The Rundown For Monday, Sept. 9, 2019

hand gun
In this Jan. 9, 2016, file photo, a customer looks at a SIG Sauer hand gun at a gun show held by Florida Gun Shows in Miami. Lynne Sladky / Associated Press
hand gun
In this Jan. 9, 2016, file photo, a customer looks at a SIG Sauer hand gun at a gun show held by Florida Gun Shows in Miami. Lynne Sladky / Associated Press

The Rundown For Monday, Sept. 9, 2019

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Good afternoon! It’s Monday, and this is the tweet I’ve been waiting for. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Most Americans trust Dems over Trump to handle gun laws

That’s according to a new poll from The Washington Post and ABC News, which found 51% of Americans surveyed support congressional Democrats while 36% support President Donald Trump on the issue of gun laws.

The poll also found that Americans from both political parties — 89% of them — overwhelmingly support expanding background checks on gun sales. And 86% support laws allowing authorities to take guns away from people deemed dangerous. [Washington Post]

It remains to be seen how Congress will respond after numerous mass shootings this summer reignited debates over gun control. Lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill today, and here’s a look at what’s on their to-do list. [NPR]

Meanwhile, Mayor Lori Lightfoot wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post accusing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his fellow Republicans of “dereliction of your duty” regarding gun legislation. [Washington Post]

And the Chicago Tribune reports that the number of concealed carry license shootings has steadily risen in Illinois since it became legal to carry a handgun. [Tribune]

2. Illinois has seen at least 42 confirmed cases of deadly lung disease related to vaping

That’s according to U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, who today demanded the Food and Drug Administration take “immediate, decisive action” on regulating the sale of vaping products. Durbin also criticized the FDA for its poor oversight of sales and marketing of vaping and e-cigarettes to minors.

His comments come after federal authorities recently confirmed the fifth death of a person who contracted a mysterious lung illness as a result of e-cigarettes and vaping. An Illinois resident is among those who have died. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Here’s a look at what we know about some of the Illinois vaping cases. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, the FDA accused vaping company Juul of illegally marketing its nicotine pods as a safer alternative to cigarettes and threatened to fine or seize the company’s products if it doesn’t make corrections. [CNBC]

3. Afghanistan braces for violence as U.S.-Taliban peace talks fall apart

President Trump’s abrupt decision to cancel peace talks with the Taliban over the weekend has many Afghans worried about a new wave of violence ahead of the country’s Sept. 28 election. [AP]

The Taliban and the U.S. appeared to be inching closer to a deal that would end nearly 18 years of fighting. The two sides were scheduled to meet at Camp David just days before the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Trump tweeted that he canceled the meetings because of a recent Taliban attack that killed a dozen people, including a U.S. soldier. The Taliban said canceling the talks was a “bigger loss for American than anybody else.” [NPR]

4. Google faces antitrust probe from 50 U.S. states and territories

The wide-ranging, bipartisan investigation announced today will focus on Google’s advertising business, “but the facts will lead where the facts lead,” said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who’s spearheading the initiative.

Today’s probe is just the latest headache facing big tech companies as critics warn they’ve grown too big and powerful. Facebook faces antitrust investigations from a separate group of attorneys general and the Federal Trade Commission. And the U.S. Department of Justice is undertaking its own antitrust review of Google.

The antitrust investigations could potentially force the big tech companies to change their business practices or break up business units if the probes find anti-competitive behavior. [CNBC]

5. Potentially bad news for some New Year’s plans

Many marijuana businesses say they won’t be ready to sell recreational pot in Illinois when it becomes legal on Jan. 1. That’s because various state agencies have yet to propose administrative rules to regulate the industry, like oversight of growers and rules over recordkeeping and documenting taxable income.

Licensed medical marijuana businesses are eligible to get a first shot at selling recreational cannabis, meaning that 110 dispensaries could potentially sell recreational pot next year. But the state so far has approved only five licenses, one of which went to a Naperville dispensary that can no longer use it because the suburb’s city council voted to prohibit recreational weed. [Chicago Tribune]

Here’s what else is happening

  • A Chicago cop should be fired for shooting his boyhood friend nearly a decade ago and lying about it, according to a city oversight agency. [Chicago Sun-Times]

  • Gov. JB Pritzker’s office says it is reviewing how prisons investigate inmate deaths. [WBEZ]

  • Marca Bristo, an influential disability rights activist who founded Chicago’s Access Living, died on Sunday. [WBEZ]

  • A new law requires Britain to ask the European Union for yet another Brexit extension if they can’t make a formal deal by Oct. 19. [New York Times]

Oh, and one more thing …

If you stumble over to the North Side’s Foster Beach and see hundreds of people playing with fire, don’t worry: It’s not an apocalyptic sign that society is devolving into Mad Max-style clans. (Not yet, at least.)

Every summer, people gather to watch performers dance with fire for Full Moon Jam, a monthly fire-spinning, dancing and drumming event. WBEZ’s Curious City visited the Full Moon Jam and put together this informative 360-degree video. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

WBEZ has a number of job openings, and that’s got me wondering, what is/was your favorite job?

Me? [Notices boss walking by with HR representative.] This one!

Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet me at @whuntah.

Have a nice night! I’ll see you tomorrow.