| | | | | |  | | By Shia Kapos | Happy New Year, Illinois. It's great to be back from a restful break, and we're already geared up for a newsy day. |  | TOP TALKER | | Sen. DICK DURBIN said President Donald Trump's phone call pressuring Georgia officials to overturn the presidential election results there in his favor "merits nothing less than a criminal investigation." In a statement, Durbin called Trump "unhinged" and "delusional." During the hourlong recorded phone call Saturday obtained by the Washington Post and Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Trump can be heard saying, "All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, because we won the state." Trump also said, "The people in the country are angry. And there's nothing wrong with saying that, you know, um, that you've recalculated." The call may have violated statutes that guard against the solicitation of election fraud, write POLITICO's Allie Bice, Kyle Cheney, Anita Kumar and Zach Montellaro. Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi told Playbook the tape's contents "go to the lawless nature of this administration. It's not just a disregard for norms, ethics or conventions but the law." The leaked audio comes as Congress is set to certify the Electoral College votes Wednesday. At least 12 Republicans in the Senate and more than 100 in the House have said they will challenge the results based on unsupported allegations of voter fraud. Among those is incoming Illinois Republican Rep. Mary Miller. "I promised to stand with President Trump, and I will keep that promise. It is my responsibility to the great people of Illinois to object to the Electoral College certification," Miller said in a statement. Fellow Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger had a message Sunday for her and other Republicans set on rejecting Joe Biden as president. "To every member of Congress considering objecting to the election results, you cannot — in light of this [audio tape] — do so with a clean conscience," he tweeted. "This is absolutely appalling." The Miller-Kinzinger differences are playing out on a larger scale within the caucus, where Republicans are weighing how close to align themselves with a president who is doing little to hide his efforts to overturn the election and who intends to remain a force after he leaves the White House, report POLITICO's Burgess Everett and Marianne LeVine. And it's all happening just days before two runoffs in Georgia conclude on Jan. 5, races that will determine who holds the Senate majority. ALSO FROM THE CAPITOL — Pelosi reelected speaker despite narrow majority: "Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) became the first defection of the day, casting his vote for Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.)," by POLITICO's Heather Caygle, Sarah Ferris and Olivia Beavers. — Targeting Bustos: The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC operated by the House GOP is taking out digital ads targeting Democrats, including Rep. Cheri Bustos, who voted for Nancy Pelosi. — Marie Newman sworn in as newest House member from Chicago region, by Tribune's Bill Ruthhart and Rick Pearson | | THE BUZZ | | Some members of the Chicago Teachers Union are defying Chicago Public Schools' plan to return to the classroom, and a majority of the city's aldermen have written the mayor saying they're "deeply concerned" about the city's reopening plans. CTU has for months insisted that teachers should not return to classrooms unless the city can assure a safe reopening. Chicago Public Schools chief Janice Jackson responded to the aldermen with her own letter Sunday, saying CPS has already addressed their concerns and that the "data are clear that schools like ours can reopen safely." Teachers for preschool and special education programs are set to return this week and their students will be back in class Jan. 11 unless they have opted to stay home because of concerns about the coronavirus. According to the Sun-Times, "White and middle-class families have opted to return to their schools at double the rate of Black, Latino and low-income families who have been less likely to trust the district's safety measures in a pandemic that has disproportionately hurt their communities." More teachers and staff are expected to return Jan. 25, before kindergarten through eighth grade students return to classrooms Feb. 1. CTU has argued that teachers have a right to refuse to work in a school if they feel unsafe. However, the union's message was muddled over the holidays when CTU board member Sarah Chambers posted pictures from her Caribbean vacation — after tweeting to a rally of special ed teachers not to return to work because it's unsafe, according to WGN. Chambers defended her actions, saying she had received a doctor's OK to go on the vacation and that she was following rules for social distancing by staying inside her vacation pad. But she also tweeted that she'd be visiting Old San Juan for seafood, so Twitter went wild about the double-standard taken by someone in a leadership position. RELATED Frustrations of a CPS special ed parent: 'Why are other kids reading and not my son?' by Sun-Times' Clare Proctor Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: skapos@politico.com | | | | GET THE BIG PRE-INAUGURATION SCOOPS IN TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: Inauguration Day is quickly approaching. Is the Biden administration ready? Transition Playbook brings you inside the transition and newly forming administration, tracking the latest from Biden world and the transition of power. 