| | | | |  | | By Shia Kapos | Presented by CVS Health | Happy Monday, Illinois. Politics is pushing everything else out of the way, except Covid. Cases are on the rise, and kids aren't getting vaccinated, reports the Tribune.
|  | TOP TALKER | | NEW FROM THE SUN-TIMES: Feds recorded Mike Madigan learning about secret payments to controversial ex-political aide, court records show: "The ex-Illinois House Speaker was recorded on a wiretapped phone call in 2018 discussing with lobbyist confidant Michael McClain a plan to arrange secret payments to a close political ally who had been implicated in a sexual harassment scandal, newly released court documents show." Why it's news: Madigan has always denied any involvement in the scheme to have lobbyists give money to help Kevin Quinn after he was pushed out of his job for sending inappropriate text messages to coworker Alaina Hampton. Whether Madigan knew: When McClain's efforts on behalf of Quinn were first revealed by the Chicago Tribune, a Madigan spokesperson told the newspaper: "If a group of people were attempting to help Kevin Quinn, the speaker was not a part of it." What it means: The 136-page affidavit provides new insights into the investigation, explaining that "the FBI's Chicago Field Office has been conducting a wide-ranging public corruption investigation involving multiple subjects. Two of the present subjects of the investigation are Michael J. Madigan ... and Michael F. McClain," according to the document. Mark Brown, Jon Seidel, and Tina Sfondeles report.
| | THE BUZZ | | IRVIN'S BIGGEST ENEMY MAY BE TIME … LINCOLN — Richard Irvin's biggest challenge in securing the Republican nomination for governor may be that the primary election is still five weeks away. Had the election been in March (as it has traditionally been), he might have more easily been able to hunker down and avoid debates and deep discussions with reporters. But as time passes, more folks are pressing him for specific answers he hasn't wanted to give. And that prompts more media reports that he's not answering simple questions directly. "Irvin is trying to walk that tightrope, but his indirect answer that he votes for Republicans in primaries — without saying he voted for Donaald Trump — could be seen as unsatisfying to people on both sides of the political divide," said Bernie Schoenburg, the former longtime State Journal-Register reporter and columnist.
| 
Participants at the Pancakes with Playbook event in Lincoln on Friday, May 20, 2022, dissected the big political stories of the day. | Playbook reader Marty Green | That was one takeaway from a discussion Playbook had with political insiders and watchers like Schoenburg who came for coffee and pancakes at the Cracker Barrel here on Friday. Why the primary was moved to June: Democratic state lawmakers said a March election creates a long window between the primary and general election, which can "negatively" affect policymaking. As a test, they moved this year's primary to June. The irony: Now Illinois Democrats are competing to hold an early presidential primary that could put the contest in February 2024. Our discussion in Lincoln also focused on the highly contested GOP primary race between Rep. Rodney Davis and Rep. Mary Miller in the 15th Congressional District, where our conversation took place. Davis' "huge fundraising advantage" over Miller, coupled with his decade of campaign experience in central Illinois media markets, gives him an edge over Miller, "even though Miller has the coveted Trump endorsement in a district where Trump is extremely popular," said political consultant Frank Calabrese, a headliner at the event. SOS race: While the Chicago media focuses on tensions between Alexi Giannoulias and Anna Valencia in the secretary of state race, the crowd in Lincoln believed a Republican would emerge the likely winner in November — most likely Dan Brady, a known name as a state representative. Have a news tip, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? I'd like to hear from you: skapos@politico.com
| | A message from CVS Health: Throughout the pandemic, in Illinois and communities across the country, CVS Health has been there. We've opened more than 4,800 COVID-19 test sites, administered 41 million tests and given 67 million vaccines. We've expanded access to prenatal and postpartum care via telemedicine, increased remote access to mental health services and invested in affordable housing to help build healthier communities. We've been on the frontlines, making health care easier to access and afford. Learn more. | | | | | WHERE'S JB | | No official public events.
| | WHERE'S LORI | | At City Hall at 10 a.m. to preside over a meeting of the City Council.
| | Where's Toni | | On Lake Cook Road at 11:30 a.m. for a ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of the Lake Cook Road Reconstruction Project.
