| | | | | |  | | By Shia Kapos and Maria Carrasco | TGIF, Illinois. I'm thinking of starting dry January next month instead. BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: President Donald Trump conceded last night , more than eight weeks after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. |  | TOP TALKER | | The kid glove treatment pro-Trump rioters got from Capitol Police compared to the badgering that Black Lives Matters protesters received last summer, wasn't lost on Illinois lawmakers working on police reforms in the legislative session that starts today. They were shaken by the images of MAGA folks spraying tear gas, shattering windows, desecrating artwork, ransacking offices and smearing feces on the walls before being escorted out of the Capitol as if they were just rowdy children needing fresh air. "Can we honestly say Black people would have been allowed to do those things? Absolutely not," Rep. Emanuel "Chris" Welch told Playbook. "We would have been shot and killed instantly." He called the "attempted coup" an example of why the Black Lives Matter movement is so important. Since the attack, the security apparatus of the U.S. Capitol has been the subject of scorn by a broad sweep of lawmakers bent on overhauling the operation after such an epic failure. "How could they fail so miserably?" Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Thursday . "We're 20 years from 9/11. Yesterday they could have blown the building up. They could have killed us all. They could have destroyed the government." The Capitol Police chief and the House Sargent at Arms have both been ousted, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had the Senate Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper resign. State Rep. Kam Buckner recalled working in the U.S. Capitol in the 2000s as an aide to Sen. Dick Durbin. "Even with an official Senate ID, I'd get stopped and asked to identify myself. It's unconscionable for me to understand how this could even occur in a building purported to be so secure," said Buckner, who now heads the House Black Caucus. And Chicago community activist Camiella Williams recalled her arrest a few years ago during a peaceful protest in D.C. "We were sitting on the ground holding up pictures of people hurt by gun violence. The police surrounded us. Arrested us. I was fingerprinted and held in lockup for eight days until someone paid to get me out." It's the kind of story that fuels further distrust for police across the country — and in Chicago. John Catanzara, president of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, knows this, yet there he was Thursday, telling WBEZ that he understands why rioters are upset, downplaying the siege of a fundamental branch of the U.S. government. "There was no arson, there was no burning of anything, there was no looting, there was very little destruction of property." Hindsight is 20/20 but tell that to the lawmakers, staff and journalists huddled behind barricaded doors and hiding in chamber galleries while they heard gunshots, shouting and breaking glass. Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx responded with a video statement saying she was "appalled but not surprised" by the D.C. mob and that Catanzara would dismiss it. After all, she said, it was Catanzara who a few years ago stood with Proud Boys and QAnon activists to protest her office. State Rep. Sonya Harper, who heads the joint Legislative Black Caucus, hopes to address all "the bold inequalities" in the coming days when the Black Agenda is brought forward to the General Assembly. If passed, the sweeping criminal-justice reform measure would transform how policing is conducted in Illinois. RELATED — Riots in Congress bring state Capitol security concerns into focus, by Capitol News' Sarah Mansur. — Behind the strategic failure of the Capitol police: "Experts and police chiefs ask: How could a pumped-up, post-9/11 force with its own bomb squad and intelligence department have flunked the most basic security drill?" by POLITICO's Garrett M. Graff. — Drum roll as the General Assembly gathers starting today: "The Illinois General Assembly returns to Springfield on Friday for a lame-duck session that gives embattled Speaker Michael Madigan a final opportunity to make his case to remain at the helm of the House, while the Black Caucus makes a push for its wide-ranging social justice agenda," by Tribune's Jamie Munks and Dan Petrella. | | THE BUZZ | | Sen. Tammy Duckworth is calling for freshman Rep. Mary Miller to resign over comments she made praising Hitler. Illinois Democratic politicians are circulating a petition saying Miller should quit. Republican John Shimkus, who held Miller's 15th District seat before retiring, said he's "disappointed" that she'd invoke Nazis in a speech. "I'm disappointed that my elected representative quoted Hitler," Shimkus told Tom Miller on Newsradio WJPF. "I would quote proverbs over Hitler." Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran, said: "I call on her to resign immediately so that someone who better understands the sacrifices our brave service members made during World War II can more effectively represent our state." Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Marie Newman also have called for Miller to quit. Meanwhile, Mary Miller hasn't offered any apology — something that Illinois' governor, who is Jewish, and the state's GOP suggested she make. Miller's spokesman won't return messages, either. Miller's office did attempt to tweet an explanation: "Congresswoman Miller's statement was a denunciation of evil dictators' efforts to re-educate young people and similar efforts by left-wing radicals in our country today." It's clear she needs to come up with something better. 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. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter breaks big news and analyzes the appointments, people and emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming Biden administration. Subscribe today. | | | | |
