chicagotribune--2020-11-07--Pandemic, lack of trust in government and Madigan effect help send graduated tax amendment to defeat

“ They should have made it clearer to people how much more they ’ ll have to pay when the @ @ @ @ @ to fill the hole , ” he said .
“ The fair choice would have @ @ @ @ @ raise the flat tax or do we pass a fair tax ?
’ Because that @ @ @ @ @ ’ s going to come down to .
There ’ s no way that we @ @ @ @ @ or borrow our way out of this .
”

Democratic state lawmakers approved a ballot item for a proposed amendment to the state constitution in May 2019 that seemed like a simple populist sell: Should Illinois get rid of an income tax that everyone pays at the same rate in favor of a graduated-rate system that would make the wealthy pay more?
But on Tuesday, the proposed graduated-tax amendment met with resounding defeat, with 55% of voters rejecting it. Unofficial vote totals showed it got a majority in only one of the state’s 102 counties — Cook — with 62.5%.
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In more than a quarter of Illinois' counties, all Downstate, 80% of voters rejected the change — even though in most cases fewer than 1% of taxpayers in those areas would have seen higher taxes under the rates approved by the state legislature. Opposition topped 60% in 88 of the state’s 102 counties.
A lot happened in Illinois and the country in the 526 days from the vote in Springfield to the vote on Tuesday, and some of those events played a role in the defeat of Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature agenda item, which he bankrolled and tried to sell as the “fair tax.”
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Pritzker was still in his first year in office when Democrats approved the ballot item. It was a heady time for the new administration, which had a series of legislative successes in its first session working with a Democratic supermajority in both chambers of the General Assembly after a havoc-filled four years of Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.
But Illinois entered Election Day at a different place.
Dozens of signs supporting the graduated-rate income tax amendment stand in a grassy area along Cermak Road between Pulaski Road and Kostner Avenue in Chicago on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, a day after Election Day. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Pandemic restrictions began in March and, after a summer easing, are becoming tighter once again amid a surge in COVID-19, raising voter questions about leadership and upending traditional political campaigns.
Voter trust in Illinois government was dealt another blow by federal investigations of Democrats, including one implicating veteran House Speaker Michael Madigan, who also serves as state Democratic chairman.
And a well-funded pro-amendment campaign backed by Pritzker’s wealth found its goal and its message obscured by an equally well-funded opposition effort whose chief objective was an easier sell: sowing doubt and confusion among voters so they would vote “no.”
“We were trying to sell something that was a bit more difficult than they were,” said Quentin Fulks, chair of the pro-amendment Vote Yes for Fairness campaign.
Who do you trust?
If there was an overarching theme to the proposal’s defeat, it was the trust — or mistrust — factor stoked by opponents, primarily the Coalition to Stop the Proposed Tax Hike, a group backed by $53.75 million in funding from Ken Griffin, the CEO and founder of the Citadel hedge fund and investment group.
“After two tax hikes in the last 10 years with Illinois staring down an $8 billion deficit, millions of voters made clear they didn’t trust the Springfield politicians with new taxing powers,” said Lance Trover, a veteran political operative who consulted for the anti-amendment group that aired millions of dollars in TV ads.
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In a state where two of the last five governors — Republican George Ryan and Democrat Rod Blagojevich — were sent to prison for corruption, voter skepticism toward politicians and Springfield has always played a role in state politics.
But that existing wariness increased in July when Commonwealth Edison, the state’s largest utility, paid a $200 million fine and agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors after acknowledging it engaged in a nearly decadelong scheme to offer jobs and contracts to allies of Madigan in an effort to gain the speaker’s favor.
Madigan has denied any wrongdoing or any knowledge of the scheme. But Madigan, the nation’s longest-serving legislative leader who has been speaker since 1983 except for two years in the mid-1990s, has over the years become a singular target of state Republicans as the root cause of everything wrong in Illinois.
The timing of the federal investigation and voters' disfavor with Madigan served as a launch to campaign season for forces on both sides of the amendment. Though the proposal was Pritzker’s, many voters associated it generically with Springfield and some, more specifically, with Madigan, both sides acknowledged.
Democratic state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, who is among a handful of members of Madigan’s caucus who have called for him to step down from both his legislative and political leadership posts, said she learned firsthand of the speaker’s negative effect on the amendment.
“As I spoke to people, as I made calls, as I talked to people who were campaigning in person, that was the thing that was brought up — even in districts like mine where it’s a pretty liberal district — that the trust issue was so often thrown back at people. Whether it’s generic trust or really specific — calling it the ‘Madigan tax.’ It was shocking,” Cassidy told Illinois Public Radio’s “21st” show.
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State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, a Chicago Democrat previously in the House, said voters saw a “black cloud over trust” in Illinois government in viewing the amendment.
“It was pretty loud and clear: People were very angry about the news about Commonwealth Edison," Feigenholtz said. “But I think that there were so many things that were happening: COVID, the negative messaging and the lack of clarity, that may have caused this to fail.”
Since the election, Madigan has faced calls to either rethink his position as Democratic chairman, House speaker or both from Pritzker, Democratic U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and others. Madigan has said he intends to stay as party chair and previously said he would not give up the speakership.
Pandemic politics
Pritzker’s pandemic-driven stay-at-home orders after the March 17 primary prompted an abrupt shift in all of the general election campaigns. Even with an easing of restrictions during the summer, guidelines on social distancing, mask wearing and gatherings did away with most door-to-door canvassing and rallying.
That hit the pro-amendment forces severely since the proposal, while requiring only a simple “yes” or “no” vote from voters, required an explanation that was difficult to squeeze into a 30-second TV spot or direct mail piece.
“Ballot initiatives are difficult to pass," Fulks said. “Illinois doesn’t have a deep history of them, definitely on this scale, and when they deal with revenue it’s more difficult to pass — not just in Illinois but across the country.”
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“We were forced to run a campaign in a different sort of way and really, just the rules on how you pass a ballot initiative and the strategy from A to Z completely changes when you have to run a campaign in this way,” he said. “We were on television. We weren’t having door-to-door conversations with the voters as you typically could have. We were trying to carry them with mail and television.”
A group of Downstate Republicans associated with challenges to Pritzker’s pandemic restrictions did engage in an anti-amendment bus tour with rallies that also served to promote President Donald Trump’s reelection.
While the effect of that effort is questionable, there were larger political consequences for the amendment due to the pandemic. In the days before the election, Pritzker ordered a return to tighter restrictions that shut down indoor restaurant and bar service throughout the state.
Pro-amendment supporters cite polling saying the governor’s efforts to deal with COVID-19 are broadly supported. But in areas across the state, Pritzker’s orders are being widely criticized if not openly defied, including by some Democrats.
Greg Baise, an early opposition leader and the former CEO and president of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, said he thinks Pritzker overestimated his well of support for trying to right the state."
“A governor every day peels off some of his goodwill and gives it away because he’s got to make a decision that makes somebody mad,” said Baise, a member of the late Republican Gov. Jim Thompson’s staff. “It’s always been the case. It’s really a matter of how fast are you giving it away and COVID, unfortunately, has caused him to have to give away a lot of it and then you get to this particular amendment issue.”
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The message
From the start, the use of the term “fair tax” caused some supporters to scratch their heads. One Downstate Democrat said privately that even the use of “tax” in the description would send confused voters to cast a “no” vote.
Others noted the 2014 passage of a nonbinding proposition asking voters whether the state should have a 3% income tax surcharge on the income of millionaires, with the money raised dedicated to schools. It was called the “millionaire’s tax,” and it won support from 64% of voters.
Fulks said supporters did go back and forth on “fair tax” and “millionaire’s tax” before adopting the former, saying “fair tax” had some initial name identification from past talk about enacting a graduated-rate income tax.
He rejected using the “millionaire’s tax” label, in part, he said because “people just think (millionaires) don’t pay their fair share” and that it’s easier for them to get away with tax avoidance because “they can hire accountants.”
Additionally, Fulks said it was important in the pro-amendment messaging to try to stress that 97% of Illinoisans, those making $250,000 or less, would pay at least the same or less under a rate schedule that would have gone into law if the proposal had been adopted.
“The 97% was important because our polls always showed us that if you’re not telling people how this affects them, they’re scared regardless and will just vote ‘no,’” he said.
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Pro-amendment forces, backed by $58 million from Pritzker, a billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, said they had expected a wealthy opponent to help bankroll the opposition, but not to the extent where they were slightly … — $62.7 million to $61.9 million.
“We knew somebody was going to do it,” Fulks said. “I think we might have been a little flat-footed a bit in regards to the other people (who joined in), but going first and cutting that big check opened the door for other people to feel comfortable to do it. I honest think if (Griffin) hadn’t, the others wouldn’t.”
Ken Griffin, left, appears with then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel and police officials on April 11, 2018, at an announcement of a initiative supporting efforts to reduce violent crime in Chicago. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)
Fulks said some thought was given to running ads highlighting Griffin’s wealth, but it was decided that it would be too much of an education process for voters.
Some supporters said privately that the campaign also didn’t want to wage a full-scale class warfare battle because they feared it boomerang against Pritzker, reminding voters of his wealth, offshore family trusts and efforts to avoid property taxes by having toilets removed from his Gold Coast mansion.
Fulks, a deputy manager for Pritzker’s campaign for governor, said he did not ask the governor to appear in pro-amendment ads because “he was focused on COVID and that’s where I felt he should focus.”
Both sides agreed that the anti-amendment side did a better job of putting real “faces” behind their cause, including a man standing outside his home doorway and declaring, “That’s crap.”
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Opponents also raised the specter of the amendment authorizing Illinois to tax retirement benefits, which it would not do.
Such ads prompted the pro-amendment forces to play defense, countering the opposition while also trying to squeeze in their position to sell the amendment.
Fulks also said from the outset that an effort was made to make the amendment’s appeal nonpartisan, knowing that it would take support from Republicans and independents to clear the high voting threshold for constitutional amendments.
Though ultimately the issue was backed by Democrats and their allies in labor and opposed by Republicans and their allies in business, a pure partisan play was believed too costly. Only in the end, when the pro-amendment forces used an ad attacking billionaires that included Trump, did the advertising turn overtly partisan.
Another strategy
Some Democratic legislators and amendment supporters said privately that they felt that the Pritzker-backed Vote Yes for Fairness group was too insular, with a heavy reliance on polls and hubris because of the governor’s 2018 election win.
“They were like a congressional campaign without a field staff,” said one Downstate Democrat, noting many congressional campaigns are worked by people from out of state, as well as the lack of field staff caused by the pandemic.
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State Sen. Robert Martwick, a Chicago Democrat who sponsored the proposed amendment in the House before he filled a vacant Senate seat, acknowledged opponents were able to use confusion to convince “a surprisingly large number of people to vote against their own interest and their own wallets.”
Martwick said amendment proponents should have gone farther in their messaging to inform the public about the new reality in Illinois — a massively underfunded state budget with billions of dollars in revenue lost due to pandemic restrictions that is now without the money the graduated rate tax would have brought in.
“They should have made it clearer to people how much more they’ll have to pay when the state raises the flat tax to fill the hole,” he said. “The fair choice would have been, ‘Do we raise the flat tax or do we pass a fair tax?’ Because that’s ultimately what it’s going to come down to. There’s no way that we can cut our way out or borrow our way out of this.”
State Sen. Andy Manar, a Democrat from Downstate Bunker Hill and a co-sponsor of the amendment, said there’s a disconnect in the minds of voters between the services they rely on and the state budget.
“When one side is armed with misinformation about the constitution and taxes and the other side is armed with facts about what state government brings to the community in which you live and why the state budget is important, that’s a mismatch of epic proportions in this environment we live in today,” Manar said.
But Manar said if pro-amendment forces had put too much emphasis on warning voters about the state services that would be on the chopping block if the amendment failed, they could have run the risk of coming across as threatening.
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According to Pritzker, however, what might be considered threatening is now going to be reality.
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jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-08--Live updates: Mayor Lori Lightfoot says ‘America is back’ as Chicago area reacts to 2020 presidentia

