Hey there! It’s Thursday, and it looks like we could see snow tomorrow night. Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)
1. Powerful former lobbyist behind “rape in Champaign” email speaks
Mike McClain, a former lobbyist and close ally to Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, said he would not comment on a 2012 email obtained this week by WBEZ in which he lauds a state worker who “kept his mouth shut” about an unspecified “rape in Champaign.”
“I prefer not to comment right now, but thank you,” McClain said when asked about the email, which was sent to two aides of then-Gov. Pat Quinn in an effort to seek leniency for a state worker who faced a disciplinary hearing.
But McClain said he has talked with federal authorities in their investigation into political hiring and contracting at ComEd.
“Terrible,” he said when asked how it felt to be under investigation. “I mean, you feel isolated. It’s not Christmas. I mean, it’s been a grueling experience.” [WBEZ]
Meanwhile, Gov. JB Pritzker today called the contents of McClain’s email “horrific,” and said the Office of the Executive Inspector General has launched an investigation. [WBEZ]
2. Iran gives mixed messages on the possibility of another attack
Iran struck a more severe tone today after tensions appeared to ease over the U.S. killing of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned of a “very dangerous response” if the U.S. makes “another mistake,” and a senior Iranian commander promised “harsher revenge” for Soleimani’s killing. [AP]
Meanwhile, Iran’s U.N. ambassador told NPR that Tehran does not want to escalate a confrontation with the U.S., but the country is prepared for action if the U.S. strikes again. [NPR]
An Iranian military commander said this week’s missile attack on two U.S. bases in Iraq was purposely aimed at not causing any deaths. [Washington Post]
Here’s a look at what happened inside the White House when officials received a warning three hours before Iran’s missile attack this week. [New York Times]
Meanwhile, it appears a Ukrainian jetliner was hit by an Iranian missile the night of the attack on U.S. bases, according to a video verified by The New York Times. [NYT]
3. Pelosi says she will “soon” send impeachment articles to Senate
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., today said she will deliver the articles of impeachment to the Senate “when I’m ready. That will probably be soon.”
Her comments come as some Democratic lawmakers have said it’s time to end the standoff over President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Pelosi says she wants more information about how the Senate will proceed with its trial before she delivers the articles of impeachment. [NPR]
Here’s a look at how a Senate trial might play out. [NPR]
4. Trump administration moves to exempt big projects from environmental laws
The White House today proposed major changes to the nation’s bedrock environmental law, saying federal agencies should not have to consider environmental impact when approving infrastructure projects like highways or gas and oil pipelines. The 50-year-old National Environmental Policy Act also allows the public to weigh in on the evaluation of such projects.
Administration officials say they want to “modernize and clarify” the act, which businesses have criticized as burdensome. Environmental groups oppose the changes and have vowed legal action. [NPR]
Speaking of climate change, here’s a look at how folks who own property near the Great Lakes are struggling with volatile lake levels. [Chicago Tribune]
5. Two people attacked by a coyote in Chicago
The first attack happened yesterday afternoon, when a 5-year-old boy was bitten in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. The boy was in “pretty good condition,” according to a Fire Department spokesman.
Then later last night, a 32-year-old man said a coyote bit him in the butt in the Gold Coast area. Police described the injury as a “scratch,” and the man was treated and released from Northwestern Memorial Hospital. [Block Club Chicago]
Two schools in Lincoln Park were briefly put on lockdown after a coyote sighting this morning at Oz Park.
Here’s a video of a coyote sighting from 2 a.m. today. No coyotes have been caught as of noon today, a Chicago Animal Control spokeswoman said. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Here’s what else is happening
One of R.Kelly’s girlfriends pleaded not guilty to attacking another of the embattled singer’s girlfriends at his Trump Tower condo. [Chicago Tribune]
Alcohol-related deaths have doubled in the U.S. over the last 20 years. [NPR]
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle called on hospitals to treat more uninsured patients. [WBEZ]
Illinois marijuana dispensaries say they need more pot and more workers after their first week in business. [Chicago Tribune]
Oh, and one more thing …
You know you’re in an election year when random politics-related merchandise starts popping up.
Case in point: A “Battle For The White House” chess set.
On the GOP side of the chess set are President Trump as the king and Vice President Mike Pence as … the queen. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy are knights riding elephants; Justices John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh are bishops; and former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney are rooks.
On the Democratic side are House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as knights riding donkeys. Former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden are rooks, and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor are bishops. The king and queen are just podiums until the primary is over, but the company says it’ll send you updated pieces at a later date. [Boing Boing]
Tell me something good ...
So I’m trying to eat more healthy foods, but I’d like to know what’s your favorite guilty pleasure when it comes to food.
Dale Schmitz writes:
“First off I’m an ice cream junkie. My guilty food has got to be vanilla bean or chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream with peanut butter. None of that fake squeeze bottle peanut butter either. Got to be good old Skippy or Jif right out of the jar! It doesn’t get any better than that!!”
And Karen McElligatt writes:
“A Lorna Doone cookie sandwich made with Lindt 85 percent dark chocolate.”
What’s your guilty pleasure? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.
Have a nice night! I’ll see you tomorrow. And if you like what you just read, you can subscribe to the newsletter here and have it delivered to your inbox.