Biden is out, the Secret Service Director testifies and a DePaul Paralympian
Plus, Georgia O’Keeffe’s “My New Yorks”
Welcome back to ‘In the Loop’! It’s your newsletter team – Lauren, Isabella, Gia, Annabelle and Varun – back for yet another edition of In the Loop! We’ve got a good one for you today.
To start, we have a brief on President Biden’s decision to drop out of the presidential race and where the Democratic Party can go from here. We also have information on the new leaders of DePaul’s Board of Trustees, a new campaign in the city to address the opioid crisis and more on the Microsoft IT outage that grounded thousands of flights last Friday. To wrap it up, we have information on a free youth soccer league for migrant children and a recommendation for the Art Institute's hottest summer exhibit.
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With that, let’s get into it!
So, Biden Dropped. What’s Next?
By Lauren Sheperd
President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race yesterday following pressure from the Democratic Party after his debate with former President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump last month.
In a statement published on Biden’s Instagram, he discussed the accomplishments of his administration with a special thanks to the American people and Vice President Kamala Harris – who he endorsed just after announcing he would not seek reelection.
“Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression,” Biden wrote. “I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do – when we do it together.”
Biden plans on addressing the nation later this week to discuss his decision, according to his letter.
One of the main demographic groups of voters that called for Biden to step down as nominee were young and often first time voters between the ages of 18 and 24. Emma Bretzlaff – a senior political science student at DePaul and registered Illinois voter – said she thought Biden was going to wait longer to make the announcement.
“I do wonder if his experience with COVID this past weekend has made him question long term health and ability to keep up with an election and being president,” Bretzlaff said. “It's obviously not a light job.”
Prior to Biden’s decision, there was not just a lack of excitement surrounding his campaign, but concerns surrounding his policies surrounding the Israel-Gaza conflict. An article published on 14 East’s website on May 18 highlighted woes amongst pro-Palestinian protestors in Chicago surrounding the Biden campaign. At the time, 13% of voters in the Democratic primary in Michigan – a highly contested swing state – had just cast their ballots as “uncommitted” – a major hit to the Biden campaign.
Now, Democrats are facing a time crunch. With the Democratic National Convention beginning in Chicago in just under a month and no clear candidate, the Democratic Party is in yet another unprecedented situation. While the current president and other high profile Democrats including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg have endorsed Harris, there are high stakes endorsements still left on the table, including former President Barack Obama.
Bretzlaff said she will support whoever the Democratic candidate is, but thinks Harris is the most likely to rally young voters – a vital group for Democrats this election. “We're already seeing mobilization of younger voters to rally behind Vice President Harris through social media,” she said. Bretzlaff is also encouraged by excitement from high profile politicians and donors surrounding the Harris White House bid.
According to The Washington Post, there are three ways this could go: there is no vote prior to the convention, there is a vote prior to the convention but no party majority or there is a vote prior to the convention that results in party unity. In the first two cases, the candidate will be decided at the convention.
“I worry a little bit about no longer having the Democratic candidate be the incumbent president,” Bretzlaff said. “However, the incumbent vice president is the second best thing.”
The possibility of a decision at the convention provides a sense of deja vu to the Democrats to the 1968 DNC which also took place in Chicago. Similarly to now, there was no clear candidate as then President Lyndon B. Johnson chose not to seek reelection.
The coming days and weeks will be vital to Democrats as they battle former President Donald Trump and his newly announced running mate Ohio Senator J.D. Vance. At the Republican National Convention, which took place in Milwaukee last week, there was unwavering support for Trump who made appearances just days after an assassination attempt. This type of unity is something that is not being seen in the Democratic Party and amongst American citizens at the moment.
DePaul News
By Lauren Sheperd
New Chair and Vice Chair elected to DePaul Board of Trustees
Mike Scudder and Sasha Gerritson were elected to chair and vice chair respectively of DePaul’s Board of Trustees on May 30. Their three year terms officially began on July 1. Scudder earned his MBA at DePaul with a concentration in finance. He currently serves on other boards and committees across the city, including Silver Cross Hospital’s board of directors and DePaul's John L. Keeley Center for Financial Services executive committee. Gerritson is a graduate of the DePaul School of Music and is highly involved in music, theater and opera across the city and state. Scudder has been a trustee since 2017 and Gerritson has been a trustee since 2012. The Office of the Secretary has more on DePaul Newsline.