Live updates: Mayor Lori Lightfoot says ‘America is back’ as Chicago area reacts to 2020 presidential election news

Nevertheless , Timatyos said that if Biden ends up moving into the White House , he will accept it .
@ @ @ @ @ there is too much division in America that needs healing , instead believing that most @ @ @ @ @ up by mainstream news outlets that increasingly remind him of the state media in his @ @ @ @ @ Iraq , he said .

Black Lives Matter activists join crowds celebrating the election of Joe Biden over President Trump in the election for the presidency of the United States on Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago, Nov. 7, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
As the country received the news that the Associated Press and other news outlets had called Pennsylvania for Democrat Joe Biden, giving him enough Electoral College votes to become the 46th president of the United States of America, reactions were wide-ranging in the Chicagoland area.
Cheers and car horns rang out in some areas as the news spread on Saturday, including near Trump Tower in downtown Chicago, while some said they hoped the president challenged the election results.
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At an afternoon news conference, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot offered her congratulations to Biden and Kamala Harris.
“Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?” she said after referring to the pair as president-elect and vice president-elect.
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Lightfoot said she has “an affinity for Joe Biden and his Scranton (Pennsylvania) roots,” adding that his “story and values” remind her of many people she grew up with in Massillon, Ohio.
Lightfoot had more laudatory words for Harris, who she said is “not just any Black woman” but a Black woman of “incredible talent, intellect, compassion and heart.”
She said the outcome of the election “opens up boundless possibilities for the return of science, the rule of law, respect for civil rights” and help for “our most vulnerable” citizens and communities.
Here is how the day unfolded in the Chicago area:
6:14 p.m.: Election outcome 'hopefully a step toward more civility and respect’
Emotions such as relief, hope and fear flowed from Lake County residents Saturday as news broke that former Vice President Joe Biden was the projected winner, ousting President Donald Trump to become President-elect of the United States.
David Hoffman of Highland Park, who said he voted for Biden, stood in front of a sign in his driveway reading “love wins” drawn by his children, 11 and 8. He said he was relieved because Trump’s statements made him uncomfortable.
“I will no longer have to explain to my children why (some of) the things the president says are not true and why they are things a president should not say,” Hoffman said.
As Hoffman looked at the driveway art of his children, he said it expresses hope that Americans will show more kindness.
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“Things have felt pretty divisive,” Hoffman said. “Electing (Biden) is hopefully a step toward more civility and respect for one another. We’ll see if this helps.”
Both hope and fear were feelings expressed by Mark Allen of Lake Forest. The retired 21-year U.S. Navy Commander and naval aviator now a technology business owner voted for Trump. He too has hope.
“He gave it everything he had,” Allen said.
“I’m not ready to say it’s over,” Allen said. “He has lawsuits going so I’m not giving up hope just yet.”
Allen cited a strong economy and impressive job growth as Trump’s accomplishments. The one-time military officer now worries about America’s security.
“I’m concerned about our homeland security,” Allen said. “He brought everything back to the United States,” he said, referring to manufacturing. “That’s the way it should be.”
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Read more here. —Steve Sadin
4:03 p.m.: Mayor Lightfoot: 'Make no mistake — America is back’
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot offered her congratulations to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris at a Saturday news conference.
“Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?” she said after referring to the pair as president-elect and vice president-elect.
Lightfoot said she has “an affinity for Joe Biden and his Scranton (Pennsylvania) roots,” adding that his “story and values” remind her of many people she grew up with in Massillon, Ohio.
Lightfoot had more laudatory words for Harris, who she said is “not just any Black woman” but a Black woman of “incredible talent, intellect, compassion and heart.”
Until asked, Lightfoot did not mention President Trump by name, but said that with Biden in the White House, Americans are “never going to have to wonder whether (the president) sees our struggles and our tragedies.”
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She said the outcome of the election “opens up boundless possibilities for the return of science, the rule of law, respect for civil rights” and help for “our most vulnerable” citizens and communities.
“There’s a reason people all over the world are breathing a sigh of relief,” Lightfoot said, “Make no mistake — America is back.”
When asked about Trump conceding the race, the mayor said: “I think he will get there. I certainly hope he will. But whether he says those words or not, the time has come” for a transition.
—Staff report
3:20 p.m.: NBC’s Notre Dame-Clemson coverage tonight will move to USA Network during Joe Biden’s speech
Here’s one more thing to know about No. 4 Notre Dame’s football game Saturday night against top-ranked Clemson: NBC has a game plan for when presumptive President-elect Joe Biden’s scheduled speech to the nation around 7 p.m. interrupts the first half.
When Biden speaks, game coverage will switch to NBCUniversal cable corporate sister USA Network.
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When the speech is over, the game will move back to Chicago’s NBC-5 and other NBC stations.
Game coverage on NBC is set to start at 6:35 p.m., preceded by “Countdown to Kickoff” from 4:30-5 p.m. and resuming again at 6 p.m.
Read more here. —Phil Rosenthal
3:06 p.m.: At Biden rally in front of Trump Tower: ‘We voted a racist out of office’
Brandy Worthy rushed to Trump Tower when she heard the news, wanting to be with a large community of people to celebrate.
“It feels like we may see change,” she said.
Worthy, a Black woman, said she felt optimistic when former President Barack Obama was elected, and now feels some of the same emotions, knowing voters came out to repudiate Trump.
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“We voted a racist out of office,” she said.
—Madeline Buckley
Helena Duncan, 25, of Hyde Park (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
2:52 p.m.: Chicago woman ‘held my nose when I voted’ for Biden but relieved in outcome
Helena Duncan, 25, a democratic socialist was taking a walk in Jackson Park with her boyfriend when her mom texted her the news.
Though not an enthusiastic Biden supporter, Saturday’s outcome is “obviously a huge relief and I’m pleased and ecstatic,” said Duncan.
But as a supporter of the Green New Deal and “Medicare for All," Duncan said Biden is “not a candidate that will deliver on those issues.”
Duncan, who planned on going for another walk later with her mom to enjoy the historic moment, is a freelance writer who hopes to soon become a community organizer to fight for rent control in her Hyde Park neighborhood and throughout the state.
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”I voted for Biden but I held my nose when I did it because I have no faith in Biden as a leader to enact meaningful change to improve the lives of working people."
Duncan worried about next few months, saying: "The coronavirus is spreading so quickly, I just think it’s going to be a dark couple of months.''
But she said and her boyfriend are "both so relieved and allowing ourselves a moment of celebration.''
—Rosemary Sobol
I’m downtown where a huge crowd has gathered at Trump Tower. pic.twitter.com/pWAhhcIkbG — Madeline Buckley (@Mabuckley88) November 7, 2020
2:44 p.m.: Outside Trump Tower in Chicago, jubilation from Biden supporters
A large crowd was growing outside of Trump Tower, with jubilant Chicagoans posing with cardboard cutoffs of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and waving signs with messages like “Bye Don.”
The crowd shut down Wacker Drive between Michigan and Wabash avenues. The bridge at Wabash was lifted, and dozens of police officers blocked the group from entering Michigan Avenue, which remained open to vehicles.
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People cheered and a drumline played, amplifying the party-like atmosphere downtown.
—Madeline Buckley
Xavier Montalvo, 24, of Wood Dale (James C. Svehla/For the Chicago Tribune)
2:40 p.m.: Trump supporter hopes Biden ‘can bring us together, but I don’t see it happening’
Xavier Montalvo, 24, is a college senior and IT account manager who just attended a rally in support of Trump Monday in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
He was at his suburban Wood Dale home enjoying a bowl of cereal when he saw the news on TV.
“I wasn’t too happy about it, I’ll say that.'’
Coming from the Chicago area, where many people don’t like the president, Montalvo said it was nice to be around others at the rally who share his views.
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“I’m a huge Trump supporter because of his values,” he said. “I’m pro-life, I love that he was de-regulating business, letting business expand, and low taxes.”
Montalvo felt that protests this year were very divisive, which continues now with some people celebrating while others are protesting. He also doesn’t trust mail-in ballots, because there’s no proof of who is voting.
”I can’t say (voter fraud is) happening, but I can’t say it’s not happening as well,'' Montalvo said. "It’s not totally far-fetched.''
He hopes Trump runs again in 2024.
“Now we’re more divided than ever,” he said. “I hope Biden can bring us together, but I don’t see it happening.”
Montalvo believes that a Biden win would make it harder for the everyday worker because large corporations, who he believes would be taxed higher under a Biden presidency, wouldn’t be able to offer as many jobs.
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"It will hurt the working class.''
Without Trump, Montalvo believes our foreign relations will suffer.
"We had a really great thing going with Trump.''
Still, Montalvo said, when he saw the news he realized how much he loves the country.
“We gotta accept it whether we like it or not. That’s the great thing about America.”
—Robert McCoppin and Rosemary Sobol
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1:42 p.m.: Chicago resident envisions ‘four more years of stagnation’ but relieved election over
Dan Motkowicz, a resident of Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood, works in software sales and describes himself as a moderate, though said he did not vote for Joe Biden.
Regardless, Motkowicz, 38, said he did not feel disappointment when he heard the election called for Trump while listening to WBBM-AM 780 in his car.
“It was just a relief,” Motkowicz said. “It’s been a wild week.”
He feels Biden does not have much to offer the country. Instead of a clear vision, Motkowicz feels the Democrats were just waiting for Donald Trump to fail.
But still, Motkowicz said, “More than anything else, I just want the craziness of the country to calm down a bit. Even if that means we get four years now of stagnation.”
—Doug George
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1:28 p.m.: Biden supporter said debates were a turning point in the campaign
Adrieanne Arnold, 39, of Evanston, said she was happy, relieved, and a little shocked that the election was over in favor of her candidate after waiting for what felt like forever. She felt a turning point in the election were the presidential debates, which she said “spoke volumes.”
