Chicago Sun-Times: All posts by Lynn Sweet

Want to volunteer for the Republican or Democratic, conventions? Here’s how to apply

2023-12-12T18:04:40.057-06:00

Branding for the Democratic National Convention is displayed at Chicago’s United Center. Chicago will host for the convention in August.

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

WASHINGTON — Organizers of the Democratic convention in Chicago next August are launching their volunteer recruitment drive on Monday, with Republicans planning their July convention in Milwaukee already reaching out for volunteers and interns.

Both conventions will need thousands of volunteers — from airport greeters and drivers to party and event staff, and local folks stationed in the hotels housing delegates providing advice and guidance to the visitors on sightseeing, restaurants and how to get around town.

The proximity of Milwaukee to Chicago provides Chicago-area residents with two volunteer choices this summer.

How to volunteer for the DNC

The Democratic National Convention will be held in Chicago from Aug. 19-24.

The Chicago 2024 Host Committee will run a virtual volunteer information session on Monday, starting at 6 p.m. The committee is in the process of hiring a director of volunteer recruitment and coordination to handle a projected 12,000 volunteers.

Registration for the virtual briefing is required. Sign up here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Jc1upx1lTRG9p3Vg92GItg#/registration.

Potential volunteers should also register on the host committee website: https://chicago2024.com/volunteer/

Questions about potential volunteer assignments can be emailed here: volunteers@chicago2024.com.

Convention organizers will have a paid internship program with details coming early next year.

How to volunteer for the RNC

The Republican convention runs from July 15-18 in Milwaukee.

The Republicans, going first, are further along in their planning.

The Milwaukee Host Committee and the Republican National Committee’s Committee on Arrangements are aiming to fill about 8,000 volunteer shifts.

There are jobs like hotel and airport greeters, downtown guides, registration volunteers, venue ushers, and more. The volunteers will be able to sign up for various locations and shifts, convention organizers said.

According to the host committee, volunteers outside of Milwaukee may be provided with housing and transportation.

Potential volunteers start the process by registering here: https://mke2024host.org/volunteers/

The GOP convention organizers are also looking for “young Republicans” who want to be interns. Housing will be provided.

“For our internship program, we are looking for college students or recent graduates to join the team as interns for a month and a half before the convention,” convention organizers said, with juniors and seniors having priority.

Apply for internships here: https://www.gopconvention2024.com/

Organizers said they are “looking for eager young Republicans with all skill sets, as internships are available for various departments such as communications, hotels and venues, transportation, delegate experience, special events, and media operations, to name a few.’’

Chicago 2024 convention host committee launches drive to spread business to minorities

2023-12-06T07:00:00-06:00

The Democratic National Convention will be held at United Center from Aug. 19-22, 2024.

Scott Olson/Getty

WASHINGTON — The first waves of enormous business opportunities stemming from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next August are emerging, starting with everything needed for three giant welcoming parties plus contracts for other goods and services such as fencing, drywall installation, traffic control, landscape restoration, security and tents.

The three giant welcoming parties — for 15,000 journalists; between 10,000 and 12,000 delegates; and another for some 10,000 volunteers — will account for about $2 million to $3 million in spending, according to the Chicago 2024 Host Committee. There will be contracts for tables, chairs and serving equipment, flowers, food and drinks, stages, entertainment, ushers and security.

Spreading around the business from the convention so that all of Chicago’s communities benefit — and that minority contractors get slices of the pie — is a central pledge the Democratic National Committee has made to the city.

To that end, on Wednesday, the Chicago 2024 Host Committee will launch its Host Committee Business Diversity Advisory Council, with the aim to “establish diversity spend goals and advise on convention equity practices, community engagement strategies and contract and event execution plans,” the host committee said.

The council will be co-chaired by Jaemie Neely executive director for the Federation of Women Contractors; and Jackie Gomez, executive director of the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association.

“The host committee is laser focused on ensuring next summer’s convention highlights and utilizes Chicago’s robust, diverse business community,” Christy George, the host committee executive director, said in a statement. “The formation of our Business Diversity Advisory Council is a critical step in ensuring business and individuals from a wide array of backgrounds have a seat at the table where decisions are being made.”

The council will include more than 20 Illinois-based organizations with experience in developing diverse workforces. It will meet for the first time Monday.

Members of the council include the Business Leadership Council, Federation of Women Contractors, Native American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois, Black Contractors Owners and Executives, Chicagoland Alliance for Disabled-Owned Businesses, Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois, Hispanic American Construction Industry Association, Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce, LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois, Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council, Women’s Business Development Center, Elite Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Business Network, Veteran Business Outreach Center, Chicago Women in Trades, Black Contractors United, Chicago Urban League, Springfield Urban League, Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Contractors Advisors Business Development Corporation, National Minority Contractors Association, and the Austin African American Business Networking Association.

