Good Monday morning, Illinois. It was an epic movie battle with “Barbie” raking in $155 million to “Oppenheimer,” $80.5 million, via The Associated Press.

President Joe Biden hasn’t spoken out about Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis’ controversial take last week on slavery or how Black history ought to be taught in schools.

But he’s made his views clear. Biden will sign a proclamation Tuesday to establish the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument in Chicago and Mississippi. Tuesday is symbolic because it’s Emmett’s birthday.

It’s a tribute to Till and to his mother, who insisted on an open casket at her son’s Chicago funeral to show the world how he had been brutalized. Jet magazine would publish the photos of young Emmett’s body, which helped spur the Civil Rights Movement.

It’s not just politics. Emmett’s story has hung over Biden’s presidency. Last year, the president signed the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act. Earlier this year, he invited families of people killed by hate crimes to come to the White House for a screening of “Till,” a movie about Emmett’s kidnapping, torture and lynching. “Pure terror,” is how Biden described the dark moment in history at the screening.

Now comes Biden’s proclamation for the Till monument at a time of political upheaval over the issue of race. Conservatives are challenging how slavery and Black history are taught in schools, and some in the corporate world are rejecting programs that support diversity, equity and inclusion.

DeSantis’ head-turning comment: The Florida governor said Black people benefited from slavery because they “eventually parlayed” the skills they learned working for slave masters. It echoes Florida’s new standards on how Black history should be taught. The new curriculum says African Americans received a “personal benefit” from slavery, via POLITICO.

A quick rebuke: Vice President Kamala Harris made a last-minute trip to Florida Friday to attack the remarks. “How is it that anyone could suggest that in the midst of these atrocities that there was any benefit to being subjected to this level of dehumanization?” Harris asked in a speech in Jacksonville, Fla.

Watch for more: The VP and Xavier Becerra, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, are in Chicago today to deliver remarks at the 2023 UnidosUS Annual Conference at McCormick Place.

RELATED

— Groundbreaking Tuesday for the first phase of renovations at a museum that will honor Emmett Till’s legacy, via WGN 9

Congressman Jesus “Chuy” García has a new cause: getting a Latino elected to the Illinois Supreme Court.

He gathered elected allies on Friday to make his case, saying Latinos make up 18 percent of the Illinois population and are one of the fastest growing demographics in the state.

His beef: In spite of that growth, Latinos are not represented on the state’s highest court “even as their economic and cultural contributions continue to grow,” his supporters said in a statement.

Judicial parity: Over the past five years, there has been an effort to Latino equity in the judiciary. It resulted “in more than 50 active Latino state court judges, including two on the Illinois Appellate Court,” judicial advocates recently wrote in the Sun-Times.

Next step: Garcia says now it’s time for the Supreme Court to have Latino representation. He’s urging the Cook County Democratic Party to slate a Latino candidate for the high court when party leaders meet next month.

If you are former Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, Playbook would like to hear from you. Email [email protected].

No official public events.

No official public events.

In Austin, Texas, for the National Association of Counties conference.

Grab a second cup of coffee and send me a line: [email protected]

— Pritzker focuses on business development, clean energy jobs at Joliet assembly plant opening: “The Lion Electric factory opening came on the same day that the state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced $38 million in funding availability to develop 13 regional ‘CEJA Workforce hubs,’ a training program that’s intended to prepare people for entry-level jobs in the clean energy industry,” by Capitol News’ Peter Hancock.

— BUSINESS OF POLITICS | Conservative group headed by 2020 presidential election denier wins access to Illinois voter data in court settlement: “After paying an existing fee that had been charged to political and governmental entities, the Conservative Union can acquire a complete list of the state’s 8.1 million registered voters along with age, address, phone number and county and state voter ID number, except for individuals covered by special federal or state confidentiality laws,” reports Tribune’s Rick Pearson.

— Push to build more CO2 pipelines and store gas underground in Illinois raises alarms about safety regulations, by Tribune’s Nara Schoenberg

— Non-profit Safer Foundation applauds Illinois Supreme Court ruling on SAFE-T Act, by KWQC’s Hernan Gutierrez

— ‘Beacon of Endurance’ honors legacy of Abraham Lincoln outdoors in downtown Springfield, by State Journal-Register’s Tiffani Jackson

— Sen. Dick Durbin tested positive for Covid-19. “I’m disappointed to have to miss critical work on the Senate’s NDAA this week in Washington,” he tweeted. Durbin is also missing today’s UnidosUS Annual Conference, which he was scheduled to attend.

— Chicago Grammy-winning poet J. Ivy is chosen as grand marshal of Billiken parade, by Sun-Times’ Violet Miller

— The surprising story of the late Congressman Bobby Schilling: “My dad was a recovering drug addict and a recovering alcoholic. He was always very private about it because he didn’t want to be defined by the mistakes of his past,” his son told Illinois Times’ Scott Reeder.