“I felt like Biden cared about how the American people felt,” she said. “It’s like your voice matters, you matter. Trump didn’t have any self-control. He was talking over Biden, so little old me, I know I’m not going to be heard.”
Despite this being the most divisive time she has seen in her life, Arnold estimated there’s a 50-50 chance Americans can unite on some level.
Having been a health manager at a manufacturing company, she hoped Biden would restore Obamacare to provide health insurance to millions of people, and that the new administration can find a vaccine for the coronavirus while reviving the economy.
“I feel like our country is on our way toward restoration,” she said. “We can all heal and restore day by day.”
—Robert McCoppin
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Singing “Hit the road Jack” in Union Park. pic.twitter.com/lBp960dF7t — Madeline Buckley (@Mabuckley88) November 7, 2020
1:20 p.m.: At union rally, celebrations — but also some wariness
At a Saturday rally initially planned by labor unions and social justice advocates to “demand legal votes of Black and Brown people be counted.” But the mood was more celebratory, given the race was called by the time the rally started.
Cheers and Biden-Harris signs permeated the event, though some participants were less enthusiastic, citing Biden’s involvement in the 1994 crime bill, which critics say led to mass incarceration.
“There’s still a lot of work to do,” one young participant said.
Deborah Lane, an organizer for the city’s transit union, wore all blue and beamed Saturday morning in Union Park.
Lane was particularly excited about presumptive Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’s historic role.
“It gives women a sense of energy,” Lane said.
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Rally participating planned to march downtown. About a dozen police officers on bicycles also gathered ahead of the rally.
—Madeline Buckley
Mawuli Agbefe, 31, of West Englewood (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
1:06 p.m.: High school debate coach, West Englewood resident: ‘Our country … needs some truth and reconciliation’
Mawuli Grant Agbefe, 31, was at his West Englewood neighborhood home Saturday when his mom called.
“She let me know and I turned on the TV and watched it,'’ said Agbefe, a debate coach at Evanston Township High School who voted early.
“Honestly, I’m pleased. I honest thought it might take a lot longer because of all the mail-in ballots.''
He is optimistic about the next four years but said his heart goes out to everyone who has lost a loved one during the global pandemic or as a result of the current immigration and refugee policies.
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”Our country as a whole needs some truth and reconciliation. There are deep amount of hate,'' Agbefe said, citing “people with guns at rallies and the killing of people in hate crimes.”
”Racism and sexism and xenophobia … to those voters, that was not a deal-breaker. (Trump) got way more votes than he should have gotten.''
He toyed with the idea of getting out for some Champagne but decided against it.
"It’s probably not the best thing with the virus.''
—Rosemary Sobol
12:59 p.m.: Retired schoolteacher who voted for Trump: ‘Maybe we they can get to solving what ails us. There’s plenty.’
It was just before noon Saturday in a sun-splashed Washington Square Park, the city’s oldest park, across from the Newberry Library on the Near North Side.
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Benjamin Malcolm, a 73-year-old retired public schoolteacher, was walking his dog, a 3-year-old Schnauzer named Howard.
“Just heard on TV,” he said. “Maybe we they can get to solving what ails us. There’s plenty.”
He said that he had voted for Donald Trump for president “in person on Election Day” even though he admitted to being “a lifelong Democrat, more or less.”
He said he found Joe Biden “not the most stimulating candidate and too much of the same old same old.”
Still, he said that he was happy “it’s over. This was frustrating, this long wait, and I hope we can move on without any trouble.”
The park was crowded with people and dogs and a lot of little children. He pointed toward some of them, playing with a ball, and said, “They don’t care or even know what just happened, but I hope they get to live in a world better than we’ve got now.”
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—Rick Kogan
12:51 p.m.: Pritzker, Preckwinkle, Madigan and Chicago mayors past and present congratulate Biden
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker tweeted their congratulations to the Biden-Harris ticket on their presumptive victory.
The mayor said Biden and Kamala Harris, saying they fought “a passionate, hard-fought and historic campaign drawn from our highest values as a nation."
”Chicago is excited to work together in tackling the many challenges we face in rebuilding our communities," Lightfoot tweeted, “recovering from the COVID-19 crisis, addressing climate change, and becoming stronger and more resilient than we have ever been. Let’s get to work!”
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle tweeted that “history was made” Saturday morning and noting Harris will be the first woman and first person of color to serve as vice president.
Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who served in the Obama-Biden White House, tweeted that Biden and Harris will “lead for all.”
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Illinois House Speaker and state Democratic Party Chairman Mike Madigan also released a statement: “Many Illinoisans and Americans have been clear-eyed about dumping Donald Trump since he was elected in 2016. Trump never intended to be a president for all Americans or help anyone but himself. We’ve all suffered the consequences, especially the millions of Americans who have felt the brunt of the pandemic through tragedy and financial uncertainty. We’re ready for this nightmare to be over, and we’ve made our voices heard in record numbers. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will bring us back from the disastrous chapter we’ve all endured.”
—Staff report
12:31 p.m.: Brookfield woman who has mostly voted Republican: ‘I’m so happy, so relieved’
Vicki Krutzler, of west suburban Brookfield, says she has mostly voted Republican her whole life, with the exception of Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 and Joe Biden. In 2016, she chose neither of the major party candidates but wrote in another name.
“I’m so happy, I’m so happy,” said Krutzler, 62. “I’m relieved. I just want a president who represents everyone.”
She feels Biden will have an easier time representing Republicans than Donald Trump would have representing Democrats in the next four years, especially as the pandemic continues.
As for Biden, “I’m not saying he’s a perfect man. I don’t need him to be a perfect man. But we need someone in the White House who has respect for the office.”
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—Doug George
12:38 p.m.: More celebrations outside Trump Tower
More celebration in the street near Trump Tower in Chicago after Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States. pic.twitter.com/CwSL7XEzlX — armando l sanchez (@mandophotos) November 7, 2020
12:29 p.m.: Chicago Trump backer hopeful president will contest vote count to Supreme Court
Trump voter Ronald Timatyos said late Saturday morning The Associated Press calling the race for Biden was a nonissue because he hopes the president will challenge the election results until it reaches the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court.
The 37-year-old from Edison Park isn’t certain there is election fraud happening, he said, but he thinks the president should follow through on unproven claims that his foes are trying to “steal” the election.
“I don’t think he should (concede),” Timatyos said. “I know it sounds crazy. I know it sounds like he’s got a one-in-a-million chance, but for some reason I keep thinking of the story of David and Goliath, and everything was stacked against them, but David came out on top. That’s kind of what I’m seeing here.”
The former Barack Obama supporter said he had become disillusioned with politicians — until Trump came along and launched his 2016 bid for the presidency, bucking political norms and alarming Washington’s establishment at the time with his off-the-cuff remarks.
Prior to that, Timatyos said, he had a very low opinion of Trump as just another rich man who’s “got young women running around him, flaunting his money."
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”But after he ran for office, and every time he spoke, he spoke truth. I said, you know what, I could rock with a guy like that. He might not say the things you like to hear, but you always know his opinion out front," Timatyos said.
Nevertheless, Timatyos said that if Biden ends up moving into the White House, he will accept it. He doesn’t think there is too much division in America that needs healing, instead believing that most of the rancor is stirred up by mainstream news outlets that increasingly remind him of the state media in his parents' home country of Iraq, he said.
Across the U.S., people want the same things, Timatyos said: They want the coronavirus pandemic to end, and they want their jobs back.
“Americans just want to be Americans,” Timatyos said. “The American people will be just fine whether it’s Trump, whether it’s Biden. We are American. We are brothers and sisters. We’ll be fine. But we need truth to be released to the country, not scams.”
—Alice Yin
12:24 p.m.: Fireworks in Rogers Park
Some of the fireworks in Rogers Park pic.twitter.com/SiUvMMc5AE — Liam T.A. Ford (@ltaford) November 7, 2020
12:09 p.m.: 'I’ve been so pessimistic for the last four years’
Mat Thambi, a clinical assistant professor in the University of Illinois Chicago College of Pharmacy, lives in Oak Park with his wife and children and is a longtime Democrat.
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“My biggest emotions right now are relief and excitement and optimism,” he said, moments after media outlets declared former Vice President Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
“I’ve been so pessimistic for the last four years, it’s good to have something to look forward to now.”
Thambi, 49, said he feels it will still be a process for the entire country to acknowledge Biden as the winner.
“I feel like a lot of the right wing is not going to consider it fair,” he said, especially since it appears Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania was the biggest deciding factor.
—Doug George
11:58 a.m.: McHenry County business owner: ‘I hope people don’t lose interest’ now
Scott Dehn, 42, owner of the McHenry Outdoor Theater, said he did not want to publicly take sides, but tried to look on the bright side of the vote-counting process.
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“I’m actually kind of proud of the process,” he said. “It was professional and done with unbiased intentions to find the winner.”
“Regardless of who is elected, I hope people don’t lose interest once this election is over,” he said. “I hope this big turnout continues election after election.”
He also hoped that despite political differences, people would find things that bring them together.
“Blue or red,” he said, “they both like movies.”
—Robert McCoppin
11:32 a.m.: Cheers ring out in Lincoln Park after presidential race declared for Biden
Moments after CNN called the race for former Vice President Joe Biden, cheers, honks and clanging of pots and pans rang out in Lincoln Park.
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Molly Longest and Lexi Hiland were in a Lincoln Park apartment when they heard the news. They didn’t have Champagne on hand, so they opened some hard Kombucha.
“We got out the pots and pans,” Longest said. “A neighbor was dancing in the window.”
The pair then took their dogs out to the street to take in a celebratory atmosphere, as drivers on Clark Street honked their horns.
Hiland wore a sweater that said “USA."
”I’ve been wearing it all week," she said.
—Madeline Buckley
Cars honk near Trump Tower in downtown Chicago


