Democrats react to SCOTUS voting rights ruling: The Rundown
Good afternoon! It’s Thursday, and I may join the internet in watching baby eagles on a live cam. Here’s what you need to know today.
Former President Barack Obama and key Illinois Democrats, including Gov. JB Pritzker and Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, are condemning yesterday’s decision to dilute a Voting Rights Act provision, which is likely to lead to redistricting across the country and could help Republicans continue to control the U.S. House of Representatives.
The high court struck down a majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana, weakening a Civil Rights-era law aimed at increasing minority representation in Congress and elsewhere. In the 6-3 ruling, the court’s majority found the Louisiana district represented by Democrat Cleo Fields relied too heavily on race. Justice Samuel Alito called the map “an unconstitutional gerrymander.”
The ruling will likely impact elections in 2028, since many filing deadlines for this year’s elections have passed, including in Illinois. Louisiana may have to change its redistricting plan to comply with the ruling, however.
Pritzker, who said last year that Illinois would fight back if Republican states had opted to redistrict midcycle, emphasized the massive impact the decision will have on the country. The Democratic governor has said that any redistricting in Indiana could trigger a remap in Illinois.
Though criticizing the court, Obama also expressed some optimism: “The good news is that such setbacks can be overcome. But that will only happen if citizens across the country who cherish our democratic ideals continue to mobilize and vote in record numbers — not just in the upcoming midterms or in high-profile races, but in every election and every level.” [Chicago Sun-Times]
2. The Chicago cop gravely wounded in the Swedish Hospital shooting has shown signs of improvement
The officer shot in the face during the same hospital ambush that killed his partner is showing progress, Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara told the Chicago Sun-Times yesterday.
“There has been some positive physical reactions from the officer in the hospital. I don’t want to say alertness, but I was informed that he was breathing on his own for a little while yesterday. That’s a positive sign,” Catanzara said. “He did seem to have some reaction to conversation around him yesterday. So those are all [reasons to] keep praying and hope for the best, positive signs that he comes out of this on the other side, positively.”
Catanzara described the wounded officer’s injuries as “kind of a double tragedy” because he was in what should have been the closing chapter of his policing career.
“When you’re thinking about retirement and counting the next phase of your life, and then this kind of befalls you, it’s a tragedy on a different level,” Catanzara said. “Because you’re so close to the finish line, so to speak, and you didn’t get there — or at least not in the shape you thought you were gonna get there.” [Chicago Sun-Times]
Today, prosecutors said the man accused in the shooting robbed an Albany Park dollar store and fled on a scooter earlier the same day. Prosecutors still haven’t said how he got a gun into the hospital despite being searched after his arrest. [Chicago Sun-Times]
When videos emerged of immigrant men running from federal immigration agents last fall, Patricia Gamboa was flooded with memories of fleeing agents herself as a little girl.
Gamboa was 6 when she and her family crossed the border from Tijuana into California in the mid-1980s, guided by a “coyote” who warned them to run if they saw “La Migra.” She remembers hiding from immigration agents in a ditch, where she fell asleep. Her family eventually found its way to Chicago.
Gamboa, 49, is now a U.S. citizen living in Oak Brook. She was shocked to see immigrants running for their lives amid Operation Midway Blitz, President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation campaign, last October. She felt the best way to help families afraid to leave their homes was by delivering food and supplies to their doors. The need was so great that she felt inspired to start a nonprofit that would continue to support them.
With her younger self in mind, she launched Mano a Mano Unidos, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting immigrants and families in need. The organization, now headquartered in her office in suburban Berwyn, has grown to about 40 volunteers who donate their time to help families with anything from grocery runs to rides to doctor appointments. They also accept donations to help families pay medical bills, rent or moving fees. [Chicago Sun-Times]
4. Obama Presidential Center Museum tickets go on sale May 6
The Obama Center will announce the exact time that sales will open in the near future, my colleague Erica Thompson reports. Museum entry is time-ticketed, and guests will be able to select the date and time they’d like to visit, though Nov. 30.