| | Covid Update | | Pfizer, BioNTech report 80 percent efficacy of Covid-19 vaccine for youngest children, by POLITICO's Katherine Ellen Foley
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | — Billionaire Ken Griffin's dollars move to other candidates on GOP slate via Richard Irvin's campaign: "Secretary of state candidate John Milhiser received $500,000 from the Irvin for Illinois Fund on Friday, while Steve Kim, a candidate for attorney general, got $300,000 from the Irvin fund, state campaign records show," by Tribune's Rick Pearson and Jeremy Gorner. — Irvin made a downstate swing with candidates on his slate, by The Southern's Marilyn Halstead — Jeanne Ives chased Richard Irvin out the door: Ives, a conservative Republican who got thisclose to defeating Bruce Rauner in the GOP primary for governor four years ago, asks Irvin who he voted for president in 2016. Irvin stuck by his guns and wouldn't say. Ives can be heard chasing Irvin out the door for an answer. Via AM560 and Dan Proft, who is behind the "People Who Play By the Rules PAC" that opposes Irvin.
| 
Rep. Marie Newman speaks with supporters at a campaign fundraiser May 9, 2022, in Chicago. | AP Photo/Sara Burnett |
— New maps create a challenge for women seeking reelection: "In Illinois, the state's two first-term female representatives — one Democrat, one Republican — were among the 18-member delegation's biggest losers in the state's remapping. Democratic mapmakers drew new boundaries that put Democratic Rep. Marie Newman and Republican Rep. Mary Miller into districts already represented by male incumbents. Both women chose instead to run in neighboring districts, against other men," by The Associated Press' Sara Burnett.
— Billionaire Dick Uihlein has given Club for Growth a $1 million boost. The organization is helping fund Mary Miller's campaign in the 15th against fellow Republican Rep. Rodney Davis. — 'We're not giving up' on Illinois, ex-Trump aide Flynn says in Niles event for GOP candidates, by Daily Herald's Jake Griffin — Jesse Sullivan has released an anti-abortion ad in his bid for governor on the Republican ticket. — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Jonathan Jackson, a candidate in the 1st Congressional District, has been making the rounds in Washington, D.C. He was spotted at a House Financial Services committee meeting on the Hill last week and is expected to meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus. He's also got a meet-and-greet on the books with Congresswoman Maxine Waters. It's a meeting that includes Jackson's dad, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and the Coleman Foundation's Shelley Davis. Details here — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: State Sen. Jacqui Collins has been endorsed by 27 of her fellow state senators, including Senate President Don Harmon, in her bid for the 1st Congressional District. And 10 state reps endorsed her, too. Full list here — Former Cook County Clerk and Vice Mayor David Orr will be endorsing progressive Dem Josef Michael Carr in his race to unseat state Rep. Curtis Tarver II in the Democratic primary for the 25th District. — Delia Ramirez has been endorsed by Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Our Revolution in her bid for the 3rd Congressional District seat. — Rep. Sean Casten released his first TV ad of the cycle. The ad is part of a nearly seven-figure ad buy and focuses on kitchen table issues and the supply chain. — Litesa Wallace has been endorsed by Our Revolution in her bid to represent Illinois' 17th Congressional District.
| | TAKING NAMES | | — Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) will be in the dugout at Wrigley Field this afternoon managing the Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep against Lane Tech College Prep in the Chicago Public Schools' Championship game. The game marks Beale and Brooks' second-ever trip to the title game, and their first since losing to Lakeview in 2018. Admission is free — House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch will be in New York on Tuesday to visit their Assembly. He was invited by New York Speaker Carl Heastie, who visited Springfield to address the Illinois House Chamber in March. Welch and Heastie are both the first Black people to preside over their respective chambers. — Greg Harris reflects on his service: "A Colorado native, Greg Harris moved to Chicago in 1977 with a journalism degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder that he would instead use in marketing and governmental relations at the National Home Furnishings Association. The association eventually left Chicago in 1988, but Harris stayed," by Capitol News' Grace Kinnicutt. — Congressman Darin LaHood has been honored by the Alzheimer's Association and the Alzheimer's Impact Movementfor his "policy contributions to the fight against Alzheimer's and all other dementia," according to a statement.