Neely said in a statement, “The economic impact of hosting the DNC in Chicago will undoubtedly create new opportunities for businesses, showcasing their proven talents and capabilities to the world.”

Gomez said in a statement, ”Conventions bring tremendous economic opportunity to host cities, and we are thrilled to be able to collaborate with leaders across Chicago’s business community to ensure diverse business enterprises experience their share of the benefits.”

Liz Cheney warns in new book that the nation faces danger if Trump returns to White House

2023-12-05T05:00:00-06:00

Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., author of “Oath and Honor, A Memoir and a Warning”

Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

WASHINGTON — “In a just world,” ex-Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., writes in her new book, “Oath and Honor, A Memoir and a Warning,” former President Donald Trump, “who attempted to overturn an election and seize power — would have no political future.”

That Trump is the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination — despite the criminal prosecutions he is facing and the findings of the Jan. 6 Select Committee, where Cheney served as vice chair — means, she said, “we may have many darker chapters ahead.”

Cheney’s book is out Tuesday, and in a conversation Monday we talked about the danger the nation faces if Trump returns to the White House. On a lighter note, at the end we chatted about her years living in Chicago while a University of Chicago law student.

If reelected, Trump would refuse to leave the White House: Cheney said that after a second term, Trump is “unlikely to leave office.” Trump “attempted to seize power once before, and I think there’s no question he would do it again. So I think the threat is very real.”

On what Cheney calls the nation “sleepwalking into a dictatorship:” “The threat that he poses is so un-American and so unprecedented that it can be hard for people to recognize how grave the threat is. And we have also become numb to so much of what he says and what he did. And you have leading members of the Republican Party trying to whitewash what he did.” She noted that over 80 House Republicans have already endorsed Trump’s 2024 bid.

“It’s so hard to believe that in the United States of America, we could be faced with a president who is willing to torch the Constitution. ... He has to be defeated, and people can’t be bystanders.”

On whether there is a path to stop Trump from being the GOP presidential nominee: If Trump is the nominee, “then we have to build a new coalition of Republicans and Democrats and independents. We have to be willing to form alliances with people on whom we might not have any other, or very few other, areas of agreement from a policy perspective. We have to form alliances with like-minded pro-Constitution American citizens who say we’re going to put partisanship aside and vote to ensure we defeat Donald Trump.”

On whether to try to defeat Trump with a third-party candidate or urging Republicans to vote Democratic: “I don’t think that we know for sure yet what the playing field is going to look like, so I think we have to be willing to consider both of these options.”

On Cheney running for president: “I haven’t made a decision yet about whether I will run. But it’s a decision I’ll make over the next couple of months. And I won’t do anything that I determine is going to help Donald Trump. I think that’s very important. And I really think about it much more as a decision about stopping him rather than necessarily a decision about me personally. But I certainly will be looking at all the different options over the next two months or so.”

On the need to get the gavel away from House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., an election denier: Until he became speaker in October, Johnson was unknown to the public, a behind-the-scenes player. Cheney recounts in the early chapters of her book, completed in September, the inside story about his moves to try to keep Trump in power.

“It’s a dangerous situation if we get to Jan. 6, 2025,” when the electoral votes from the 2024 election are counted in Congress. “There’s a very real chance that the presidential election could be thrown into the House of Representatives, if no candidate gets 270 electoral votes. And the prospect of Mike Johnson in the speaker’s chair under those circumstances is a really serious and dangerous one. And I think, it’s very important that, frankly, that not be the case.”

On ending GOP control of the House: “I think we’ve arrived at a point where we can’t count on a group of Republicans elected in the House to defend the Constitution. And so I think, given the dangers that we face, that it is less of a threat to the republic if we have a Democratic majority in the House.”

On Republican enablers and collaborators: “You have many, many members, elected officials in the Republican Party who know how dangerous Donald Trump is, they know that he is not telling the truth, but they are going along … and I think those people have to be held accountable.”

On whether Trump could survive politically without enablers and collaborators at the local, state and federal level: “No, he needs them.”

On the end of the Republican Party as she knows it: “It certainly descended into a really destructive place. And each day that goes by makes it less and less likely that it can be resuscitated.”

On Cheney’s Chicago life: Cheney lived in the city — at McClurg Court, near Navy Pier — while attending the University of Chicago Law School, graduating in 1996. “It was a very special time. My first daughter was born at the end of my first year. She was born in the University of Chicago hospital … one of my favorite professors when I was at the University of Chicago Law School was Elena Kagan, who was my civil procedure professor.” Kagan is now a Supreme Court justice.

While at the Hyde Park campus, Cheney said she took classes on Egyptian archaeology at the Oriental Institute, now called the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, West Asia and North Africa.

George Santos expelled from Congress. How did Illinois members vote?