A $30 general admission ticket lets you explore the multiple floors of exhibits and attractions, including the replica Oval Office. That price is comparable to some of the top museums in the city, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum of Natural History and the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.
There will be an invitation-only grand opening ceremony on June 18 that can be livestreamed at obama.org and on the Obama Foundation’s social media accounts. The museum will open to the public on June 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Located at 6001 S. Stony Island Ave. in Jackson Park, the Obama Presidential Center campus will be open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, while the museum will be open 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. [Chicago Sun-Times]
5. Do you love this restaurant idea enough to invest? Gilda is testing the waters in West Town
Through a loyalty program built on community investment, customers who donate any amount earn discounts and perks once the 44-seater opens on June 1, WBEZ food contributor Maggie Hennessy reports.
Chef and partner Jeremy Leven estimated opening Gilda will cost between $120,000 (“pinching every penny”) and $180,000 (“comfortable”), but the Compañero (“buddy” in Spanish) card is a key example of how the team is trying to close a funding gap. So far, the effort appears to be paying off: Having raised more than 82% of its $20,000 goal, the restaurant’s owners hope the card builds early regulars and encourages consumer appreciation for small, independent spots.
Their experiment will be closely watched in an era that increasingly favors the corporate-backed and deep-pocketed — and in a year where several local independent restaurateurs have closed, citing shaky industry economics.
“If you have a ton of money, you can throw money at your problems,” said Leven, who’s opening Gilda alongside fellow chef-partners Rafael Esparza and Anthony Baier. “If you don’t, you have to be strategic. Maybe we’re delusional or old school, but we’re betting that a community-based model and way of thinking can still succeed in the restaurant industry.” [WBEZ]
Here’s what else is happening
- The U.S. House approved a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security and end the longest shutdown in the agency’s history. [AP]
- Oil prices hit a four-year high as the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz shows no end in sight. [New York Times]
- Despite soaring energy prices, the U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 2% in January, February and March — a significant improvement from the previous quarter. [NPR]
- Doctors are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to record patient visits. [New York Times]
Oh, and one more thing …
The iconic Uptown Poetry Slam is practically etched in stone on the Green Mill calendar, WBEZ contributor Ari Mejia writes. But this month’s edition featured a particularly special performance from Chicago’s new poet laureate, South Side native Mayda Del Valle.
The first poem spoke to the experience of Puerto Rican immigration, with the repetition of every line beginning with “We came.” The crowd cheered as she ended and then introduced her next poem, about language, with the classic slam-style rhythmic expression. The poem expressed coming back home: “Why you talk like that? Or the etymology of, ‘Where are you really from?’”
Her next two poems were about her father, the first on him being a South Side White Sox fan and the next about becoming his caretaker due to Alzheimer’s disease.
Del Valle, a singer-songwriter, peppered her soulful Spanish singing between the verses of the poem about her father. “ His health really started to decline in November ... and I was sitting in the living room with him one day and I was just kind of watching him sleep in his recliner and I just kind of started hearing a song,” she told the crowd.
You can listen on Spotify or Apple.
Tell me something good …
Chicago has no shortage of music events throughout the year. So I’m wondering, what is your favorite annual concert or festival?
Pauline writes:
“I love the suburbs’ summer concerts. My personal favorite coverband is Kashmir.”
Jeff writes:
“The Chicago Blues Festival is the highlight of my summer. One highlight of this year’s fest (June 4-7) is the expanded Next Generation Blues stage featuring many youth performers. There are up-and-coming performers worth seeing on the bigger stages as well, such as Dylan Triplett, Nick Alexander, and A Patch of Blues.”
And Megan writes:
“My family has come to love the biannual CSO at the Movies performance of ‘Home Alone’ in December. I appreciate the movie more now that I am a parent (incidentally with an 8 year old son) compared to when I was a kid. And, watching the brilliant musicians at CSO perform the score is a thrilling reminder of not only how many people it takes to make the music, but also how important the score is to a movie's storytelling. CSO seems to perform ‘Home Alone’ every other year, so we will be looking forward to ‘Elf’ this holiday season — look for us in the upper balcony!”
Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.
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