Utter incompetence. If I had a kid in the military, the news that @realDonaldTrumps entire top team discussed secret Houthi war plans on a messaging app with an unvetted journalist is beyond worrisome. Someone needs to pay.

.Amanda Vinicky is named VP of Comms for Intersect Illinois

Jenner & Block must stand strong at a moment of peril, for it and the country. Donald J. Trump tinyurl.com/yshwnepk

.Senator Dick Durbin's decision to hang it up looks like the first act in a wholesale generational shift at the top of Illinois politics. See who's in -- and who wants to be in. tinyurl.com/ms8d4dkn

Does Springfield have the political will to help RTA Chicago, @CTA and Metra avoid looming financial cliff. And do the transit folks have the smarts to do what's needed to get help? tinyurl.com/mr3nt4w9

Biz-backed group hoping to clean house at City Hall raises $10M -- more than a year and a half before the city elections. Helloooo Mayor Brandon Johnson and City Council Socialists. tinyurl.com/357faxh3

And another one hangs it up. Cong. Jan Schakowsky to retire after a quarter century representing the North Side's 9th District. Biiiig generational change under way in Illinois politics.

Lifting the veil: How Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi became the biiiiig financial leader in the race to succeed Senator Dick Durbin . tinyurl.com/2ew8tau5

Now the real question: Is PopeLeoXIV, a. Chicago native, a @WhiteSox or Chicago Cubs fan? If he can answer that one without ruffling feathers he truly is a diplomat from above

How much is too much? As cost of @CTAs Red Line South extension soars to near $6B -- a billion bucks a mile -- new questions about whether there's a cheaper way to serve the southland without crippling cash-short CTA with big debt. tinyurl.com/y6yatepw

.@CTA's Red Line South fiasco proves the need for true transit reform in pending Springfield rescue package. We gotta do better than $1.1B a mile. tinyurl.com/4635bjdz

Incomplete; that's the grade Illinois lawmakers get after a spring session that failed to pass lots of key stuff, including @CTA reform and refunding, and energy plan needed to protect our economy. Will Governor JB Pritzker step up to the plate? tinyurl.com/3ymc7cef

JoeMansueto sends a message to Jerry Reinsdorf and George McCaskey: If you want to build a stadium fast with minimal fuss, Use Your Own Money. Chicago Fire FC Chicago Bears Chicago White Sox tinyurl.com/4k2uzvft

Pain builds -- on both sides -- as Donald J. Trump eyes Chicago for next wave of his immigrant crackdown. Who will blink first? tinyurl.com/bddn5ws5

Why Republicans stand to suffer pain, too, as Donald J. Trump begins to aim his immigrant crackdown on Chicago. Will he blink? tinyurl.com/bddn5ws5

President Rahm? Rahm Emanuel talks about what hes up to as he confirms he's pondering a race for the White House. Read it here. tinyurl.com/3rxmnn3m

Fix Illinois' lagging economy. That's Governor JB Pritzker's best path to a third term in Springfield -- and for a real shot at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. tinyurl.com/2v9d3b3z

Cook County property-tax bills delayed again. Second half bills may not be due until Halloween -- or later. What's behind this big mess. And what will be the political impact? tinyurl.com/5n6vrk57

Congressional hopeful Daniel Biss touts new endorsements from Cook County Treasurer #MariaPappas and her Lake County counterpart, #HollyKim

Congressional hopeful Daniel Biss touts endorsements from two county treasurers, Cook's #MariaPappas and Lake's #HollyKim. .