| | | |  | | By Shia Kapos | Good Tuesday morning, Illinois. Happy Election Day to all counties who celebrate, via the State Journal-Register.
|  | TOP TALKER | | | 
Former Gov. Jim Edgar at the Illinois State Capitol in 2014. | Seth Perlman/AP | CANCER SUCKS: Former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar announced on Monday that he’s been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He revealed the news in an email to former participants in his Edgar Fellows Program, sharing that he and his wife, Brenda, “are facing a new significant challenge.” In an interview with Playbook, Edgar said he’s been getting chemo in three-week stints. Right now, his sense of taste is returning and he’s feeling “a little normal.” But he’ll be back to more treatments again. “There have been a lot of breakthroughs in the last five years. The hope is the longer you keep going, maybe they’ll find that silver bullet. There are some other things I want to do in life,” said Edgar, who continues to be a source for insight on the changing Republican Party. Edgar is a moderate Republican known for being fiscally conservative while also supporting progressive social causes. He announced last year that he would be voting for Kamala Harris for president instead of Donald Trump. Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch called Edgar a “true statesman” whose “commitment to integrity and collaborative leadership continues to guide Illinois.” The Trump factor: For now, Edgar, 78, says he’s trying not to dwell so much on the disease. He’s focusing on family and talking to friends. “And I like to trash Trump some, so there’s a lot of things to keep it off my mind.”
| | THE BUZZ | | TALK OF THE TOWN (HALL): Republican Congressman Mike Bost (IL-12) and Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08) held town halls for their constituents Monday, both getting record numbers of participants wanting to know how various executive orders by the Trump administration will affect them. Bost’s office says 144,000 households called in “from every corner of the district” in the telephone meeting. The primary issue that Bost addressed in his opening remarks as well as the first three questions was about “DOGE’s efforts to cut reckless spending and bloated bureaucracy,” according to the congressman’s team. Bost also addressed President Donald Trump’s agenda and the budget reconciliation. Krishnamoorthi’s Zoom town hall drew more than 1,600 participants, according to his office. The program featured the congressman and ACLU of Illinois Spokesman Ed Yohnka taking questions. Most queries focused on immigration issues. Krishnamoorthi told viewers that’s not a surprise given one in three of his constituents was not born in the United States. No drama: Both gatherings were informative, though lawmakers read the questions, seeming to be careful about how they were phrased. There were no riveting moments of people standing up to complain about Elon Musk’s heavy-handed involvement in cutting bureaucracy in the federal government. RELATED Protesters call on Congressman Darin LaHood to oppose Trump's cuts to health care, food assistance, by WGLT’s Paul J. Aguilar and Lauren Warnecke If you are Chris Welch, Playbook would like to hear from you! Email: skapos@politico.com
| | WHERE'S JB | | No official public events
| | WHERE's BRANDON | | At City Hall at 10 a.m. for a press briefing.
| | Where's Toni | | At the Cook County Building at 9:30 a.m. to announce a $5 million pilot initiative that supports artists and nonprofit arts organizations Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or a complaint? Email skapos@politico.com
| | | | Donald Trump's unprecedented effort to reshape the federal government is consuming Washington. To track this seismic shift, we're relaunching one of our signature newsletters. Sign up to get West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government in your inbox. | | | | | | | BUSINESS OF POLITICS | | — The few Republicans who still oppose Trump, including Adam Kinzinger, gather in search of a path to oppose him: “It was the largest gathering to date of the ‘Principles First Summit,’ expanded upon Trump’s second term to welcome independents and center-left Democrats under a shared pro-democracy, anti-authoritarian aim,” by The Associated Press. — Gov. JB Pritzker headlines a fundraising launch party Thursday for Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton’s Level Up political action committee. Details here — The Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association recognized leaders at its annual Party Builders fundraiser last night at the Mid-America Regional Council of Carpenters hall. Honorees: Congresswoman Robin Kelly, state Sen. Ram Villivalam, Operation Swing State co-founder Ben Head (who’s also political director for Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky) and Joe Power, founding partner of Power Rogers Trial Lawyers. Spotted: Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Senate President Don Harmon, state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, state Rep. Kevin Olickal, Board of Review Commissioner Larry Rogers Jr. and Chicago Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, among others. — DuPage event: Gov. JB Pritzker, Sen. Dick Durbin, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton are among the notable Democratic names headlining the DuPage County Democrats 50th Anniversary fundraising gala Sunday. Clayton, who will keynote the event, is the youngest Democratic Party chair in the country. She’s 27. Details here
| | THE STATEWIDES | | — ANALYSIS: Reflecting on Pritzker’s State of the State and Budget Address: “It is not the type of oratory usually found in a State of the State address. But, these are unusual times. And Pritzker, for better or worse, has stepped into the role as one of Trump's most direct and pugnacious critics at a time when many of his fellow Democrats have struggled to find their voice,” by Lee Enterprises’ Brenden Moore. — Gov. Pritzker’s proposal to fund resources for the homeless in Illinois, by the Quad Cities News’ Brian Weckerly — Illinois plans sale of $725M in bonds for capital budget, by Bloomberg’s Shruti Date Singh — Illinois schools chief tells districts to follow state law, not Trump threats, by Chalkbeat’s Samantha Smylie
