TGIF, Illinois. Lions have returned to Lincoln Park Zoo, so a field trip is in order. h/t CBS 2

FRIDAY SURPRISE: Illinois Dems to unveil new congressional map today, reports Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: The Democratic Party of Illinois’ third-quarter fundraising numbers aren’t remarkable for their size: The party raised a total of $286,000 during the July-through-September period. What is impressive is where the money came from.

Without sharing data (the party hadn’t yet filed with the Federal Election Commission), DPI executive director Abby Witt said “numerous donors” have given to the Democratic Party “for the very first time” and from across the state — 65 cities total.

“The party is charting a new course that includes more people, more voices and a renewed commitment to serving all Democrats across our state,” she told Playbook.

Over the three-month period, the party raised $186,00 in federal funding, Witt said. The party raised about $100,000 in local funding and in-kind donations, not a particularly remarkable number though Democrats are putting a positive spin on it given local fundraising didn’t start until halfway through the quarter.

DPI has a total $3.5 million cash on hand — $1.1 million on the federal side and $2.4 million for local.

That’s a far cry from the tens of millions of dollars that were under four accounts operated by former House Speaker Michael Madigan. It’s a real shift in operations, too, Democratic insiders said. Madigan used much of his warchest to elect Democrats to the state House. Little attention and funding were spent on other races at the county or federal levels, for example.

Party chair Robin Kelly, who is not allowed to raise money personally for local races because she is a member of Congress, has established a separate fundraising committee within the party to focus on those contests. “Building Leadership, Unity, and Equity,” or BLUE, was started midway through the quarter in late August, so it’s still too early to analyze whether the fundraising mechanism is working.

Witt says BLUE is now funding support services that Democrats statewide can utilize, including data services, communications programs (that list Democratic accomplishments and talking points to counter Republicans) and helping individuals run their campaigns.

“These are the changes people wanted to see in their state party and this is just the beginning,” she said.

REP. BOBBY RUSH PLAYBOOK Q&A: The Black Panther Party was founded 55 years ago today. The organization started in Oakland, Calif., with the goal of protecting residents from police and established offshoots across the country, including in Chicago. The group famously created a free breakfast program for children.

But it’s a notorious predawn police raid in Chicago that will forever memorialize the organization. In December 1969, police killed Fred Hampton, chairman of the Black Panther Party’s Illinois chapter, and top aide Mark Clark.

Congressman Bobby Rush, who was in his 20s when he joined Black Panthers, would become the leader in Chicago. Rush eventually stepped away from the activist organization and ran for political office. He talked to Playbook about what’s changed in activism over the years.

Has activism come full circle since the Black Panther Party era? “I think that it ebbs and flows, and that there are catalyzing events that heighten the awareness and create more media attention than others. You can’t separate the lynching and murder of Emmett Till from the Black Panther Party, and you can’t separate the murder of George Floyd from the righteous outrage of activists all around the world. The media has a tendency to focus on the highlights rather than the dimmer lights, but you can’t say that activism has stopped.”

How has activism changed since the ’60s? “It’s different because of technology — advanced technology. In the 1960s and early ‘70s, we had landlines, we had mimeograph machines, we printed up leaflets. Nowadays, all those things are online and on the internet. The internet is much more powerful at the moment. That is what has really been the change. And the camera is more ubiquitous now, so you can actually record instances of police murder and brutality. … The issues, though, are still there. The same issues of hunger, police brutality, inadequate housing, poor schools, jobs and joblessness — those issues are still prevalent.”

Are the ideas that people are fighting for any different? “The Black Panther Party was more into the principle of community organizing. We were raising the contradiction between the dominant society — the capitalist society — and how it failed poor and oppressed people. We wanted to be able to educate people and make those contradictions more apparent. That is why we started programs like the Free Breakfast for Children Program, which was a precursor to the [federal government’s] school breakfast program. We also lived among the people who we were organizing. We had to walk along with them, grow alongside them… It’s not just sending out an alert on social media. It was about really being in that community. And that’s really what led me into politics. That was my transition into politics.”

