Good Thursday morning, Illinois. Hope you’re enjoying the hazy days of summer.

President Joe Biden swept into the Democratic territory of Chicago on Wednesday just as Casey DeSantis, wife of Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, campaigned in Quincy and Springfield — also known as Trump Country.

Illinois isn’t an early primary player in either the Democratic or Republican contests, but it’s rich in donors and delegates for both parties.

IN CHICAGO: Biden reminded supporters about his economic accomplishments helping the middle class after the country experienced “failed” policies of his Republican predecessor. “You’ve got to brag a little more about what you do,” he said about his administration’s economic policies. Full remarks here

Biden repeated many themes of his speech when he took the stage at the JW Marriott hotel, where 200 high-profile guests and donors gathered for a fundraiser hosted by Gov. JB Pritzker.

SPOTTED: Democratic National Committee Chair Jamie Harrison opened the luncheon event and Congresswoman Lauren Underwood and Pritzker both gave intros to Biden.

Also in the room: Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, first lady of Illinois MK Pritzker, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Commissioner Josina Morita, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Fox, Magnify Strategies’ Kaitlin Fahey, Chicago Federation of Labor’s Bob Reiter and political donors John Atkinson, Carmen Rossi, Smita Shah and Mark Ishaug.

IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS: Casey DeSantis and her daughter, Madison, had lunch in Quincy with about 80 supporters before heading to Springfield for two events, including a stop at Home Plate Bar & Grill. “The whole place broke into applause when she arrived. She’s got star power,” Richard Porter, a Republican National Committeeman from Illinois, told Playbook. The second event in Springfield was a meet-and-greet with a moms group (which one, we wonder). DeSantis also tweeted about her day.

RELATED

— Full report: Biden kicks off reelection message in Chicago with embrace of ‘Bidenomics’ tag, by Sun-Times’ Tina Sfondeles, who pooled Biden’s events.

— Gov. JB Pritzker headlined a national fundraising email from the Biden/Harris campaign: “I’m all in — and I hope you are too. If you’re with me, chip in,” he wrote.

Lots of action on the Chicago Public Schools beat Wednesday. Here are the biggest take-aways:

— Chicago school board approves $9.4B budget as district officials warn of looming deficit: “The 2024 budget is a fraction of a percent larger than last year’s, and allocates roughly half — or $4.8 billion — directly to schools. Mayor Brandon Johnson campaigned on moving school funding away from being based on enrollment, a shift officials say is underway,” reports Chalkbeat’s Becky Vevea.

— CPS unveils new process for schools to drop racist namesakes: “Chicago Public Schools officials have been working on an updated naming policy for more than two years after a Chicago Sun-Times investigation found 30 schools were named for slaveholders,” writes Sun-Times’ Nader Issa.

— Chicago school board backs funding for campus police — and an initiative to reduce reliance on it, by Chalkbeat’s Mila Koumpilova

— CPS Board of Education President Miguel del Valle is stepping down, by Tribune’s Sarah Macaraeg

— Del Valle’s exit means Mayor Brandon Johnson will make his first school board pick, by Sun-Times’ Nader Issa and Fran Spielman

If you are Casey DeSantis, Playbook would like to know if you tried a horseshoe. Email [email protected].

No official public events.

At Columbus Park at 1:30 p.m. to watch the NASCAR Chicago Street Race “pit stop” for teens and greet NASCAR team members.

At the Cook County Building at 10 a.m. presiding over the county board meeting.

If you haven’t already checked out for the long weekend, then thanks for reading and stay in touch: [email protected]

— Illinois Republicans can relate: ‘I get my butt kicked every 20 minutes’: Life in a state legislature’s superminority: “What it’s like to be a member of a tiny caucus up against a powerful majority,” by POLITICO’s Liz Crampton.

— Illinois officials will try a second time to make good on a pledge to reform student ticketing: “Despite legislative setbacks, state leaders and Gov. JB Pritzker say they remain committed to stopping schools from continuing to use police to punish students,” by ProPublica’s Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards.

— How some cities are buying medical debt: “Cook County has successfully acquired and erased nearly $80 million in medical debt,” said Toni Preckwinkle, President, Cook County, Ill., Board of Commissioners. “We spent only a fraction of that, about 800,000 less than a million dollars, to do it. This will benefit over 72 thousand Cook County families, with many more to come.” Scripps News’ Tammy Estwick reports.

— MOVEit takes Illinois— Nearly 400,000 people were affected by the sweeping ransomware attack that hit the Prairie State, reports Crain’s John Pletz.

— Air quality alert is extended through tonight for Chicago, northwest Indiana, via NBC 5

— Six candidates advance to semi-finals of Chicago police superintendent search: “The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, a new civilian oversight body charged with leading the search, has until July 14 to pick three finalists and deliver those names to Mayor Brandon Johnson,” by Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman and Tom Schuba.

