Good afternoon! It’s Wednesday, and a special shout out to my colleagues at WBEZ who were laid off. We’re losing a lot of great people. Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. Details emerge from John Bolton’s tell-all memoir

Former national security adviser John Bolton claims President Donald Trump wanted to intervene in criminal investigations “to, in effect, give personal favors to dictators he liked,” reports The New York Times, which obtained a copy of Bolton’s memoir, The Room Where It Happened.

Bolton reportedly writes that Trump was willing to intervene in probes of companies like Chinese telecommunications firm ZTE as a favor to President Xi Jinping.

Bolton’s memoir is the first account of the Trump White House from a former high-ranking official involved in foreign policy, and it paints an unflattering picture of the president. According to the Times, Bolton claims Trump didn’t know basic facts and once asked if Finland was part of Russia. [NYT]

The Washington Post also obtained a copy of Bolton’s memoir and reports that Trump had asked Xi to help him in this year’s election. [WaPo]

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit in federal court in an effort to delay the memoir’s release, which is scheduled for June 23. [NPR]

2. Biden leads over Trump in Electoral College math, so far

Former Vice President Joe Biden has a 238 to 186 advantage over President Trump in electoral votes, according to an analysis from NPR. But Biden is still 32 electoral votes short of reaching the 270 needed to win, and there’s still five months until the November election.

The NPR analysis found that eight states are toss-ups: Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Arizona, Wisconsin, Nevada and New Hampshire. Click the link to learn more about the toss-up states and what possible scenarios we could see on election night. [NPR]

Some pollsters, especially ones who conduct surveys in battleground states, told Politico that they’re still facing problems that loomed over the 2016 presidential election, and polls may be overstating Biden’s lead. [Politico]

Meanwhile, more Republican women are running for Congress than ever. [NPR]

And a Tulsa judge denied a request from some business and nonprofits to enforce social distancing measures at Trump’s rally in Oklahoma this weekend. [NPR]

3. ComEd, under scrutiny by the feds, quadrupled payments to powerhouse law firm

Commonwealth Edison paid nearly $2.4 million to law firm Jenner & Block last year as federal investigators looked into whether the utility giant hired politically connected consultants in order to win favorable government actions in Springfield, including electricity rate hikes.

Two sources with knowledge of the federal probe told WBEZ that Jenner & Block is helping the company deal with federal authorities who are conducting the investigation.

No one at ComEd has been charged with wrongdoing. But ComEd’s parent company, Exelon Corp., has disclosed in regulatory filings that it and ComEd have received grand jury subpoenas from federal prosecutors in Chicago and that the probe could lead to “criminal or civil penalties, sanctions or other remedial measures.” [WBEZ]

4. Texas, Florida and Arizona suffer surges in coronavirus cases

All three states reported their largest single day increases in new cases this week, a surge that comes as coronavirus restrictions are being lifted. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the spike is a result of ramped up testing, but epidemiologists say health data points to increased transmissions.

Meanwhile in China, a new outbreak in Beijing illustrates once again how easily the virus can reemerge and disrupt daily life. Authorities have imposed another round of restrictions, such as canceling flights and closing schools, in an effort to contain the virus. [New York Times]

In Illinois, officials announced 87 new deaths today, bringing the state’s total number of fatalities to 6,485. Another 546 cases were reported after nearly 30,000 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours. That puts the total number of cases in Illinois during the pandemic to more than 134,000. [IDPH]

Across the U.S., more than 116,000 deaths and more than 2.1 million cases have been reported. [NPR]

PBS’ Frontline this week looked at how and why the U.S. was unprepared for the pandemic. [PBS]

5. Senate GOP unveils police reform bill that doesn’t ban chokeholds

Senate Republicans today proposed legislation that would discourage, not ban, the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants, which is at odds with a plan from House Democrats that seeks to prohibit both tactics.

The GOP-backed proposal would withhold federal funding to local law enforcement agencies that allow the tactics or do not file reports about them. The legislation would also create a database on police disciplinary records for police departments to use as they hire officers.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said a vote on the GOP-backed proposal will be held next week. [NPR]

In Chicago, protesters gathered outside the Thompson Center today and called for an elected civilian board to oversee the Chicago Police Department. [Chicago Sun-Times]

In Atlanta, the officer who fatally shot Rayshard Brooks will be charged with felony murder and 10 other charges, a prosecutor said today. [AP]

Here’s what else is happening

• Rich Americans aren’t spending money like they used to, and that could impact the nation’s economic recovery. [NPR]
• NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he supports the return of Colin Kaepernick. [NPR]
• Chicago-based Quaker Oats is retiring Aunt Jemima after more than 130 years because the brand’s “origins are based on a racial stereotype.” [NPR]
• HBO will debut David Byrne’s American Utopia, a filmed version of the musician’s Broadway show that’s directed by Spike Lee. [A.V. Club]

Oh, and one more thing …

Scientists discovered the largest soft-shelled egg ever and have called it (spits out water) “The Thing.”

The fossilized egg is “more than 11 by 7 inches in size, and looked like a deflated football,” reports NPR.

Researchers believe the egg was laid by a giant marine reptile, like a mosasaur, and there’s a very, uh, eye-opening, artistic interpretation of the creature in this story. [NPR]

Tell me something good …

Father’s Day is coming up, and I’d like to know what you’re getting for your dad — or a great gift you got him in the past.

Regina Buccola tweets:

“My #FathersDay gift is always a charitable donation — this year there are several including the #BlackStudentEquityFund at @RooseveltU.”

And Hannah Sheaffer writes:

“My dad’s quarantine project has been building a model train set. He started with some awesome pieces from when his own dad was a kid. For Father’s Day this year, I’m sending him some new accessories to add to it.”

Thanks for reading and have a nice night! I’ll see you tomorrow. If you like what you just read, you can subscribe to the newsletter here and have it delivered to your inbox.