2023-12-01T16:58:28.259-06:00

Rep. George Santos (R-NY) leaves the U.S. Capitol after his fellow members of Congress voted to expel him from the House of Representatives Friday. Santos is only the sixth person in U.S. history to be expelled from the House.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

WASHINGTON — Three Illinois House members — two Republicans and a Democrat — declined on Friday to kick now former U.S. Rep. George Santos R-N.Y., out of Congress.

Santos was expelled after being charged with a raft of federal felonies, including allegations of fraud and campaign finance violations.

After its probe of Santos’ use of campaign funds that included spending sprees on luxury items, the House Ethics Committee concluded that “Santos’ conduct warrants public condemnation, is beneath the dignity of the office, and has brought severe discredit upon the House.”

The resolution that led to the expulsion of the Santos needed a two-thirds vote to pass. The tally was 311 members voting yes, 114 voting no, two voting present and eight members not voting.

On the Republican side, there were 105 yes votes, 112 no votes and five members not voting. Illinois GOP Reps. Mary Miller and Mike Bost voted no; Darin LaHood voted yes.

The Santos case was a “highly unique circumstance,” LaHood said in a statement.

“As former state and federal prosecutor, I believe it is important that we follow facts and evidence. The findings outlined in the House Ethics Committee’s investigative report are overwhelming and damning — including that George Santos deceitfully exploited his candidacy for his own personal profit, stole money from his campaign, deceived his donors for personal financial gain, reported fictitious loans to his political committees, and ultimately cheated and misled voters through a series of lies about his background and experience.

“Far too many Americans have lost faith in this institution. If we are serious about returning the Congress to a functioning legislative body, then we must hold ourselves and other elected representatives to a higher standard,” LaHood said.

On the Democratic side, there were 206 yes votes, two no votes, two present votes and three members not voting. One of those Democratic present votes came from Illinois Rep. Jonathan Jackson. All the other Illinois Democrats voted yes.

Asked to explain his vote, Jackson told the Sun-Times in a statement, “Today, I voted present on the motion to expel now-former Congressman Santos. Despite his reprehensible behavior, I am deeply concerned by the precedent such an expulsion sets. At a time when Congress has shredded norms and reached new levels of dysfunction, we must protect this institution and the constitutional right to due process. Former Congressman Santos deserves his day in court and to be judged by a jury of his peers. That day is coming, and until then, he deserves the presumption of innocence.”

Members facing criminal charges have handled their status in different ways. In the Senate, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., with bribery and other federal charges hanging over him, continues to serve.

In November, 2012, Jackson’s brother, now ex-Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., resigned, citing health reasons in a letter to now former House Speaker John Boehner, where he also acknowledged for the first time the federal probe he was facing.

Jesse Jackson Jr. and his former wife Sandi, both pleaded guilty in 2013 to looting Jackson’s congressional campaign fund and using the money for personal spending sprees. The ex-congressman and Sandi Jackson, a former South Side 7th Ward alderperson, each have served prison terms.

Media representatives to hit Chicago on Jan. 18 for Democratic convention logistics walk-through

2023-11-21T03:00:00-06:00

Branding for next year’s Democratic National Convention is displayed on the scoreboard at the United Center in April 11. The convention will be held Aug. 19-22.

Scott Olson, Getty

WASHINGTON — The first wave of Democratic convention-related business hits Chicago on Jan. 18, when more than 500 representatives from media outlets come to the city for a logistics tour of the United Center, the main venue for the August event.

About 15,000 members of the media are expected for the convention, Aug. 19-22. They are part of the overall 50,000 attendees, including delegates, coming to the city for the expected nomination of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for a second term.

Media logistics range from simple, for a solo print journalist who needs just a laptop and Wi-Fi, to enormously complex for television networks with all sorts of technical needs to support live operations. Major news outlets planning on sending armies of reporters to the convention will be able to get an idea of workspace availability for the temporary offices that will be set up at the Jan. 18 event.

“This will be the first logistical walk-through for media organizations ahead of the convention and will serve as an opportunity to receive detailed information about the logistics for coverage,” the Democratic National Convention Committee said in a statement.

Chicago last hosted a convention in 1996, when Democrats met at the United Center. And as in 1996, it is highly likely that some sort of temporary structure will be built in the United Center parking lot to provide workspace for media outlets.

The Jan. 18 event will focus on the United Center. During the convention, activities will also take place at the McCormick Place complex and possibly other locations.

Media representatives will be eligible for convention rates at the three hotels that the DNCC is using for the event — the Hyatt Regency Chicago, the Marriott Marquis Chicago and the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place

Republicans, holding their convention in Milwaukee July 15-18, are hosting a similar media logistics briefing Nov. 30. The GOP convention will be at the Fiserv Forum, with some events at the Panther Arena and Baird Center.

