THE ILLINOIZE: Thursday Free for All...Pritzker to Florida...Abortion special session...Corruption, corruption everywhere
July 14, 2022
Good morning, Illinois.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s scheduled speech to Florida Democrats adds to speculation and criticism he’s eyeing White House (Chicago Tribune)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker began the week with a White House visit for an event marking the passage of bipartisan gun legislation and will end it Saturday with a speech at a fundraiser for Florida Democrats, further fueling speculation — and criticism — that he’s eyeing a presidential bid even as he seeks a second term as Illinois’ chief executive.
The visit to Florida, a key presidential swing state, comes roughly a month after he made a similar appearance in New Hampshire, which has long hosted the first presidential primary and is a traditional stop for candidates testing the waters for a White House run.
The Florida trip, during which Pritzker will deliver the keynote address at the state Democratic Party’s Leadership Blue Gala, also comes as Pritzker has raised his national profile with impassioned pleas for abortion protections and gun control in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade and last week’s deadly mass shooting at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade.
Pritzker has eschewed talk of potential presidential ambitions, repeatedly saying he’s focused on winning another four years in the governor’s office and is supporting President Joe Biden for reelection in 2024.
After speaking with Biden at the White House on Monday about their shared desire for a renewed federal ban on certain semi-automatic weapons, Pritzker told reporters that he and the president had not discussed politics or strategy for 2024.
Related: Opinion: Bailey Republicans won the battle. Can they win the war? (Rockford Register Star)
What will General Assembly special session on abortion rights entail? (Daily Herald)
Supporting women traveling a distance for an abortion, expanding the definition of who can perform the procedure and protecting providers could be among the policies Illinois lawmakers vote on during a special session, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said.
Experts predict the number of abortions performed in Illinois could triple as neighboring states restrict access to the procedure after the Supreme Court's June 24 reversal of Roe v. Wade.
Pritzker called for the General Assembly to convene right after the decision to secure access to abortion, but last week, he and Democratic leaders said they needed time to study the fallout and its impact on Illinois.
When the special session occurs in the coming months, expect policies addressing logistics, Pritzker said in a recent interview.
"We have laws in place, but what about capacity?" he said. "For example, there are people seeking to exercise their reproductive rights, our residents as well as those coming from other states. We need to make sure we can provide those services.
"Do we have enough health care professionals available? The answer is 'no,' and so we want to make that sure we're doing things like ... allowing advanced practice nurses to perform (abortions). They do this in other states, and we need the legislature to approve that in this state."
"We also want to look at capacity," Pritzker added, "literally the amount of space that may be available for our clinics.
Related: Pritzker pushes for assault weapons ban, federal action (Capitol News Illinois)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker ends COVID vaccine mandates at colleges as he tweaks many statewide pandemic restrictions (Chicago Tribune)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is ending Illinois’ COVID-19 vaccine mandate for college students and faculty and easing some testing requirements for unvaccinated health care workers, changes that come despite growing concerns about new coronavirus variants that appear more able to evade immunity.
Federal health officials this week unveiled a strategy for attempting to manage the highly transmissible omicron subvariants that now make up the majority of cases nationally and doctors have urged a renewed sense of vigilance.
The Pritzker administration billed the changes, which come amid the governor’s bid for a second term, as part of its plan to “carefully unwind” his COVID-19 mandates, which have been in effect for more than two years.
“As we continue to move toward living with this virus, my administration will relax some requirements while continuing to protect the most vulnerable and ensuring we can get every federal dollar our residents are eligible to receive,” Pritzker said Wednesday in a statement.
Related: What to know about COVID variants in Chicago (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Pediatrician and health care policy expert at SIU named director of Illinois Public Health Department (Chicago Tribune)
Judge sets Ald. Ed Burke’s racketeering trial for November 2023 — giving Burke a chance to run again (Chicago Sun-Times)
The long-awaited federal racketeering trial of Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th) has been set for November 2023, giving Chicago’s longest-serving City Council member an opportunity to seek reelection while facing federal criminal charges — again.
U.S. District Judge Robert Dow set the trial date during a status hearing Tuesday, after struggling to find a spot on the calendar for a six-week trial that would work for all attorneys involved. He ultimately decided on Nov. 6, 2023.
Also charged in the case are Burke political aide Peter J. Andrews and developer Charles Cui.
Chicago’s next municipal election is set for Feb. 28.
The feds’ case against Burke has lingered for more than three years at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse, thanks in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic and a mountain of pretrial motions filed in August 2020 that were only ruled upon last month.
Related: Ex-state inspector indicted on federal charges of groping women at doggy daycares (Chicago Tribune)
Downtown, another weekend of violence: ‘Everyone in the community is extremely distressed’ (Chicago Sun-Times)
Democratic operative Patrick Doherty pleads guilty to bribery in red-light camera probe (Chicago Tribune)
Democrats criticize Kendall County GOP plan to raffle off gun similar to one used in Highland Park mass shooting (Chicago Tribune)
SOME OF OUR TOP STORIES FROM THE WEEK SO FAR
New Supreme Court Justice Holder-White: Politics "Irrelevant" to Court Decisions
"Growing Dissatisfaction" with House GOP Leader Durkin May Lead to Leadership Fight
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