| | WHERE'S LORI | | At CPS offices at 9 a.m. for an update on school openings. | | WHERE'S J.B. | | No official public events. | | Where's Toni | | No official public events. | | THE LATEST NUMBERS | | The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 177 additional deaths and 8,757 new confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus. That's a total of 17,272 fatalities and 1,008,045 cases in Illinois. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total tests from Dec. 31 through Jan. 6 is 8.5 percent. Chicago's positivity rate is at 10.8 percent. | | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | — MILESTONE: Illinois hits 1 million cases of Covid-19: "On Thursday, Illinois public health officials report the state has passed 1 million cases, the fourth state in the United States to reach that mark. Illinoisans have grown weary of hearing the words, 'grim milestone.' Marking the virus in just a sheer number, to some, does injustice to the lives lost, now topping 17,272," by WBEZ's Mariah Woelfel. — Pritzker to feds: Break loose with reserve coronavirus vaccine doses now: "Leaders of the federal Operation Warp Speed vaccination effort are sitting about half the nation's available supply of doses 'for reasons unknown,' according to Pritzker and seven other governors," by Sun-Times' Mitchell Armentrout. — Some immigrants shut out of stimulus; other, mixed-status households will get Covid-19 relief check: "As many Americans get $600 coronavirus stimulus checks, undocumented immigrants instead are left to rely on family, community groups during the pandemic," by Sun-Times' Elvia Malagón. | | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | — Trump, facing removal threats, concedes election: "In a video statement, the president called for unity after Wednesday's violence at the Capitol, but some say it came too late," by POLITICO's Anita Kumar and Matthew Choi. ... House may vote on impeaching Trump a SECOND time as soon as next week! … Pelosi, Kinzinger call for Trump's immediate ouster after deadly riots: "Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who has been sounding the alarm about Trump's dangerous and false rhetoric for weeks, became the first congressional Republican to declare that Trump should be removed. 'It's time to invoke the 25th Amendment and to end this nightmare,' Kinzinger said Thursday," by POLITICO's Sarah Ferris, Melanie Zanona, Heather Caygle and Kyle Cheney. ... More calls for booting Trump: Reps. Chuy Garcia, Marie Newman and Danny Davis say Trump should be removed from office, too, writes Landmark's Bob Skolnik. ... Rep. Sean Casten said in a statement that Trump should be "impeached" and he said the siege "will go down as one of the darkest moments in our nation's history." — Can Donald Trump survive 'virtual impeachment'? "Stripped of his most powerful social media weapons, the president faces an existential crisis at a moment of maximum peril," by POLITICO's Michael Kruse. — You're fired: @properties, the Chicago real estate firm, tweeted that it fired agent Libby Andrews after she posted a picture of herself "storming the Capitol" on Wednesday. The company tweeted it "does not condone violence, destruction or illegal activities." Interestingly, the company is headed by Thaddeus Wong, who was a bundler for Hillary Clinton and hosted a fundraiser for Joe Biden. Don't worry about Andrews. Crain says she's already been offered a job with Kristine Farra of Gold Coast Exclusive. That's probably a better fit: Farra was on Donald Trump's Victory 2020 Campaign. — Two Trump supporters from Chicago suburbs arrested in D.C.: "The chief executive officer of a company in Schaumburg and a tattoo artist from Roselle were among supporters of President Donald Trump who got arrested after a violent mob stormed the Capitol in Washington, D.C.,this week," by WBEZ's Dan Mihalopoulos. — "Too little, too late": That's what Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky says about Twitter and Facebook pulling President Donald Trump's accounts: "Only after the Senate and White House flip, and Trump has two weeks left in office–does Facebook pretend to show the minimal amount of bravery. If it were serious about making amends, Facebook would calculate all the revenue they've earned from targeted ads to members of sedition-affiliated Facebook groups and donate half that money to Covid-19 relief and the other half to civic education organizations." | | | | 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. | | | | |
