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It’s time once again to dive into another round of quick takes on the people, places and events that were being talked about over the past week:
Ds down on Israel
Back in 2015, Illinois became the first state to divest public pension funds from companies that participate in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel.
The law requires state pension systems to terminate direct investment in companies boycotting Israel. It passed without opposition in the Illinois House and Senate and was signed into law by former Gov. Bruce Rauner.
But is the worm starting to turn as progressive groups, among others, turn against Israel and, to a degree, embrace anti-Semitism?
There’s an effort to repeal the law pending in the legislature. Once buried in a House committee, it’s showing signs of life, in the process dividing super-majority legislative Democrats.
It will be interesting to see how Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who is Jewish, responds to this nascent movement.
State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid advocates repeal because he argues it punishes companies that have taken a position on human rights.
“We’re hurting our pension funds in the process,” he told Illinois Playbook.
The legislation has attracted more than 20 sponsors, including Urbana Democratic state Rep. Carol Ammons, with most of the rest from the Chicago area.
Playbook said the legislation was scheduled for a hearing last week, calling it “the first real step forward for the bill after it sat for months in the House Rules Committee.”
Playbook reporter Shia Kapos said the hearing “signals that pressure is building inside the caucus as the legislature heads toward its May 31 adjournment.”
Whatever happens during the next month, the issue is going to continue to fester as Democratic Party leftists continue to target Israel as the villain in the Middle East.
Democrats’ antipathy to Israel is not limited to Springfield. Members of the U.S. House from Illinois are co-sponsoring U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez’ “Block the Bombs” bill that mostly denies offensive weapons for Israel.
They include U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, Robin Kelly, Jonathan Jackson, Lauren Underwood, Danny Davis, Jan Schakowsky and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia.
Big scoop for Time?
The weekly news magazines — Time, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report — aren’t what they used to be. In fact, they are shadows of the shadows of their former selves.
Still, Time magazine outdid itself with a recent report on the 2028 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination when it reported news that will not come as a shock to those who’ve been paying attention.
It ran a profile of Gov. Pritzker with the headline, “J.B. Pritzker may be running for more than governor.”
Gee, what office could it be? His party’s presidential nomination in 2028, per chance?
Yes, take it to the bank that J.B. wants to be elected president in 2028, just like he wanted to replace Joe Biden on the 2024 Democratic ticket, just like he wanted to run for vice president with Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race.
He’s got a serious case of Potomac Fever, the malady that causes too many politicians from both parties to see themselves as presidential timber.
Pritzker vindicates himself
Pritzker wasn’t happy with this week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision on gerrymandered congressional districts.
But he was very pleased that his method of gerrymandering — for political reasons — passed legal muster.
“I talked to lawyers this morning, people who are experts in this, who’ve said everything we have in Illinois now is constitutional, even under this new ruling. I’m sure there will be people who try to attack it. But the reality is that if you read through the Supreme Court decision, I’m told that it validates the maps that already are in place,” he said.
The court’s decision struck down the manipulation of legislative districts for racially discriminatory reasons. But its prior decisions have allowed gerrymandering for partisan reasons. In other words, the Ds can shaft the Rs, and vice verse.
Few states have state and federal legislative maps as gerrymandered — for political reasons, of course — as Illinois.
Democrats drew the current maps after the 2021 census in a way to give themselves super-majority control of the Illinois House and Senate and 14 of Illinois’ 17 U.S. House seats.
The district of local Democratic U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski was described by The Washington Post as the most gerrymandered of the 435 U.S. House districts in the nation. Like a snake, it slithers from Champaign County to the Missouri border, nearly cutting another congressional district in half.
Big business
The state of Illinois remains the abortion capital of the United States, according to a study by the pro-abortion research group Guttmacher Institute.
The organization said its statistical review shows that nearly “one in four women who crossed state lines” to undergo an abortion came to Illinois.
A Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Carbondale is a prime example of that phenomenon. Located within driving distance of other states, like Tennessee and Kentucky, Illinois draws 90 percent of its expectant mothers seeking abortions to Carbondale, as of June 2025.
Chicago also is home to an abortion clinic offering expanded services that go well beyond pro-abortion norms.
The Hope Clinic, located in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, advertises abortion services for women who are up to 34 weeks pregnant. Opened in June 2025, the clinic describes its services as “all-trimester.”
A full-term pregnancy is 36 weeks, just two weeks longer than Hope Clinic’s stated limit.
Abortion was legal in every state until the U.S. Supreme Court returned the issue to the individual states to address. Since then, some states have restricted its availability while Pritzker and legislators eased rules to make it even more widely available in Illinois.
Obviously, Pritzker’s hopes have been realized. The Chicago Tribune reports that more than 90,000 abortions were performed in Illinois in 2023, nearly 40,000 for out-of-state residents.
Wolverines loaded at QB
The University of Michigan recently stole a hot quarterback prospect from the University of Illinois: highly regarded Kamden Lopati of Utah.
But Lopati is not going to have an easy time cracking the Wolverines’ lineup in his 2027 freshman year — or perhaps even after that.
Sports Illustrated reports that “it was a huge win for Michigan when former No. 1 overall recruit Bryce Underwood opted to return to the Kyle Whittingham-led program.”
It said “the rising sophomore signal-caller, while erratic … still carries immense upside thanks to his combination of arm strength and ability to extend plays.”
Even better, there’s lots of depth behind him, including Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, who brings with him 31 games of collegiate experience, including two seasons as a starter for Colorado State.
But there’s real excitement for freshman Tommy Carr, who had a “very strong spring” game. The grandson of former UM head coach Lloyd Carr and the brother of Notre Dame quarterback C.J. Carr, Tommy has a growing reputation. Carr’s other grandfather also is a former Wolverines star.
In the recent spring game, Tommy completed 21 of 30 passes (70 percent) for 143 yards and ran 10 times for 59 yards (5.9 yards per attempt).
(Sophomore Chase Herbstreit, son of former Ohio State quarterback and current ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit, completed one of three for 20 yards.)
Afterward, Whittingham said the 6’4,” 185-pound Carr has “a great pocket presence and escapability,” “can extend plays, keeps his eyes down field — all the things we look for in a big-time quarterback.” He also praised Carr for a great work ethic.
“First of all, he has that ‘It’ factor for a quarterback,” said Whittingham.