Given that this is an opportunity to show off the city, there likely will be some sort of media welcome reception in Chicago on the night of Jan. 17.

Convention contracts now in play

The DNCC and the Chicago 2024 Host Committee are starting to request bids for a variety of services. A place to find out about potential jobs and contracts and how to bid is Chicago2024.com. At present, job openings have been posted to fill slots for event architect, event management, exposition services and construction management services.

Earlier this month, the DNCC and host committee picked K + P Advisory to serve as owner’s representative for the convention, to be “the in-house expert on design, construction and event contracting and works as a part of the larger team responsible for preparing the United Center and its surroundings,” the host committee and DNCC said in a release.

K + P Advisory is run by Ayse Kalaycioglu and Anthony Pascente, and is certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise. The Democrats have pledged to spread around convention business to small and minority-owned firms in the city.

K + P Advisory’s work will be supported by, according to the DNCC and host committee, “a diverse Chicago-based team, including SQN Associates, a certified minority- and woman-owned business; Rodriguez Media Communication, a certified minority- and woman-owned business; and the Concord Group, a small business enterprise.”

Biden OKs federal disaster aid to Cook County areas hit by storm

2023-11-20T21:30:35.712-06:00

A vehicle powers through a flooded viaduct at North Ashland Avenue and West Kinzie Street after a band of rain hit Chicago Sunday morning, Sept. 17, 2023.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday approved a disaster declaration for parts of Cook County hard hit by storms and flooding Sept. 17 and 18.

The White House said in a release that the declaration unlocks a package of federal financial assistance that include “grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.”

Who to contact for help

Residents and business owners can learn more and apply at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling (800) 621- 3362.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said the federal assistance will come on top of aid from the county and state.

Vehicles power through a flooded viaduct at North Ashland Avenue and West Kinzie Street after a band of rain hit Chicago on Sept. 17. Parts of south suburban areas saw nine inches of rain, causing flash flooding.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Cook County “will coordinate with FEMA and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to roll out individual assistance for impacted residents and continue to support municipalities in south suburban communities most impacted on September 17,” Preckwinkle said in a statement.

On Nov. 10, Illinois Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, and most of the state House delegation, signed a letter supporting the request of Gov. J.B. Pritzker for federal help.

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“On September 17, Cook County experienced severe storms yielding heavy rainfall totaling nine inches and leading to flash flooding. This caused significant property damage, widespread power outages and limited roadway access. Subsequent damage has impacted homeowners, businesses and local governments. As such, the governor seeks timely federal assistance from FEMA,” they said in their letter.

Calumet City Mayor Thaddeus Jones, who is also a state representative, welcomed the disaster declaration. He said federal officials will be setting up shop in the suburb’s library in order to help people apply for assistance.

“You have to understand how devastating the Sept. 17 flooding was …. Some residents have lost everything in the house,” Jones said. With Thanksgiving this week, “it’s the best news that we could receive from President Biden and Gov. Pritzker ever.”

Ex-Rep. Adam Kinzinger sounds the alarm on Trump threat to democracy if he wins again

2023-11-20T11:46:31.779-06:00

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill. poses for a portrait at the University Club of Chicago after giving a talk on his new book, “Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country.”

Brian Ernst/Sun-Times

WASHINGTON — What is the secret to the staying power of former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the GOP presidential 2024 nomination despite the four criminal cases pending against him, a civil case accusing his company of financial fraud and his increasingly harsh, authoritarian rhetoric?

“The secret is fear,” former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., told me in a conversation about the high-stakes 2024 presidential contest and what will happen if Trump returns to power. “Fear is really effective, and so that’s what he piles on.”

In the November “At the Table” show, now streaming online at the Sun-Times YouTube channel, Kinzinger warned about how a second Trump White House would be stocked with “sycophants” who would break already weakened “guardrails” to allow an unhinged, revenge-fueled Trump to trample over our democracy.

If the choice for the conservative Kinzinger was between President Joe Biden and Trump, Kinzinger said he would vote for Biden. Democracy in the U.S. would survive four more years of a Democratic president, Kinzinger said. But it might not withstand another Trump term.

Our discussion was pegged to the publication of Kinzinger’s memoir, “Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in our Divided Country.”

Hardly a renegade when he started his 12-year career in Congress, Kinzinger writes that he was enjoying fame and attention so much that he didn’t have the courage to risk Trump’s wrath by voting to impeach the former president the first time around.

But the Jan. 6 insurrection provided Kinzinger the clarity he needed to understand the need for a high-visibility crusade against the threats to our democracy posed by extremists pushing conspiracy theories, election denialism and Trump.

When Trump supporters attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and violently tried to prevent Biden from becoming president, Kinzinger sat in his House office with his gun on his desk, praying he would not have to use it to defend himself.

