Good afternoon! It’s Tuesday, and I was cleaning out my browser’s bookmarks and found this. Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. The Chicago Teachers Union plans to take a strike vote early next week

The Chicago Teachers Union plans on calling an emergency meeting of its governing body for a strike vote early next week, demanding that the nation’s third largest school district provide only remote learning in the fall, reports WBEZ’s Sarah Karp, citing a source knowledgeable with the plan.

The CTU has sternly opposed Chicago Public Schools’ proposal to offer a mix of in-person classes and remote learning in the fall. The CTU’s parent union — the American Federation of Teachers — recently said teachers should strike if districts do not provide adequate safety protections.

The CTU’s plans for a strike vote come as parents of public school children have until Friday to decide if they’ll send their kids to schools part time or keep them home for remote learning. [WBEZ]

Some parents say in-person school isn’t realistic during a pandemic, reports WBEZ’s Susie An. Others say they can’t revisit poor e-learning plans. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, Dr. Allison Arwady, the commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Public Health, today said she is “in favor” of having children return to in-person classes if the outbreak is “broadly in control.” [Chicago Tribune]

Arwady also warned infections are rising, and officials have seen numerous cases tied to social gatherings and households. Arwady reiterated her position that it would be a “major concern” if the city sees a rolling seven-day average of 400 new cases a day.

We could hit that number this week, a virus modeler at Northwestern University told me last Friday. According to a data tracker from Crain’s Chicago Business, the city is currently seeing a seven-day average of 351 cases.

You might be thinking, “But wait, the city’s COVID-19 dashboard says we’re seeing an average of 273 cases.” That average is from July 28, according to the fine print on the city’s website. The city says it waits a week “to account for reporting lag.”

Meanwhile, state officials today announced 1,471 new cases and 19 additional deaths. Illinois’ seven-day rolling average was 1,542 cases per day as of yesterday, according to The New York Times. That’s a 31% increase from the average two weeks ago. [WBEZ]

2. Majority of Americans support a mandatory, nationwide order to shelter in place for two weeks, poll finds

Nearly 60% of Americans support that aggressive tactic to stem the spread of COVID-19, according to an NPR/Ipsos poll released today. The survey also found that two-thirds of people polled said the U.S. is handling the pandemic worse than other countries. Two-thirds also said they support a single, national strategy for combating the pandemic.

“We’ve come to a pretty dire place when it comes to both the death toll and the spread of coronavirus across the country,” said Mallory Newall, a pollster with Ipsos. “Americans, as they grapple with the reality of just how grave the situation is, they’re looking for sweeping, really broad, powerful action here.” [NPR]

The poll comes as President Donald Trump this week criticized Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator. According to The Washington Post, Birx has privately argued against Trump’s push to reopen all schools.

In an interview with CNN, Birx suggested some schools should be remote-only and did not rule out the possibility the nation’s death toll could double to 300,000 by the end of the year. [Washington Post]

3. Experts say evictions will get worse without more federal aid

Congress and the White House still remain at an impasse over a new coronavirus relief package, and housing advocates say they’re concerned about a wave of evictions.

About 27% of Americans say they were not able to make last month’s rent or mortgage payment or did not believe they could pay next month’s, according to recently released federal data. In Illinois, that number is near 28%.

Experts say those numbers could get worse as enhanced jobless benefits for tens of millions of Americans have expired. A federal eviction moratorium for more than 12 million renters expired on July 25, meaning landlords can begin the eviction process in 30 days. [AP]

Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Democratic lawmakers that she doesn’t know if a deal on federal aid can be reached this week, though she remains hopeful. [AP]

4. Census Bureau says counting will end a month early

All counting efforts for the 2020 census will end on Sept. 30 instead of Oct. 31, the director of the U.S. Census Bureau announced late last night.

The bureau says the dramatic shift in its timeline is to “accelerate the completion of data collection and apportionment counts by our statutory deadline of December 31, 2020, as required by law and directed by the Secretary of Commerce” who oversees the bureau.

But Democrats and civil rights groups say they are concerned the White House is pressuring the bureau to cut short the census count in an effort to benefit Republicans when House districts are redrawn. [NPR]

5. Massive explosion in Beirut wounds thousands

Thousands of people have been injured and at least 50 people were dead after a huge explosion sent shockwaves through the country’s capital and caused widespread damage. The cause of the explosion remains unknown, but it took place in the city’s port.

The captain of the Orient Queen, an Italian ship docked near the site of the explosion, told Al Jazeera that several passengers were wounded and the explosion threw him across a room in the ship. [AP]

Here’s what else is happening

• Chicago added Puerto Rico to its quarantine list. [WBEZ]
• Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington state are holding primaries today. Here’s a guide on what races to watch. [NPR]
• Tropical Storm Isaias has flooded parts of the Carolinas and Virginia as it heads up the Mid-Atlantic coast. [NPR]
• Judy Baar Topinka was posthumously inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame. [Capitol Fax]

Oh, and one more thing …

Who doesn’t like Monty and Rose, the piping plovers who successfully took down an electronic music festival last year?

The Chicago Tribune has this great recap of the endangered birds’ adventures in the city. The couple recently welcomed three chicks this summer at Montrose Beach: Hazel, named after environmental activist Hazel M. Johnson; Esperanza, which means “hope” in Spanish; and Nish, a node to the region’s Potawatomi heritage.

While the beach is closed to people, the piping plovers appear to be relaxing.

“It felt like they owned the place,” Tamima Itani, of the Illinois Ornithological Society, told the Trib. [Chicago Tribune]

Tell me something good …

I need book recommendations. What’s a good book you recently read?

Sarah Dee tweets:

“I recently read An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon. A Sci-fi novel that’s set on a spacecraft laid out like the antebellum south with a non-binary protagonist. Super good!”

@aolcott tweets:

“I have been reading a lot. Winners are: A Gentleman in Moscow, The Girls With No Names, Exit West and Darling Rose Gold. Happy reading!”

And Penny Ramirez tweets:

“I highly recommend the truly amazing Middlegame by Seanan McGuire!”

What’s a good book you recently read? 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.