Hey there, it’s Thursday! Sadly, I woke up thinking it was Friday. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Chicago cops lounged in Rep. Bobby Rush’s office as looters hit nearby businesses

Police officers made popcorn and took naps in Rep. Bobby Rush’s South Side campaign office, which had been burglarized during last month’s unrest, the congressman said today during a stunning press conference with Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Rush said a camera in the office showed at least eight officers, including three supervisors, lounging as nearby businesses were being looted.

“They even had the unmitigated gall to go and make coffee for themselves and to pop popcorn, my popcorn, in my microwave, while looters were tearing apart businesses within their sight and within their reach,” Rush said.

Lightfoot said she was outraged and vowed to hold the officers accountable. Speaking more broadly about the need for police reforms, the mayor also said she has directed her staff to draft legislation that would require officers to be licensed by the state. [Chicago Tribune]

2. Senate Republicans back plan to rename military bases honoring Confederate figures

A Republican-led Senate panel today approved a plan from Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren that would remove the names of Confederate figures from military bases and assets. The move comes after President Donald Trump said he opposes renaming bases honoring Confederate generals and officials. [AP]

Pentagon officials earlier this week signaled they were open to changing the names of bases like Fort Bragg in North Carolina, and were “shocked” when the president voiced his opposition, according to Politico. “They thought this was a no-brainer,” a former Trump official told the news site. [Politico]

Tensions between the Pentagon and the White House continued to escalate today. Gen. Mark Milley, the nation’s top military officer, apologized for appearing with Trump after authorities used pepper spray and flash bangs on peaceful protesters last week.

“I should not have been there,” Milley said in a prerecorded speech for the graduating class at the National Defense University. [AP]

3. Chicago has controversial monuments, too

As the nation confronts racial inequalities in the wake of George Floyd’s killing, statues and monuments honoring Confederate figures are once again under scrutiny.

In Washington, D.C., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants statues of Confederate soldiers and officials removed from the U.S. Capitol. [NPR]

And in Richmond, Va., protesters have recently torn down three statues: one of Confederate president Jefferson Davis, another of Confederate Gen. Williams Carter Wickham and one of Christopher Columbus. [NPR]

You might not know it, but Chicago is home to a monument called the Confederate Mound, which marks a mass grave of Confederate soldiers who were held at Camp Douglas.

Check out this feature from WBEZ’s Curious City that looked at a number of controversial statues and monuments in Chicago, such as the Balbo Monument that was a gift from Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. [Curious City]

4. New coronavirus infections are rising in at least 20 states

Texas, Arizona, Arkansas and California are among the states that are seeing surges in COVID-19 hospitalizations, reports NPR, adding that health experts say these spikes should not be credited to increased testing.

Texas, one of the first states to ease coronavirus restrictions, has seen three consecutive days of new records for hospitalizations. The news that comes as Gov. Greg Abbott moves forward with a plan to allow more people in bars, restaurants and other public spaces.

In Florida, more people tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday than any day in the last two months. [NPR]

The U.S. has now seen a total of more than 2 million known cases reported. The country’s death toll is more than 112,000. Here’s a map that shows where infections are rising, leveling off or falling in the U.S. [NPR]

In Illinois, state officials announced 91 new deaths today, bringing the total number of fatalities to 6,185 since the beginning of the pandemic. Another 766 cases were reported after 22,325 tests were performed in the last 24 hours. That means Illinois has seen a total of 130,603 known cases. [IDPH]

5. Another 1.5 million workers filed for jobless benefits last week

That means more than 44 million people have filed unemployment claims in the last 12 weeks, according to federal data released today. But the number of people filing unemployment claims is dropping as states relax coronavirus restrictions. Claims fell by 355,000 last week compared to the prior week.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell this week warned that the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic could be long. The Federal Reserve estimates the unemployment rate will be more than 9% by the end of the year, and it will drop to 6.5% in 2021. [NPR]

Meanwhile, thousands of workers say their employers are not doing enough to protect them as businesses reopen. [NPR]

Here’s what else is happening

• Undocumented, low-income seniors in Illinois will soon be able to receive publicly funded health care. [WBEZ]
• A young woman in Chicago received the first known lung transplant in the U.S. for a COVID-19 patient. [AP]
• Two leaders of the Chicago-based Poetry Foundation resigned amid criticism over the nonprofit’s response to the killing of George Floyd. [NPR]
• Going to a protest? Here are some tips on staying safe from COVID-19. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling faces backlash for tweets that many critics say are transphobic and anti-trans. Rowling recently tweeted her belief that women are defined by their biological sex and not their gender identity.

Warner Bros., which distributed the Harry Potter movies, issued a statement in support of “fostering a diverse and inclusive culture.” That follows earlier shows of support for the transgender community from Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Fantastic Beasts star Eddie Redmayne.

“Trans women are women, trans men are men, and non-binary identities are valid,” Redmayne said. [Vulture]

In this opinion piece, an associate producer for NPR’s All Things Considered weighs in on the controversy as someone who grew up with the Harry Potter books and identifies as non-binary.

“And here I am, a person who once revered Rowling, a person who is also in the community that she invalidated with a few careless tweets,” writes Mallory Yu. [NPR]

Tell me something good …

What is your favorite summer treat?

@Simpsonology tweets:

“Our favorite summertime treat is a big bowl of strawberry ice cream!”

@sundeesundee tweets:

“My favorite summer treat is a coconut paleta.”

And Timothy Lyman writes:

“My favorite summer treat is soft serve ice cream swirl, half chocolate and half vanilla, at Tasty Freeze with one of my little nieces or nephews knowing that I’m giving them a fond childhood memory just like I have.”

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

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