chicagotribune--2020-11-08--Election live updates: Joe Biden beats defiant Donald Trump; Kamala Harris first woman elected vice

Election live updates: Joe Biden beats defiant Donald Trump; Kamala Harris first woman elected vice president

A top Trump campaign official , speaking on condition of anonymity , said the message did not come from the @ @ @ @ @ is used by multiple customers , none of whom the company would identify , it @ @ @ @ @ who sent the message .
Coby declined to comment .

President-elect Joe Biden, right, on stage with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, left, Nov. 7, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo)
Democrat Joe Biden declared victory in his quest to be 46th president of the United States of America after he was named the presumptive winner of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by the Associated Press and other major media organizations.
Biden secured what the AP and others determined was an insurmountable lead in the Keystone State on Saturday morning after more than four days of ballot counting across the country. The state put him over the 270 Electoral College votes he needed to win his bitter battle with incumbent President Donald Trump.
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The presumptive president-elect addressed the nation from the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday night.
Biden touted the fact that he’s won more votes than any presidential ticket in history, calling his win “a convincing victory, a victory for the people.” He also said he was “surprised” by seeing the celebrations and an “outpouring of joy” in the wake of his win nationwide.
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Departing from longstanding democratic tradition and signaling a potentially turbulent transfer of power, Trump issued a combative statement saying his campaign would take unspecified legal actions. And he followed up with a bombastic, all-caps tweet in which he falsely declared, “I WON THE ELECTION, GOT 71,000,000 LEGAL VOTES.” Twitter immediately flagged it as misleading.
The Trump campaign has repeatedly disputed the tabulation of votes, alleging — without evidence — that the results have been corrupted by the mail-in ballot process.
A longtime senator from Delaware who served as Barack Obama’s vice president, Biden made two failed runs for the White House in the past. He declined to run in 2016 after the death of his son, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, from brain cancer.
In a statement, he said he was humbled by the victory and it was time for the battered nation to set aside its differences.
“It’s time for America to unite. And to heal,” Biden said. “With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation... There’s nothing we can’t do if we do it together.”
His running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, is now in line to be the first woman and first South Asian person to be elected vice president.
The AP has not called several other states, including as Georgia and North Carolina, where ballots are still being tallied. The final margin of victory for Biden, both in the Electoral College and popular vote, may not be known for several days or weeks.
Here is how the day unfolded:
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9:05 p.m.: Biden to unveil COVID-19 panel Monday
Joe Biden will unveil a group of scientists and experts to help him craft a plan to tackle the coronavirus pandemic on Monday.
Biden announced his plans to launch the COVID-19 task force during remarks at his victory party Saturday night. He said those advisers would help him take the proposals he’s released during the campaign for dealing with the pandemic — which include investments in personal protective equipment and loans for small businesses as well as plans to implement more standardized public health guidelines — and turn those proposals into a “blueprint” that he’ll enact when inaugurated president next January.
Biden said the plan would be “built on bedrock science” and “constructed out of compassion, empathy and concern.” Biden made President Donald Trump’s mishandling of the pandemic a central focus of his campaign and pledged that his top priority as president would be managing the virus.
Biden said that “our work begins with getting COVID under control” , adding Americans “cannot repair the economy, restore our economy or relish life’s most precious moments” without doing so.
—Associated Press
President-elect Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden wave to supporters Nov. 7, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (Andrew Harnik/AP)
9 p.m.: Biden speaks to nation, pledges ‘not to divide but to unify’
Joe Biden is pledging to be a president “who seeks not to divide but to unify.”
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Biden delivered his first remarks as president-elect at a victory party in Wilmington, after he was declared the winner of the presidential election on Saturday. Biden jogged onto the stage wearing a black suit, black mask and light blue tie. He pointed and waved at the screaming crowd gathered to hear him speak.
Echoing his campaign stump speech, Biden promised to be a president who “doesn’t see red states or blue states, only sees the United States,” and said he would work “with all my heart” to win the confidence of all Americans.
Biden touted the fact that he’s won more votes than any presidential ticket in history, calling his win “a convincing victory, a victory for the people.” He also said he was “surprised” by seeing the celebrations and an “outpouring of joy” in the wake of his win nationwide.
Biden said that “once again, America’s bent the arc of the moral universe more toward justice.”
Biden also made an appeal to supporters of President Donald Trump.
Biden said that “this is the time to heal in America” and pledged to be a president to represent even those who didn’t support him.
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Noting “I’ve lost a couple times myself,” Biden said, “now, let’s give each other a chance.”
Trump has not conceded the race to Biden, pursuing legal challenges over ballot counts in several states.
Biden said “it’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again,” saying of his political opponents, “they are not our enemies. They are Americans.”
—Associated Press
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 25 Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), the Democratic nominee for vice president, speaks during a drive-in campaign rally in Philadelphia, on Nov. 2, 2020. Harris made history Saturday, Nov. 7, as the first Black woman elected as vice president of the United States, shattering barriers that have kept men — almost all of them white — entrenched at the highest levels of American politics for more than two centuries. (Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times)
8:50 p.m.: Harris says voters have ‘ushered in a new day for America'
Vice president-elect Kamala Harris spoke Saturday in her first address to the nation since she and Joe Biden were declared the winners of the presidential election.
Harris says voters chose hope, unity, decency, science and truth in choosing she and Biden over President Donald Trump.
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Harris, the first woman to be elected vice president, wore a white pantsuit in tribute to women’s suffrage. She also opened her remarks with a tribute to the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis, a Civil Rights icon, who said democracy is not a state but an act. Harris will also be the first Black woman to serve as vice president.
Harris paid tribute to Black women who “so often prove they are the backbone of our democracy.”
Harris is the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants.
Harris noted her ascension to the role comes 100 years after the 19th Amendment was ratified and 55 years after the signing of the Voting Rights Act, which expanded who could participate in American democracy.
She praised Joe Biden for having “the audacity to break one of the most substantial barriers that exist in our country” by selecting a woman as his running mate.
“Every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a county of possibilities,” Harris said.
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The remarks were some of the most direct she has delivered about her history-making role as Biden’s running mate.
—Associated Press
8:15 p.m.: ‘The President will accept the results of a free and fair election’
That’s the message from a White House official Saturday, even as President Donald Trump is refusing to concede after losing to Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump has insisted he will contest the results and his campaign has launched a flurry of legal action in a handful of states trying to overturn Biden victories.
But the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said the Trump administration is following all statutory requirements that govern government transitions.
—Associated Press
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6:20 p.m.: ‘#Sharpiegate’ controversy may be ending
The #Sharpiegate controversy may be over now that the attorneys who challenged the use of the markers to complete Election Day ballots in metro Phoenix told a court they’re dismissing their legal challenge.
Roopali Desai, an attorney for Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, said she received notice Saturday from the court that the lawyers who filed the lawsuit are now ending the case.
A copy of the dismissal notice provided to The Associated Press doesn’t specify a reason for dismissing the case, and Alexander Kolodin, one of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit, declined a request for comment.
Arizona election officials have said voting with a Sharpie would not invalidate their ballot. But many social media users have falsely claimed their ballots had been invalidated because they were told to use the markers to fill out their ballots.