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| | WHERE'S LORI | | No official public events | | WHERE'S J.B. | | No official public events | | Where's Toni | | At the LaSalle Street Metra Station at 11 a.m. to markk the kick-off of Fair Transit South Cook, a three-year pilot project to improve public transportation in south Cook County. | | THE LATEST NUMBERS | | The Illinois Department of Public Health on Sunday reported 81 additional deaths and 4,469 new confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus. That's a total of 16,755 deaths and 979,821 cases in Illinois. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total tests from Dec. 27 through Jan. 2 is 8.3 percent. Chicago's positivity rate is at 9.2 percent. | | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | — Surgeon general defends integrity of Covid-19 numbers: "Surgeon General Jerome Adams declined to condemn President Donald Trump on Sunday for calling Covid-19 death figures 'far exaggerated,' but he did defend the numbers Trump attacked. 'From a health perspective, I have no reason to doubt those numbers,' Adams said on CNN's 'State of the Union,' responding to a question from host Jake Tapper pressing him on a tweet Sunday where the president stated without evidence that Covid-19 numbers have been inflated," by POLITICO's David Cohen. — Census armies pivot to vaccine outreach with minorities: Reps. Robin Kelly, Chuy Garcia and Danny Davis are joining neighborhood groups to get Black and brown communities on board with the coronavirus vaccine. "It's not as easy as the census, where you're saying, 'Hey, sign up,'" said Carlos Nelson, CEO of the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation, a nonprofit in Chicago. "It's about understanding people's ideas, perspectives and feelings. We have a large population of seniors who lived through the period of the Tuskegee project. It's a deeper conversation." — FDA clears Abbott Labs $25 rapid Covid-19 test for use at home: "As the pandemic has evolved, the need for rapid testing has only grown," Abbott chief executive Robert B. Ford told Forbes' Bruce Japsen at Forbes. Abbott is bringing the rapid BinaxNOW test and NAVICA platform into homes through a partnership with eMed, "which allows us to maintain the integrity of the testing process, get even closer to people who need testing and help provide the confidence we need to help get back to living with a bit more normalcy." — Hospital chaplains: How do you touch suffering families when Covid-19 denies proximity? "Covid has changed the way hospital chaplains bring comfort to patients, families and hospital staff in times of need," writes Sun-Times' Maudlyne Ihejirika. — A father-son story about battling Covid: "A father and son were in hospital beds across the aisle from each other inside an ICU room at Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora as they battled the coronavirus. Neither was conscious enough to know the other was there," by Aurora Beacon-News' Megan Jones. — ERIKA HAROLD tested positive for Covid-19, she tweeted on Christmas Day. The attorney who ran unsuccessfully for state AG got tested after feeling mild symptoms of the coronavirus. By New Year's Day, she felt better, tweeting: "Except for fatigue (which is to be expected), I'm making great strides in recovering from Covid-19." | | SPOTLIGHT | | SO LAME: House lawmakers were told to return to Springfield later this week for a lame duck session of the 101st General Assembly starting Friday before transitioning into the new 102nd legislative session on Jan. 13. They've been told to follow pandemic protocols with House lawmakers meeting in the BoS Center in downtown Springfield and senators staying in the Capitol. But that's about all they know. House Democrats haven't had a caucus meeting since May, so the legislative agenda is mostly a matter of speculation. They expect the Black Caucus' omnibus bill on criminal justice issues to come up (and it's so comprehensive it's hard to imagine they can tackle it in four or five days) but other than that the cupboard feels bare. It's not unusual for House Speaker Michael Madigan to take has time in calling the shots about an upcoming session. But this year takes the cake. Between the pandemic and time spent trying to win secure support for the speakership, Madigan has left everyone in the dark about lawmaking. The reason it matters: Nothing can be done for the 102nd session until a speaker is chosen. That means Madigan can determine what the lame duck session is, but if he's not speaker after Jan. 13, someone else's priorities will drive the new session. Where it stands: House Democrats hope they'll get some (masked) face time with each other to talk about a game plan for electing a speaker. So far, it remains a race between Madigan and Rep. Stephanie Kifowit. Neither has the 60 Democratic votes needed to win the gavel outright. So lawmakers are trying to figure out what's next. There are 19 Democrats who are standing firm that they don't want Madigan. The majority of the Black and Latino caucuses say they are backing Madigan, but that's not enough to get him to 60. Lawmakers want to resolve the issue within the caucus. Otherwise a vote could be taken to the House floor and that's when things could really get interesting. Everyone's been reading up on the 1975 speaker's race, where a compromise candidate emerged that attracted Democrats and some Republicans. | | CHICAGO | | — Budget bets on federal aid pay off for Chicago schools, transit agency: "While Chicago and the Illinois state government were left out, the region's transit system and Chicago Public Schools emerged as winners in the new federal relief package, securing aid both had banked on when assembling their new budgets. The Illinois Regional Transportation Authority's service boards that provide light rail, commuter rail, and bus service in Chicago and the suburbs will receive $450 million from the $14 billion earmarked for public transit in the $910 billion package President Trump signed Sunday," by