| | | | |  | | By Shia Kapos | | Presented by |  | | | Happy Wednesday, Illinois. I’m headed to Wisconsin to catch former President Donald Trump on the campaign trail.
|  | TOP TALKER | | | The cannabis industry in Illinois still has a lot of questions about the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s announcement Tuesday that it plans to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. A looming question: “Is there a way of doing this that could be reversed by Donald Trump if he wins?” Springfield lobbyist Mark Peysakhovich asked rhetorically. “That may affect the timeline.” The news signals a huge policy shift, POLITICO’s Natalie Fertig explains here. There are still questions about how and when it’s implemented and what it means for Illinois, where medical and recreational marijuana are already legal. The positive: Scott Redman, president of the Illinois Independent Craft Growers Association, welcomed the move to Schedule 3 status. “It may help with finding investment funds and could open up the ability to get trademark and bankruptcy protection,” he told Playbook. Thinking long-term: If the move leads to the banking industry normalizing cannabis transactions, then pretty soon cannabis stocks will find their way into people's IRAs and 401Ks, Peysakhovich said. “Legalize the banking aspect, and all of a sudden, lots of people become cannabis stakeholders even if they’ve never touched the plant.” And here’s a perk: With increased competition and cheaper access to capital, customers might see better pricing, according to a report by the Tribune’s Robert McCoppin. The plan has a ways to go before approval, but Attorney General Merrick Garland already submitted the rescheduling proposal to the White House Office of Management and Budget, NBC reports.
| | THE BUZZ | | THE CLASH: Confrontations erupted on the East and West coasts between protesters and police Tuesday. Officials are hoping to avoid that in Illinois. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx convened representatives from five universities in her office on Tuesday to talk about student protests and coordinating with her office. A big take-away: “Everyone was committed to de-escalation tactics to deal with protests,” Foxx told Playbook. The campus officials didn't raise concerns about prosecutors’ policy not to prosecute peaceful protesters, Foxx said in a report by the Tribune’s Sarah Macaraeg and Megan Crepeau. All were in agreement, Foxx said, that “if we’re going to use the criminal justice system on students … we’d rather it be for something serious, especially when all of these universities have codes of conduct that can hold them accountable.” Who was there: Representatives from University of Chicago, University of Illinois Chicago and DePaul, Loyola and Northwestern universities. The meeting had been on the books before protest encampments popped up at Northwestern and University of Chicago in the past week, Foxx said. RELATED — NY police clear pro-Palestinian protesters from Columbia University, by POLITICO’s Irie Sentner and Madina Touré — Protesters clash at UCLA, by The Associated Press — DePaul students set up encampment, by the Block Club’s Patrick Filbin — Protests peaking as president is set to give commencement addresses by POLITICO’s Myah Ward and Jennifer Haberkorn If you are Merrick Garland, Playbook would like to hear from you. Email skapos@politico.com
| | | | A message from Uber: Drivers with Uber are leading EV adoption. Key fact to know this Earth Month: Drivers with Uber are switching to electric cars seven times faster than everyday drivers. That progress has multiplier impact because when one Uber driver starts using an EV, they deliver up to four times the emissions benefits compared to regular motorists. Learn more about this trend. | | | | | WHERE'S JB | | At the Abraham Lincoln Springfield Doubletree Hotel at 12:30 p.m. to give remarks at the IMA/IRMA Business Day luncheon.
| | WHERE's BRANDON | | No official public events.
| | Where's Toni | | At the Chicago Yacht Club at 8:30 a.m. to give remarks at the National Forum for Black Public Administrators Executive Speaker's Series. Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or (heaven forbid) a complaint? Email skapos@politico.com
| | | | THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists.
Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY. | | | | | | | 2024 WATCH | | — Gov. JB Pritzker's pro-abortion rights group sinks money into Florida ballot question: “The announcement of a $500,000 infusion into efforts to enshrine abortion rights into the state's constitution, comes a day before the state's six-week abortion ban goes into effect,” by NBC’s Natasha Korecki. — If Trump wins, in his own words: “We will be using local law enforcement. And we will absolutely start with the criminals that are coming in. … It's called migrant crime. … You see it all the time. And you're seeing it in all of the cities, especially the Democratic-run cities, which is a lot of the big ones, but you're seeing it in Chicago, you're seeing it in New York and L.A. and getting worse than in other places,” via Time magazine staff. — Glenn Poshard on 2024: “The former Democratic congressman told party insiders that [recent] polling was cause for alarm and warranted a rethinking of the party's messaging,” by Lee Enterprises’ Brenden Moore. — PARTY POLITICS: Harmon, Welch would get national Democratic Party spots under proposal from state party chair, by Lee Enterprises’ Brenden Moore
| | THE STATEWIDES | | — BIG DONATION: Gov. JB Pritzker and MK Pritzker donated a pivotal Civil War document to the Lincoln presidential library on Tuesday. The Pritzkers donated President Lincoln’s first direct military action against slave states attempting to secede. The Pritzkers are Lincoln history buffs and purchased the document for $471,000 last July at Heritage Auctions. “This was an act of leadership that required careful consideration but also courage and immediate action to take every action possible to keep the nation intact,” the governor said Tuesday before the framed document was unveiled. The Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner has a report. — Weight-loss drug coverage for Illinois state workers could cost hundreds of millions of dollars: “Gov. JB Pritzker’s office estimates the drugs — which include Wegovy, Mounjaro and Ozempic — will cost taxpayers $210 million the first year. But others put that number much higher,” by WBEZ’s Dave McKinney. — After 3 years, state poised to enforce law aiming to end lending discrimination: It calls for financial institutions to periodically report on the number and amount of mortgage loans and small business loans they make, their marketing activities and efforts at community development, Capitol News’ Peter Hancock reports. — Electric grid, transportation and buildings: Illinois lawmakers and environmental advocates introduce trio of climate bills, by the Daily Herald’s Jenny Whidden — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: A nonprofit group of businesses, trade organizations, legal experts and community leaders has organized to address what it calls “abusive litigation and excessive jury verdicts” targeting companies. The Illinois Coalition for Legal Reform points to recent data showing that “lawsuit abuse” costs billions of dollars and “192,000 lost jobs.” Katie Reilly, executive director of the new group, hopes the organization’s advocacy work “will result in more confident businesses that are more likely to create jobs and choose our state as a key site for future projects.” — Lincoln Christian University says goodbye, by the State Journal-Register’s Steven Spearie
| | CORRUPTION CHRONICLES | | — Early letters sent in support of convicted ex-Ald. Ed Burke include one from Paul Vallas: The former Chicago Public Schools chief who lost a runoff election to Mayor Brandon Johnson last year wrote that he’s known Burke since 1992 and found him to be “a true professional” who encouraged him to do the right thing “no matter how powerful were the feathers I ruffled.” Another letter supporting Burke came from longtime Democratic political operative James “Skinny” Sheahan, the Tribune’s Jason Meisner reports.
| | | | A message from Uber:   | | | | | CHICAGO | | — The Bears are (finally) sitting down today with the governor’s top aides: “Team officials are likely to hear that there isn’t a magic number to get them close to wiping away the governor’s ideological opposition,” writes the Sun-Times’ Tina Sfondeles. — Mayor chooses 7 members to serve on Chicago's permanent police oversight commission, by the Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman — LGBTQ+ community members call on Mayor Brandon Johnson to rescind plan to scale back Pride Parade, by the Tribune’s Olivia Stevens — INTRIGUE: What happened before the mayor finally agreed to stay away from slain offcer's funeral? According to John Catanzara, the police union president, when Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office began “pushing back” against staying away, Catanzara said, the slain officer’s sister told him if the mayor showed up, she would “make a scene and throw him out myself,” the Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman reports. — Meet Clinée Hedspeth, DCASE’s new commissioner: She directed curatorial services at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center and most recently was an associate specialist in 20th century and contemporary art for Phillips, the famed British auction house, writes the Tribune’s Hannah Edgar.
| | SPOTTED | | — Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia hosted Accelerator for America’s bi-annual meeting of mayors to discuss issues of the day, including affordable housing. In attendance were mayors from across the country, including Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval and Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Castor. Valencia sits on AFA's advisory council.
| | COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS | | — Bolingbrook GC to host LIV Golf League Individual Championship in September, league announces, by WGN 9’s Michael Johnson — Cook County Commissioner Stanley Moore is convening a public hearing of the commission’s Human Relation Committee today to address the issue of sex trafficking targeting men and boys in the region. — Walmart opens consolidation center in Minooka, creating 700 jobs, by the Sun-Times’ Abby Miller
| | TAKING NAMES | | — Perry Farrell, the original frontman of Jane’s Addiction and the founder of Lollapalooza, and C3 Presents co-founder Charlie Walker, who produces Lollapalooza, will be honored today by the nonprofit Ingenuity. The awards will be presented at the art organization’s gala.
| | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S ENERGY SUMMIT: The future of energy faces a crossroads in 2024 as policymakers and industry leaders shape new rules, investments and technologies. Join POLITICO’s Energy Summit on June 5 as we convene top voices to examine the shifting global policy environment in a year of major elections in the U.S. and around the world. POLITICO will examine how governments are writing and rewriting new rules for the energy future and America’s own role as a major exporter. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | Reader Digest | | We asked how Steven Spielberg might ramp up the Democratic National Convention: Graham Grady: “By having Joe Biden walk out to the Chicago Bulls theme music.” NEXT QUESTION: What’s a perk you would add to your compensation package?
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | — Democratic Congresswoman Delia Ramirez’s (IL-03) first piece of legislation,H.R. 1767, the Student Veteran Benefit Restoration Act, passed the House with bipartisan support Tuesday. If passed by the Senate and signed into law, the legislation would begin the process of restoring GI Bill education benefits for student veterans who have been defrauded by for-profit schools. Pic! — Bet your boots: Democratic Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) and Republican Congressman Mike Bost (IL-12) teamed up on the “Better Outfitting Our Troops (BOOTS) Act,” bipartisan legislation to ensure that all U.S. military personnel's footwear is made in the United States.
| | | THE NATIONAL TAKE | | | — The Fed thinks time is on its side. That could get awkward, by POLITICO’s Victoria Guida — Stormy Daniels’ lawyer was bland and by the book. It was just what prosecutors wanted, by POLITICO’s Erica Orden — MTG’s bid to topple Speaker Johnson veers closer to backfiring, by POLITICO's Jordain Carney and Olivia Beavers
| | MEDIA MATTERS | | — Tribune among 8 papers suing OpenAI and Microsoft over A.I.: “The publications accuse OpenAI and Microsoft of using millions of copyrighted articles without permission to train and feed their generative A.I. products, including ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot. to the fight over the online data used to power artificial intelligence,” by The New York Times’ Katie Robertson.
| | | | A message from Uber: Uber Drivers Accelerate Electric Vehicle Shift
As Earth Month spotlights sustainability, a noteworthy trend emerges: Uber drivers are adopting electric vehicles seven times faster than the average driver. For every driver on the Uber platform who switches to an EV, the emissions savings are quadrupled compared to what typical drivers would achieve.
This shift didn’t just happen. It’s part of Uber’s commitment to ensuring that, by 2030, 100% of trips on its platform in the US are in zero-emission vehicles or through micromobility and public transport. Now drivers with Uber are leading the way in advancing clean energy transportation.
Discover more about how Uber is going green. | | | | | Transitions | | — Lisa Miner has been appointed executive editor of the Daily Herald, replacing Jim Baumann, who is retiring May 13. Miner has spent four decades at the Herald, most recently as managing editor, the Herald’s Madhu Krishnamurthy reports — Elizabeth Gerke is now senior VP and chief of staff at DDC Public Affairs. She spent more than a dozen years at BCW (formerly Burson-Marsteller).
| | | TRIVIA | | | MONDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Jarod Hitchings for correctly answering that Ann Schneider was appointed secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation in 2011 by Gov. Pat Quinn. She was the first woman in the job. TODAY’s QUESTION: Who was the Evanston resident who still has a day named after her in South Carolina?
| | HAPPY BIRTHDAY | | U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery Penny Pritzker, State Rep. Harry Benton, former state Sen. Jason Barickman, Illinois Retail Merchants Association CEO Rob Karr, City Treasurer’s Office Deputy Chief of Staff James Ramos, Mayer Brown Projects and Infrastructure practice co-leader Joe Seliga, criminal prosecutor Christopher Pfannkuche, former Ald. Ike Carothers, Just Cause Consulting co-founder Lisa Acker and politics wonk Liz Stark. -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 | | | | |
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