The lawsuit alleged tabulation equipment was unable to record a voter’s ballot on Tuesday because she completed it with a Sharpie. One of the remedies sought by the lawsuit was for voters who used Sharpies to be present to watch workers count ballots, a proposition that the judge expressed skepticism about.
Election officials say votes wouldn’t be cancelled if ink from a Sharpie bleeds through the back side of ballots and that there is a process that would keep the ballots from being canceled out if problems arise.
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—Associated Press
President Donald Trump returns to the White House after playing a round of golf Nov. 7, 2020, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/AP)
4:15 p.m.: After golfing, Trump welcomed back to DC with jeers after loss
President Donald Trump has returned to the White House and a very different Washington, D.C., after losing his reelection bid.
Trump’s motorcade returned from his golf club in Virginia via roads largely cleared of other cars and people Saturday afternoon.
But as he approached the White House, he was welcomed home with boos and raised middle fingers. Chants of “Loser, loser, loser” and profanities were also heard as his motorcade drove by.
Trump has so far refused to concede to presumptive President-elect Joe Biden and is promising legal challenges. He is the first president to lose reelection since George H.W. Bush in 1992.
—Associated Press
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3:07 p.m.: Former President Obama phones Biden as Michelle Obama takes jab at Trump on Twitter
Joe Biden has spoken to Barack Obama, reaching out to the former president with one of his first calls as presumptive president-elect.
Biden’s campaign confirmed the phone call Saturday with Obama, whom Biden served under as vice president for eight years, but offered few details on what was said.
Meanwhile, Michelle Obama took to Twitter to say that she was “beyond thrilled” that Biden had been elected president and that his running mate, Kamala Harris, is “our first Black and Indian-American woman” as vice president.
In a series of tweets, the former first lady said the pair would “restore some dignity, competence, and heart at the White House.”
But Michelle Obama also warned supporters that voting in elections for candidates who win “isn’t a magic wand.”
“Let’s remember that tens of millions of people voted for the status quo, even when it meant supporting lies, hate, chaos and division,” she tweeted, in a swipe at President Donald Trump. “We’ve got a lot of work to do to reach out to these folks in the years ahead and connect with them on what unites us.”
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Thank you to all of you who poured every ounce of your hope and determination into this democracy over these past four years, registering voters, getting them to the polls, keeping folks informed. More votes were cast in this election than ever before. It’s because of you. — Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) November 7, 2020
—Associated Press
2:45 p.m.: Congressional Republicans largely silent as race is called for Biden
Congressional Republican leaders have been notably silent on President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, but several GOP allies of President Donald Trump are disputing the outcome.
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri tweeted Saturday: “The media do not get to determine who the president is. The people do.” He added, “When all lawful votes have been counted, recounts finished, and allegations of fraud addressed, we will know who the winner is.”
Other rank-and-file Republican lawmakers took a similar approach, insisting on waiting for some other verification of the results.
“Voters decide who wins the election, not the media,” tweeted Republican Rep. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma. “I fully support President Trump as he continues to fight for every legal vote to be counted.”
Trump has so far refused to concede and is promising legal challenges. He is the first president to lose reelection since George H.W. Bush in 1992.
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The media do not get to determine who the president is. The people do. When all lawful votes have been counted, recounts finished, and allegations of fraud addressed, we will know who the winner is — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) November 7, 2020
—Associated Press
2:45 p.m.: Crowds gather outside club where Trump golfed
Several hundred people have gathered outside President Donald Trump’s Virginia golf club after his election loss to President-elect Joe Biden.
The crowd includes dozens of Biden supporters celebrating his win, singing, “Hey hey hey, goodbye” and chanting, “Lock him up!” — a chant frequently heard at Trump rallies, directed at people he doesn’t like.
There are also dozens of Trump supporters, many waving large Trump flags and chanting, “We love Trump!” A convoy of trucks festooned with pro-Trump and American flags has been driving up and down the street, with one driver jeering at the gathered press.
There’s horn honking, cowbell ringing, whistle-blowing and plenty of cheering.
Trump was golfing when a flurry of media outlets, including The Associated Press, declared Saturday morning that Biden had won the election.
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He is now on his way back to the White House.
—Associated Press
1:30 p.m.: No formal transition yet begun, Trump administration spokesperson says
The Trump administration has yet to formally begin the transition to Joe Biden.
A spokesperson for the General Services Administration said early Saturday afternoon that the administrator, Emily Murphy, has not formally ascertained that Biden is the “apparent winner” of the race. The Associated Press declared Biden the victor of the race late Saturday morning.
The formal ascertainment frees up millions of dollars and opens doors at federal agencies to Biden transition staffers to begin implementing transition plans.
The spokesperson says, “GSA and its Administrator will continue to abide by, and fulfill, all requirements under the law.”
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For his part, President Donald Trump is not conceding the race and is promising unspecified legal challenges seeking to overturn the outcome of the race.
—Associated Press
1:30 p.m.: Congrats flow in from Western allies
Leaders of the United States' traditional Western allies are offering their congratulations to Joe Biden.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement Saturday that the U.S. is the United Kingdom’s “most important ally” and added that he looks “forward to working closely together on our shared priorities, from climate change to trade and security.”
Johnson also singled out Kamala Harris for “her historic achievement” as the first woman, first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to win national U.S. office.
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that “we have a lot to do to overcome today’s challenges. Let’s work together!”
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And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he’s eager to start “tackling the world’s greatest challenges together.”
All three men have had complicated and at times strained relationships with President Donald Trump.
Biden comes to the presidency with extensive foreign policy experience and said throughout his campaign that he’d immediately work to shore us U.S. relationships with traditional allies.
Jens Stoltenberg, secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, said Saturday in a statement that he looks forward to working with Biden and Harris “to further strengthen the bond between North America and Europe.”
He added that “US leadership is as important as ever in an unpredictable world.”
—Associated Press
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1:16 p.m.: Obama says he ‘could not be prouder’ of Biden, his ex-VP
Former President Barack Obama says he “could not be prouder” to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
In a statement Saturday, Obama says Biden has “got what it takes to be President and already carries himself that way,” because he will enter the White House facing “a series of extraordinary challenges no incoming President ever has.”
Acknowledging that the election revealed the nation remains bitterly divided, Obama said, “I know he’ll do the job with the best interests of every American at heart, whether or not he had their vote.”
He adds: “I encourage every American to give him a chance and lend him your support.”
Biden served as Obama’s vice president for two terms.
Bill Clinton tweeted that “America has spoken and democracy has won.” The 42nd president also predicted Biden and Harris would “serve all of us and bring us all together.”
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Jimmy Carter, the 39th president, said in a statement Saturday that he and his wife, Rosalynn, are “proud” of the Democrats' “well-run campaign and seeing the positive change they bring to our nation.”
Neither Clinton nor Carter mentioned President Trump in their congratulatory remarks.
—Associated Press
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 41 Black Lives Matter activists join crowds celebrating the election of Joe Biden over President Trump in the election for the presidency of the United States on Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago, Nov. 7, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
12:55 p.m.: Parties pop up as presidential race is called by AP, TV networks
Across the country, there were parties and prayer after Democrat Joe Biden won the presidency.
In New York City, spontaneous block parties broke out Saturday. People ran out of their buildings, banging on pots. They danced and high-fived with strangers amid honking horns.
People streamed into Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House, waving sings and taking cellphone pictures.