RELATED

Today at 4 p.m.: On the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party in 1966 is a dedication for the “People’s Bench,” a little free library and pantry at the historic Hampton House at 804 S. 17th Ave., Maywood. Expected to attend: Hampton House Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. and his mother, Akua Njeri.

Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: [email protected]

At IBEW Local 134 offices at 9 a.m. for a pre-slating session with Cook County Democrats. xxxx

At Erie Family Health Teen Center at 10 a.m. to announce “Protect Chicago 77 Pay It Forward” with the Michael Reese Health Trust.

No official public events.

— The Covid spike that didn’t happen: “The low transmission rate on football Saturdays this fall adds to the growing data showing that outdoor activities are safer. Study after study has assessed case spread at outdoor events to be significantly lower than at indoor events. Lollapalooza, the Chicago music festival, saw thousands attend, fully vaccinated, with few reported cases afterward,” writes Tyler Weyant in POLITICO’s Nightly.

— UIC lab tracking Covid-19 trends and hot spots by testing wastewater: “The water samples come from around the Chicago area, including sewers, congregate living settings, O’Hare Airport… Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, which manages much of Cook County’s waste and stormwater, was an early partner in providing water samples to UIC,” by WTTW’s Nick Blumberg.

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Big-name endorsements coming Fritz Kaegi’s way. The Cook County assessor is being endorsed by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, and Democratic Reps. Sean Casten, Danny K. Davis, Bill Foster, Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Robin Kelly, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Marie Newman, Mike Quigley, and Brad Schneider. “Change is not easy. Anytime you are trying to change a system, it’s hard. But Fritz is in the fight. He’s courageous, he’s brave and he has a lot of allies,” Kelly said in a statement. “It’s a pleasure to support him. I know I did the right thing a little over four years ago, and I’m doing the right thing now.”

— City clerk running for secretary of state got 2 contributions from trucking exec linked to government mole: “Anna Valencia says she has no ‘personal connection to William Pacella or his company. … Mr. Pacella has been a supporter of Democratic campaigns in the past, he was a part of our early donor outreach efforts,’” by Sun-Times’ Robert Herguth and Tim Novak

— Republican congressional candidate switches races, will try to unseat Underwood: “Oswego Republican James Marter on Wednesday filed a fresh statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission declaring his intent to run in the 14th District. Marter had been among the Republicans challenging 16th District Rep. Adam Kinzinger,” by Daily Herald’s Russell Lissau.

— Megadonor Richard Uihlein is funding a super PAC in Arkansas, by POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt

— State Sen. Mike Simmons kicks off his campaign for the 7th District seat in Rogers Park tomorrow at Hartigan Beach Park from 2 to 4 p.m.

— PHOTO SAYS IT ALL: A House Redistricting Committee hearing in Springfield adjourned early after no members of the public showed up to testify in-person or virtually.

… Another hearing today: The House Redistricting Committee meets at 2 p.m. at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (at the National Corn to Ethanol Research Center). You can also tune in via the www.ilga.gov web site in Virtual Room 1.

— GOP cries foul about new judicial subcircuits and Dems’ meeting members of Congress: Republican rep “thinks Democrats want more subcircuits to allow for the creation of more positions for Democratic elected and appointed judges who might be more likely to side with Democratic policies that are challenged in the courts,” by State Journal-Register’s Dean Olsen.

— Sheriff Dart, state Sen. Collins propose legislation to ban the untraceable weapons: “Ghost guns often are assembled from kits and are not marked with serial numbers like normal guns, making them harder to track. That means the gun parts can be purchased without a background check — a standard requirement for the purchase of a standard firearm from a federally licensed dealer,” by Tribune’s Shanzeh Ahmad and Jeremy Gorner.

— Illinois VA nursing home didn’t follow federal guidelines to contain Covid-19. 11 residents died: Details are emerging from a recently released inspector general’s report on the VA Illiana Health Care System in Danville, by USA Today’s Donovan Slack.

