Who’s who getting sued. Setting the stage for what CNN calls “a titanic clash,” Harvard University’s filing suit against some of the Trump administration’s top officials for withholding billions of dollars and threatening to strip the university’s tax-exempt status—ostensibly because of “antisemitism.”
■ Read the suit—which MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell calls “a thing of beauty”—here.
■ Public Notice columnist David Lurie: “Resistance is not futile. Harvard is demonstrating that bullies don’t like to get hit back.”
■ House Republicans are also citing antisemitism to summon DePaul University’s president for an inquisition May 7.
■ Popular Information pegs the amount school districts across the country stand to lose as the Trump administration ends pandemic relief funding a year early—to help fund tax cuts—at $3 billion.
Homeland insecurity. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse—including her driver’s license, medication, apartment keys, passport, government access badge, blank checks and about $3,000 in cash—has been reported stolen.
■ Despite reports that the White House is looking to replace embarrassingly un-secure Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CNN’s Stephen Collinson says Hegseth looks safe for now—because his removal would force Trump to admit he’d made a mistake …
■ … but that hasn’t stopped the internet from launching memes comparing Hegseth to a head of lettuce.
■ Poynter: “Hegseth’s latest excuse is much of the same: It’s the media’s fault.”
‘Treat White House briefings as the travesty they are.’ That’s No. 3 on press critic Mark Jacob’s list of “five ways major media can seek redemption” for their failure to warn the public about Trump’s threat to democracy.
■ The plainspoken Jeff Tiedrich: “Imagine a United States president who literally says ‘we cannot give everyone a trial.’ … Mad King Donny actually went there.”
■ Robert Kuttner at The American Prospect: “Unless Trump’s other efforts at dictatorship are restrained by the courts, he is very likely to come for the press.”
■ Columnist Eric Zorn mourns the loss of opinion pages—including columns and letters to the editor—in the Sun-Times on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
‘They say he taught compassion
Even for the foe and sinner—
But now he’s gone and I’m still here
That means that I’m the winner!’
■ Pulitzer-winning columnist Mary Schmich files another TrumPoem—this one speculating on the president’s reaction to the death of Pope Francis.
■ Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich, who’ll join the conclave to pick the next pope, says he doubts it’ll be an American.
■ Jimmy Kimmel last night: “Is there anything more Catholic than waiting until Monday to die so you don’t upstage Jesus?”
Happy Earth Day to you. As the Trump administration moves to disarm so many environmental protections, the Chicago-based Environmental Law & Policy Center’s CEO, Howard Learner, offers six ways for Illinoisans to step up.
■ The Conversation: Only about 9% of the plastic generated in the U.S. actually gets recycled.
■ Columnist Ramona Grigg looks back 55 years to the first Earth Day.
■ Chicago faces the prospect of rough weather this evening into early tomorrow.
Webby winners. The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences has announced its 29th annual roster of those honored for excellence on the internet.
■ The Associated Press website front page was down this morning.
