Hey there! It’s Thursday, and you know it’s going to be an, um, eventful day when you wake up and find the mayor of Chicago is accused of having a potty mouth. Speaking of which, here’s what you need to know today.

1. An Italian American group wants Lightfoot to apologize for vulgar and derogatory comments alleged in a lawsuit

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is accused in a lawsuit of making obscene remarks that have offended an Italian American group.

The lawsuit is related to the city’s removal of Christopher Columbus statues in 2020. In the suit, a former attorney for the Chicago Park District says a deal was hatched to appease the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans. That agreement would allow the group to use a statue in its annual Columbus parade.

But Lightfoot was not onboard and berated government lawyers during a Zoom meeting, according to the lawsuit.

[A warning that there is some graphic language ahead.]

“You make some kind of secret agreement with Italians. … You are out there stroking your d**** over the Columbus statue, I am trying to keep Chicago police officers from being shot and you are trying to get them shot,” Lightfoot said, according to the complaint. “My d*** is bigger than yours and the Italians, I have the biggest d*** in Chicago.”

Now, the head of the Italian American group is demanding an apology.

“I’m literally beside myself with amazement. Even though she’s shown signs of this type of behavior in the past, I can’t believe, number one, that she would talk to her attorneys this way. How do you talk to anybody this way?” said Ron Onesti, the group’s president.

The mayor’s office had no immediate comment on the lawsuit or on Onesti’s demand for an apology when contacted by the Chicago Sun-Times. [Sun-Times]

2. “Chuy” Garcia says he’s not considering a run for mayor of Chicago

U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, arguably the top Latino politician in Chicago, said he’s not interested in running for mayor now that former U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has taken a pass.

And that’s raising questions over whether a Latino candidate will emerge and how the Latino community will flex its growing political power in next year’s city elections.

In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Garcia pretty much suggested that being the mayor is possibly the worst job to have right now.

“If somebody could show me where there’s a significant pot of gold … to usher in a real era of equity in Chicago, that would be really moving and convincing to me. I don’t see that on the horizon right now. The challenges are just so huge for Chicago,” he said.

“The job is a huge bear and it will continue to be challenging and torturous on a daily basis, especially as [federal] funding dissipates and goes away. It will make it excruciatingly difficult to govern and provide good news to Chicagoans.”

Garcia’s comments come as the Latino community tries to strengthen their political power after the U.S. Census showed they are the second-largest ethnic group in the city.

And, with the field wide open for challengers, the mayoral race provides the next big opportunity for the community to flex its political muscles — if anyone wants the job. [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. Pritzker was interviewed by the feds during the investigation of Michael Madigan

Gov. JB Pritzker’s office told WBEZ that federal prosecutors had recently interviewed the governor at his home for around an hour about former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Madigan yesterday was indicted on allegations that he ran a criminal enterprise for decades. Pritzker was interviewed only as a witness, a spokeswoman for the governor said. And the top federal prosecutor in Chicago said Pritzker is not accused of any wrongdoing.

In Madigan’s case, prosecutors alleged the speaker promised to help then-Chicago Ald. Danny Solis get a high-paying state board appointment in 2018, soon after Pritzker was elected. Solis never got any such state post, although authorities said Madigan met with Pritzker to discuss board appointments. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, my friends over at the Chicago Sun-Times headed over to the Southwest Side, where Madigan has long been a fixture.

“Felt like the Berlin Wall falling! The Cubs winning the World Series. Seeing something you never thought would happen, happen,” said one resident. [Chicago Sun-Times]

4. A million people have fled Ukraine

That’s according to the United Nations, which says half are in Poland, with Hungary, Moldova and Slovakia being the other top destinations.

Anticipating a refugee crisis, President Joe Biden has asked Congress to approve an extra $10 billion in funding to help support Ukraine and the region.

Humanitarian issues were at the forefront in a second round of talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations. A Russian official said an agreement had been reached to establish humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and the “possibility” of a temporary ceasefire during humanitarian operations.

Meanwhile, a senior U.S. defense official says Russia has now deployed 90% of the combat power it had pre-staged near Ukraine, and its troops remain “largely stalled” in the north.

In southern Ukraine, the city of Kherson is widely reported to be under Russian control. [NPR]

In Russia, rumors are rampant that Moscow will declare martial law and close off its borders as more Russians realize their country is in a deadly war. [New York Times]

5. Jury finds the only officer charged in the raid that killed Breonna Taylor not guilty

Brett Hankison, a former Louisville Metro Police detective, was found not guilty today on three counts of wanton endangerment for firing shots that went through Breonna Taylor’s door and window and into another apartment, where a man, pregnant woman and 5-year-old child lived.

As the Louisville Courier Journal reports: “Though Taylor’s death is inextricably linked to Hankison’s case, she is not the victim in the trial — which attorneys frequently reminded jurors.”

Prosecutors said Hankison showed “extreme indifference to human life” during the shooting. The defense, however, said Hankison was trying to protect his fellow officers during the raid. [Louisville Courier Journal]

Here’s what else is happening

• Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr says he told former President Donald Trump that his claims of election fraud were “bulls***.” [NBC News]
• President Joe Biden slammed Texas’ investigations of parents and doctors of transgender youth as “government overreach at its worst.” [NBC News]
• Maria Soila Vega’s son Christopher Torrijos was murdered last year. It’s one of hundreds of Chicago murders without an arrest. [WBEZ]
• A meth lab was discovered in Chicago’s West Ridge neighborhood and was quickly demolished, according to a city inspector report. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Oh, and one more thing …

After working from home for nearly two years and showing I can do my job anywhere, it’s going to be nice returning to the office and taking the train-to-bus commute once again.

I wonder how the Chicago Transit Authority is doing. According to Block Club Chicago, not so great.

As more people return to work, complaints about bad behavior and nasty conditions — like cigarette smoke, littering and urination — are increasingly noticeable on social media.

CTA officials said complaints have climbed since the pandemic started, and ridership is still down 50%. [Block Club Chicago]

Tell me something good …

What is a funny, weird or great experience you’ve had with an animal?

Jennifer writes:

“Our fluffy, chow-mix dog, Juneau, was well known by all the neighborhood cats because she was not a feline fan. So every time we were out for a walk, cats would see her coming and try to get invisible and go unnoticed.

“It was shot-for-shot like the last 30 seconds of Beck’s ‘Devils Haircut’ video. Juneau strutted like Beck and the cats were the shadowy spies. I still hum it when out walking and see a cat ‘spying’ from a high window or around a corner.”

And Teresa B. writes:

“Quite a few years ago I was living in New York City, and having my lunch break in Central Park. I saw a cute squirrel come closer and closer, and dropped a few crumbs to watch it eat them.

“All was fine, until the squirrel suddenly jumped aggressively onto my lap, and I freaked out! I shook it off, luckily (and started wondering if it was a rabid squirrel or not). Now I watch them on my bird feeder, from the safety of my living room!”

Feel free to email or tweet me, and your response might be shared in the newsletter this week.