— Deere & Co. workers strike after rejecting contract: “A top scale Deere production worker would make just over $30 per hour, rising to $31.84 after five years,” via the Associated Press.

REV. JESSE JACKSON was spotted at the premiere of “Punch 9 for Harold Washington” at the AMC River East 21 theaters yesterday. The doc is part of the Chicago Film Festival. Jackie Grimshaw, an aide to Washington, and Bonnie Hickey, who managed Bernie Epton’s campaign against Washington, also attended the premiere. Jackson, Grimshaw and Hickey also pop up in the film, which is directed by Joe Winston and produced by Raymond Lambert and Sonya Jackson. The festival is also showing “Mayor Pete,” a doc about Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

— LIGHTFOOT BLINKS — sort of — on vaccine mandate: “The mayor still plans to enforce Friday’s deadline for city workers to disclose their vaccination status, apply for exemptions and agree to testing if they aren’t vaccinated. But no one will be sent home immediately, even if they defy the mandate,” by Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman.

… The developments mark “another escalation in the showdown” over the mandate with the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, write Tribune’s Alice Yin, Gregory Pratt and Jeremy Gorner

… Pritzker offers to deploy Nat’l Guard in case of police shortages amid vax mandate standoff, via NBC/5.

— Flawed datasets have labeled more than 130,000 people as gang members, report WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel and Chip Mitchell.

— Blues legend Muddy Waters’ former home is now a Chicago landmark, by Block Club’s Justin Laurence and Maxwell Evans

— DA BEARS: All eyes are on rookie Khalil Herbert after Damien Williams is put on reserve/Covid-19 list, by Tribune’s Colleen Kane

— Pritzker court filing: Natural immunity doesn’t excuse Naperville firefighters from Covid vax, testing mandates, by Cook County Record’s Jonathan Bilyk.

— Former Eric Ferguson co-host Melissa McGurren sues the Mix, by Tribune’s Tracy Swartz and Christy Gutowski.

— Onetime children’s charity director gets more than 3 years for stealing nearly $1M from program he led, by Sun-Times’ Jon Seidel.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Loyola University Chicago is adopting a new Sustainable Investment Policy, according to a memo from university President Jo Ann Rooney. The university plans to divest from companies “that derive a majority of their revenue from fossil fuels” and are not transitioning to renewable energy sources, according to the memo.

No one wants to be chatty (yet) about employers mandating vaccines, but I did hear that some of you don’t want to share vaccine status — even if you are vaccinated.

Moving on… The president wants to ramp up the supply chain, but we’re worried it won’t be done by the holidays. What’s your plan to get around the supply chain crisis? Email to [email protected]

Watch for Rep. Lauren Underwood to speak out about mail delivery problems in her suburban congressional district today during a field hearing in Chicago of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Government Operations about U.S. Postal Service delivery performance across the country. Since USPS CEO Louis DeJoy took office in 2020, Underwood’s office has seen postal case work quadruple, she told Playbook in an interview. “Seniors and veterans have been calling saying that their critical medications have been arriving dangerously late. Small businesses have been hobbled by slow and unreliable deliveries. And then things like people’s Christmas cards never got delivered, and passports have taken weeks to arrive after they’re mailed.”

The hearing is today at the Dirksen federal courthouse. Also scheduled to attend: Sen. Dick Durbin, and Reps. Danny Davis, Robin Kelly, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Mike Quigley, Sean Casten, Marie Newman, Bobby Rush, and Jan Schakowsky. Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet has more

— VP Kamala Harris and Sen. Duckworth participated in a virtual town hall organized by Care Can’t Wait, and moderated by Ai-Jen Poo, co-founder and executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. They discussed care policies in the president’s Build Back Better agenda.

— RAHM EMANUEL’s nomination as U.S. ambassador to Japan is on the docket for a hearing on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Foreign Relations Committee.