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In Lansing, Michigan, Donald Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter demonstrators filled the Capitol steps.
The lyrics to “Amazing Grace” began to echo through the crowd, and the Trump supporters put their hands on a counterprotester and prayed.
Cars honking near Trump Tower in Chicago after Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States. pic.twitter.com/jPbqTUZTmn — armando l sanchez (@mandophotos) November 7, 2020
—Associated Press
12:50 p.m.: Biden to speak in Delaware tonight
Joe Biden is planning to address the nation on Saturday night.
His campaign announced that Biden and his wife, Jill, and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff will appear at a drive-in rally outside the convention center in Wilmington, Delaware.
Biden clinched the White House over President Donald Trump late Saturday morning with a victory in Pennsylvania, the state where he was born. He later added Nevada to his column for a total of 290 electoral votes with three states uncalled.
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The outdoor stage in Wilmington features projections of the Biden-Harris logo, colored lights and a line of towering American flags. Outside the security fence, people were already arriving with Biden campaign signs and chanting, “Joe! Joe!” and yelling, “We did it!” Cars in the area honked.
—Associated Press
12:30 p.m.: Trump refuses to concede election, promises legal challenges
President Donald Trump is not conceding to President-elect Joe Biden, promising unspecified legal challenges seeking to overturn the outcome of the race for the White House.
Trump said in a statement that “our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated.”
Trump was at his Virginia golf course when the presidential race was called for Biden on Saturday. Biden clinched his victory with a win in Pennsylvania, the state where he was born.
In recent weeks, Trump has alleged — without evidence — widespread fraud and misconduct in the election.
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His comments have drawn bipartisan rebuke from election officials and lawmakers as dangerous attempts to undermine public confidence in the vote.
—Associated Press
12:25 p.m.: Harris says the administration has a lot of work to do
The presumptive Vice President-elect Kamala Harris says she and the presumptive President-elect Joe Biden have a lot of work to do.
Harris made the comments in a tweet Saturday, shortly after Biden clinched the presidency by winning Pennsylvania.
She says, “This election is about so much more than Joe Biden or me. It’s about the soul of America and our willingness to fight for it. We have a lot of work ahead of us.”
The California senator makes history with her election as vice president. She is the first woman, the first Black person and the first person of South Asian descent elected to the office.
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Biden said in a statement Saturday, “With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation.”
“We are the United States of America,” he wrote. “And there’s nothing we can’t do, if we do it together.”
Biden made no mention of his opponent, President Donald Trump, who has not conceded the race.
So proud of you. ❤❤🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Orb1ISe0dU — Doug Emhoff (@DouglasEmhoff) November 7, 2020
Hillary Clinton is congratulating the “history-making ticket." Clinton, who lost to Trump in 2016, called the election “a repudiation of Trump, and a new page for America.”
Harris will become the first woman to hold national office, and the first non-white woman.
Clinton was the first woman to be a major party nominee for president. She won almost 3 million more votes than Trump but fell short in key battleground states to lose the Electoral College.
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—Associated Press
President Donald Trump walks to his vehicle on the South Lawn of the White House on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. (Evan Vucci/AP)
11:23 a.m.: Trump at Virginia golf club as vote counts continue
States are still counting votes in the presidential election, Democrat Joe Biden is on the verge of victory and President Donald Trump is at his Virginia golf club for the first time since the end of September.
Trump left the White House on Saturday morning and had on golf shoes, a windbreaker and a white hat.
The White House isn’t immediately responding to questions about the president’s possible golfing partners.
There were a few people with Biden flag banners outside the club entrance when Trump arrived.
Trump also has spent the morning tweeting about his unsubstantiated allegations of election fraud and illegal voting. Twitter hid four of the president’s tweets behind a warning label that they may contain disputed or misleading statements about the election.
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—Associated Press
8:15 a.m.: Incendiary texts in Philly traced to outfit run by top Trump aide
A texting company run by one of President Donald Trump’s top campaign officials sent out thousands of targeted, anonymous text messages urging supporters to rally where votes were being counted in Philadelphia on Thursday, falsely claiming Democrats were trying to steal the presidential election.
This image provided by Chris Bray on Friday, Nov. 6, 2020, shows a message he received Thursday via a texting company run by Gary Coby, one of President Donald Trump’s top campaign officials. Bray is a registered Independent who said he voted for Biden.
The messages directed Trump fans to converge at a downtown intersection where hundreds of protesters from the opposing candidates' camps faced off Thursday afternoon. Pennsylvania is a crucial battleground state where former Vice President Joe Biden’s jumped ahead Friday and in a televised address later predicted a victory that would give him the presidency.
The texts were sent using phone numbers leased to the text-messaging platform Opn Sesame, said two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition they not be further identified. The company’s CEO is Gary Coby, the Trump campaign’s digital director. It provides text-messaging services to GOP clients including the Republican National Committee.
“ALERT: Radical Liberals & Dems are trying to steal this election from Trump! We need YOU!” the text said, directing recipients to “show your support” on a street corner near the Philadelphia Convention Center where votes were being counted and tensions were running high.
A top Trump campaign official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the message did not come from the campaign. Because Opn Sesame is used by multiple customers, none of whom the company would identify, it could not be determined exactly who sent the message. Coby declined to comment.
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Later Thursday night, two men were arrested near the convention center for carrying loaded handguns without a permit, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said. District Attorney Larry Krasner said there were no indications they were part of an extremist group. Their vehicle bore a window sticker for the right-wing conspiracy theory QAnon and an AR-style rifle and ammunition inside, Outlaw said.
—Associated Press
Friday:
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows arrives to hear President Donald Trump speak on election night in the East Room of the White House, on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020. (Evan Vucci/AP)
11:30 p.m.: Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows diagnosed with COVID-19
President Donald Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows has been diagnosed with the coronavirus as the nation sets daily records for confirmed cases for the pandemic.
Two senior administration officials confirmed Friday that Meadows had tested positive for the virus, which has killed more than 236,000 Americans so far this year.
Meadows traveled with Trump in the run-up to Election Day and last appeared in public early Wednesday morning without a mask as Trump falsely declared victory in the vote count. He had been one of the close aides around Trump when the president came down with the virus more than a month ago, but was tested daily and maintained his regular work schedule.
More on this story here. —Associated Press
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11:26 p.m.: Why ballot-counting in Nevada is dragging on
The pace of vote-counting in Nevada is being criticized for taking too long and it’s even become fodder for online jokes. But government officials say they are emphasizing accuracy over speed in a year when processing an unprecedented flood of mail-in ballots under extended deadlines is taking more time.
“We told everyone early on that results would take at least 10 days,” Secretary of State spokeswoman Jennifer A. Russell said in an email.
More on this story here. —Associated Press
11:14 p.m.: Biden says he’s preparing for White House
Joe Biden says he is already preparing to assume the presidency even though he has not been declared the winner in his race against President Donald Trump.
“I want people to know we’re not waiting to get the work done,” he said late Friday in remarks to the nation.
Biden said he and his running mate, Kamala Harris, have held briefings on the coronavirus and the economy this week as the U.S. records record daily cases.
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He noted nearly 240,000 people have died from the pandemic and said he wants those families to know they aren’t alone.
He also addressed the millions of Americans who remain out of work and are struggling to pay rent or buy food.
“We don’t have any more time to waste on partisan warfare,” he said.
The Associated Press has not yet declared a winner in the race between Biden and Trump because neither candidate has reached the 270 Electoral College votes needed to carry the White House.
—Associated Press
[ Here's what happened Friday ]
[ Here's what happened on Thursday ]
[ Here’s what happened on Nov. 3 and 4 ]