| | | | A message from CVS Health:   | | | | | THE STATEWIDES | | — Pritzker, Illinois delegation scrambling to grab federal dollars 'owed' due to census goof: "One of the initial tasks is to assess the flow of formula federal money already in the pipeline for Illinois — and figuring out how much cash Illinois is, in a sense, owed because of the census goof. Anne Caprara [the governor's chief of staff] said in an interview that 'truly the biggest thing is evaluating the federal money,'" by Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet. … Though new census figures show Illinois' population change was actually a modest gain, experts say warning signs remain, by Tribune's By John Keilman — Roe's end is a call to arms for both sides in the abortion fight – lines are drawn and they run deep : White women who didn't vote for Hillary Clinton helped put the debate front and center, and they're the same group of voters that could determine the futue of abortion rights in Illinois, too, reports Derrick Blakley in Center for Illinois Politics. … At a sold-out screening of 'The Janes,' Chicagoans get a history lesson — and marching orders, by WBEZ's Courtney Kueppers — Criminal case against senior staff at state-run hospital dismissed, by Capitol News' Beth Hundsdorfer — 'Green jobs have shown stability in Illinois in recent years,' according to Green Jobs Now analysis, via WorkingNation
| | CHICAGO | | — Millennium Park killing and mass shooting downtown raise massive challenges for leaders of a beleaguered city: City leaders including Mayor Lori Lightfoot have found themselves trying to limit impromptu gatherings "without denying the young people's rights to hang out where they want and their need, some say, to find fun outside of troubled neighborhoods," write Tribune's Annie Sweeney, Paige Fry and Stephanie Casanova … Pair charged in mass shooting that left 2 dead, 7 others wounded on Near North Side , by Sun-Times' Matthew Hendrickson and Cindy Hernandez — Lightfoot's new curfew plan on path for approval after aldermen question but OK revisions, by Tribune's Alice Yin — CTU leadership wins reelection as Stacy Davis Gates becomes president: "The 25,000-member union remains in the hands of leaders who have fought for social justice inside and outside classrooms while creating a constant power struggle against the mayor's office and Chicago Public Schools leadership," by Sun-Times' Nader Issa and Sarah Karp. — La Russa says says Yankees' Josh Donaldson called Tim Anderson a racist comment, via CNN — Breach exposed data of half-million Chicago students, staff, by The Associated Press — FBI provides Chicago Police with fake online identities for "social media exploitation" team: "Internal documents also reveal that police can take over informants' social media accounts and pose as them online," by The Intercept's Mara Hvistendahl.
| | SPOTTED | | House Speaker Nancy Pelosi prompted the biggest laugh from the 1,300 guests at Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky's Women's Power Lunch on Friday. Pelosi followed Gov. JB Pritzker , who spoke about his mom taking him to women's rights marches when he was a youngster. Pelosi's age joke: "I can attest to that because I saw his mother taking him to those events," said Pelosi, prompting laughter and cheers from the crowd gathered at the downtown Chicago Hilton. "It's a personal joy to see him as the governor of the great state of Illinois. His mother would be so proud to hear his commitment to women's rights." Biggest speech: Made by Val Demings, who's running for Senate against Marco Rubio in Florida, and who's voice boomed through the ballroom. Most unassuming speech: Made by Douglas Emhoff, the husband of VP Kamala Harris. Emhoff's message: men, support the powerful women in your life. Pelosi also gave hat tips to Lori Lightfoot and Sen. Dick Durbin. Also in the room: Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, Reps. Lauren Underwood and Bill Foster (who both took the stage), Center for Illinois Politics' Susan Garrett, Illinois Supreme Court candidate Elizabeth Rochford secretary of state candidate Alexi Giannoulias, and Jacqui Collins and Pat Dowell, who are both running for the 1st District Congressional seat. PELOSI'S OTHER STOP: Speaker Nancy Pelosi also met with supporters of Congressman Danny Davis at the offices of consultant Kevin Conlon . Pelosi gave a shout-out to former Attorney General Neil Hartigan, an old friend from their college days in Washington, D.C. And Sen. Dick Durbin made a prophetic observation that in heaven he expects "God will sound like Danny Davis." Others in the room included Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, state Sen. Mattie Hunter , Ald. David Moore, WMRD Commissioner Kari Steele, Haymarket Center's Dan Lustig, Aunt Martha's Health and Wellness center's Raul Garza, Thresholds' Mark Ishaug, UCAN's Christa Hamilton, TASC's Joel Johnson, Northwestern Settlement's Carole Wood, and Habilitative Systems' Donald Dew.
| | BUSINESS OF POLITICS | | How Chicago became the go-to city for political conventions: "Never were the stakes as high as in 1860," when slavery had been abolished in the North but white Southerners considered it a birthright, writes the Tribune's Ron Grossman.
