Hey there! It’s Thursday, and I’m trying to talk my husband into getting an inflatable pool so we can “enjoy” the summer while staying at home. Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. New York City’s outbreak was the primary source of U.S. infections

New research suggests that “a wave of infections swept from New York City through much of the country before the city began setting social distancing limits to stop the growth. That helped to fuel outbreaks in Louisiana, Texas, Arizona and as far away as the West Coast,” reports The New York Times.

Researchers say the findings further highlight the consequences of the slow response to the virus.

“It means that we missed the boat early on, and the vast majority in this country is coming from domestic spread,” Kristian Andersen, a professor in the department of immunology and microbiology at Scripps Research, told the Times. “I keep hearing that it’s somebody else’s fault. That’s not true. It’s not somebody else’s fault, it’s our own fault.”

In Illinois, 45% of cases are related to the outbreak in New York City, according to the Times. [New York Times]

Across the U.S., there have been more than 1.2 million cases and more than 73,000 deaths reported. [NPR]

2. Illinois surpasses 3,000 COVID-19 deaths

State officials today reported 138 new coronavirus-related deaths, pushing the state’s death toll to 3,111 since the outbreak began. Officials also reported 2,641 new cases, bringing the total to 70,873. [WBEZ]

Here’s a map showing the spread of the virus in Illinois. You can also search by zip code to see how many cases have been reported in different areas of the state. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, McCormick Place will remain closed until Illinois reaches the fifth phase of Pritzker’s plan to reopen the state. And the lack of conventions could cost the Chicago area $923 million. [Chicago Tribune]

Business leaders and Republican lawmakers say Pritzker’s plan doesn’t move quickly enough and could leave businesses closed well into the summer. [Crain’s Chicago Business]

Illinois museums are also feeling the financial pain. Chicago’s Field Museum could see a budget shortfall of $20 million if the stay-at-home order lasts until July. [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. More than 33 million people filed for jobless benefits in the last 7 weeks

Another 3.2 million people filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week, pushing the total number of jobless claims to at least 33.5 million during the coronavirus crisis.

We’ll get a more expansive view of the economic damage from the COVID-19 pandemic tomorrow, when the Labor Department releases a jobs report for April that many economists expect will show an unemployment rate around 16%. [NPR]

Meanwhile, an emergency federal lending program for small businesses is capping the size of loans due to an onslaught of demand, causing officials to block nearly all new applications, reports The Washington Post. [WaPo]

And Neiman Marcus today became the first major department store to file for bankruptcy protection during the pandemic. Economists expect more bankruptcy filing will come even as some states begin easing restrictions. [NPR]

4. White House rejected CDC plan to reopen U.S.

The Trump administration rejected detailed guidelines from the nation’s top disease investigators to help restaurants, schools, churches and other public spaces safely reopen, according to The Associated Press.

A person close to the White House’s coronavirus task force said administration officials have refrained from offering specific guidance because the virus affects areas of the country differently, according to AP. [AP]

Speaking of reopening, smartphone data suggest out-of-state visitors traveled to Georgia, where restaurants, hair salons and other businesses were allowed to open their doors to customers. Researchers at the University of Maryland say the findings underscore the dangers of reopening states piecemeal. [Washington Post]

Meanwhile, in a stunning reversal, the Justice Department said today it is dropping the criminal case against Michael Flynn, who served as President Donald Trump’s first national security adviser. [AP]

5. How well are states testing for the coronavirus?

Health experts say a key element of overcoming the COVID-19 crisis is testing, and an analysis from NPR finds that many states are not conducting enough tests a day to safely end social-distancing measures.

Harvard’s Global Health Institute recommends the U.S. should be doing more than 900,000 tests a day. But the country, on average, currently sees about 248,000 tests a day.

Click the link to see how many tests are conducted in each state and what different research groups recommend. For Illinois, we’re seeing an average of almost 15,000 tests a day. A model from MIT proposed that the Land of Lincoln should be doing more than 96,000 tests a day. [NPR]

Here’s what else is happening

An astronomer at the Adler Planetarium says an American Girl doll stole her look. [Chicago Tribune]

Here’s a guide to some classic books to read while in quarantine. [Vox]

So-called Brew Dogs help deliver beer to folks. [BuzzFeed News]

For what is believed to be the first time, a flushing toilet interrupted oral arguments during a U.S. Supreme Court hearing. [BBC]

Oh, and one more thing …

Gov. Pritzker unveiled a five-phase plan to reopen businesses and lift restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus in Illinois. WBEZ wants to know what questions you have about the plan and how it works.

Feel free to submit your questions in this link, and we may answer them!

Tell me something good …

What do you like the most about WBEZ?

Roger writes:

“I enjoy reading your Daily Rundown and, having grown up in Chicago, Curious City always makes for an interesting read or listen.”

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

Have a nice night! If you like what you just read, you can subscribe to the newsletter here and have it delivered to your inbox.