If forced to place a bet on who’ll win the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, I’d wager no more than a nickel on Rahm Emanuel. OK, maybe a dime. But Emanuel has offered something of a master class in drawing notice, claiming a lane and establishing his voice. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/o...

An observer arrested in Suth Minneapolis. Photo by Richard Tsong-Taatarii/The Minnesota Star Tribune

In a speech to the World Economic Forum, Mark Carney says middle powers such as Canada must accept that the rules-based international order is effectively dead, and great power rivalry with is here to stay. Key excerpt:

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson may repurchase Chicago's parking meters, sold to private investors by then-Mayor Richard J. Daley in one of the stupidest moves ever. www.chicagobusiness.com/politics/chi... via @crainschicago

Homeland Security's Role Questioned as Immigration Officers Flood Cities “I see it as a personal militarized police force for the president to do his bidding against people who don’t see the world through the lens of the ultra rich” — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/u...

This incident has really really messed me up. bsky.app/profile/mari...

Greg Bovino was seen earlier today at the Minneapolis ICE facility dressed in a very nazi-inspired outfit. They don’t even hide anymore.

Yes, the ending

Trump is clearly not well. At a meeting with oil industry CEO’s Trump suddenly interrupts his introductory remarks, gets up and looks out the window and starts talking about his ballroom. Trump then realizes his mistake and says “unusual time to look”, and sits back down to continue.

This is the ICE game plan: Thousands of internal ICE messages reviewed by The Washington Post show how its teams have worked closely with the White House, which has urged them to produce videos for social media of immigrant arrests and confrontations. wapo.st/3NlYae6

The violence against our communities must stop. Two more shot last night. That’s why I will be joining in filing articles of impeachment against Secretary of DHS Noem.

U.S. has lost manufacturing jobs every month since Trump imposed tariffs last spring. www.wsj.com/livecoverage...

This man converted to a faith that makes it its mission to remind him at every turn and at the highest possible levels that it fucking hates his guts, so at least there’s that.

Murderer.

masked, unidentified goons who assault and murder with impunity. a literal gestapo.

For no reason here's a comparison between Alaska and Greenland More about Greenland: brilliantmaps.com/country-m...

Out with the dog this morning, as usual, only to find there's a dead guy on a bench in the pocket park across the street. #Chicago

Five years ago, Donald Trump tried to overthrow the government. He was dangerous then, and he’s dangerous now.

For those of us not in the cult, this is what we hear when anyone from the Trump administration speaks. For the people in the back, this is satire and so well done…

So how do you think this "partnership" will work out? Venezuela’s new leader, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, is a socialist true believer who helped Nicolás Maduro maintain his grip on power for more than a decade www.wsj.com/world/americ... via @WSJ

From the Obama Center to Google's Loop HQ, here's what's happening architecturally in Chicago in 2026 www.wbez.org/architecture...

And no, this had nothing to do with ICE et al kidnapping and deporting migrants: Chicago Recorded Fewest Murders In 60 Years In 2025, Bucking Trump’s ‘Murder Capital’ Insult blockclubchicago.org/2026/01/02/c...

Rummage sale is a Wisconsin thing: I knew it!

Matt Moog's pay of more than $900,000 is 6x higher than the average $138,000 base salary that nonprofit CEOs in metro Chicago received, according to compensation advisor Payscale

One of the first things Trump did in Feb. 2017 was set up an office in DHS to *exclusively* publicize crimes committed by immigrants — just as the Nazis used Der Stürmer to publish a special section only highlighting “Jewish crimes.” See this article from 2017: www.thewrap.com/der-sturmer-...

Chicago-area home prices, fastest-rising in the U.S., are up higher than inflation www.chicagobusiness.com/residential-... via @crainschicago

People can be so greedy: The booming surrogacy industry is a new target of private-equity and other investors, but it’s largely unregulated, leaving the women who give birth with few financial or legal protections—and sometimes $50,000+ of debt. www.wsj.com/us-news/surr... via @WSJ

"Mister President, we just need you to go out there and give the people something to talk about besides the Epstein files..."

As a Jew, it’s fun watching the administration post Christian nationalist messages while also saying they are doing everything they can to curb antisemitism.

ICE documents reveal plan to hold 80,000 immigrants in warehouses around the country. “You’re treating people, for lack of a better term, like cattle.” Footnote: 579,000 people have been deported in 2025 wapo.st/4axtwZ4

How Bloomington-Normal edged past Chicago to become the hottest home market in Illinois www.chicagobusiness.com/residential-...

Stephen Rodrick of Rolling Stone tells us about the life—and murder—of Minnesota Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol... via @RollingStone

the vice president is a klansman

Someone's in a hurry: Four days before Christmas and already dumped in the alley.

The Vanity Fair photographer who disrupted Trumpworld’s polished image. Every line, spot, blemish and blood vessel was captured by Christopher Anderson’s lens. He explains. wapo.st/4qflmc5

if tumblr dies I need this video to make it's seasonal rotation here instead just in case, Happy holidays 🎄

NEW: The FDA won’t tell Americans where their generic drugs are made, so ProPublica did it instead. Use information from your prescription label to locate the factory and see if the plant has a history of inspection violations.

The dealmaker shaping some of Chicago's biggest economic development bets, including quantum computing www.chicagobusiness.com/commercial-r... via @crainschicago

Miyajima, Japan. #manholecovermonday @robertloerzel.bsky.social @rogersparkman.bsky.social

Except Indiana actually does have commuter rail service to Chicago

This may be the best video ever posted

Chicago is an exception, with prices up 5% year over year: Home prices go negative for the first time in over 2 years — and may stay that way for a while cnb.cx/3Mx4j6T

New Curfew Proposal Heads To Chicago City Council After Fatal Downtown Shooting blockclubchicago.org/2025/12/10/n...

Black Chicagoans embrace the quarter-zip trend while discussing its meaning chicago.suntimes.com/entertainmen...

"She can be heard screaming as agents attempt to handcuff her. 'I’m a U.S. citizen, please help me,' she shouted after agents forced her to the ground. 'This is unfair. Why are you doing this to me?'” Gift link: www.miamiherald.com/news/local/c...

But wait — there's more! I took a deep dive into "The Chicago Stomping Grounds of Tom Waits" with this new blog post: www.robertloerzel.com/2025/12/03/t...

Chamber of Commerce Leader in Chicago's Majority Latino Little Village Neighborhood Thanked Border Patrol As Agents Arrested Neighbors, Video Shows blockclubchicago.org/2025/12/03/l...

Alcala's Western Wear represents Chicago on this NYT 50 Best Clothing Stores list. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Hiroshima #manholecovermonday @robertloerzel.bsky.social @rparloff.bsky.social

NEW: ICE has finally released post-shutdown detention data. The latest data reveals that a full 40%(!) of people arrested in the interior and held in ICE detention have no criminal record; no criminal charges or prior convictions. That is up from just 4% when Trump took office.