Bond Buyer's Yvette Shields. — Lightfoot meets with Anjanette Young as city inspector general opens probe into controversial raid: "Mayor Lori Lightfoot met with Anjanette Young on Thursday and the two had 'a lengthy, very candid and productive conversation about the unacceptable raid' on the social worker's home in which Chicago police handcuffed her naked, according to a joint statement. Lightfoot and Young also discussed 'a number of systemic changes necessary to address the wrongs done not only to Ms. Young, but also to other victims,' said the statement," by Tribune's Gregory Pratt. — General Iron closes North Side facility; shredder awaits final permit to start operating on Southeast Side: "After more than a century operating between North Avenue and Cortland Street, General Iron Industries closed for good on the last day of 2020, fulfilling a pledge its clout-heavy owners made to Mayor Lori Lightfoot a year earlier. Workers began dismantling some of the often-troubled company's equipment during the weekend. Semitrailers occasionally pulled up to haul away the final mounds of scrap," by Tribune's Michael Hawthorne. — Real estate pros aim to diversify the ranks of developers: "I want to show people that you can do this work in your neighborhood and make a living," developer Leon Walker said. Sun-Times' David Roeder reports. — Tackling disinvestment: "Local governments have made efforts to revive commerce in neglected Black neighborhoods around the country. It hasn't always worked. But Chicago can learn from their experiences," by ProPublica's Haru Coryne and Tony Briscoe. | | | | A NEW YEAR MEANS A NEW HUDDLE IS HERE: Huddle, our daily congressional must-read, has a new author! Olivia Beavers took the reins this week, and she has the latest news and whispers from the Speakers' Lobby. Don't miss out, subscribe to our Huddle newsletter, the essential guide to all things Capitol Hill. Subscribe today. | | | | |
| | THE STATEWIDES | | — BILL BRADY resigns from the Illinois Senate: Outgoing Illinois Senate Republican leader Bill Brady, "one of downstate Illinois' most high-profile politicians," announced his retirement from the General Assembly last week. "Brady, of Bloomington, had made three unsuccessful bids for governor and came close to victory in 2014. He announced after last month's election that he would be stepping down from the GOP leadership post in the Senate amid an effort to oust him from that position," by Tribune's Rick Pearson. — Margaret Croke was sworn in as a state representative for the 12th District over the weekend after outgoing Rep. Jonathan "Yoni" Pizer stepped down at the end of December. He's returning to his position as community liaison to Rep. Mike Quigley's district office (a position he held before he was appointed to the representative position last year). — Chicago native breaks state birding record: 'It's like playing the lottery but with nature,' reports Tribune's Morgan Greene. — Anonymous donor gives Central Illinois Foodbank $500,000 gift: "Outside of grants, the donation is the single largest gift in the food bank's 38-year history and the gift's timing is 'impeccable,' said Pam Molitoris, its executive director. She said the donation will be used to address the growing need for food assistance throughout the group's 21-county service area as the pandemic's economic impact continues into 2021," by the State Journal-Register's Steven Spearie. | | FROM THE DELEGATION | | LIPINSKI ERA ENDS with a parting shot to Pelosi: The Tribune's retrospective on the 45-year political reign of the Lipinskis on Chicago's Southwest Side explains why outgoing Rep. Dan Lipinski voted against increasing $600 Covid relief checks to $2,000. It was likely a "parting shot" to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who didn't offer support in his re-election bid. Lipinski's father, former Rep. William Lipinski said: "I'm sure if Nancy had talked to some of the big left-wing money people to leave him alone, they would have done so... But she certainly didn't do that, and she wasn't going to risk her support with some of those people by standing up for one of her members." Tribune's Bill Ruthhart and Rick Pearson report. | | THE NATIONAL TAKE | | — The other Georgia slugfest: a Brian Kemp-Stacey Abrams rematch, by POLITICO's Andrew Desiderio — MAGA marchers plot final D.C. stand on Jan. 6, by POLITICO's Tina Nguyen — 2020: The year Black voters said, 'Hold up,' by POLITICO's Teresa Wiltz | | JOB CHANGES | | Tim Eggert is joining the Pantagraph as the Bloomington city government reporter. He most recently was reporting on courts and crime for Sauk Valley Media. | | TRIVIA | | THE LAST GUESS: Congrats to Rev. Adam Spencer, the soon-to-be rector of Saint Elisabeth's Episcopal Church in Glencoe, for correctly answering that "Mr. Blue Beard" was the musical playing when the famous Iroquois Theatre fire broke out on Dec. 30, 1903. TODAY's QUESTION: Why did Chicago's Black community reject Mayor Michael Bilandic's re-election bid in 1979? Email your answer to skapos@politico.com. | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY | | Today: Melissa Bell, senior director with Global Strategy Group, a Democratic polling firm, business consultant Jeff Angevine, Rock Valley College Community Outreach VP Tiana McCall, Bloomberg sales VP Rob Recklaus. Jan. 3: Metropolitan Water District Commissioner Mariyana Spyropoulos, former state Rep. Kent Gaffney, state Rep. Lindsey LaPointe CoS Jessica Genova, and Latin teacher Nava Cohen. Jan. 2: Dolton Mayor Riley Rogers, and Cook County State's Attorney director of external affairs Sarah Sinovic. NEW YEAR's DAY: State Rep. Tom Demmer, former state Rep. Adam Brown, political consultant Jeff Orr, and Breakwater Chicago co-founder Ashvin Lad. -30-
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