It was then, he writes in his book, that he realized “the party that once held my loyalty was gone,” replaced by “a fascist cult of personality” led by Trump.

Sun-Times Washington bureau chief Lynn Sweet interviews former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill. at the University Club of Chicago on Friday afternoon, Nov. 3, 2023.

Brian Ernst/Sun-Times

Kinzinger and now former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wy., were the two Republicans on the Jan. 6 committee, and both are now out of office. Cheney was defeated by a Trump loyalist in the Wyoming primary. Kinzinger, thrown in a district with Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Ill., when Springfield Democrats remapped Illinois congressional districts, decided against seeking another term.

Since leaving the House on Jan. 3, Kinzinger sold his home in suburban Channahon, and with his wife and baby son, moved to Texas to be closer to his in-laws. He’s a CNN senior political commentator, and a few weeks ago retired as a lieutenant colonel after a 20-year career as a pilot in the Air National Guard.

On GOP House members voting for election denier Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., to be House speaker

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is a major election denier. Kinzinger noted in our interview that several key figures who advised Trump in his schemes to overthrow the election admitted their lies when they took guilty pleas in the pending Georgia criminal case.

“So, on the one hand, this court case is playing out with all these people saying ‘yes, I lied about January 6 or I lied about the election,’ and on the other hand, the only way to become speaker is to say the election was stolen, to continue to lie about it. That goes to show what a dystopian world the Republican Party exists in.”

On the failure of Republican leaders to tell the truth

Kinzinger said most Republican leaders — there are only a few exceptions — say “that Donald Trump is the victim of a witch hunt, that the DOJ (the Justice Department) is a two-tiered system of justice and that Donald Trump is innocent and a victim. How in the world can somebody who’s a Republican, how would you expect them to believe anything else? And so I think there is a lot of blame to bear on simply the Republican leaders’ inability to tell their people the truth, so their people hear nothing else, and I think it’s a problem.”

Kinzinger warning: If No Labels runs a presidential candidate, it will help Trump

A centrist political group, No Labels, is exploring running a presidential candidate, a move intended to drain votes from Trump and prevent his election. It’s a risky strategy.

“There are people like me that don’t agree with everything Joe Biden does but would vote for him as opposed to Trump,” Kinzinger said.

If you give people an alternative, such as centrist Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV., “they would vote for that person. ... The problem is, the consequences of a Donald Trump victory are so dire that I think you have to hold your nose and vote for somebody maybe you don’t like because we can survive four more years of Joe Biden. I’m not sure we can survive four more years of Donald Trump.”

On need for ‘normal’ Republicans to team up with Democrats to beat Trump

“We have to have an alliance between normal Republicans and Democrats to survive, because if Donald Trump wins again, the guardrails protecting democracy took a really big hit [in Trump’s first term] but they held. They can’t take a second hit.”

On accusing Rep. LaHood of moving to the ‘unreasonable right’

LaHood, from Peoria, is singled out in Kinzinger’s book for racing “to the unreasonable right,” abandoning his “moderate positions.” Kinzinger writes that LaHood, a co-chair of Trump’s 2020 Illinois campaign, has “tied himself to the most unethical and least-transparent president in history.”

‘Nazis’ is spray-painted on Rahm Emanuel’s Michigan home

2023-11-19T21:23:19.668-06:00

The word “Nazis” was spray-painted on the fence of a Michigan home owned by former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Authorities were notified and the writing was removed.

Provided

The fence outside the Michigan vacation home of former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan and one of the nation’s most prominent Jewish political figures, was spray-painted with the word “Nazis.”

Emanuel was not at the cottage at the time.

“Our family is very proud of how our friends, neighbors and the community have rallied to our support and in a singular voice in condemning hatred and bigotry,” Emanuel told the Sun-Times in a text message.

Emanuel, who was in Chicago on Sunday, said he also wanted “to thank the local law enforcement for their diligence, swiftness and seriousness in which they have addressed this crime.”

The incident comes amid rising antisemitism and Islamophobia, spiking in the U.S. as the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza enters its second month. The war was triggered by the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas fighters who are based in and have controlled Gaza.

The New York Times, citing the Gaza health ministry, reported Sunday that 12,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, with the Israeli military operation ongoing. The Hamas-controlled ministry does not separate the deaths of civilians and combatants. The Israeli Defense Forces said 1,300 were killed in Israel in the Oct. 7 attack, with about 240 hostages taken to Gaza, where they remain in captivity.

The defacement at the Emanuel property came to light when the head of a homeowners organization in Gordon Beach, a small lakefront community in southwest Michigan, sent a message to residents Friday informing them “of an upsetting incident.”

“A hate crime occurred against one of our neighbors, where an anti-Semitic word was spray painted on a property,” board president Tom McNulty told the Gordon Beach Homeowners Association, representing a community in Union Pier, Michigan, about 70 miles from Chicago.

