Newsletter: 1,018 New COVID-19 Cases Reported In Illinois

Illinois COVID-19
A sign is seen at Clark Street Beach during COVID-19 in Evanston, Ill.,Tuesday, June 23, 2020. Gathering of up to 50 people will be allowed across the state starting Friday as Illinois moves into the fourth phase of its reopening plan. Nam Y. Huh / AP Photo
Illinois COVID-19
A sign is seen at Clark Street Beach during COVID-19 in Evanston, Ill.,Tuesday, June 23, 2020. Gathering of up to 50 people will be allowed across the state starting Friday as Illinois moves into the fourth phase of its reopening plan. Nam Y. Huh / AP Photo

Newsletter: 1,018 New COVID-19 Cases Reported In Illinois

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Hey there! It’s Thursday, and I’m so hot that I might sit this one outside. Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. Illinois saw more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases reported for the first time since early June

Illinois officials today announced 1,018 new COVID-19 cases, the largest number reported in a single day since June 5, which saw 1,156 cases. Officials also announced 20 new deaths.

Illinois has seen more than 150,000 cases and more than 7,100 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. Officials say the positivity rate in Illinois remains below 3%. [WBEZ]

Here’s a map showing where cases are rising in the U.S. [NPR]

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization today acknowledged that the coronavirus may be airborne indoors. [New York Times]

In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city has lost $900 million from event cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reports Crain’s Chicago Business.

The public health crisis caused several big conventions to bow out of events planned at McCormick Place, and popular festivals that generate a lot of money for the city, like Lollapalooza, are taking a pass this year. [Crain’s]

Lightfoot also today unveiled a 105-page report on how Chicago can recover from the pandemic. The report recommends ramping up spending on the South and West sides, where the pandemic has worsened inequalities. [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. Today’s SCOTUS ruling means you probably won’t see Trump’s tax returns anytime soon

In a 7 to 2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump is not “categorically immune” from having his financial records released to a New York grand jury.

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said “no citizen, not even the president, is categorically above the common duty to produce evidence when called upon in a criminal proceeding.”

But in a second ruling, the nation’s high court ruled that Congress could not see the same records, at least for now. The Supreme Court sent the case back to lower courts because of “significant separation of powers concerns.”

Manhattan prosecutors are seeking Trump’s tax returns and other financial records as they investigate whether the Trump Organization concealed hush money to two women, including porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims she had an affair with Trump years ago. Trump denies those allegations. [NPR]

3. Republicans consider another round of stimulus payments

The number of Americans receiving a second round of stimulus payments may be restricted under a plan being discussed by the White House and congressional Republicans, reports The Washington Post.

The plan is to tighten the threshold for who qualifies for the full payment. Under a relief package approved by Congress in March, people making more than $75,000 in 2019 received less money or none at all.

Now, some congressional Republicans want to drop that number below $75,000. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said this week that payments should be limited to people making less than $40,000.

The news comes as lawmakers weigh another coronavirus relief package as enhanced unemployment benefits are set to expire by the end of the month. [Washington Post]

Meanwhile, the number of people filing for jobless benefits has remained above 1 million for 16 weeks straight, as federal records released today show that more than 1.3 million claims were reported last week. [AP]

4. Publicly funded charter schools got federal loans from small-business program

More than a dozen charter schools in Chicago received millions of dollars through the Paycheck Protection Program, and Chicago Public Schools is calling for an investigation into whether the schools needed the federal aid, reports WBEZ’s Adriana Cardona-Maguigad.

The school district says charter schools were fully funded during the 2019-2020 school year, which is the time period covered in applications for the federal loan program. And Chicago will receive $206 million from the federal CARES Act.

But Andrew Broy, the president of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, says switching to online learning during the pandemic caused many charter schools to face unforeseen costs. He also said charter schools are nonprofit organizations and were eligible for federal relief.

The inspector general for Chicago Public Schools told WBEZ that his office is reviewing the situation. [WBEZ]

5. Students can play summer sports as early as Monday, CPS says

Chicago Public Schools still hasn’t released its plans for the upcoming school year, but district officials announced summer sports programs can begin in just a few days.

The district laid down a ton of restrictions aimed at minimizing the chances students and parents will be exposed to COVID-19. Only swimmers can use locker rooms, and sports equipment, like baseball bats, must be cleaned between uses. The district also says no spectators will be allowed.

Officials also said a draft of the district’s fall reopening plan is expected to be unveiled “in the coming weeks,” reports the Chicago Tribune. [Trib]

Here’s what else is happening

  • George Floyd pleaded about 20 times that he could not breathe, according to transcripts of police body-camera videos. [NPR]
  • The mayor of Seoul, South Korea, was found dead hours after his daughter reported him missing. [New York Times]
  • Someone threw bricks through the windows of a Chicago alderman’s home. [WBEZ]
  • Racial and ethnic slurs are banned from Scrabble’s official word list. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

I never thought I’d say this, but I miss riding the story factory known as the CTA. I’ve seen so many hilarious, bizarre things on the train, like that time I saw a man, wearing a dog leash held by another man, sit down and play Pokémon GO.

My colleagues Manuel Martinez and Katherine Nagasawa spent a day on the Red Line last week to talk with riders and see what COVID-19 precautions are in place. And it’s so surreal to look at their photos of empty train stations and remember how packed they’d be during rush hour. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

July is usually a big month for movies, so I’d like to know: What are some of your favorite summer movies?

Christina writes:

“My favorite summer movie is Star Wars released in 1977 (later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope). It is the only movie that my 4 siblings, my Mom and I saw at the theater together as a family, so that makes it pretty special, along with my discovery of movie popcorn. Now that I have Disney+, I can watch the entire Star Wars series, in chronological timeline order!”

What’s your favorite summer movie? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.

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