Sen. Duckworth talks Kim Jong Un, stresses of Congress with Seth Meyers
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth appeared on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" Thursday, where she candidly discussed the war of words between President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
Duckworth, a Democrat from Hoffman Estates, said Trump isn't helping tensions by engaging in a "battle of terminology" and warned that the president "can't out-hyperbole a dictator who's crazy."
"Stop it," Duckworth said. "You're the commander in chief of the greatest military on the face of this earth. Act like it."
<h3 class="leadin">Blood pressure
Duckworth, who wore a short leather dress revealing her prosthetic legs, also talked about the year she spent recovering in Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after being shot down in Iraq. But she described serving in Congress as her most stressful job yet.
When she joined the House in 2013, she said, doctors put her on blood pressure medication. After moving to the Senate in January, she laughed, "they doubled it."
Watch the video online at www.facebook.com/SenDuckworth/videos/907431056097511/.
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How much?
Just how much did suburban districts get out of the $429 million that was released to Illinois schools late last week to help with cash flow? Abdon Pallasch, spokesman for Democratic Comptroller Susana Mendoza, gave me a few breakouts.
Millburn Elementary District 24 got $338,731. Indian Prairie District 204 got $5.2 million. Oak Grove Elementary District 68 got $120,632. Kaneland Unit District District 302 got $1.2 million, while Chicago Public Schools received $135 million, she said.
Mendoza's payment was aimed at helping schools after the state missed its first set of regularly scheduled payments for the 2017-18 academic year, which were due Thursday. Those checks are on hold until both chambers of the state legislature act on GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner's veto of a school funding overhaul bill. The Senate overrode Rauner's veto Sunday; the House is expected to convene Wednesday.
The $429 million comes in the form of categorical payments - funding for special programs such as transportation and bilingual education - that schools were owed last year. Those payments are part of a massive backlog of unpaid bills that piled up during the two-year budget standoff.
<h3 class="leadin">A first
The Democratic Governors Association pointed out that this is the first time in history that Illinois missed its deadline to make school funding payments.
<h3 class="leadin">Bidding for Fortner's seat
A DuPage County businessman with Democratic ties is making a bid for the state House seat left open by West Chicago Republican Mike Fortner. Nic Zito of Wayne is a Wayne Township trustee. He's also a business services director for economic development alliance Choose DuPage.
<h3 class="leadin">Another one!
Meanwhile, a perennial suburban candidate is joining the already crowded Democratic primary race for governor. Burr Ridge doctor Robert Marshall made an unsuccessful 1998 bid for Congress in the 3rd District, then an unsuccessful bid for U.S. Senate in 2010 and another in the 6th Congressional District Democratic primary last year.
Other Democratic candidates are state Rep. Scott Drury of Highwood, state Sen. Daniel Biss of Evanston, Madison County regional superintendent of schools Bob Daiber, community organizer Tio Hardiman of Chicago, Kenilworth businessman Chris Kennedy, Chicago Alderman Ameya Pawar and Chicago billionaire businessman J.B. Pritzker.