The [Thursday] Papers

"Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner held a conference call with staff members Thursday morning to announce the departure of his new communications team, saying they were 'good people trying to do good work' but ended up being not a 'good fit,'" the Tribune reports.

Of course, he hired the now-departed communications team just six weeks ago in a staff purge that veteran Springfield observers called unprecedented.

Bruce Rauner is running Illinois like a business. Unfortunately, the business is Ringling Bros. #twill

— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) August 24, 2017

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Now, who does this remind you of?

"The reality is in addition to the enemies on the other side of the aisle (Democrats), we have enemies in the media and enemies who should be on our side, some of them former members of the administration," a source on a conference call Rauner held with his staff this morning told the Tribune.

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Of course, this is all about a controversial cartoon that Rauner denied seeing for days.

Now that he's finally admitted to seeing it, he still won't say if he thinks it's racist.

"Rauner also revealed that he has seen the Illinois Policy Institute's cartoon," Rich Miller reports at Capitol Fax.

"I can see why some people would be upset about it," he said. Rauner then claimed that part of the reason he ran for governor was because he wanted a more "just system," and pointed at the Chicago public schools as an example of something that needs to be fixed.

Rauner was asked if he thought the cartoon was racist. "I understand why some people are upset by it." He then repeated that line when asked again.

Let's ask the question another way, then: "Why are some people upset by it?"

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"When it was pointed out to him that the cartoon was published by an organization he has supported and is his 'go-to' think tank, Rauner said: 'I have not leaned on them as my go-to think tank. That is not an accurate statement.'"

And neo-Nazis aren't Trump's go-to hate group.

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"The governor also reportedly blamed many of his current problems on the top staff members who were fired or resigned in July," Miller also reports.

Well, who hired them?

Oh.

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"The communication staffers' exits mark a cap to a dizzying spell of public flaps for the governor since he directed a staff takeover in mid-July - including the firing of his 'body man' on his first day for sexist and racially insensitive tweets; criticism over the right leanings of his high-level staffers; a clarification by e-mail of his comments on Charlottesville and a highly criticized national interview on Fox News," the Sun-Times reports.

[Another departing communications staffer] came under fire when an online post revealed she argued that abortion is being used "to rid the world of disabled and other "unwanted' persons" - comparing it to Nazi Germany.

Oof.

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Caveat:

Yeah, I struggled with that one! Couldn't come up with an obviously poorly run business in the spur of the moment!

— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) August 24, 2017

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RECALL! Expresco Chicken Skewers
"These items were shipped to retail locations in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan and Texas."

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BeachBook

Trump Supporters Post Fake Photos Of Huge Crowds At Phoenix Rally - As Real Photos Show Room Half-Empty.

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TweetWood
A sampling.

If a president tries to stop a bill...to prevent him from firing the man....who's investigating the president, isn't that-- ah, forget it. https://t.co/uli10isUsn

— Barton Gellman (@bartongellman) August 23, 2017

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There are about as many students at Harvard college from the top 1% as from the bottom 60% combined:https://t.co/oS4VYzcK77
Ht @ThewissenS pic.twitter.com/gRbAKVrzCA

— Dina D. Pomeranz (@dinapomeranz) August 24, 2017

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The Trump transition team tried to get this person a security clearance https://t.co/Fncsknd6ZJ

— andrew kaczynski 🤔 (@KFILE) August 23, 2017

Should @CNN be declared a terrorist organization?

(Hint: They should)

— Michael Flynn Jr🇺🇸 (@mflynnJR) August 23, 2017

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that is how the law is supposed to work, yes https://t.co/Z9NUAMmAUi

— Jesse Berney (@jesseberney) August 24, 2017

.@RealSheriffJoe: "If they can go after me, they can go after anyone in this country." #Hannity https://t.co/cIFDqXeKBh pic.twitter.com/POGavxfMRA

— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 24, 2017

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pic.twitter.com/IQQtWb0FpL

— Meredith Salenger (@MeredthSalenger) August 23, 2017

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The most popular shirt out here today..... pic.twitter.com/0J3FykNxID

— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) August 23, 2017

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The Beachwood Tronc Line: Da do do do.

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