Newsletter: Who Knew What And When At The White House?

Donald Trump
President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One after arriving at Andrews Air Force Base, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019, in Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Trump had spent the week attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Evan Vucci / Associated Press
Donald Trump
President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One after arriving at Andrews Air Force Base, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019, in Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Trump had spent the week attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Evan Vucci / Associated Press

Newsletter: Who Knew What And When At The White House?

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Hey, it’s Thursday. And my three-day weekend starts now and there’s a bar stool at some undisclosed dive bar that has my name on it. Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. Whistleblower complaint alleges White House cover-up of Ukraine call

By now you’re probably aware the House intelligence committee today released an unclassified version of the complaint, which accuses President Donald Trump of pressuring a world leader into interfering in the 2020 election.

But the complaint’s allegations go way beyond Trump and suggest other officials were involved in the alleged corruption.

The complaint says White House officials were told to “lock down” all records of Trump’s July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The complaint also says Trump lawyer Rudolph Giuliani and U.S. Attorney General William Barr were central to the effort. [NPR]

Another element of the controversy surrounding Trump’s call with Zelensky is the timing of the conversation. Prior to the call, the White House blocked military aid to Ukraine, raising questions about Trump’s motives for holding up the money.

Trump said this week the money was frozen because of concerns over corruption in Ukraine. But a letter from the Pentagon undercuts Trump’s claims. [NPR]

Meanwhile, the United States’ acting intelligence chief today defended the whistleblower during a congressional hearing, calling the controversy “unprecedented.” [NPR]

WBEZ will air a one-hour special today at 7 p.m. on the Ukraine inquiry, with analysis on today’s hearing about the whistleblower complaint. You can tune in online or on 91.5 FM.

2. Immigrant population growth dramatically drops in the U.S.

The growth of America’s immigrant population declined more than 70% in 2018 compared to the year before, marking the greatest slowdown in the last decade, according to an analysis of new census data. Immigration experts believe President Trump’s restrictive policies are scaring immigrants from entering the U.S.

The analysis found the largest declines were among people from Latin America and Asia. [New York Times]

3. Lightfoot reaches out to aldermen to close $838M budget shortfall

And left off the list of ideas is a property tax hike that Mayor Lori Lightfoot wants to avoid but hasn’t completely ruled out.

Aldermen have pitched a graduated real estate transfer tax increase and a sales tax on professional services, which would both have to be OK’d by state lawmakers.

Other ideas include allowing video gambling in Chicago (which is currently banned), raising fees on services like Airbnb and selling the naming rights to public buildings and other city assets. Anyone want to start a campaign to rename Navy Pier the Hunter Clauss Center of Giving Up? [Chicago Sun-Times]

4. The spy who passed his math class notes

That doesn’t exactly sound like the most exciting James Bond movie, but federal authorities claim a college student at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago was secretly working for Chinese spies.

Ji Chaoqun allegedly was instructed by his Chinese handlers to gather information on eight Chinese nationals working in the U.S. Prosecutors claim China planned to recruit them as spies. Seven of the targets worked as defense contractors as scientists or engineers.

Ji has pleaded not guilty. In an unprecedented move, his handler has been extradited, marking the first time ever that a Chinese spy has been brought to the U.S. to face criminal charges. [Chicago Tribune]

5. The claws are coming out in hard seltzer showdown

I’ll be honest with you. I have tomorrow off and there’s nothing I want more than a White Claw, that delicious, precious nectar of alcoholic seltzer.

And Big Beer apparently also likes White Claws. Well, they like the profit margins, and they’re planning on releasing competitors, utilizing their big budget marketing firms and clout with retailers, distributors and taverns, reports Crain’s Chicago Business.

Sales of White Claw exploded to $101 million during the first six months of this year, up nearly 300% over the same period in 2018, according to Nielsen market data. Will upstart White Claw be able to weather competition from the likes of MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch? Guess we’ll have to grab a drink and find out. [Crain’s]

Here’s what else is happening

  • The FBI today raided the village halls of southwest suburban McCook and Lyons. [WBEZ]

  • Segregation is still a problem at Chicago Public Schools. [WBEZ]

  • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement appointed a new director of its Chicago office. [WBEZ]

  • Seriously, what is up with local politicians and chickens? [Chicago Sun-Times]

Oh, and one more thing …

The creator of the labradoodle says it is his “life’s regret” for creating a “Frankenstein’s monster.”

Geez, tell us what you really think, dude.

The labradoodle is a cross between a Labrador retriever and a poodle, and it is one of the most popular “designer dogs.”

The dog’s creator, Wally Conron, said he regretted his decisions because they run counter to responsible dog breeding that avoids unhealthy pups. [Washington Post]

Tell me something good …

I had to use a new character in Dungeons and Dragons this week, so I’m going with Glöstik the Destroyer, lord of ravers, rider of strobe lights. And that got me thinking, what are some of your favorite fantasy characters?

Paul Lockwood writes:

“My favorite fantasy character? The Scarecrow from ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ He’s the only one who admits to not having a brain, but nobody in Oz goes into the lucrative poppy business, do they? Or is it not permitted in downtown Emerald City?”

Who is one of your favorite fantasy characters? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet me at @whuntah.

Have a nice night! I’ll see you tomorrow. And if you like what you just read, you can subscribe to the newsletter here and have it delivered to your inbox.

And special thanks to WBEZ member Evan in Chicago, who had this to say about donating to the station:

“I just moved to Chicago and I’ve been listening to WBEZ for a few hours a day already. Public radio is incredibly important to a city’s lifeblood. I could live in a place without a great subway system, I could live in a place without hip restaurants — but I could not live in a place that didn’t have a great local public radio station! I’m excited to make WBEZ part of my becoming a Chicagoan.”