| | CHICAGO | | — Oh no. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are getting a divorce: 'She's done,' reports Page Six — Feds: Chicago-area businessman got $420,000 in Covid-19 relief for company with no employees: "Carlos Smith, 56, of Park Forest, was charged in an indictment unsealed Tuesday with two counts of wire fraud, one count of making false statements to a financial institution, and one count of money laundering," writes Tribune's Jason Mesiner. — Chicago schools reopening news: What will classrooms look like when students return? "Contrary to fears that Covid-19 will strip early learning classrooms of everything but desks, preschool children will still find plenty of play items when they return to classrooms Monday, Chicago Public Schools' early learning chief, Bryan Stokes II, said Thursday afternoon," reports Chalkbeat Chicago. | | THE STATEWIDES | | — Top Illinois schools official says districts should consider extending school year; CTU says it's open to the idea: "Though an extended school year would come with potentially massive costs, including additional compensation for teachers and staff, State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala wrote in a letter to administrators this week that $2.25 billion in coronavirus relief that Illinois is getting from the feds should help make it possible. Chicago Public Schools is set to receive $720 million. Ayala said the funds should primarily be used to 'close the digital divide for good' and mitigate learning loss by offering more educational opportunities," writes Sun-Times' Nader Issa. — State Sen. Jason Plummer named to Senate leadership team: "Sen. Plummer has been a constant voice of fiscal responsibility in government and economic development in our communities throughout his time at the statehouse," said Illinois Senate GOP Leader Designate Dan McConchie. "I look forward to working with him in his new role as Assistant Republican Leader to expand on these ideas to help create policies to bring more financial health and prosperity to Illinois," via Riverbender.com — New polling on pretrial release: "The old-school default of keeping people who are presumed innocent in jail unless they can afford bail has always been unfair, destructive, and dangerous, and that is especially true amid a pandemic that poses a unique threat to incarcerated people. When informed that other jurisdictions have safely reduced jail populations through bail reform, 57 percent of Illinois voters support reforming the cash bail system and creating a presumption of pretrial release for most people, while only 29 percent oppose," according to new polling from Data for Progress and The Lab, a policy vertical of The Appeal. | | POT-POURRI | | Lawmakers seek to add 75 new cannabis licenses in move to allow more minority ownership in lucrative pot industry: "The proposed law would double the number of new retail licenses created last year but not yet issued for recreational pot businesses and would attempt to remedy problems with how applications for the licenses are scored. Those problems resulted in a rash of lawsuits challenging the results and have delayed licenses that were supposed to be awarded by July of last year," reports Tribune's Robert McCoppin. | | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES | | Boeing settles DOJ criminal charge over 737 MAX for $2.5B: "Thursday's settlement pins the blame, in part, on employees at the airplane manufacturer that duped the regulatory agency," by POLITICO's Sam Mintz. | | DAY IN COURT | | Former Ald. Proco 'Joe' Moreno reports to jail after violating bond in felony case with DUI: "Moreno asked to be placed in protective custody at the jail and his request was being honored, a Cook County sheriff's spokesman said," by Sun-Times' Matthew Hendrickson. | | JOB CHANGES | | — Chao resigns from Transportation Department, citing 'traumatic,' 'avoidable' Capitol riot: "With her resignation, effective Jan. 11, Chao becomes the first of what had been a rumored wave of Cabinet secretaries who were reportedly discussing stepping aside in protest," reports POLITICO's Tanya Snyder. ... Education Secretary Betsy DeVos resigns,too, by POLITICO's Nicole Gaudiano and Michael Stratford. — Tarnished by Trump: National security officials struggle to find new jobs: "They have been snubbed by potential employers, told they would be a "liability" and in one instance were even compared to the 'Hitler Youth.' This is the job market many experienced national security officials who work for President Donald Trump are facing just days before a new president takes office and they will be out of work," by POLITICO's Lara Seligman. — Trump staffers are worrying about their next job: "Thursday was a day filled with horror, sorrow, a bit of self-pity and some resume revamping," by POLITICO's Daniel Lippman. | | THE NATIONAL TAKE | | — Pence expected to attend Biden's inauguration, by POLITICO's Gabby Orr and Anita Kumar — Georgia just delivered Democrats their most powerful weapon, by POLITICO's Caitlin Emma — 'This is going to come back and bite 'em': Capitol breach inflames Democrats' ire at Silicon Valley, by POLITICO's Cristiano Lima and John Hendel | | TRIVIA | | THURSDAY's ANSWER: We stumped you all! The authors of the 1981 map for the Chicago City Council were Thomas Keane, then a former alderman who had been removed from office after being convicted of mail, and Martin Murphy, commissioner of the Department of Planning. TODAY's QUESTION: What role did British common law play in Illinois legislative history? Email your answer to skapos@politico.com. | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY | | Today: state Rep. Kathleen Willis (77th), former Congressman Mel Reynolds, and Matthew McCabe, chief of Public Affairs for Noble Network of Charter Schools. Saturday: Jim Terman, co-founder of Jasculca Terman public affairs; Matthew Serafin, VP and co-founder of Strategia Consulting; and former University Park Mayor Vivian Covington. Sunday: Organizing for Action CoS Aaron Buchner, and teacher Neil Calderon. -30- | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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