Morning Spin: 10 things we learned from Blagojevich interview
Topspin
Disgraced former
*Quinn rejected: There weren't a lot of laugh out loud moments in the piece, but one stood out.
*Shattered dreams: Blagojevich describes a recurring dream. He's a defendant in a federal courtroom scene, and he'd tell himself "Don't worry, this isn't real" and that it was only a dream. Of course, his trial was real. "Have you ever had dreams like this where you tell yourself within the dream that you are only dreaming?" he says.
*Close quarters, but still lonely: He describes his early days in prison as living in "extremely close quarters" with "a lot of noise -- bad sounds and bad smells." Still, when asked if he's lonely: "Well, of course, yeah. Years of loneliness and affliction, yearning for home, missing my family. But I'm OK."
*Nickname: Everyone's got a nickname in prison. Blagojevich's? Gov.
*Age: Blagojevich will be 68 if he's released as scheduled in
*Polo, anyone?: Blagojevich tells the story of his family's first visit two months into his sentence. A fellow inmate, nicknamed Boo, offered a "finishing touch" -- one of the cologne samples he'd collected out of magazines. No word on whether the ex-gov took him up on the offer, and if so, what scent he chose.
*Finding God: Many an inmate has talked about becoming closer to God while locked up, and Blagojevich is no different. "The lessons from the Bible and scripture have been very helpful to me. It's strengthened my strength. It's also strengthened my resolve."
*How much you bench?: Lifting weights is a staple of prison movies, and Blagojevich offered his story. The former governor was at the bench press and got the stare down from some muscleheads. He turned to humor: "So I said, 'I'll never have arms as big as former governor Schwarzenegger's, but I do believe my arms are finally bigger than former governor (Sarah)
*How do I look?: He is still concerned about his portrayal in the media. On two occasions, Blagojevich jokes about how his answer to a question might generate a headline. Once, when he's asked about a political return, he replies: "The headline will be 'Blago Predicts Comeback.' "
*Night owl: According to the article, Blagojevich reads late at night, keeping what he called "
What's on tap
*Mayor
*Gov.
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From the notebook
*Hardiman reports cash:
The contribution was reported to the
Hardiman has picked
*Quick spin:
What we're writing
*Bloomberg to spend "whatever it takes" to re-elect
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*City: Immigration rules could lead to other strings from Trump to get federal money.
*Dem gov hopeful Drury picks former campaign manager, 26, as running mate.
*Another water department employee disciplined amid email scandal.
*Zoning change for former Double Door property advances.
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What we're reading
*Investigation of woman found dead in hotel freezer turns to Facebook video, viewed by millions.
*A huge leak about Apple's "iPhone X" comes days before its big debut.
*Nordstrom is opening concept store that has no inventory.
Follow the money
*Friends of
*Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here.
Beyond
*About 6 million people without power after Irma.
*What Democrats are jockeying for 2020?
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