| | POT-POURRI | | — As flourishing cannabis industry expands to pricier, high-profile sites, social equity applicants left behind: "Social equity hopefuls keep pushing forward, sometimes leasing or purchasing properties and completing store designs, all without being able to operate and bring in revenue," by Tribune's Brian J. Rogal. — Tension mounts: Clerk declines to meet county board over lost paperwork, pot revenue: "The tax on recreational marijuana went uncollected for 18 months, costing the county up to $4 million in estimated revenue loss," by Daily Herald's Katlyn Smith.
| | DAY IN COURT | | Illinois constitutional amendment faces first legal challenge: Liberty Justice Center and the Illinois Policy Institute will appear in Sangamon County Circuit Court to block the constitutional amendment that goes before voters in November. Language for the amendment was passed by the state Legislature in 2021. State Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago), who sponsored the amendment, said, "It's a constitutional amendment to ban 'right to work' laws for going into effect in the State of Illinois." By WMBD's Matt Sheehan.
| | Reader Digest | | We asked if it's better for candidates to debate each other or to answer moderator questions. Jewish Federation of Chicago's Daniel Goldwin wrote: "Answering questions from a moderator is much better, but only if the moderator does follow up questions and pushes for actual answers, not blather." Political consultant Mark Michaels, who's experienced in prepping candidates for debates and forums, said: "Forums only require recitation of talking points, which are safe, broad-brush statements of known positions. Debates enable participants to tease out specifics."... Patricia Ann Watson says, "Let them debate, bottom to top of the heap, any and all seeking votes from voters."... And City Club's Ed Mazur prefers candidates answer moderator questions, "but the moderator must insist on their answering the question and not veering off in other directions." What's the best argument Illinois Democrats should use as they try to move the 2024 presidential primary earlier in the year? Email skapos@politico.com
| | WHERE'S RAHM | | | 
Tweet by Rahm Emanuel | Twitter | The Rahm Show goes global: The former White House chief of staff and Chicago mayor has thrown himself into the job of ambassador "with his signature Tasmanian devil energy" that will be on display during Joe Biden's first visit as president to Asia, via POLITICO's West Wing Playbook.
| | THE NATIONAL TAKE | | — A $6M campaign will target GOP governor candidate's position on abortion, by POLITICO's Hailey Fuchs — The week that Republicans ignored Trump's election lies, by POLITICO's David Siders — What the school wars are really about, by Joshua Zeitz, a POLITICO Magazine contributing editor.
| | MEDIA MATTERS | | The double standard of words, images for people of color: "Payton Gendron, 18, a white suspect in the Buffalo shooting, is called a teenager. Michael Brown Jr., 18, Black victim of a police shooting, is referred to as a man," by Sun-Times' Laura Washington.
| | IN MEMORIAM | | — Gwendolyn Osborne, journalist, romance writer, dies at 72, by Sun-Times' Cheyanne M. Daniels — Roy Wiley dies at 87; former Sun-Times reporter, editor went on to career in business communications, by Sun-Times' Cadence Quaranta.
| | TRIVIA | | FRIDAY's ANSWER: Congrats to Jennifer Kunde, executive director of government relations at Northwestern University (so she should know), for correctly answering that state Sen. Napoleon Harris played basketball and football at Northwestern and was close to Bishop Ford, for whom the expressway was named. TODAY's QUESTION: Who's the Illinois governor known for his stint in the pen and as author of a fictional crime novel? Email skapos@politico.com
| | A message from CVS Health: At CVS Health, we're more than 300,000 caring employees ensuring Illinoisans and millions of Americans can access health care services.
We have been offering COVID-19 vaccines at more than 9,600 CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide.
Nothing should stand in the way of mental health and well-being, so we have been increasing remote access to mental health services.
We have been supporting safer pregnancies and expanding access to prenatal and postpartum care via telemedicine.
Recognizing the strong connection between housing and health, we have been investing in affordable housing to support underserved populations and build healthier communities.
Every day, CVS Health works to bring quality, affordable health care into neighborhoods, homes and hands—so it's never out of reach for anyone.
Healthier Happens Together. Learn more. | | | | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY | | Chicago Buildings Department Commissioner Matthew Beaudet, Barrington Hills Plan Commissioner Kelly Mazeski, and former Congressman Tom Corcoran. -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 | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment