House Republicans subpoena USA fencing chairman with history of supporting trans competitors in women's sports
The subpoena comes after USA Fencing's Chief Executive Officer Phil Andrews told the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, which intends to hold the hearing on May 7, that Lehfeldt would be unavailable to testify for unspecified reasons, according to a letter sent in tandem with the subpoena. Lehfeldt's apparent refusal to cooperate comes after he allegedly made public statements online indicating he had intended to be present at the hearing.
"Under the Ted Stevens Act, an [National Governing Body]—such as USFA—is required to provide equal opportunities to athletes regardless of sex when engaged in developing interest and participation in the sport it governs throughout the United States," the letter accompanying the subpoena, signed by GOP House Oversight Chairman James Comer. "The Subcommittee is concerned that the policies of USFA may not uphold these obligations and that the underlying law is not accomplishing its intended purpose. Therefore, the Subcommittee is investigating whether additional legislation regarding requirements of NGBs of amateur sports, like USFA, is necessary to address these issues."
Lehfeldt and Andrews have both publicly expressed their support for allowing transgender women to compete on biological women's sports teams. House Republicans' decision to subpoena Lehfeldt follows an incident when a female fencer named Stephanie Turner was punished by USA Fencing for refusing to compete against a transgender competitor earlier this year.
Turner, during a regional meet in March, refused to compete against a transgender competitor who previously had competed in the men's division. A video of her taking a symbolic knee at the start of the match, eventually earning her a "black card," fencing's most severe penalty, went viral following the incident.
"In fencing, personally, I see it quite often," Turner said following the incident. "I have witnessed transgender fencers in women's tournaments and girls' tournaments in different age categories, specifically Y-14 (the youngest age group)."
Fox News Digital reached out to USA Fencing for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
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The Hill
13 minutes ago
- The Hill
Whole Hog Politics: Checking in on Election Day 2025
On the menu: Classical on the rocks; Newsom unveils Texas revenge package; Brown in; Where do you put 653 House members?; A dumpling for a bear There are many kinds of bias in the news business, but few as durable and reliable as New Yorkism: the outsized place that news happening in America's media capital gets in the national discussion. While home to an impressively large 6 percent of the nation's population, the New York metropolitan area definitely gets more than its fair share of coverage thanks to being the home to the two largest newspapers in the country and the headquarters of every broadcast news division. So it has been with the coverage of New York's mayoral election, which, aside from being easy and interesting to cover for big-time journos, has featured a great deal of drama: A surprising primary win by telegenic socialist Zohran Mamdani, who disrupted former Gov. Andrew Cuomo 's comeback bid. It's got ideological polarization, allegations of antisemitism, personal attacks, the always-wild incumbent Eric Adams and a guy with signature headwear. But what New York doesn't seem to have right now is a very competitive race. With less than 12 weeks to go, Mamdani seems to have not only weathered the initial backlash after his surprise victory but established himself as the nearly prohibitive front-runner. A new Siena University poll shows Mamdani up 19 points over Cuomo, 32 points over Republican Curtis Sliwa and 37 points ahead of Adams. There is still a considerable chunk of undecided voters or supporters of candidates even more marginal than Adams, but even with ranked choice voting, it doesn't look like much of a race. If Cuomo was the second choice of every Adams and Sliwa voter — which he won't be — and none of the undecided came in for Mamdani — which some of them will — it would only be a tie in an automatic runoff. Woof. The good news for Cuomo here is that Adams is far below the viability threshold and that 7 percent could become just a point or two as voters conclude he isn't a serious contender. The former governor has time to change the race, but that's a tall order when you're such a well-defined quantity in voter's minds. He can't sneak up on anybody the way Mamdani could in the primary. So what about the races not in New York, particularly across the river in New Jersey and down in Virginia. While New York City's electorate and issues bear little resemblance to the broader nation, here are a couple of medium-sized states with populations that end up looking a great deal like the broad, national electorate the parties will confront in next year's midterms. Let's start next door in New Jersey, where Republicans are hoping that suburbanites' backlash against Mamdani's perceived radicalism will work in their favor. New Jersey Republicans also have a tried and tested candidate in Jack Ciattarelli, a former state assembly member who came within 3 points of unseating incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy four years ago. But Democrats have a good horse in the race too, having picked moderate, four-term Rep. Mikie Sherrill to succeed the term-limited Murphy. Republicans are getting excited because in two polls since the general election was set in June, Ciattarelli has been within 8 points and 6 points of the Democratic front-runner. Given that Ciattarelli closed a much wider gap to make the race competitive with Murphy in 2021, this sounds like a possible winner for Republicans. But we should note the significant differences between then and now: Murphy was bogged down by the unpopularity of his aggressive COVID restrictions and voters were growing increasingly frustrated with the ineffectual and left-leaning Biden administration. Local man Donald Trump wasn't really in the picture. Now much of that has been reversed. Those same polls show that Trump is even more unpopular than Murphy in New Jersey and voters looking to send a message of change will be voting for the blue team and not the red. Neither candidate has huge statewide name identification but neither seems obviously defective, so this will probably function more like a generic ballot test than a clash of personalities. And that's what has New Jersey Democrats feeling, as the saying goes, 'nauseously optimistic.' In Virginia, the nausea is all on the GOP side, where Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is trying to become the first Republican to hold the governor's mansion for her party in consecutive terms since 1998 as she seeks to succeed Gov. Glenn Youngkin. For an idea of how that's working out, the state's police union took the unusual step of endorsing Earle-Sears's Democratic opponent, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, before endorsing every other Republican candidate for statewide office. There are snubs, and then there are snubs … There's cross river context in Virginia, too. In Washington, D.C., across the Potomac, President Trump is taking over the police and bulldozing homeless encampments as he denounces crime and disorder. Spanberger, though, made a strenuous point about maintaining a tough-on-crime stance and shunning 'defund the police' rhetoric in her time in Congress. But other than on law-and-order issues, everything else Trump is doing to the race is negative for his party in Virginia. Mass federal firings, culture war shenanigans and increasingly broad immigration enforcement measures are all liabilities in a state that relies on federal paychecks, has among the most college-educated electorates in the country and a large and growing Hispanic population. That leaves Earle-Sears in a tricky spot when it comes to the leader of her party, who has at least so far done her the favor of not publicly endorsing her or threatening to campaign for her. There has not been a ton of polling in the race, but the little that we have shows Spanberger, who enjoys a massive fundraising advantage, in something of a boat race. She's up 14 points in a Virginia Commonwealth University poll with an electorate that has a pretty favorable view of Youngkin and a pretty poor view of Trump. Again, almost 12 weeks is a long time, but without a change in the race soon, this one will fall out of reach for Republicans before the first day of fall. Holy croakano! We welcome your feedback, so please email us with your tips, corrections, reactions, amplifications, etc. at WHOLEHOGPOLITICS@ If you'd like to be considered for publication, please include your real name and hometown. If you don't want your comments to be made public, please specify. NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION Trump Job Performance Average Approval: 43 percent Average Disapproval: 53.2 percent Net Score: -10.2 points Change from last week: No change Change from one month ago: ↑ 2.2 points [ Average includes: CNBC 46 percent approve – 51 percent disapprove; Ipsos/Reuters 40 percent approve – 56 percent disapprove; Emerson 46 percent approve – 47 percent disapprove; Fox News 46 percent approve – 54 percent disapprove; Gallup 37 percent approve – 58 percent disapprove] More Americans choose not to booze Do you have occasion to use alcoholic beverages such as liquor, wine or beer, or are you a total abstainer? Yes, drink; No, total abstainer 2021: 60 percent; 39 percent 2022: 67 percent; 33 percent 2025: 54 percent; 44 percent [Gallup survey of 1,002 adults, July 7-21, 2025] ON THE SIDE: HAYDN IN PLAIN SIGHT The New York Times: 'For the last decade, the classical pianist Hunter Noack has been embarking on an unusual journey: He hauls a thousand-pound 1912 Steinway concert grand piano to places in the outdoors not known for hosting concerts. Picture a man seated at a piano beside a lake. It could also be on a mountaintop, in a forest or meadow. … 'I get excited at the idea of bringing a piano where no piano has gone before,' Noack said. … The concerts are held rain or shine, hot or cold. (The temperature during concerts has ranged from subfreezing to above 100 degrees.) Among the notable locales where Noack has played are the entrance to Yellowstone (via the Roosevelt Arch in Montana), Joshua Tree National Park in California, Crater Lake in southern Oregon and Banff National Park in Canada. … Among other wildlife that made appearances were free-range horses, birds and deer.' PRIME CUTS Newsom plows ahead with redistricting, frames move as temporary: ABC News: 'California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he is moving forward with putting proposed new congressional maps for the state on the ballot on a Nov. 4 special election in an attempt to counter mid-decade redistricting being pushed by Republicans in Texas. … He said the state government will affirm its commitment to the state's independent redistricting commission after the 2030 census, 'but we're asking the voters for their consent to do midterm redistricting in 2026, 2028 and 2030 for the congressional maps to respond to what's happening in Texas … and we'll do so in a way that also affirms our desire as a state to level the playing field all across the United States.'' ICE puts a chill on the event: KTLA: 'Federal agents were in attendance as Gov. Gavin Newsom took to downtown Los Angeles Thursday to promote his redistricting plan. Newsom, who has proposed changing California's congressional districts to offset a similar action by Republican-controlled Texas, spoke at the Japanese American National Museum. Just outside in the Little Tokyo area, however, about 100 federal agents gathered, presumably for another immigration raid.' A muddled race for California governor: WHTM: 'New polling in the California Governor's race shows Katie Porter (D) and Steve Hilton (R) leading the field after former Vice President Kamala Harris decided not to enter the race. The survey showed the former congresswoman Porter leading the field with 18% with a six-point bump since April. Hilton, a media personality and former British policy advisor, received 12% in his first appearance in the Emerson College Polling survey. Former Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco (R) received 7%, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) received 5%, and businessman Rick Caruso (D) received 4% in the Emerson College Polling survey. Thirty-eight percent of voters polled were undecided in the race, down from 54% in April when Harris had not yet announced her intentions to stay out of the race. … Voters were largely split on Newsom's plan to potentially redraw congressional districts in response to Texas, with 33% of California voters favoring a redraw, 25% opposed, and 42% undecided.' Kounalakis ditches race to succeed Newsom: KCRA: ' Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis has dropped out of the 2026 governor's race and is instead running for another state office … Kounalakis' campaign website now has multiple references across her page that indicate she is now running to become the state treasurer.' Brown tries again, banking on Ohio midterm swing: The New York Times: 'Former Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio plans to try to return to the Senate in 2026, giving the Democratic Party a strong recruit in its effort to take back control of the chamber next year, according to three people with knowledge of his decision. Mr. Brown, who served in the Senate for three terms until his defeat in 2024, immediately becomes the Democratic front-runner to face Senator Jon Husted, a freshman Republican whom Gov. Mike DeWine appointed to fill the vacancy created by JD Vance 's elevation to the vice presidency. … In the Senate race, Mr. Husted is seeking to win the remainder of Mr. Vance's term. Whoever wins will need to face voters again in 2028 to secure a full six-year term. … Republicans currently hold a 53-47 Senate majority, and Mr. Vance serves as a tiebreaking vote, meaning Democrats must flip four seats to regain control of the chamber.' Maine Dems, weary of waiting on Gov. Janet Mills, ready challenges to Collins: The Washington Post: 'Sen. Susan Collins is, by far, the most vulnerable Republican senator facing voters next year. And yet, Democrats are grumbling about the campaign against her, with many waiting — somewhat begrudgingly — to see if Maine Gov. Janet Mills will challenge the five-term incumbent. … Mills is currently the only elected Democrat in Maine with a proven ability to win statewide. … She is viewed in Maine as a centrist Democrat. … While some Democrats see Mills as their best shot at defeating Collins, it's not clear what the governor herself wants to do. … There was some hope among national Democrats that Rep. Jared Golden would challenge Collins, but he declined to run for Senate and is instead running for reelection. Ryan Fecteau, the speaker of the Maine House, and Cathy Breen, a former state senator, are both considering a possible bid, Democrats tell us. … And Aaron Frey, the attorney general of Maine, is likely to get in if Mills does not run.' Crunching the numbers on North Carolina Senate: DDHQ: '[A] look at the aggregate U.S. House vote in North Carolina [in 2024] suggests the state could shift to the left sufficiently for Democrats to win in a state that Trump carried by about 3 points in 2024. … Yet the less right-leaning 2024 result does not necessarily augur that Democrats can count on North Carolina to shift their way if the nation does. This is because North Carolina is generally one of the more 'inelastic' states in U.S. elections — that is, its electorate tends to move less in response to swings in the national electoral environment. That's partly because of racial polarization: North Carolina's white voters have a clear Republican lean while the state's sizable base of Black voters — about one-fifth of the electorate, second to only Georgia in magnitude among swing states — are overwhelmingly Democratic. In terms of its party allegiances, this makes North Carolina's electorate 'stickier' year-in and year-out.' SHORT ORDER Freedom Caucus stalwart jumps in race to succeed [ Tommy ] Tuberville in Alabama — The Hill Poll shows [ Elise ] Stefanik way behind but gaining on Hochul for NY governor — The Hill Effort to unseat Sen. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina primary narrows to a mega MAGA stalwart — The Hill Georgia AG files suit to block his rival in gubernatorial run from self-funding — AP Chip Roy, long a thorn in House leadership's side, eyes Texas AG run — The Hill DeSantis, frozen out by state GOP, may be grooming successor with Lt. Gov. pick — AP Warning signs for Republicans with Hispanic voters — Liberal Patriot 2028 Watch: [ Ruben ] Gallego wraps Iowa visit, on to New Hampshire — The Hill TABLE TALK: MAGA MIRAGE 'All of the candidates in the race think they're the Trump candidate.' — Alex Stroman, former South Carolina GOP executive director, on the increasingly nasty race for governor in the Palmetto State, which includes Rep. Nancy Mace and state Attorney General Alan Wilson. MAILBAG 'I believe that, as long as there are people interested in politics and outcomes, there will be gerrymandering. The real current problem concerning it is there is not a level playing field for the two opposing parties. Redistricting commissions get in the way in too many big Democratic-controlled states and they need to be undone. Some people think that having such commissions staffed by independent people everywhere would be the cure. I disagree. Where are you going to find competent independent people who truly don't care about outcomes? The moon? If you add 218 or however many extra people to the House of Representatives, where are they going to sit? Will committee hearings and floor votes all be conducted via Zoom?' — Ken Stevens, Columbia, Md. Mr. Stevens, I tend to agree with you about the necessity of understanding redistricting for what it is: an exercise of political power. I am sure that those folks who live in places like your hometown in the Baltimore burbs feel that most intensely as it relates to Democrats in urban centers, while those who live in an urban center in a red state, say, Nashville, would experience it most acutely from the other direction. It would be better if state legislators cared more about designing districts that provided the best, most stable, most convenient districts for their constituents and less about obtaining partisan advantage. But if Old Bay didn't have paprika in it, it wouldn't stain your fingers when you picked crabs. It's just the way of things. And impartial commissions don't ultimately solve the problem because each map involves subjective decisionmaking, in which competing goods must be balanced. Is it more essential for a district to be compact or to contain voters of a similar socioeconomic or cultural situation? What about precedent? Should longstanding districts be maintained even when the population changes? All are worthwhile considerations, but often in conflict. Vesting that power in the hands of commissions insulates those decisionmakers from the voting public. There is a great deal to be said for having experts craft potential maps from which lawmakers can choose. I think a system in which lawmakers assigned the work of drafting four or five maps and then holding hearings before voting strikes me as a good compromise. But the most direct way to deal with gerrymandering is, I believe, expanding the House of Representatives so that the consequences of any single gerrymandering would be much smaller. It would also create more competitive, swing districts regardless of the best efforts of the gerrymanderers. As for what to do with another 218 members of the House, Washington Post columnist Danielle Allen asked architects to take a stab at how to accommodate new members and some of the results were, frankly, pretty cool, particularly putting the House 'in the round.' All best, c 'When I ran for Congress back in 2002, there were about 625,000 people in the district, but it only took about 15,000 votes to win the Republican Primary, and since it was a pretty red district, the winner of the primary was a shoo-in in November. That needs to end, since it essentially means the 'tail is wagging' the dog. I think Congress should go back to the old ways and pick a number, be it 100,000, 200,000, 250,000, whatever … and then however many districts that creates is how many it creates, so be it. As the population grows, the number of Representatives will grow. I'm envisioning at least 2,000 or more Representatives and growing. … On the other hand, people will complain that the Capitol can't hold that many representatives, to that I say. … Why have Congress meet in Washington at all? Remote voting should be allowed. Why not just have them all do one huge video conference?' — Dave Kovatch, Rhodelia, Ky. Mr. Kovatch, Whoa, whoa, whoa! I love your enthusiasm, but that's a lot of lawmakers. We want for members of Congress to be able to reason together and experience a little unit cohesion. The House should be for exercising political competition within itself but also against the Senate, the states, the judiciary and, most essentially, the executive. Thousands of lawmakers connected virtually with one and other strikes me as a recipe for increased factionalism and an even greater degree of partisan capture. Ideally, lawmakers come to town and develop both expertise and relationships as they serve. At the end of three terms in the House, we'd hope to see members who have developed mastery of subjects and of the legislative process. Committee assignments should be consequential because committees should be powerful. I think that can be accommodated while growing the House by 50 percent, but not in a world where the members never have to leave the comfort of their home offices. In fact, I'd also like to ditch the housing allowance and build dormitory housing for lawmakers while they are in town. All best, c You should email us! Write to WHOLEHOGPOLITICS@ with your tips, kudos, criticisms, insights, rediscovered words, wonderful names, recipes, and, always, good jokes. Please include your real name — at least first and last — and hometown. Make sure to let us know in the email if you want to keep your submission private. My colleague, the personable Meera Sehgal, and I will look for your emails and then share the most interesting ones and my responses here. Clickety clack! FOR DESSERT: GRITTY WOULD HAVE STOOD HIS GROUND AP: '[Pro hockey team] Seattle Kraken forward John Hayden and the team's blue-haired troll mascot had a close call with a brown bear during a promotional video shoot in Alaska. Hayden and the mascot named Buoy were on a fly-fishing outing in Katmai National Park as part of a trip promoting youth hockey when the bear approached, video released by the team shows. Knee-deep in a shallow river, they wore waders and other fly-fishing gear. Hayden had been fishing, but a guide quickly took the rod from him. The bear charged toward the mascot, splashing water, but turned away before making contact as Hayden, Buoy and the film crew waded back to shore through a gentle current. … The NHL team said it didn't intend to involve the bear in filming, but included it in a video posted to social media. … 'I want to blame it on Buoy,' Hayden said on the video afterward. 'They were pretty interested in his look.'' Chris Stirewalt is the politics editor for The Hill and NewsNation, the host of 'The Hill Sunday' on NewsNation and The CW, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the author of books on politics and the media. Meera Sehgal contributed to this report.
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Emerson College Poll shows how Texas voters feel about redistricting, Senate race
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas voters have mixed opinions on the state's attempt to redraw congressional maps, according to new poll data from Emerson College on Friday. Pollsters asked 1,000 voters 'Do you support or oppose the proposal to redraw Texas' congressional map ahead of the 2026 Midterm Elections?' In total, 36% of respondents support the plan while 38% oppose it. The remaining (26%) said they were unsure. House Democrats announce they will conditionally return this weekend A majority of the 491 Republican respondents (58%) said they support the move. Just 12% said they opposed the attempt. Between the two, nearly a third of respondents said they were unsure. Democrats who responded to the poll said they largely oppose redistricting (70%), but 15% of Democratic respondents said they support it. The 'unsure' margin was approximately 16%. Respondents who weren't registered with either party had mixed responses — 43% opposed, 33% weren't sure, and 24% supported. Republican voters appear split between Sen. John Cornyn (30%) and primary challenger Ken Paxton (29%), with most saying they're still undecided (37%). 'Ballot tests' in the poll compared support for both candidates against Democratic candidate Colin Allred. Against Allred, both had around 45% support; however, a higher share of respondents said they would vote for Allred if Paxton were the candidate. As for voters' top issues, 30% said the economy, 20% said immigration and 15% said 'threats to democracy.' By party, Democrats were the most concerned about those 'threats' (31%) while a small minority of Republican respondents (3%, within the poll's margin of error) were. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Politico
25 minutes ago
- Politico
Illinois GOP makes Pritzker the foil
TGIF, Illinois. We are corn-dogged out. TOP TALKER SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Republicans pledged loyalty to Donald Trump, his agenda and his Texas allies' plan for redistricting during their rally at the Illinois State Fair on Thursday. And there was a lot of talk of unity, too. Party leaders framed the Texas standoff as a lesson in Democratic hypocrisy, pointing to Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker as an architect of Illinois' own aggressively partisan congressional map. The GOP officials also defended Trump's megabill, saying it will help the state grow. And don't believe what Democrats tell you about Medicaid cuts, they said. Big quote: 'Illegal immigrants should not be on the rolls of our Medicaid. They shouldn't be in the state. The governor should repeal sanctuary [status]. Our budget problems would go away,' Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie said. Behind the fiery speeches, there were some cracks in the show of unity. U.S. Reps. Mike Bost, Darin LaHood and Mary Miller were no-shows at the annual event. And Republicans still don't have a firm line-up of who will run for the statewide offices. What we do know: DuPage County Sheriff Jim Mendrick is an announced governor candidate, and policy expert Ted Dabrowski and Cook County GOP Chair Aaron Del Mar are getting campaigns in place. All three are trying to firm up strong donor support, hoping megadonor Dick Uihlein supports a campaign. 'I'm really excited about some of the names that I see that are going to come in this election cycle,' said state GOP Party Chair Kathy Salvi. Other highlights: Texas GOP Chair Abraham George headlined the morning breakfast at the Bank of Springfield Center. He got in some good digs at the Texas Democrats who are holing up in Illinois to avoid a vote on redistricting. George said he's usually just fine with Democrats leaving Texas, but this time, he'd like them back in Austin. Speaking of Texas: Gov. Greg Abbott made an appearance via video, defending his redistricting plan and promising to keep calling special sessions 'until we get these maps passed.' And Rhonda Belford, the GOP's national committeewoman, talked about the work she's doing to get the party to focus more on policy than personality — and she sang the Star Spangled Banner at a later barbecue, too. A sidenote: One observer noted this was the first GOP rally that didn't poke at former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Time marches on. RELATED Illinois Republicans call it the 'golden age' of America, by Lee Enterprises' Brendan Moore Illinois GOP rallies around Trump, but internal infighting continues, by the Tribune's Rick Pearson and Jeremy Gorner Illinois Republicans address in-fighting, strategy ahead of 2026 midterms, by the State Journal-Register's Tom Ackerman Texas GOP chair calls Illinois a winnable 'purple state,' by Capitol News' Peter Hancock THE BUZZ TEXAS TWO-STEP: After nearly two weeks in Illinois, the Texas Democrats who are trying to stall a GOP-backed redistricting plan, signaled they're going back home. 'We're prepared to bring this battle back to Texas under the right conditions and to take this fight to the courts,' Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu said in a statement. President Barack Obama spoke to the Democrats via Zoom earlier in the day, offering them encouragement and reminding them that they are part of a larger effort. 'He said we're 'passing the baton' and that we've 'run a good first leg,'' indicating it's now up to California voters to possibly counter Texas' plans for redistricting, said Texas state Rep. Ramón Romero Jr., chair of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus. The headlines: Obama praises Texas Democrats amid redistricting furor, by Liz Crampton, Andrew Howard and your Playbook host Leaked chart reveals winners and losers in California's Democratic gerrymander, by POLITICO's Melanie Mason and Jeremy B. White OPINION: Why ranked choice is the best cure for gerrymandering, by Thomas C. Bowen in the Tribune If you are Barack Obama, Playbook would like to hear from you! Email: skapos@ WHERE'S JB No official public events WHERE's BRANDON No official public events Where's Toni At the Cook County Building at 12:30 to launch Project Rainbow's Back-to-School Bookmark Design Contest Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or a (gasp!) complaint? Email skapos@ BUSINESS OF POLITICS — Past his term's midpoint, Mayor Johnson's job approval rating stands at 26 percent, survey shows: 'Chicagoans are disenchanted with Brandon Johnson no matter where they live, how old they are, what race they are or how much money they earn,' by the Sun-Times' Fran Spielman. — Three veteran political reporters talk about covering politics, via CBS 2 — Endorsing: José 'Che-Che' Wilson, a public health and LGBTQ+ rights advocate, is out with endorsements in his run for Cook County Commission in the 12th District. Among them: Chicago Alds. Ruth Cruz (30th) and Lamont Robinson (4th) and former Illinois House Majority Leader Greg Harris. Full list here — Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek is running for the open seat for the State Central Committeewoman for the 10th Congressional District. Banek is also a nurse and U.S. Army Reserve veteran. Here's her launch video THE STATEWIDES — Pritzker signs union protection bills amid Trump war on federal unions: 'The signing comes after the Federal Emergency Management Agency joined at least three other federal agencies in canceling contracts with unions to comply with President Trump's March executive order that stripped many federal workers of union protections,' by the Sun-Times' Tina Sfondeles. — New law seeks to coordinate human trafficking response in Illinois: 'Gov. Pritzker signed the law on Wednesday. It mandates 'victim-centered' training and better coordination among law enforcement, state agencies,' by the Sun-Times' Sophie Sherry and WBEZ's Mawa Iqbal. CHICAGO — CPS board rebuffs budget plan from school district leaders: 'A pension payment and loan must be in this year's budget, 11 of 21 board members stated in a letter sent to the interim CEO of Chicago Public Schools. They were not in the CEO's budget released Wednesday,' by WBEZ's Sarah Karp and the Sun-Times' Fran Spielman. MORE: A majority of CPS board members urge schools chief to include the loan and pension payment, by Chalkbeat's Reema Amin — Top Mexican defense lawyer on Chicago's key role in fentanyl trade, Mexico president's fight against cartels: 'Ilan Katz, president of the Mexican Bar Foundation, credits President Claudia Sheinbaum for a 'seismic shift' in efforts to contain drug-trafficking and says battling fentanyl is essential to Chicago,' by the Sun-Times' Frank Main. — Will the Uptown Theatre ever reopen? Historic movie palace turns 100 amid latest revival effort: 'The Uptown Theatre has sat vacant for 44 of its 100 years. Efforts to reopen it have come and gone. A new effort carries a $190 million price tag, with funding yet to be secured. 'Uptown is missing its crown jewel,' its owner said,' by Block Club's Mack Liederman and Madison Savedra. — Jack in the Box returns to Chicago after 40 years with long lines, but no clown drive-thru, by the Tribune's Robert Channick COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS — Cook County public health head fired for not renewing medical license, by the Tribune's A.D. Quig — Homelessness report highlights urgent housing needs in Kane County, by the Daily Herald's Rick West — Schaumburg's Septemberfest grounds adapting to village hall construction, by the Daily Herald's Eric Peterson Reader Digest We asked for a fun fact about Illinois culture that everyone should know. Bob Kieckhefer: 'So many 'world capitals'. It's the capital of milk (Harvard), petroleum (Oilfield), pumpkins (Morton), purple martins (Griggsville), white squirrels (Olney), barbed wire (Waterman) and cheezeborgers (Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago). Of course, the most important is our agri-culture.' Robert Barry: 'Illinois is the largest producer of coal after Wyoming and Kentucky. Southern Illinois is coal country, as illustrated by the Old King Coal Festival held each year in West Frankfort.' Kathy Posner: 'Illinois is considered the birthplace of the modern skyscraper, starting with the Home Insurance Building, completed in Chicago in 1885.' Ed Mazur: 'If you drive from the Wisconsin border on the north to the Kentucky border of Illinois on the South — and observe the speed limits— it is a 9 hour drive.' Janice Anderson: 'Abraham Lincoln's nickname was Honest Abe and he was a career politician and attorney. Tough act to follow for current Illinois politicians.' Scott Burgh: 'Illinois played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement and has strong ties to Abraham Lincoln.' Josef Michael Carr Jr.: 'Chicago, Illinois, is the birthplace of House music.' Mark Huddle: 'Peoria is the home of the Peoria Riverfront Museum, which is the finest multidisciplinary museum in the state, and probably the country.' Dennis Johnson: 'The diversity within our body politic.' Michael Kreloff: 'Baseball fans can root for the White Sox or for the Cubs, but never both. (Unless you live south of I-80 and follow the Cards.) It's still Marshall Field's. And it's pop, never soda.' NEXT QUESTION: Who's an Illinois celebrity you'd like to see gathering petition signatures? THE NATIONAL TAKE — Democrats squint and see chances at a Senate majority, by POLITICO's Holly Otterbein and Nicholas Wu — The 'kingmaker': Trump relishes his diplomacy as he jockeys for Nobel prize, by POLITICO's Jake Traylor — The one thing Trump wants out of his meeting with Putin, by POLITICO's Eli Stokols — Congress is lukewarm on RFK Jr.'s plans. In the states, they're catching fire, by POLITICO's Amanda Chu TRANSITIONS — Kimbriell Kelly named editor-in-chief at Sun-Times, WBEZ: 'A Pulitzer Prize winner, Kelly has a background in investigative reporting. She will succeed Jennifer Kho, who will work on a project dealing with the future of public media, and will be the Sun-Times' first Black editor-in-chief,' by the Sun-Times' David Roeder. — Aaron Kuecker has been named CEO of Hope Chicago, starting Sept. 15. He was president of Trinity Christian College and succeeds founding CEO Janice Jackson. More in Crain's — Janice Jackson is taking on an executive in residence position at The Vistria Group, where she'll study with the firm's Edmentum education technology business. She'll participate in the program in conjunction with her new role as executive director of Aspen Institute's education and society program. EVENTS — Aug. 21: Pastor Corey Brooks headlines the Lowden Day Dinner for the Ogle County GOP. Details here TRIVIA THURSDAY's ANSWER: Congrats to Tweed Thornton for correctly answering that Sidney Yates served 48 years, the longest non-consecutive tenure of any Illinois member of Congress. TODAY's QUESTION: How long was the Battle of Fort Dearborn? Email to: skapos@ HAPPY BIRTHDAY Today: Former Congresswoman Judy Biggert, lobbyist and former state Rep. Steven Andersson, CME Group Chair and CEO Terry Duffy, ComEd CEO Gil Quiniones, 2Civility Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager Julia Roundtree Livingston, Chicago Mahogany Tours CEO Shermann 'Dilla' Thomas and grassroots activist and loyal Playbooker Bill Hogan Saturday: former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, Illinois Appellate Court Judge Cynthia Cobbs, former Ald. Walter Burnett Jr., former state Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, Illinois Teachers' Retirement System Public Relations Director Janelle Gurnsey, Bally's Chicago VP of Community Engagement Monica Scott, BNSF Railway government affairs exec Peter Skosey, Illinois Department of Central Management Services Digital Content Manager Valeria Ruiz and Joffrey Ballet Artistic Director Ashley Wheater Sunday: State Rep. Michelle Mussman, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Pat Stanton, Chicago Board of Elections Public Information Director Max Bever, Chicago House nonprofit CEO Michael Herman, nonprofit consultant and former congressional aide Daniel Penchina, former United Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek and former Paul Simon Policy Institute Director Mike Lawrence -30-
