razor-thin margin. There are enough targets for Democrats to pick up. And their chances were improved by the passage of this bill that the president likes to call 'The Big Beautiful Bill,' which is a real misnomer because it was a flat-out exchange between tax cuts for the wealthy. and healthcare for working people and the poor.' The full interview is here.
— Speaking of Rahm Emanuel: If he runs, he'll bet on candor defeating the 'culture police,' writes George F. Will in The Washington Post
— Samantha Steele is going to seek re-election for her Cook County Board of Review post — instead of running for Cook County assessor. The decision came after her office was honored by the National Association of Counties for its programming and service work. Steele 'doesn't want to see all her good work unravel,' said a spokesperson, adding the commissioner also wants to be available to her high-school senior daughter instead of battling for a new job.
— In IL-08: Candidate Junaid Ahmed raised nearly $350,000 since announcing his candidacy for Congress last month.
— Endorsement: Robert Peters, the Illinois state senator running in the 2nd Congressional District, has been endorsed by state Sen. Mattie Hunter, who is also the assistant majority leader in the Senate.
THE STATEWIDES
— State Farm to raise Illinois homeowners insurance rates by 27.2 percent in August: The rate hike, 'one of the largest in the state's history,' is due to the increase in 'extreme weather events,' by the Tribune's Robert Channick.
— Audit finds state agency fell short on social equity initiatives outlined in Gov. JB Pritzker's landmark climate bill: 'The state's Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity failed to implement programs designed to assist clean energy contractors in underserved areas and to deliver clean energy jobs training to people exiting Illinois prisons,' by the Tribune's Olivia Olander.
— Illinois to return $45M of missing money to residents: 'This is not a scam,' via ABC 7
CHICAGO
— Chicago Public Schools facing cash crunch as it works to close $734M deficit: 'District leaders must find a way to close the deficit either by finding more revenue, making more cuts, or borrowing money,' by Chalkbeat's Reema Amin.
— CPS wants more students from all backgrounds to get the chance to skip a grade, by WBEZ's Sarah Karp
— Chicago's summer jobs program sees another year of growth following pandemic-era dip, by WBEZ's Mariah Woelfel
— Judge rules ex-Ald. Carrie Austin medically unfit to face trial on corruption charges, by the Tribune's Jason Meisner
— Tuesday night's flash flooding was a 'one-in-500-year' event, by NBC 5's Kevin Jeanes
— Sculptor Richard Hunt's life is on exhibit in Chicago — and it's a walk through Civil Rights history, by WBEZ's Mike Davis
COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS
— Bears stadium survey addresses seating chart, ticket prices and 'VIP tailgating': The questionnaire seeks thoughts on a 'state-of-the-art stadium that will serve all of Chicagoland and the state of Illinois' but doesn't mention the NFL franchise's 326-acre Arlington Park property specifically, by the Daily Herald's Christopher Placek.
— Harvey Ald. Colby Chapman declares victory after charges dismissed: She says the charges stem from a political dispute with Mayor Christopher Clark, by the Daily Southtown's Mike Nolan.
— Cook County now faces class-action lawsuit over tax sales that stripped home equity, by Crain's Dennis Rodkin
— Michael Jordan's former Highland Park estate listed on Airbnb, by ESPN's Kalan Hooks
Reader Digest
We asked what political scandal would make the best musical.
Zachary Brown: 'The saga of New York Congressman Daniel Sickles who murdered his wife's lover but was acquitted, becoming the first person in the country to successfully use the temporary insanity defense.'
Larry Bury: 'The Magic Shoeboxes' based on the life of former Illinois Secretary of State Paul Powell. Writers would have so much to work with: In his hotel room he also had 49 cases of whiskey, 14 transistor radios and two cases of creamed corn.'
John Engle: 'The Teapot Dome corruption scandal of the 1920s.'
Mike Gascoigne: 'The Bush v. Gore debacle. Hanging chads need their own song.'
Jarod Hitchings: 'The Shoebox Shuffle about Paul Powell.'
Bob Kieckhefer: 'Paul Powell's 'shoebox cash stash,' with Julianne Moore playing Marge Hensey, described by the politically incorrect 1970s media as Powell's 'shapely red-headed secretary.''
Jim Lyons: 'Watergate, with the president singing a song called 'I Am Not a Crook.''
Dan Mattoon: 'The story of U.S. Rep. Wilbur Mills and Fanne Foxe, the stripper known as 'the Argentine Firecracker,' who leapt from a limo into Washington's Tidal Basin after a night of drinking in the 1970s.'
Dennis Rendleman: 'The story of Orville Hodge, the Illinois state auditor who in the 1950s stole $1.5 million in state funds. One song, a la Hamilton's 'The Room Where it Happens' could be 'The Till Where It's Taken.''
Tomás Revollo: 'Former Congressman George Santos' fabricated biography!'
David Schroeder: 'Watergate. The abundance of personalities set to music and song would be highly entertaining.'
Timothy Thomas: 'Shoebox — the Musical Life and Times of Paul Powell: How a man of humble Southern Illinois roots came to accumulate over $750,000 stuffed in shoeboxes as Illinois Secretary of State.'
Erika Weaver: 'Hell & High Water: The Story of Poppa Pope,' a character on 'Scandal.'
NEXT QUESTION: If you had to survive a presidential debate using only quotes from one movie, which movie would you choose?
KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION
— Getting schooled: Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth questioned the qualifications of President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Singapore, Dr. Anjani Sinha, at his confirmation hearing Wednesday. 'This is not a glamour posting. You need to shape up and do some homework,' she said. Video here
— A conservative take: Republican Congresswoman Mary Miller posted her views about people who speak other languages: 'In America, we speak ENGLISH — and that goes for truck drivers, construction workers, factory employees, store clerks, delivery drivers, warehouse crews, and everyone in between,' she posted on X.
THE NATIONAL TAKE
— Trump promises a farm labor fix. Ag secretary is stuck in the middle, by POLITICO's Jake Traylor, Myah Ward and Samuel Benson
— Trump's assault on Big Law has been a big mess, by POLITICO's Ankush Khardori
— Civil servants hold out hope their lawyers can still save their jobs, by POLITICO's Erin Schumaker
TRANSITIONS
— Doni Robinson is now of counsel in Barnes & Thornburg Intellectual Property Department. She was with Reed Smith.
EVENTS
— Today at 6:30 p.m.: Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) hosts a telephone town hall to discuss how the president's budget reconciliation bill will impact Illinois. Callers can dial in here (833)-708-2162 to join. Streaming here
— Sunday: Let's Talk Womxn with hosts Rohini Dey, Tina Tchen, Shital Daftari and Becky Carroll, is holding a Summer Disco Social. Details here
TRIVIA
WEDNESDAY's ANSWER: Congrats to Carson Conlon for correctly answering that former Mayor Richard J. Daley was first elected to the Illinois House as a Republican.
TODAY's QUESTION: Who's the social reformer whose work led to an Illinois law limiting women's working hours and prohibiting child labor? Email skapos@
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Former Congressman John Cox Jr., former state Rep. Carol Sente, Illinois Manufacturers' Association President and CEO Mark Denzler, nonprofit leader Sunny Fischer, Faegre Drinker Senior Director Olivia Pantoja, TresserLabs Chief Engagement Officer Tom Tresser, civic leader Toni Canada, Wall Street Journal reporter Heather Haddon, Champaign News-Gazette reporter Paul Wood and journalist Brandon Smith
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