DePaul assists on homelessness at the International Mayors Council
DePaul University’s Ruff Institute of Global Homelessness worked alongside the UN-Habitat effort to assist mayors from across the world address homelessness in their cities. The council began meeting in June 2023 and have been communicating virtually since. The council met in person in Paris on June 20, where they signed “a joint declaration affirming each leader’s commitment to ending homelessness locally, regionally, and globally and commit to a two-year workplan.” The Ruff Institute was founded in 2014, and is the first organization to focus on global homelessness as an interconnected crisis. DePaul Newsline has more.
Blue Demon to compete for the U.S. in the Paralympics
Noelle Malkamaki earned her spot on the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field team yesterday following a 13.60 meter shot put throw on Saturday at the trials in Miramar, Fla. Malkamaki – a graduate student – is a two-time world champion. On Saturday, she beat the world record she set last year at the World Para Athletics Championship. Track and Field events at the Paralympic Games will take place just north of Paris from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8. This is Malkamaki’s Paralympic debut. DePaul Athletics has more.
Chicago Headlines
By Isabella Salinas
Chicago Sky potential new practice facility — The franchise is expected to announce a new practice facility before the second half of the WNBA season, which resumes Aug. 15 after the Olympic break. According to two WNBA league sources, the Sky are considering Wintrust Sports Complex in Bedford Park as their new practice facility. One source told the Sun-Times that the goal would be to expand and improve the facility. The event center is owned by Bedford Park and opened in fall 2021, costing $38 million. It has eight high school basketball courts, one “championship court,” meeting spaces and an arcade, according to the facility’s website. The facility is located just a couple blocks south of Midway Airport at 5499 W. 65th St. This raises questions of where the players will live. Chicago Sun-Times Chicago Sky reporter Annie Costabile has more.
USPS letter carriers held rally after postal worker killed in shooting — United States postal workers rallied Monday morning to demand action from elected leaders in the wake of the death of a postal worker Octavia Redmond who worked as a letter carrier for more than 15 years was shot while on the job in the South Side of Chicago on Friday. Union members from the National Association of Letter Carriers say violence against workers on the job needs to stop and called for more police protection and laws to keep them safe. Union members say that there need more lawmakers to be on board with the Protect The Letter Carriers Act before Congress. This act would provide better security measures for United States Postal Service letter carriers. Jessica D'Onofrio and Leah Hope at ABC 7 has more.
Summer safety campaign to address opioid crisis — Chicago launched a new campaign to combat the opioid epidemic in five West Side neighborhoods after a surge in overdoses. On Saturday morning, outreach workers went door to door in the Austin neighborhood in attempts as a part of the city’s new Summer Overdose Safety campaign which provides Narcan and connects residents with resources and treatment right at their front door. Volunteers packed kits at the Austin Public Library and met with Mayor Brandon Johnson before canvassing two blocks. This campaign comes after a surge in overdoses. According to the Chicago Department of Public Health, there has been an alarming rise in opioid related overdoses in the past four years, a third of those overdoses occurring in five West Side neighborhoods: Austin, East Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, North Lawndale and West Garfield Park. Outreach workers said their goal is to cover 1,300 blocks over the next 10 weeks. Vi Nguyen at NBC Chicago has more in her article.
Titanìque the musical parody show coming to Chicago — The off-Broadway musical Titanìque, a send-up of the blockbuster film Titanic, will play for a limited time in Chicago next year in Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place from March 25 to May 18, of next year. The musical will appear on the subscription seasons of both Broadway in Chicago and Porchlight Music Theatre Chicago making this a Porchlight production developed for Chicago. Originally produced in New York by Eva Price, “Titanique” comes with a live band and parodies music from Celine Dion like “My Heart Will Go On,” “All By Myself” and “To Love You More.” The Chicago crew has yet to be announced, and individual ticket sales will be announced at a later time. Chicago Tribune Critic Chris Jones has more.
National Headlines
By Gia Clarke
VP Harris is likely going to be the official Democratic presidential nominee as many democratic officials have endorsed her — After President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race yesterday, he publicly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. People thought there might be competition between Harris and another Democratic official for the presidential candidacy, but Harris has been publicly backed by many Democratic governors, including Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. Potential challengers to the democratic candidacy California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg have publicly backed Harris, too. Harris has also won Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s public endorsement today. Shia Kapos and Irie Sentner from Politico have more information.
Donald Trump’s Secret Service Director testifies following assassination attempt —Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testified today that her agency failed to protect Former President Donald Trump. Lawmakers at the hearing pressured Cheatle to resign following Trump’s assassination attempt. Cheatle said the Secret Service was told about a suspicious person “between two and five times” before the shooting and revealed that the window from where the shot was fired was identified as a vulnerable area days prior to the rally. She called the assassination attempt the Secret Service’s “most significant operational failure” in decades. Alanna Durkin Richer, Farnoush Amiri and Claudia Lauer from The Associated Press have more information.
