Happy Friday, Chicago.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 46-person Roman retinue met Pope Leo at the Vatican yesterday, and the whole city — including the editorial board — is abuzz.

Also, we’re skeptical of a new analysis the Johnson administration is touting in the ongoing ShotSpotter debate. This flimsy report falls short by comparing slower fall and winter months with higher-demand spring and summer periods and misses the central question entirely: How quickly police can locate gunshot victims in neighborhoods where 911 calls are often delayed or never made?

In the commentary section, columnist Elizabeth Shackelford argues that U.S. withdrawal from global health infrastructure has weakened Ebola outbreak preparedness and response capacity. Berkeley professor Prasad Krishnamurthy writes that despite expanding financial and tuition assistance, elite universities still structurally favor wealthy applicants. 

Finally, Chicago Teachers Union member Froylan Jimenez writes about how CTU members rejected using dues to fund political campaigns and how they want the union more focused on classroom and labor concerns than electoral influence.

Don’t forget to check out reader letters.

— Hilary Gowins, editorial board member

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