The letter noted local police “came out and confirmed there was no other damage to the property and no sign of breaking or entering. The homeowner arranged to have the offensive language removed.”

It continued: “We in Gordon Beach condemn this hate crime, as well as the national increase in intolerance, bigotry and criminal activity based on hate. Gordon Beach does not tolerate prejudice, bigotry, racism, hatred or violence, and we encourage anyone who has experienced an act of hate to report it to the Berrien County Police.”

David Goldenberg, the Midwest regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, told the Sun-Times, “We are disgusted by the antisemitic vandalization of Ambassador Emanuel’s home.

“Hate crimes affect not only the victim, but an entire community,” Goldenberg said. “Thus, we appreciate the homeowners association naming this an act of antisemitism and urge law enforcement to investigate this as a hate crime.”

Neo-Nazis march in Madison

Last Tuesday, a massive rally on the National Mall in Washington, co-sponsored by the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, was intended to show unity with Israel in its war against Hamas, push for the return of Hamas-held hostages and denounce rising antisemitism.

On Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin, a group of demonstrators waving swastika flags marched near the Wisconsin state capitol.

The ADL, an organization devoted to “combating antisemitism, countering extremism and battling bigotry,” said the estimated 20 demonstrators are part of a neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe.

“Blood Tribe’s goal is to normalize the swastika, usher in a resurgence of Nazi ideas and ultimately build a white ethnostate occupied, controlled and led by Aryans,” the ADL said.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers in a statement called the demonstrators part of “a white supremacist, neo-Nazi organization. To see neo-Nazis marching in our streets and neighborhoods and in the shadow of our State Capitol building spreading their disturbing, hateful messages is truly revolting.”

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on MSNBC: Trump fuels hate

In an interview Sunday on MSNBC’s “Inside With Jen Psaki,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who like Emanuel is among the country’s most prominent Jewish political figures, said former President Donald Trump and “some MAGA extremists” are using rhetoric “that was used in the 1930s in Germany.”

He was alluding to Trump — the frontrunner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination — referring to his political opponents as “vermin.”

“What I can tell you is that the things that he talks about are frightening to those of us who know the history of Europe in the 1930s and ’40s,” Pritzker said, referring to the Holocaust.

Pritzker brought up Wadea Al Fayoume, the 6-year-old Palestinian American from Plainfield who police say was stabbed to death by his landlord because the boy was a Muslim. The suspect, police said, had listened to conservative talk radio about the Israel-Hamas war.

“This young boy, killed, murdered, because someone had been radicalized by right-wing radio and right-wing television; that’s something we all need to pay attention to,” Pritzker said.

At March for Israel rally in Washington, big Chicago contingent attends

2023-11-14T20:27:15.107-06:00

A group from Temple Beth Israel in Skokie rallied Tuesday at the March for Israel on the National Mall. From left, Michael Lorge, Lori Sagarin, Rabbi Rachel Marks, Andy Glock, Cindy Franklin and Steve Franklin.

Photo courtesy of Michael Lorge

WASHINGTON — Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, “our anxiety has grown over the past weeks so tremendously,” said Michael Lorge, one of many from the Chicago area at the March for Israel on the National Mall on Tuesday, which saw thousands show unity with Israel in its war against Hamas, push for the return of Hamas-held hostages and deplore rising antisemitism.

And a way to do that, Lorge said, “was to come together in massive numbers to find strength and to speak out loudly.”

Lorge, an attorney — and the son and father of rabbis — came to Washington for the rally with a contingent from Temple Beth Israel in Skokie, including rabbi Rachel Marks.

The event was co-sponsored by the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and comes as the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is sparking a surge in antisemitism, igniting fears never before experienced by generations of American Jews.

Some 1,200 Israelis were brutally murdered by Hamas militants Oct. 7 and about 240 were taken hostage that day, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin. The death toll among Palestinians in Gaza from Israeli bombardment since Oct. 7 has topped 11,000, according to Palestinian officials.

Goldberg-Polin’s parents, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, grew up in West Rogers Park and Skokie and now live in Jerusalem. His grandmothers live in Chicago and Evanston.

Goldberg was one of the speakers at the rally. She pleaded for the hostages not to be forgotten. “We hostage families have lived the last 39 days in slow-motion torment,” she told the crowd. “We all have third-degree burns on our souls.”

“Why is the world accepting that 240 human beings from almost 30 countries have been stolen and buried alive,” she said, referring to the extensive Hamas tunnel system under Gaza.

She led a chant: “Bring them home now!”

Members of Goldberg’s extended Chicago family were at the rally, according to the office of U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., who represents Skokie and Evanston.

