Newsletter: Complaints About Chicago Cops Could Be Erased

The Illinois Supreme Court is expected to rule this week on whether old police complaints can be destroyed. That story and more are in today’s Rundown.

Chicago protests
A demonstrator confronts police officers on Lake Shore drive during a protest during the Chicago March for Justice in honor of George Floyd, Saturday, June 13, 2020, in Chicago. Protests in Chicago continued for the third weekend in a row Saturday following the death of George Floyd. Nam Y. Huh / AP Photo
Chicago protests
A demonstrator confronts police officers on Lake Shore drive during a protest during the Chicago March for Justice in honor of George Floyd, Saturday, June 13, 2020, in Chicago. Protests in Chicago continued for the third weekend in a row Saturday following the death of George Floyd. Nam Y. Huh / AP Photo

Newsletter: Complaints About Chicago Cops Could Be Erased

The Illinois Supreme Court is expected to rule this week on whether old police complaints can be destroyed. That story and more are in today’s Rundown.

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Good afternoon! It’s Tuesday, and we could see temperatures hitting 94 degrees by Friday. Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. Will Chicago police complaints be destroyed?

The Illinois Supreme Court is expected to decide on Thursday whether police complaint records that are more than five years old can be destroyed. As WBEZ’s Patrick Smith reports, destroying the records would undermine efforts to hold officers accountable.

The union representing Chicago’s rank and file officers argues that its contract with the city requires the destruction of old complaints. But lawyers for the city said both state and federal courts have ruled the records must be kept. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, three aldermen are expected to introduce an ordinance on Wednesday that would sever an agreement allowing officers in the city’s public schools. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Chicago police officers told WBEZ that Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Police Superintendent David Brown were unprepared for last month’s protests, and that individual officers were unfairly criticized. [WBEZ]

2. Scientists say they’ve discovered a drug that reduces coronavirus deaths

A widely available, inexpensive steroid greatly reduced deaths for hospitalized patients, according to scientists at the University of Oxford. The steroid, called dexamethasone, reduced deaths by up to a third in severely ill patients receiving oxygen, the scientists said.

Health experts said the steroid is easy to make, already on the shelf and should now be used to treat critically ill patients. [AP]

Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence told governors to repeat the administration’s explanation that increased testing is the reason why new outbreaks have emerged in the U.S., according to The New York Times. [NYT]

In Illinois, officials announced 72 deaths today, putting the state’s total number of fatalities to 6,398. Another 623 cases were reported after 18,729 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours. That puts the total number of cases at more than 133,000 since the pandemic began. [IDPH]

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said he tested positive for COVID-19. [WBEZ]

Across the U.S., more than 116,000 deaths and more than 2.1 million cases have been reported. Check out this map to see where infections are rising, where they’re plateauing and where they’re dropping. [NPR]

3. Trump signs executive order on police reform after weeks of protests

President Donald Trump’s executive order encourages police departments to improve training, bans the use of chokeholds unless an officer believes their life is in jeopardy and will create a database that tracks officer misconduct. The order also calls for social workers and mental health experts to work with police on calls dealing with homelessness, addiction and mental illness.

Trump’s move comes after House Democrats unveiled a package of police reforms last week. Senate Republicans are expected to release their own proposal this week. [NPR]

Meanwhile, the officer who fatally shot Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta had a history of complaints. [CNN]

In Minneapolis, a recently released recording shows a 911 dispatcher had voiced concerns about the arrest of George Floyd while it was happening. [Buzzfeed]

4. Retail sales rebounded in May as states reopened

As stores, restaurants and bars reopened across the country last month, retail sales rose 17.7%, the largest monthly surge on record, the U.S. Commerce Department said today.

But the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic still faces a number of challenges.

Retail spending is still down 6.1% compared to last year. Many businesses reopened with fewer employees, as tens of millions of people remain unemployed. And retail data shows more Americans are heading online to shop, suggesting that consumer habits may be changing for a long time. [NPR]

Meanwhile, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told senators today that the economic damage from the pandemic could be long-lasting, especially for low-income workers. [CNBC]

5. Major League Baseball says several players and coaches tested positive for COVID-19

The news comes as Major League Baseball and the players’ union are in a tense labor dispute over the 2020 season. Commissioner Rob Manfred, who previously voiced confidence that there will “100%” be a season this year, recently said he is “not confident.”

The league says the positive test results suggest it’s still unsafe to begin the season, while the union accuses MLB of stalling the season as a way to save money.

At the heart of the dispute is how many games will be played and how much money players will be paid. The league last proposed a season with 72 games, while the union wants 89 games. [USA Today]

Here’s what else is happening

  • Immigrants say they’re anxious as the U.S. Supreme Court could make a ruling on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program any day now. [AP]
  • Public health officials are worried about President Trump’s indoor rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, this week. [NPR]
  • North Korea blew up a liaison office it shared with South Korea. [NPR]
  • You should read this before heading to a public bathroom. [New York Times]

Oh, and one more thing …

Breaking news: People are really unhappy right now.

That groundbreaking discovery comes from the COVID Response Tracking Study, which looks at how the pandemic has affected Americans mentally. It found that people are the unhappiest they’ve been in nearly 50 years. Just 14% of Americans said they’re very happy, down from 31% last year. [AP]

And now I have this very cheerful, yet strangely apocalyptic, song from Judy Garland stuck in my head. “Pack up your troubles and just get happy. Ya better chase all your cares away. Sing hallelujah, come on get happy. Get ready for the judgment day.” [YouTube]

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.

Paul Lockwood writes:

“The best Father’s Day gift for my dad would be watching a Cubs game together. That isn’t possible, of course. Not only because of COVID-19, but also because — in my case — my father passed away in 1996. But for anyone who still has their dad, spending time together — even if it’s just over Skype — is a gift for both of you.”

And Rachel B. writes:

“My dad, who loves in Minneapolis, also has everything … so we are sending him Terry’s Toffee from Chicago, because it is his favorite treat when he visits! They have great packaged options and fast shipping.”

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.