— Willowbrook Mayor Frank Trilla is holding a “King Car Wash for Kidney Health” fundraiser Saturday to benefit the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois, an organization Trilla was recently introduced to after learning he’s in need of a kidney transplant. Suburban mayors and state Sen. John Curran are donating “lunch with a mayor” or “lunch with the senator” as auction items for the event. Curran and Trilla worked side by side during the Sterigenics imbroglio. “Having been told I need a kidney transplant has opened my eyes to much needed awareness on this topic,” Trilla said in a statement. “I am fortunate to have good care, but too many others need critical help.”

— Breaking last night: “Former President Bill Clinton is in a hospital in California being treated for a non-Covid-related infection,” according to The AP.

— GOP erupts into swing state civil war, by POLITICO’s David Siders

— Meet ‘the lobbyist hunter’ trying to fill D.C.’s swamp, by POLITICO’s Hailey Fuchs

Rachel Otwell starts Wednesday as deputy communications director for Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza. Otwell most recently was Illinois Times associate editor. She spent about 10 years at NPR Illinois in Springfield, and was a 2019 ProPublica Local Reporting Network reporter.

Jayne Visser, CEO/founder of consulting firm ADEPTA, on Oct. 10 married Graham Harper, head of public policy and market structure at Chicago-based investment firm DRW. The couple were married by Bruce Gates in a small ceremony at the National Arboretum surrounded by family and a handful of best friends. The couple is honeymooning in Bermuda. SPOTTED: former Speaker John Boehner, Jack Evans, Mike and Jill Sommers, John Milne, Bo Chambliss, Kristin Smith, Dan McCarthy, Ashely Davis, Jack Davies and Kay Kendall, Damir and Amra Fazlic. Pic … Another pic Pics courtesy Tony Powell

— Today at 11:45 a.m.: Law professors Thomas Merrill (Columbia) and Nicole Garnett (Notre Dame) headline a discussion on Lakefront: Public Trust and Private Rights in Chicago. In-person event at the Ivy Room At Tree Studios. Sponsored by the Federalist Society.

— Saturday at 2 p.m.: State Rep. Tom Weber holds his Weberfest fundraiser at Jack & Lydia’s Resort in Lake Villa. Contact: Becki @ 847-774-2461.

— Sunday at 11 a.m.: Sen. Dick Durbin speaks on “Justice for All” at the virtual Wheat Lecture sponsored by Third Unitarian Church of Chicago.

— Sunday at 10:30 a.m.: Desiree Rogers, former White house social secretary, and Cheryl Mayberry McKissack, founder of Nia Enterprises, headline “N’Digo Studio with Hermene Hartman,” a TV talk show on NBC/5 Chicago. Rogers and McKissack will talk about teaming up to revive Black Opal cosmetics firm and Fashion Fair.

THURSDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to public policy analyst Mark McCombs for correctly answering that legendary University of Chicago football and track-and-field coach Amos Alonzo Stagg set in motion a meeting to help gain the release and reassimilation of interned Japanese Americans. For help, he reached out Harold Ickes Sr., a former Tribune reporter who by then was FDR’s Secretary of the Interior (and who was coached by Stagg on U. of C.’s 1898 track-and-field team).

TODAY’s QUESTION: Who was the future famous movie star who also was a neighbor of Adlai Stevenson’s in Libertyville? Email to [email protected]

Today: Citadel CEO Ken Griffin, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Robert Harris, RNC Committeewoman Demetra DeMonte, tech entrepreneur Jim Larrison, Allstate CEO Tom Wilson, Wow Bao chief technology officer Jeremiah Green, and journalist Ted Cox.

Saturday: MWRD Commissioner Josina Morita, and Culloton+Bauer Luce senior VP Anel Ruiz.

Sunday: Rep. Cheri Bustos, Rep. Mike Quigley, Metropolitan Family Services CEO Ric Estrada, Roycemore School director of admissions Angela Peters Murphy, and Carrier government relations director John Monsif.

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• Shia Kapos @shiakapos

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