— Could Chicago impose an income tax? Mayor Brandon Johnson promised during the campaign to raise $800 million in new revenue, all without touching property taxes. “But with ideas like a financial transactions tax and a business head tax already hitting roadblocks in Springfield and the City Council, some supporters say an income tax on high earners may be one of the mayor’s only remaining options for raising significant revenues,” reports Illinois Answers Project’s Alex Nitkin.

— Chicago cop suspended 9 months for ‘improper sexual relationship’ with woman after 911 call at her home, by Sun-Times’ Emmanuel Camarillo

— As ‘restorative justice’ in neighborhood courts shows positive results, Cook County looks to expand program, by Tribune’s Madeline Buckley

— National Labor Relations Board ‘finds merit’ in union claims against Howard Brown Health, by Sun-Times’ Violet Miller

— Pioneering environmental justice organization threatened with eviction from South Side headquarters, by Sun-Times’ Brett Chase

— Evanston residents angry about legal move by city to bypass public discussion on Northwestern stadium project: “In the latest point of contention to arise at Northwestern since a hazing scandal broke this month in which student athletes claim sexualized and racist abuse in the football, softball, volleyball and cheerleading programs. Opponents are pushing for the university to postpone its plans for a new football stadium while it deals with the controversy,” by Tribune’s Robert McCoppin.

— Zurich looks to shed nearly half of Schaumburg HQ: “The listing now is one of the most dramatic cases yet in the Chicago area of remote work’s assault on office demand. Zurich joins a crowd of companies aiming to shed unwanted workspace; such moves have driven up office vacancy to an all-time high,” by Crain’s Danny Ecker.

— Metra crime grows with ridership, but ‘it is a very safe system,’ officials say. Daily Herald’s Marni Pyke reports

— Biden looks to put North Carolina on ’24 map, by POLITICO’s Myah Ward

— 11th District challenges: Congressman Bill Foster faces a primary from Qasim Rashid, an attorney who moved to Naperville from Virginia, where he ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2020 and the Virginia state Senate in 2019. Rashid, who earned his bachelor’s degree from University of Illinois at Chicago, kicked off his campaign officially over the weekend.

On the Republican side, Susan Altman of Geneva is also running for the 11th District seat.

— Graciela Guzman is making it official. She’s turned in paperwork to run for the 20th District state Senate seat that was handed to Natalie Toro when Cristina Pacione-Zayas stepped down to work in City Hall. Guzman was Pacione-Zayas’ district director and had sought her boss’ open seat. Instead, party leaders appointed Toro, who’s also running for the seat she now holds.

We asked for your favorite Mike Flannery story.

Dave Lundy: “That time Flannery jumped into an elevator to ask Chris Kennedy if he was running for governor.”

David Ormsby: “He once shared a story about the day several of my aunts showed up at the door of his mansion in Beverly, where they and my father grew up. He graciously gave them a tour of the renovated house in which they were also married under the chandeliers of the 3rd floor ballroom (now a gym). A class act.”

David Prosperi: “During the 1980 and 1988 presidential campaigns, Mike stood out because of his professionalism in how he reported and commented on stories. He’s a case study for the next generation of political reporters.”

Phi Zeni: “I remember him in Springfield chasing legislators up and down in the State Capitol.”

What’s at the top of your summer reading list? Email [email protected]

— An insider’s guide to who’s wired — and who’s not — in the presidential race in Iowa, by POLITICO’s Natalie Allison, Sally Goldenberg and Adam Wren

— Senate Judiciary moves SCOTUS ethics bill forward — toward a dim future, POLITICO’s Katherine Tully-McManus and Josh Gerstein

— In the GOP primary, one thing sells (merch) above all: Owning the libs, by POLITICO’s Kelly Garrity

— CULTURE CLUB: What ‘Barbie’ says about the gender wars, by POLITICO’s Joanna Weiss

— Michael Toomin, retired Cook County judge known for high-profile cases, fight with Democratic Party, dead at 85: Players who faced him in court: Chicago gang boss Jeff Fort, outfit hitman Harry Aleman, Daley nephew Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko and actor Jussie Smollett, by Sun-Times’ Violet Miller.

— Richard H. Mills, 93, a retired judge from Springfield, has died. Obit here

— Jaclyn McNally has been appointed co-chair of the Hospitality Industry Group at Perkins Coie in Chicago. She’s been with the firm 20-plus years working on hospitality transactions.

— Today at 9 a.m.: A virtual discussion with Julieanna Richardson, founder and executive director of The HistoryMakers, with Paul Simon Public Policy Institute’s John Shaw. The event is free. Register here

— On this day in 1847, Mormon pioneers from Nauvoo, Ill., landed in Utah — which marks the day as Pioneer Day, a state holiday.

FRIDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Stella Black for correctly answering that McLean County has produced more corn than any other county.

TODAY’s QUESTION: What Illinois town once manufactured Payday candy bars? Email [email protected]

State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, former Chicago City Treasurer Kurt Summers, Lockport Township Supervisor and Democratic Chair Alex Zapién, Habitat Co. founder Daniel Levin, former Tribune Nonexecutive Chair Michael Ferro, Holtz Industries President James Straus, WGN Radio’s Anna Davlantes and Global Strategy Group’s Nicole Jaconetty.

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