| | CHICAGO | | — BIG VOTE: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to borrow $830 million for infrastructure work is under the microscope ahead of Wednesday’s City Council meeting. The proposal has already been delayed — and in order for it to get the needed 26 votes, Johnson may have to amend the proposal. Ald. Timmy Knudsen is expected to introduce his own floor amendment to lower the borrowing amount by at least 20 percent if Johnson doesn’t make a change himself, reports Crain’s Justin Laurence. Meanwhile Pat Dowell, who chairs the council’s Finance Committee, criticized the nay-sayers, saying, “Those who know nothing about municipal finance seem to believe that they have a stronger grasp on bond amortization schedules than the city’s own chief financial officer,” via an opinion column in the Tribune. — Mayor Johnson’s office intensifies push for CPS borrowing to avoid leaving city in the red, by WBEZ’s Sarah Karp and Tessa Weinberg — Chicago craft brewers expect Trump’s aluminum tariffs to raise the price of a six-pack, by the Tribune’s Robert Channick
| | COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS | | — Cook County moves to change how it offloads delinquent taxes: “Homeowners who lose their properties because of unpaid property taxes would be in line for a share of the resale price under a proposed change to state law to prevent what critics call ‘equity theft,’” by the Tribune’s A.D. Quig. — Nine-term incumbent and library trustee vie for office of Streamwood village president: “The April 1 election for Streamwood village president sees Poplar Creek Library Trustee Asad Khan challenging nine-term incumbent Billie Roth for the opportunity to lead the village through the spring of 2029,” by the Daily Herald’s Eric Peterson. — In Evanston, Tom Suffredin and challenger Candance Chow trade blows for 6th Ward seat, by the Evanston Roundtable’s Duncan Agnew
| | DAY IN COURT | | — Highland Park massacre suspect skips court half way through first day of jury selection: “Prosecutors on Monday dismissed dozens of felony aggravated battery counts against Robert Crimo III, charged in the fatal shootings of seven people and the wounding of dozens more on July 4, 2022,” by the Sun-Times’ David Struett. — Jury chosen for Plainfield Township hate crime murder trial, by Shaw Local’s Felix Sarver
| | TAKING NAMES | | — Lester Holt, who got his start in Chicago, is stepping down as anchor of ‘NBC Nightly News,’ by POLITICO’s Amanda Friedman — Michael Jordan love letter from high school goes up for auction, by the Sun-Times’ Violet Miller
| | Reader Digest | | We asked whether cursive writing is necessary. Janice Anderson: “It’s important because people need to write thank you notes and it stimulates the brain.” Eli Brottman: “For millennials/Gen Z and later, it’s definitely not necessary. We type everything!” John Engle: “It’s perhaps not necessary to survival in this digital world but certainly necessary to the preservation of civilized society.” Steve Hild: “As a middle school teacher of 27 years: No. It's not necessary. It would be nice if we still did it, but it's more of a self-discipline tool, and there are many ways to teach that skill that impact our daily lives far more than cursive writing.” Patrick Keane: “A letter or card written in cursive is a way to show respect and care.” Bob Kieckhefer: “It will be our secret code in the coming war against AI.” Marla Krause: “It’s a more personal way of communicating. And, how do you read documents like the Constitution, the Declaration or even a thank you note, if you can’t read cursive?” Michael Lieber: “How else am I going to communicate with my local buggy-whip company or the telegraph office?” Catherine Mini: “Kids need to learn where their signature comes from, they also need to learn how to write cursive so they can read cursive.” Jen Olaya: “It'll help you appreciate it when you switch to ‘all-caps’ later in life. Plus, not everything can be e-signed, so cursive-writing will prevail.” Gail Purkey: “I hate seeing cursive go the way of the horse and buggy, but with fingerprint/iris ID, is it even needed any more?” Peter Skosey: “It's old school and beautiful, but it's absolutely not necessary.” Linda Shafran: “Yes, because we Baby Boomers can use it as a secret code.” Scott Simon: “Yes. To read the writing of my wife and her family in French. And for our daughters to be able to read old letters by their grandmothers.” Bill Velazquez: “Much like the difference between reading a physical book and audiobooks, cursive writing is the sign of a studied mind.” Steve Westrick: “To legibly sign legal documents and, more importantly, to learn fine-motor control in your dominant hand.” Next question: Should the federal minimum wage law be increased? Email skapos@politico.com
| | THE NATIONAL TAKE | | — Documents reveal how military contractors want to take over mass deportations, by POLITICO’s Dasha Burns and Myah Ward — Trump adminstration’s firings of probationary employees may violate federal law, watchdog says, by POLITICO’s Ben Johansen — Climate grant recipient is doling out funds while Trump’s EPA tries to claw it back, by POLITICO’s Zack Colman
| | IN MEMORIAM | | — Milena McConchie, wife of retired state Sen. Dan McConchie, has died. She was 51: “She grew up in the seaside town of Varna in the country of Bulgaria just north of Greece,” via her obituary. — 'You couldn't ask for a better gentleman': Former circuit judge Theodis 'Ted' Lewis dead at 77, by the State Journal-Register’s Steven Spearie
| | TRIVIA | | MONDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Timothy Thomas for correctly answering that John Belushi and Bob Woodward both graduated from Wheaton Central High School (Woodward in 1961 and Belushi in 1967). TODAY’s QUESTION: Who was the unintended victim of the assassination attempt on President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and what were their supposed last words? Email skapos@politico.com
| | HAPPY BIRTHDAY | | State Sen. Cristina Castro, state Sen. Napoleon Harris III, former state Senator and Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez, Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, Governor’s Office of Constituent Affairs Director Stacie Barton Hackler, Invenergy’s Community Affairs Associate Abby Lerner and broadcaster Tsi-Tsi-Ki Félix -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 | | | |
