Topspin Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has gotten involved in Illinois' governor race, assisting Gov. Bruce Rauner via a Twitter attack on Democratic challenger J.B. Pritzker. In his tweet, the unsuccessful GOP presidential candidate said Pritzker's "top priority in Illinois" is to "kill bipartisan scholarship program for low income students. Thankfully, families wanting more opportunity for their children have a champion in @BruceRauner." Bush was reacting to something elevated in recent news reports that Pritzker had already said last summer. The Democratic nominee says he would do away with state income tax credits for donations used to fund private school tuition scholarships. When the lawmakers approved the credits as part of a comprehensive education funding overhaul last August, Pritzker issued a statement saying "it is disappointing that Bruce Rauner used our students as pawns in his political games to get a back-door voucher program put in place." "As governor, I will not support school vouchers and will work to do away with this program," Pritzker said at the time. Earlier this week at a Loop news conference, he repeated his vow, calling it a "really bad idea" and a diversion of potential state revenue away from public schools. In response to Bush's tweet, Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh responded on Twitter: "'Florida man confuses champion for education with failed governor.' Please clap!" That's a reference to the awkward moment Bush had campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination in New Hampshire when he urged attendees at a town hall to applaud his comments. (Rick Pearson) What's on tap *Mayor Rahm Emanuel has no public events scheduled. *Gov. Rauner will attend two Special Olympics events in southern Illinois' Makanda and separately meet students in Marion. *A City Council committee will consider Sydney Roberts' appointment as the next leader of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. (More on that below.) *Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell will speak at a meeting of the Economic Club of Chicago. *A state Senate committee will meet at the Bilandic Building to talk about a settlement with Volkswagen. From the notebook *Walker to fundraise for Rauner: Gov. Rauner's support from Bush comes as another unsuccessful 2016 Donald Trump challenger is preparing to help out Illinois' governor. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is the draw for a Thursday "governor's dinner" fundraiser for the Illinois Republican Party and Rauner's re-election campaign. Tickets for the event range from $500 per person all the way up to a $50,000 "gold" sponsorship. That includes four tickets to a private roundtable, 10 reception tickets with a photo opportunity, a dinner table for 10 and recognition on signs. Walker was also part of those Rauner campaign ads in which neighboring Republican governors mockingly thanked Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan for policies that help their states at the expense of Illinois. The ad also featured Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, who is under criminal investigation for allegedly invading the privacy of a woman with whom he was having an affair by taking a nude photo of her without her consent and threatening to release it if she talked about their relationship. Greitens has admitted the affair but denied blackmailing the woman. (Rick Pearson) *It's a girl: Rauner and first lady Diana have officially become grandparents to a baby girl, an announcement the governor made Thursday on Twitter said. "She's here! Diana and I are excited to announce the arrival of our first grandchild. Hearts full and blessed beyond words to welcome this perfect gift into the family," the governor tweeted, sending the news out on social media with a digital image of two pink baby footprints and the phrase "It's a girl!" Last week, Rauner told reporters one of his four daughters was expecting, and he and the first lady would travel to the West Coast sometime in mid-April to be with family. (Bill Lukitsch) *New COPA chief before aldermen: The new pick to head Chicago's police oversight agency will go before aldermen at a committee hearing Friday. A panel of civic and community leaders co-chaired by a City Council ally to Mayor Emanuel last week tapped Illinois Secretary of State Police Director Sydney Roberts for the job. If the City Council approves her, she'll lead the Civilian Office of Police Accountability that was created in September 2017. Roberts would become the third person to lead the agency in its brief history. When COPA started, its head was Sharon Fairley, who ran a Democratic primary campaign for attorney general. After that, retired Cook County Judge Patricia Banks stepped in as the interim leader. What we're writing *New CPS school grounds being built on site of estimated 38,000 unmarked graves. *Long-shot plan to create board that could fire Chicago police officers could get City Council vote. *"L" cars, whiskey, soybeans and more: Illinois products could be socked by Chinese tariffs as trade dispute escalates. *10 years after federal law to protect insurance coverage of mental illness, advocates question if it's working. *Former Waukegan Mayor Hyde dies. What we're reading *Chicago Stock Exchange to be sold to NYSE parent. *"Cow Fitbits" and artificial intelligence are coming to the dairy farm. Mooove over, old technology. Farmers can really milk efficiency from these new gadgets, and that's no bull. *Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville and GM Stan Bowman will be back next season, team says. Follow the money *Businessman Willie Wilson's $100,000 check to his mayoral campaign was reported, along with several thousand dollars more. *Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here. Beyond Chicago *Trump says he didn't know attorney made Stormy Daniels payment. *Trump wants 2,000 to 4,000 National Guard troops at the Mexican border. *Officials who questioned EPA leader Pruitt faced consequences. *Record number of women run for U.S. House seats. | 
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