chicagotribune--2020-11-07--Joe Biden will be the 46th president of the United States; Trump disputes election results

Kamala Harris made history as the first Black woman to become vice president , an achievement that comes as the @ @ @ @ @ racial justice .
The California senator , who is also the first person of South @ @ @ @ @ vice presidency , will become the highest-ranking woman ever to serve in government , four @ @ @ @ @ Clinton .

WASHINGTON — Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States on Saturday and offered himself to the nation as a leader who “seeks not to divide, but to unify” a country gripped by a historic pandemic and a confluence of economic and social turmoil.
“I sought this office to restore the soul of America,” Biden said in a prime-time victory speech not far from his Delaware home, “and to make America respected around the world again and to unite us here at home.”
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Biden crossed the winning threshold of 270 Electoral College votes with a win in Pennsylvania. His victory came after more than three days of uncertainty as election officials sorted through a surge of mail-in votes that delayed processing.
Trump refused to concede, threatening further legal action on ballot counting. But Biden used his acceptance speech as an olive branch to those who did not vote for him, telling Trump voters that he understood their disappointment but adding, “Let’s give each other a chance.”
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“It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, to lower the temperature, to see each other again, to listen to each other again, to make progress, we must stop treating our opponents as our enemy,” he said. “We are not enemies. We are Americans.”
Biden, 77, staked his candidacy less on any distinctive political ideology than on galvanizing a broad coalition of voters around the notion that Trump posed an existential threat to American democracy. The strategy, as well as an appeal to Americans fatigued by Trump’s disruptions and wanting a return to a more traditional presidency, proved effective and resulted in pivotal victories in Michigan and Wisconsin as well as Pennsylvania, onetime Democratic bastions that had flipped to Trump in 2016.
Biden’s victory was a repudiation of Trump’s divisive leadership and the president-elect now inherits a deeply polarized nation grappling with foundational questions of racial justice and economic fairness while in the grips of a virus that has killed more than 236,000 Americans and reshaped the norms of everyday life.
Biden said “this is the time to heal in America” and pledged to be a president to represent even those who didn’t support him.
Kamala Harris made history as the first Black woman to become vice president, an achievement that comes as the U.S. faces a reckoning on racial justice. The California senator, who is also the first person of South Asian descent elected to the vice presidency, will become the highest-ranking woman ever to serve in government, four years after Trump defeated Hillary Clinton.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 25 Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), the Democratic nominee for vice president, speaks during a drive-in campaign rally in Philadelphia, on Nov. 2, 2020. Harris made history Saturday, Nov. 7, as the first Black woman elected as vice president of the United States, shattering barriers that have kept men — almost all of them white — entrenched at the highest levels of American politics for more than two centuries. (Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times)
Harris introduced Biden at their evening victory celebration as “a president for all Americans” who would look to bridge a nation riven with partisanship and she nodded to the historic nature of her ascension to the vice presidency.
“Dream with ambition, lead with conviction and see yourselves in a way that others may not simply because they’ve never seen it before,” Harris told Americans. “You chose hope and unity, decency, science and, yes, truth ... you ushered in a new day for America.”
After he spoke, the cars at the drive-in rally — a pandemic campaign invention — began to honk their horns and a fireworks display lit up the night sky. Biden was on track to win the national popular vote by more than 4 million, a margin that could grow as ballots continue to be counted.
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Nonetheless, Trump was not giving up.
Departing from longstanding democratic tradition and signaling a potentially turbulent transfer of power, he issued a combative statement saying his campaign would take unspecified legal actions. And he followed up with a bombastic, all-caps tweet in which he falsely declared, “I WON THE ELECTION, GOT 71,000,000 LEGAL VOTES.” Twitter immediately flagged it as misleading.
Trump has pointed to delays in processing the vote in some states to allege with no evidence that there was fraud and to argue that his rival was trying to seize power — an extraordinary charge by a sitting president trying to sow doubt about a bedrock democratic process.
Trump is the first incumbent president to lose reelection since Republican George H.W. Bush in 1992.
He was golfing at his Virginia country club when he lost the race. He stayed out for hours, stopping to congratulate a bride as he left, and his motorcade returned to the White House to a cacophony of shouts, taunts and unfriendly hand gestures.
President Donald Trump plays golf at Trump National Golf Course in Sterling, Va., on Nov. 7, 2020. (Patrick Semansky/AP)
Joe Biden supporters hold banners as the motorcade carrying President Donald Trump arrives at Trump National Golf Course on Nov. 7, 2020. (Evan Vucci/AP)
In Wilmington, Delaware, near the stage that, until Saturday night, had stood empty since it was erected to celebrate on Election Night, people cheered and pumped their fists as the news that the presidential race had been called for the state’s former senator arrived on their cellphones.
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On the nearby water, two men in a kayak yelled to a couple paddling by in the opposite direction, “Joe won! They called it!” as people on the shore whooped and hollered. Harris, in workout gear, was shown on video speaking to Biden on the phone, exuberantly telling the president-elect “We did it!” Biden was expected to take the stage for a drive-in rally after dark.
Across the country, there were parties and prayer. In New York City, spontaneous block parties broke out. People ran out of their buildings, banging on pots. They danced and high-fived with strangers amid honking horns. Among the loudest cheers were those for passing U.S. Postal Service trucks.
People streamed into Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House, near where Trump had ordered the clearing of protesters in June, waving signs and taking cellphone pictures. In Lansing, Michigan, Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter demonstrators filled the Capitol steps. The lyrics to “Amazing Grace” began to echo through the crowd, and Trump supporters laid their hands on a counter protester, and prayed.
Americans showed deep interest in the presidential race. A record 103 million voted early this year, opting to avoid waiting in long lines at polling locations during a pandemic. With counting continuing in some states, Biden had already received more than 74 million votes, more than any presidential candidate before him.
Trump’s refusal to concede has no legal implications. But it could add to the incoming administration’s challenge of bringing the country together after a bitter election.
Throughout the campaign, Trump repeatedly refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power, arguing without evidence that the election could be marred by fraud. The nation has a long history of presidential candidates peacefully accepting the outcome of elections, dating back to 1800, when John Adams conceded to his rival Thomas Jefferson.
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It was Biden’s native Pennsylvania that put him over the top, the state he invoked throughout the campaign to connect with working class voters. He also won Nevada on Saturday pushing his total to 290 Electoral College votes.
Biden received congratulations from dozens of world leaders, and his former boss, President Barack Obama, saluted him in a statement, declaring the nation was “fortunate that Joe’s got what it takes to be President and already carries himself that way.”
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 17 During Biden's presidential campaign, he was suffering from severe headaches before discovering that he had two life-threatening brain aneurysms. Biden spent nearly seven months in and out of surgery before finally returning to office in Sept. 1988. Here, Biden is warmly welcomed back by his staff during a press conference at his Capitol Hill office. (Ron Edmonds/AP)
Republicans on Capitol Hill were giving Trump and his campaign space to consider all their legal options. It was a precarious balance for Trump’s allies as they try to be supportive of the president -- and avoid risking further fallout -- but face the reality of the vote count.
On Saturday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had not yet made any public statements -- either congratulating Biden or joining Trump’s complaints. But retiring GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who is close to McConnell, said, “After counting every valid vote and allowing courts to resolve disputes, it is important to respect and promptly accept the result.”
More than 236,000 Americans have died during the coronavirus pandemic, nearly 10 million have been infected and millions of jobs have been lost. The final days of the campaign played out against a surge in confirmed cases in nearly every state, including battlegrounds such as Wisconsin that swung to Biden.
The pandemic will soon be Biden’s to tame, and he campaigned pledging a big government response, akin to what Franklin D. Roosevelt oversaw with the New Deal during the Depression of the 1930s. But Senate Republicans fought back several Democratic challengers and looked to retain a fragile majority that could serve as a check on such Biden ambition.
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The 2020 campaign was a referendum on Trump’s handling of the pandemic, which has shuttered schools across the nation, disrupted businesses and raised questions about the feasibility of family gatherings heading into the holidays.
The fast spread of the coronavirus transformed political rallies from standard campaign fare to gatherings that were potential public health emergencies. It also contributed to an unprecedented shift to voting early and by mail and prompted Biden to dramatically scale back his travel and events to comply with restrictions. The president defied calls for caution and ultimately contracted the disease himself.
Trump was saddled throughout the year by negative assessments from the public of his handling of the pandemic. There was another COVID-19 outbreak in the White House this week, which sickened his chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Biden also drew a sharp contrast to Trump through a summer of unrest over the police killings of Black Americans including Breonna Taylor in Kentucky and George Floyd in Minneapolis. Their deaths sparked the largest racial protest movement since the civil rights era. Biden responded by acknowledging the racism that pervades American life, while Trump emphasized his support of police and pivoted to a “law and order” message that resonated with his largely white base.
The third president to be impeached, though acquitted in the Senate, Trump will leave office having left an indelible imprint in a tenure defined by the shattering of White House norms and a day-to-day whirlwind of turnover, partisan divide and Twitter blasts.
Trump’s team has filed a smattering of lawsuits in battleground states, some of which were immediately rebuffed by judges. His personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, was holding a news conference in Philadelphia threatening more legal action when the race was called.
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Biden, born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and raised in Delaware, was one of the youngest candidates ever elected to the Senate. Before he took office, his wife and daughter were killed, and his two sons badly injured in a 1972 car crash.
Commuting every night on a train from Washington back to Wilmington, Biden fashioned an everyman political persona to go along with powerful Senate positions, including chairman of the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees. Some aspects of his record drew critical scrutiny from fellow Democrats, including his support for the 1994 crime bill, his vote for the 2003 Iraq War and his management of the Clarence Thomas' Supreme Court hearings.
Biden’s 1988 presidential campaign was done in by plagiarism allegations, and his next bid in 2008 ended quietly. But later that year, he was tapped to be Barack Obama’s running mate and he became an influential vice president, steering the administration’s outreach to both Capitol Hill and Iraq.
While his reputation was burnished by his time in office and his deep friendship with Obama, Biden stood aside for Clinton and opted not to run in 2016 after his adult son Beau died of brain cancer the year before.
Trump’s tenure pushed Biden to make one more run as he declared that “the very soul of the nation is at stake.”
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 41 Black Lives Matter activists join crowds celebrating the election of Joe Biden over President Trump in the election for the presidency of the United States on Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago, Nov. 7, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.


chicagotribune--2020-11-07--Many immigrants in the Chicago area look forward to Biden presidency, but ‘we will hold (him) accoun

Many immigrants in the Chicago area look forward to Biden presidency, but ‘we will hold (him) accountable’

“ Many were feeling hopeless under the Trump administration , ” she said .
“ Now , those who went @ @ @ @ @ empowered to do it again , and those who can ’ t vote will help @ @ @ @ @ for policies that benefit us and that finally treat us with dignity and respect , @ @ @ @