— Agency charged with probing Chicago Police misconduct set to close hundreds of old cases to clear backlog, chief says, by WTTW’s Paris Schutz and Heather Cherone

— Johnson Administration lays out big picture migrant plan at first of monthly refugee meetings: “From buying supply space and city shelter sites to advocating for long-term change to immigration policies, Chicago grapples with the costs and needs of being a sanctuary city,” by WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel and Tessa Weinberg.

— Chicago’s cost to care for migrants arriving since August tops $100M, reports Tribune’s Alice Yin

— Bubba Wallace throws a block party in Hyde Park to introduce NASCAR to a new audience, by Sun-Times’ Kaitlin Washburn

— State Rep. Kam Buckner is kicking off his re-election campaign today with a fundraiser that will be headlined by Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch. Details here

— Retired judge accused of bilking Tuskegee Airman asks to be disbarred, citing evidence in the case: “Patricia Martin, the former presiding judge of the Juvenile Court’s child protection division, filed a motion with the Supreme Court requesting ‘that the Court enter an order striking her name from the Roll of Attorneys,’” by Sun-Times’ Matthew Hendrickson.

— Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin invites Bears to relocate stadium to suburb with 2-page letter, by Aurora Beacon-News’ Steve Lord

— Fearing effect on downtown Arlington Heights, not all businesses welcoming Bears to town, by Daily Herald’s Christopher Placek

— Biden will nominate April Perry to become Chicago’s first female U.S. attorney: “Biden’s nomination of Perry reflects an effort to diversify the ranks of the nation’s federal judges and prosecutors,” by Sun-Times’ Jon Seidel and Lynn Sweet.

— Smita Shah, the CEO of SPAAN Tech, has been named to the board of directors of World Business Chicago, the public-private economic development agency.

We asked what presidential policy speech you remember most.

Brian Berg: “John F. Kennedy’s ‘We choose to go to the Moon’ speech at Rice University on Sept. 12, 1962.”

Mel Huang: “George H. W. Bush’s ‘Chicken Kiev’ speech in Kyiv on Aug. 1, 1991. Its shortsightedness helped to sow the seeds for my entire career.”

Carol Hughes: “Ronald Reagan’s 1987 arms reduction challenge to the USSR in a Nov. 22, 1982, speech at the Brandenburg Gate where he said, ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!’”

Paul Kendrick: “John F. Kennedy speech backing civil rights legislation on June 11, 1963.”

Steven McKenzie: “I was visiting my grandparents’ home when I was 8, and I remember Aug. 8, 1974, when Richard Nixon gave his resignation speech.” (Not exactly policy, but memorable nonetheless.)

Brent Pruim: “Barack Obama defending the Affordable Care Act.”

Barry Salzman: “John F. Kennedy’s ‘Peace Speech’ at American University on June 10, 1963. To this day, some students of his assassination insist his words about the commonalities of all men signed his own death warrant that afternoon.”

What did you do to receive a big round of applause? Email [email protected]

MAKING HISTORY: Watch for Congress members Danny Davis (IL-07), Robin Kelly (IL-02) and Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), all Democrats, to introduce legislation to create a national historic site at Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ, where the funeral of Emmett Till was held.

The legislation would echo Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s bill to establish the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley and Roberts Temple National Historic Site.

The back story: Emmett Till was the 14-year-old Chicagoan who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955. His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, directed that her son’s funeral at Roberts Temple occur with an open-casket.

Fifty thousand people are reported to have attended the services. Till-Mobley gave permission for JET magazine to run photos of her son’s body in the coffin. She wanted people across the country to see how her son was brutalized.

— Biden world wants Republicans to feel the pain for voting no while taking the dough, by POLITICO’s Jennifer Haberkorn

— Inside Biden’s dramatic backchannel to Russia as a near-coup unfolded, by POLITICO’s Eli Stokols, Jonathan Lemire and Lauren Egan

— Senate Republicans try to stop messy Montana primary, by POLITICO’s Ally Mutnick

— Jon Bosscher is joining Gragert Research as a senior consultant. He was research director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and is a House Majority PAC alum.

— Rob Wildeboer is returning to his roots as a musician and leaving WBEZ, where he’s been senior editor over the criminal justice reporting team. Wildeboer has been with WBEZ for 19 years and says he’s looking forward to a life without deadlines.

WEDNESDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Jan Kostner for correctly answering that Andrew Johnson was the first sitting U.S. president to visit Chicago. Abraham Lincoln visited a lot but not as POTUS.

TODAY’s QUESTION: who was the noted Chicago columnist born on the Fourth of July? Email [email protected]

State Sen. Dave Syverson, Illinois Education Association comms director Sarah Antonacci, lobbyist John McCabe, former Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza and PR pro Katie Breen.

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