Lonnie Nasatir, the chief executive and president of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, told the Sun-Times that an estimated 2,000 people from the Chicago area came to Washington. The federation chartered three planes — two from Midway Airport and another from O’Hare — and subsidized train fare.

Nasatir said the Chicago group included about 100 students active in their Hillel campus organizations at schools in Illinois.

One of the most problematic issues that has developed has been dealing with antisemitism at universities. Many things are going on at once in a very complicated situation. Israel has a right to defend itself. At the same time, the number of Palestinian civilian casualties is soaring as Israeli military strikes aim to destroy Hamas networks hidden under civilian structures in densely populated Gaza.

Nasatir said the rally was an opportunity “for Chicago Jews to come to the nation’s capital to support Israel, to denounce antisemitism and demand that the hostages be released.”

Hollis Wein, executive director of JACPAC, a national political action committee based in Highland Park, came to Washington with a group from the organization. A primary aim, she said, “was to let the world know what is going on. Hamas is a blight on humanity.”

Among Illinois’ 17 House members, the two Jewish members are Schakowsky and Rep. Brad Schneider, who both were at the rally.

Schakowsky said the event was “very satisfying for a lot of people from the community who have been so concerned, wrapped up in issues [dealing with] antisemitism.”

Schneider said, “I think we accomplished a show of unity, a statement to the American people, to the world, to the folks in Israel, that we stand with Israel in its fight against Hamas.

“And we stand on the right side of history in the battle between a civilization and barbarism, and we stand against antisemitism and hate,” he said.

For attendee Sharon Schwartz, who lives in Skokie and is the director of operations at the Chicago Torah Network, the plight of the hostages — especially Goldberg-Polin, who is 23 — is personal.

Schwartz said she met Hersh’s mother, Goldberg, in eighth grade “and we became instant best friends.” Polin was Schwartz’s brother’s friend “and he was in our house all through growing up.” Schwartz met their son when he visited family in Chicago.

Schwartz, who has relatives living in Israel, came to the rally “for all Israel, for all Jewish people, but I really came for Hersh,” whose left arm was blown off in a bunker as he was taken. His condition is unknown.

“I can’t believe the world is not screaming for his and all of their release,” Schwartz said.

Biden in Illinois stumps for unions and himself during UAW celebration in Belvidere

2023-11-09T18:51:23.819-06:00

President Joe Biden speaks to United Auto Workers on Thursday at the Community Building Complex in Belvidere.

Evan Vucci/AP

With one man providing clout and the other expected to deliver cash to close the deal, President Joe Biden and Gov. J.B. Pritzker joined members of the United Auto Workers on Thursday to celebrate the planned reopening of the Stellantis vehicle-assembly plant in Belvidere.

Faced with declining poll numbers and a crisis in the Middle East, Biden leaned in to his chance to fire up a crowd rejoicing over the UAW’s historic gains from its targeted strike against the Detroit Big Three automakers. In its deal with Stellantis, the union secured a pledge to restart Belvidere, adding thousands of jobs.

Biden donned a red UAW T-shirt to address the crowd at a community center in Belvidere. He spoke in front of a banner that read, “Auto workers back to work.”

“These deals are game-changers not only for UAW workers but for all workers in America,” Biden said, citing spinoff effects that include Toyota, a nonunion company, agreeing to wage hikes in the aftermath of the UAW agreements. “It’s a bigger thing than I think even you all realize. You’ve changed the face of the country economically.”

Autoworkers and Stellantis reach tentative contract deal to end strike: AP sources

His audience included Pritzker, UAW president Shawn Fain and Matt Frantzen, president of UAW Local 1268 from the Belvidere plant. Fain was an architect of the UAW’s strike strategy for escalating walkouts at selected factories at locations including Chicago.

The union and Stellantis reached a deal Oct. 28 that, along with wage hikes of up to 25% over the next 4 1/2 years and cost-of-living raises, committed the company to reopening the Belvidere factory.

GM and Ford also have settled with the union. Ratification votes are ongoing.

State funds for Belvidere plant

Pritzker has said his administration is finalizing an incentives package to support Stellantis’ estimated $5 billion investment in Belvidere. A spokesman for the governor said Thursday the details are being worked out.

“You are tough, tough, tough as they come,” Biden told the UAW crowd, giving those who walked the picket lines credit for applying pressure.

He said he also played a role, calling Mark Stewart, Stellantis’ chief operating officer for North America, to urge him to reopen Belvidere.

An inside look at Biden’s role in the UAW-Stellantis agreement and the auto plant’s reopening in Belvidere

Biden’s call fulfilled a promise he made to Frantzen during a face-to-face meeting in Chicago. He said Frantzen “told me how critical it was to get that plant open and online again. So I told my team, ‘Make Stellantis know Belvidere is a priority,’ and I got on the phone, and I let them know personally it was a priority.”

Pritzker also addressed the crowd.

“For almost two years, we’ve been laser-focused on working toward a permanent solution to protect workers here in Belvidere — one that retains and grows good-paying jobs and supports economic development throughout the region,” he said, according to a transcript from his office.

The governor offered no specifics on an incentives package. He thanked Biden and the workers, saying, “Together, we are winning the global fight for manufacturing jobs of the future and winning the battle to make Illinois the best state to live, work and raise a family.”

State funds for the plant’s revival could come from a $400 million “deal-closing fund” for large-scale private investments. Also, the state has established incentives for automakers transitioning to electric vehicles and battery production while retaining or creating jobs.

The package could be larger than the $536 million Pritzker committed in September to Gotion, a Chinese company that agreed to build a battery factory in Manteno.

Illinois lands Chinese EV battery plant as Pritzker, Duckworth seek more deals with Asian companies

Thousands of jobs in the pipeline

The president emphasized his own history with union and working-class households in his home state of Delaware and his support of organized labor. In September, he became the first president to walk a picket line when he joined UAW strikers in Michigan. Biden said he didn’t realize the historical significance until after the occasion.

He said the strike’s outcome proves that companies that bargain in good faith can prosper while still providing higher wages and better benefits for an American workforce. “The iconic Big Three are going to still lead the world in quality and innovation, because of you,” he said.

Biden also pointed to low unemployment and support for domestic manufacturing during his term, contrasting his record with factory shutdowns during the term of former President Donald Trump. Recent polls have shown Trump leading Biden in swing states.

“I hope you guys have a memory,” Biden told the crowd. “Where I come from, it matters.”

Officials of Stellantis, which has deferred comment on its UAW settlement pending the ratification vote, did not comment on Biden’s appearance or on their expectations for incentives at Belvidere.

The plant near Rockford will be retooled to produce a midsize truck in 2027, and adjacent property will get a battery plant for electric vehicles in 2028 — a key priority for the Pritzker administration. The work is expected to create at least 2,500 jobs and cost nearly $5 billion.

When Stellantis closed Belvidere last February, the company laid off 1,350 workers. The factory dates from 1965 and last produced Jeep Cherokees.

People react as President Joe Biden speaks to United Auto Workers on Thursday at the Community Building Complex in Belvidere.

Evan Vucci/AP

Big Biden fundraiser in Chicago

After the Belvidere event, Biden turned to political business in Chicago, taking aim at Trump in remarks at a fundraiser where he aimed to shore up support from mega-donors. Biden headlined a fundraiser at Ignite Glass Studios, 401 N. Armour St., hosted by Glen Tullman, CEO of Transcarent and a major Democrat donor.

Meanwhile, his campaign bought TV ad time during the Bears-Charlotte Panthers game as well as during local news shows to underscore the themes Biden raised in Belvidere about his policies creating jobs while slamming Trump for not standing with the auto workers. The ad also ran in Charlotte, North Carolina, during the game.

At the fundraiser, Biden praised Pritzker, one of his chief surrogates on the 2024 campaign trail, and said he was “looking forward to the convention in Chicago.”

Two recent polls, by CNN and The New York Times, show Biden struggling to outpace Trump in a rematch. Aware that campaign contributors might be concerned about this, Biden “reassured donors they’re not wasting their money on him,” according to a pool report. But he could still “screw up,” he then joked.

He also argued that the Democratic wins in Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia were not one-offs. “What happened on Tuesday is not unusual,” he said.

Biden’s campaign increasingly is focusing on Trump.

“We haven’t stopped winning, and he hasn’t stopped losing ... This guy can’t get tired of losing,” the president said.

“Maybe Donald Trump sees a dark and divisive future, but I don’t,” he said.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally Thursday at the corner of West Hubbard and North Armour streets near where President Joe Biden was attending a fundraiser.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters at Hubbard and Armour streets greeted Biden with jeers as he arrived at the fundraiser.

“Right now our demand is that ... Biden and Congress [have] the power to stop Israel,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, national chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, which organized the protest. “We’re trying to threaten him with the fact that he could lose an election.”

Abudayyeh said Biden should leverage the aid the United States gives Israel to convince its leaders to end the attacks it began after the Hamas attacks on Israel. Biden has requested $14.3 billion to bolster Israel’s fight against Hamas.

While Biden has dismissed the possibility of a formal ceasefire, on Thursday the White House said Israel had agreed to put in place four-hour daily humanitarian pauses after pressure from the president.

But some protesters said the Biden administration’s efforts are too little and too late and that they’ll continue demonstrating until Biden supports ending the war.

Israeli officials estimate that Hamas militants still hold 239 hostages, including children and elderly people, from attacks that killed 1,400 people in Israel. U.S. officials say fewer than 10 Americans are among those held captive. More than 10,800 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, including more than 4,400 children.

Contributing: AP