With Republicans sweeping to a red trifecta in last week's elections, stunningly capturing the White House and majorities in the House and Senate, Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is cutting a different tone, compared to his pre-election hype where he posited a Democrat win in the Senate and then potentially getting rid of the filibuster, among other radical proposals. Ending the filibuster rule " which requires 60 votes to pass bills " would have made it easier for Democrats to supercharge their agenda and essentially railroad any Republican opposition. Schumer and the Democrats tried to kill the filibuster in 2022 when they had 50 votes " the vice president could have broken the tie " but Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema refused to toe the Democratic party line. They eventually became Independents.
The Chicago City Council on Thursday unanimously rejected Mayor Brandon Johnson's proposed $300 million property tax hike, forcing the mayor and his budget team to go back to the drawing board to balance the city budget for 2025. Aldermen scheduled a special meeting for Thursday to vote on Johnson's tax hike plan, and voted unanimously to reject it without debate. "It's a devastating loss for Mayor Johnson," Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) said after Thursday's vote. "I've been here going on 17 years. I've never seen this kind of vote take place, and I think in many of our lifetimes, we've never seen this. So it sends a message that that massive property tax increase he was looking for is not going to happen." "We needed to send a message today that weren't going to balance this budget on property taxes, working families," said Ald. Bill Conway (34th).
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said Saturday he will no longer attend the funeral for fallen CPD Officer Enrique Martinez at his family's request. Johnson released statement on Saturday afternoon, saying, "I heard from the family and am honoring their request and will no longer plan to attend the honors funeral services. This has been an emotional two weeks for the loved ones of Officer Martinez, the Chicago Police Department, and the city of Chicago. We all want to do right by Officer Martinez and give his family and the CPD family space to grieve. The focus must remain on Officer Martinez, his loved ones, and the CPD as our city continues to honor his ultimate sacrifice and legacy of service." read more
YouTube star Jake Paul was judged the better fighter over Mike Tyson in a heavily touted Netflix boxing match. read more
President-elect Donald Trump chose Todd Blanche, a lawyer who represented him aggressively in his New York hush money trial and in two federal criminal cases, to serve as deputy attorney general in his next administration. read more
#16 The Twoof fairy? He's been promoted.