Good afternoon! It’s Monday, and my dog, Princess Leia, doesn’t know her own strength . Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. Chicago teachers begin strike vote tomorrow

And Sen. Bernie Sanders will be in town for a rally at the Chicago Teachers Union’s headquarters. Teachers will cast their votes from Tuesday to Thursday, and we might know the results on Friday.

In order to go on strike, the union needs at least 75% in support of a walkout, according to state law. If they meet that threshold, teachers could go on strike Oct. 7 at the earliest.

The union and Chicago Public Schools say they want to avert a strike, but both sides have struggled so far to hammer out a deal. Among the issues are teacher compensation, class sizes and staffing shortages.

To make matters even more tense, a different union for school support staff, like custodians and classroom assistants, has already authorized a possible strike for mid-October. That means CPS is staring down a worst-case scenario where almost everyone who works in a public school could be on strike around the same time. [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. Trump’s Ukraine drama heats up impeachment talks

President Donald Trump suggested over the weekend that he did mention former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter during a call with the leader of Ukraine.

The president’s comments come after an extraordinary whistleblower complaint was filed with the intelligence community’s inspector general that alleges Trump made a “promise” to a foreign leader.

Sources close to the matter tell The Washington Post that Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to find potentially damaging information on Biden. [Washington Post]

What’s the deal with Ukraine and the Bidens? It goes back to 2014, when Hunter Biden was hired by a Ukrainian gas company as his father spearheaded diplomatic efforts to help Ukraine’s fragile democracy. Trump and his allies allege something corrupt was going on but haven’t offered any evidence whatsoever supporting their claims. [AP]

Meanwhile, Trump’s Ukraine drama is reigniting talk of impeachment proceedings by House Democrats. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned the White House to turn over information about the whistleblower complaint or face serious consequences. [New York Times]

3. Saudi attacks create wider gulf between Iran and Europe

The recent attacks on Saudi oil facilities has essentially further distanced European leaders from Iran. While Tehran denies it had any direct involvement on the attacks, President Trump and Saudi officials have blamed Iran.

Tehran has long hoped that European leaders would send financial aid as Iran’s economy suffers under U.S. sanctions, which were put in place after the Trump administration withdrew from the Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran.

But the Saudi attacks have become a game changer, and Iran says it has lost hope Europe will come to the rescue. [New York Times]

4. Trump will address the UN tomorrow

World leaders will be especially tuned in to how the president will address the ongoing trade war with China and the escalating crisis in the Persian Gulf, where Trump has authorized more troop deployments after the attack on Saudi Arabia.

A senior administration official told NPR that Trump will “affirm America’s leadership role” and “underscore that America is a positive alternative to authoritarianism,” but world leaders may be skeptical as Trump’s “America First” doctrine has scaled back U.S. leadership on the global stage. [NPR]

Meanwhile, at the UN today, world leaders got an impassioned plea from a young activist to do pretty much anything at this point to combat climate change. [NPR]

5. Some Chicago restaurant owners complain about potentially paying servers minimum wage

A plan under review by the Chicago City Council would, if passed, force employers to pay service industry workers the minimum wage. Some workers currently get paid as little as $6.40 an hour plus tips.

That plan would also raise the city’s minimum wage from $13 to $15 an hour by 2021 and eliminate exemptions for employers to pay some young workers less than the minimum wage.

Some restaurant owners argue the proposed ordinance would upend the industry’s business model and lead to higher youth unemployment. [Chicago Tribune]

Here’s what else is happening

• Mayor Lori Lightfoot will co-host a Cook County Democratic Party fundraiser with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. [Chicago Tribune]

• A man accused of driving an SUV into Schaumburg’s Woodfield Mall remains hospitalized. [Chicago Tribune]

• Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration initiated a major shake-up at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. [WBEZ]

• Under investigation by the FBI, Chicago Ald. Carrie Austin held a fundraiser. [WBEZ]

Oh, and one more thing …

This week’s “What’s that Building?” on Morning Shift looked at the former Johnson Publishing building, which has now been turned into swanky apartments that, just spitballing here, a job in public radio probably can’t afford. (Editor’s note: We’ve got a pledge drive going this week.)

WBEZ contributor Dennis Rodkin gives us a view of inside the building, which includes some relics from the days when the building published influential African American magazines like Jet and Ebony. Some of these features are off-limits for the general public. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

I have to use a new character in Dungeons and Dragons today, so I’m going with Glöstik the Destroyer, lord of ravers, rider of strobe lights. And that got me thinking, what are some of your favorite fantasy characters?

Me? I loved Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones. In a show where it seemed like everyone was shady, Brienne was a refreshing character of honor and unselfish heroism. She was a fierce fighter and didn’t let any of that toxic sexism deter her from kicking butt.

Who is one of your favorite fantasy characters? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet me at @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.

Also special thanks to WBEZ member Janet Kane in Chicago, who had this to say about donating to the station:

“Not donating to me is like going to a free buffet at a bar and then not even buying a drink! I always credit the story I share to NPR, in hopes that it will bring more people to the table of knowledge known as NPR - yummy. I’m never going on a knowledge diet.”