Delta struggles to recover from global Cyberstrike-Microsoft outage — Delta has canceled more than 4,600 flights – more than any other major airline – due to the Cyberstrike-Microsoft outage on Friday. A lot of Delta’s technology – such as crew-tracking related tools – relied on Microsoft, according to Delta CEO Ed Bastian. Its competitors, United Airlines and American Airlines, have both gone almost back to normal over the weekend. Leslie Josephs from NBC has more information.
Abortion rights supporters have enough signatures to put abortion protection on the Montana ballot — County election officials verified that the initiative to ask voters if they want to protect the right to have a pre-viability abortion in Montana has reached 74,186 signatures, more than the needed 60,359. While they have gotten the amount of signatures, Montana government officials have questioned whether non-voter signatures on the initiative count, which could lower the amount of signatures. A conclusion has not been made yet. Amy Beth Hanson from the Associated Press has more information.
14 East Pueblo: Free soccer program gives migrant children a chance to be kids
By Annabelle Rivera
In the midst of uncertainty and confusion for migrant families in the United States, a free youth soccer program run by college students is providing a sense of normalcy.
Amigos Unidos FC, translated as United Friends, began in June and goes until the first week of August. It mainly serves migrant children from Colombia and Venezuela. The club was founded by students at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign thanks to community donations.
“I was doing a lot of emailing and trying to figure out the park situation. We set up a GoFundMe, and we sent it to family, friends. We were able to get $1,000,” said Sofia Castro, one of the founders.
The Chicago Park District has extracurricular programs in the summer, but spots fill up quickly and the information can be difficult to understand for migrants who aren’t fluent in English. According to some migrant families, children aren’t allowed to run around in the shelters they stay at. This soccer program is filling a need that other migrant programs are overlooking: something specifically for kids.
The club relies on donations from the community and soccer organizations, who provide equipment. It takes place twice a week in Skinner Park on Chicago’s West Side. Donations can be made here.
Hey, Check This Out!
With Featured Columnist Varun Khushalani
Welcome back! If you’ve made it this far, you get a bonus point (yay!) from me, Varun Khushalani, the new Creative Director of 14 East. I’m a rising Senior at DePaul, studying Film and TV production, but don’t let that fool you, I also have no clue what I’m doing once I get out of here. In the meantime though, I wanted to explore this massive city and look for the really cool spots just waiting to be found. I did have to play it safe for the first one… and since all DePaul students can get in for free, what better place to review first than the Art Institute of Chicago, featuring a new exhibit by Georgia O’Keefe.
As not to forget anything, this review was written on a visitor guide, minutes after I left the exhibit, with a pen borrowed from a very nice museum employee who kindly offered it when I asked for one
The Art Institute of Chicago is amazing in the summer. The place is packed: large families barrage past silent couples standing closely in front of paintings. There is no other place in this city that inspires me more. Over my three years, I estimate I’ve visited Chicago’s premier art museum around 100 times. When I’m in a slump, I try to find a new corner I haven’t explored; something to get me started again. But visits 80-100 were tough to get through. Everything began to blend together. It got to the point where I only began to clock the new paintings in the rotation. But I trusted that after a while it would all come back to me.
On my (~)101st visit, I visited “My New Yorks,” a new exhibit showcasing Georgia O’Keeffe's work during her time in New York City in the 1920s and beyond, watching skyscrapers being built for the first time in human history. For us, skyscrapers are nothing new. For them, an entirely new world order was created, a new relationship with reality.
O’Keefe’s work uses bold colors and shapes to convey the emotions of this advancement, but also the sense of wonder incurred when looking up at very tall buildings. Only at first glance, is this exhibit just paintings of cities. The works selected pull from a wide variety of sources; many of the works featured in the exhibit are vibrant abstractions, in contrast to the gorgeous impressions of New York cityscapes featured throughout (I stood in front of New York Night for a while; it’s somewhere in the middle after a turn, if you wanted to find it). This exhibit walks through all of O’Keeffe’s inspirations, from cities to clouds to the New Mexican desert, showing how they guided her over the course of her remarkable career.
As O’Keeffe grew older, she moved on from “The Big City,” leaving behind the brand new world that was growing by the minute. Nevertheless, as this exhibit shows, everything she made after she left carried the imprint of her time there. It’s truly remarkable to walk through that silent room, through her life and watch all of her art talk to each other. For anyone personally in search of inspiration, look no further than O’Keeffe’s “My New York, on display at the Art Institute of Chicago until Sept. 22.
Resources
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That’s it for today! See you next Monday.
The 14 East Newsletter Team