The relief Maria Leticia Toribio felt when she learned Joe Biden is projected to be the nation’s 46th president eclipsed the impotence and disappointment she felt four years ago when Donald Trump was elected.
For the past four years, Toribio, 46, a mother of four in the country without legal permission, has lived in a constant state of anxiety and fear as Trump tried to deliver on promises to toughen America’s immigration system, often followed by tweets attacking the immigrant community, she said.
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“Biden winning is a bit relieving because at least he hasn’t offended us,” said Toribio, who has lived with her family in the Hermosa neighborhood for more than 20 years. “But Trump’s words have deeply wounded us and those who love us.”
Biden’s win represents a sign of hope for some immigrants, partly because he has promised that in the first 100 days he will present an immigration reform bill to create a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million people without legal immigration status. But Toribio and other immigrants say they will remain skeptical and alert to hold the new president accountable.
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“This win doesn’t mean that all of a sudden the immigrant community is safe now,” said Erendira Rendon, the vice president for the Immigrant Advocacy and Defense Project at Chicago’s Resurrection Project.
[ Leer en español: Muchos inmigrantes esperan con ansias la presidencia de Biden. ‘Haremos que rinda cuentas’, dicen ]
Rendon is one of the nearly 650,000 under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, put in effect by executive memorandum during the Obama administration to allow youth brought to the United States as children to remain in the country and receive work permits.
“It only means that we can breathe a little better, knowing that we will no longer have a xenophobic man leading the country," Rendon said. "But hopefully, now, we will be able to advocate for pro-immigrant policies (and) we must hold Biden accountable for that.”
Over the past four years, immigrants have been dehumanized and terrorized, said Mony Ruiz-Velasco, a Chicago-based immigration lawyer and associate director of Alianza Americas, a national group that advocates for immigrants' rights.
Under the Trump administration, the erection of a border wall on the southern border was taking place, and hundreds of children were caged and separated from their parents at the border. There also were multiple attempts to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and after taking office, Trump ended the Temporary Protected Status program that provided protection for immigrants from six countries deemed dangerous for people to return to.
Ruiz-Velasco said immigration advocates plan to push for immediate administrative action from the Biden administration to undo some of Trump’s policies right away.
“We believe Biden has that power to take bold and progressive action,” she said.
The news finally eased anxiety Chirayu Patel, 37, a deferred action recipient from India, has been feeling. His permit to stay in the country is set to expire in March, and although he applied for renewal, “you never knew what was going to happen next.”
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“But even though I’m feeling a sigh of relief, only time will tell how the Biden administration prioritizes immigration,” he said.
Patel was brought to the United States by his parents when he was 11. Although he managed to attend college and find an accounting job, he hasn’t been able to buy a home or form a family because of his immigration status.
Beyond feeling relief for himself, he is glad Biden’s election will also bring some sense of peace for his parents, he said. They haven’t been able to fix their immigration status and don’t have protection from deportation despite having a business in the Chicago area.
“At least, for the time being, we can relax a bit and no longer have to deal with that routine fear of expansion of deportations or more policies to hurt our communities,” Patel said.
One study in 2017 found there are more than 500,000 immigrants in Illinois who lack legal permission to be in the country.
Victor Negrete, 28, another recipient of the deferred action program, shares Patel’s relief, but only for now, he said.
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“Sure, we can acknowledge the win and celebrate, but we have a lot of work ahead of us,” said Negrete, who works for the financial office of the City Colleges of Chicago and is a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
“We will hold President-elect Biden accountable on all grounds. If there’s a time in my life when I felt more empowered to hold it down in spite of my undocumented status, it is now,” he tweeted.
Negrete said he is also grateful to have U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., a woman of color, as vice president because her presence should help tackle the problem of widespread racism prevalent under the Trump administration.
Negrete said he was motivated by the number of people who voted, especially the record number of Latinos who voted in key states.
Many Latino voters come from families that include both citizens and noncitizens, said Ruiz-Velasco, adding that immigrants “played a pivotal role in this electoral process.”
“Many of those people who were knocking on doors and educating people on their voting right were undocumented,” Ruiz-Velasco said.
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In Chicago, Toribio was one of them.
For weeks before the elections, she volunteered with the Logan Square Neighborhood Association to encourage others to go out to vote. She wanted her work to “serve as a sense of hope for other undocumented parents,” she said.
“Many were feeling hopeless under the Trump administration,” she said. “Now, those who went out to vote will feel empowered to do it again, and those who can’t vote will help us mobilize others to vote for policies that benefit us and that finally treat us with dignity and respect,” she added.
Teresa Labastida, 43, a mother of three who lacks legal immigration status, feels the same way.
She also volunteered with the Logan Square group to push Latinos to vote.
“Even though I can’t vote, seeing the number, I feel like so many people have voted for me,” Labastida said. Her oldest son voted for the first time, and he kept her updated on the results following Election Day.
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Though she was hopeful that Biden would win because of the projections reported, she didn’t want to be too confident. When news organizations finally projected that he would be the president-elect, she sighed.
“Finally, it’s over,” she said. “It’s a strange feeling of joy because he (Trump) is worried, he is feeling rejected, the way he made us feel, but a lot of that damage is done.”
“We have so much to work on, but we must stay faithful,” added Toribio.
Labastida and Toribio said that for the first time “in a very long time,” they are hopeful about the possibility of immigration reform. The two have been living in the country without permission for more than 20 years.
“We will be ready to continue fighting because we are already here and we’re not going anywhere," Toribio said. "Regardless of who the president is, we have never given up hope, so we can’t give up now.”
The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights wants the Biden administration to put in place “pro-immigrant policies starting on day one,” the group said in a statement Saturday. Among the group’s hoped-for changes are the extension of the deferred action program and temporary protected status for immigrants from designated dangerous countries; a moratorium on ICE enforcement, detention and deportations; and the ending of what’s known as public charge rules, which penalize immigrants for taking public aid.
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Toribio also hopes the Biden administration will acknowledge how the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected the immigrant community.
“We have been left out any monetary aid,” she said, noting she has been collecting food from various public schools to feed her family.
The challenge now, Ruiz-Velasco said, is waiting to see the composition of the U.S. Senate, which could potentially be majority Republican, hindering Biden from fulfilling promises he made to the immigrant community, she said.
“But we have learned from Trump that there’s a lot of authority and power from the executive branch, and we expect him to use it right away,” Ruiz-Velasco added.


chicagotribune--2020-11-07--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 12,438 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 76 more deaths

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 12,438 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 76 more deaths reported; Pritzker and staff out of quarantine following negative tests

Saturday was the second day Illinois reported both confirmed and probable cases , following what state officials said was Centers @ @ @ @ @ guidance on how to count cases .
On Friday , officials said there were 10,376 @ @ @ @ @ , in addition to 7,673 probable cases of COVID-19 from since the beginning of the @ @ @ @ @ the health department did not make clear how many of the cases were confirmed with @ @ @ @ @ probable cases .

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CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising so quickly that, in roughly a week, the number could surpass the highest tally seen in the spring surge, a Tribune analysis has found. And the skyrocketing admissions are raising new concerns that some hospitals could eventually be packed with patients.
The analysis comes as Illinois continues experiencing surges in coronavirus cases and deaths. State health officials Sunday reported more than 10,000 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases. There also were 42 more deaths reported Sunday, bringing the confirmed statewide death toll to 10,196. The seven-day statewide positivity rate increased to 10.6%.
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Here’s what’s happening this weekend with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
Sunday
10,009 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 42 additional deaths reported
The daily count of newly confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Illinois again topped 10,000 on Sunday and another government official was self-isolating after a staff member tested positive for the disease.
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Illinois public health officials reported 10,009 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 42 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 487,987 and the statewide death toll to 10,196 since the start of the pandemic.
The state on Friday begin reporting probable cases as well as those confirmed by testing, but even before that the daily case count was setting record highs.
Also Sunday, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s office said she’s self-isolating after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. Preckwinkle is not experiencing any symptoms and is being tested, her office said.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and some staff members briefly went into isolation late last week after someone at a meeting they attended last Monday tested positive for COVID-19.
Both the governor and the staff members subsequently tested negative and were released from quarantine. Under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, that is allowed because they had met with the person who became infected 48 hours before the onset of symptoms and therefore weren’t considered “close contacts,” the governor’s office said.
Pritzker had twice previously gone into longer periods of isolation after coming in contact with an infected person.
State officials on Sunday also said 90,757 new tests had been conducted in the last 24 hours. The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 10.6%.
Over 4,000 people are reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 833 patients were in the ICU and 368 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators, according to public health officials. — Jessica Villagomez
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Saturday
Day after disclosing Monday meeting that included person who tested positive for COVID-19, Pritzker and staff out of quarantine following negative tests
A day after saying Gov. J.B. Pritzker and staff who attended a Monday meeting with officials outside state government were having to quarantine because someone at the meeting later tested positive, the governor’s office said.
Pritzker and his staff have tested negative for the coronavirus.
The governor’s staff has routine testing weekly on Wednesdays, then had negative tests again Friday, according to a news release.
Pritzker went into isolation for the third time pending the results of tests taken after his afternoon briefing, his office said Friday.
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Because they met with the person who tested positive more than 48 hours before the person developed symptoms, Pritzker “and staff who attended the meeting, are not considered close contacts,” according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, according to the release. And because they aren’t considered close contacts with the person, the governor and staff won’t have to quarantine further, according to the release.
—Chicago Tribune staff
12,438 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 76 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Saturday announced 12,438 new new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 — a new record daily high — and 76 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 477,978 and the statewide death toll to 10,154 since the start of the pandemic.
Officials also reported 98,418 new tests in the last 24 hours. The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 10.3%, a jump from Friday’s rate of 9.6%.
The record daily tally reflects the new way the state is counting new daily cases, including not only confirmed cases but also probable cases.
Saturday was the second day Illinois reported both confirmed and probable cases, following what state officials said was Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on how to count cases. On Friday, officials said there were 10,376 new cases confirmed through testing, in addition to 7,673 probable cases of COVID-19 from since the beginning of the pandemic. On Saturday, the health department did not make clear how many of the cases were confirmed with testing and how many were probable cases.
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A confirmed case is “laboratory confirmed” according to the IDPH, while a probable case meets “clinical criteria and is epidemiologically linked or has a positive antigen test.” An antigen test detects whether coronavirus antibodies are in a person’s blood, which would be a signal they had the virus.
If a person who counted as a probable case eventually tests positive for the virus with a molecular test that person won’t be counted in the state’s total cases twice.
Of the 76 deaths confirmed Saturday, 26 were in Cook County, with Whiteside County, which has a population of only about 58,000 people, second among the state’s counties, with five newly confirmed deaths.
—Chicago Tribune staff
As Chicagoans turn out after Biden projected as winner, health officials warn of large crowds
As news organizations projected that former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. would be the next president and Chicago-area residents took the streets to celebrate, health officials warned people to wear masks and avoid large crowds.
“REMINDER to avoid large crowds, but if you’re around others be sure to wear a face covering!!!” the Illinois Department of Public Health said in a tweet.
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REMINDER to avoid large crowds, but if you're around others be sure to wear a face covering!!! pic.twitter.com/1ZUbdZoPz2 — IDPH (@IDPH) November 7, 2020
— Chicago Tribune staff
Morgan County jail sees COVID-19 outbreak
Morgan County reported 29 additional infections and also grappled with an outbreak at the Morgan County Detention Facility, according to a daily briefing by the Morgan County Department of Public Health, Jacksonville/Morgan County Emergency Management, Memorial Health System, Morgan County commissioners and the city of Jacksonville.
Two staff members and six inmates at the jail have tested positive for coronavirus, according to the county health department. One more prisoner at Jacksonville Correctional Center also tested positive Thursday, increasing the number of people infected as part of an outbreak at the facility to 376 prisoners and 15 staff members.
—Jacksonville Journal-Courier


chicagotribune--2020-11-07--Watch live: Mayor Lori Lightfoot to speak about Chicago’s response to results of the 2020 presidenti

Watch live: Mayor Lori Lightfoot to speak about Chicago’s response to results of the 2020 presidential election

Mayor Lori Lightfoot will give an update on the city ’ s response to the 2020 presidential election in a @ @ @ @ @ Get the latest local updates here .

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