Good afternoon! It’s Wednesday, and I’m thankful that my dog hates going outside in the cold as much as I do. Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. House expected to impeach Trump tonight

The full House of Representatives continues to debate over whether to impeach President Donald Trump over his dealings with Ukraine. House Democrats, who are in the majority, say Trump abused his power by trying to pressure Ukraine into launching investigations that would benefit him politically.

Calling Trump an “ongoing threat” to democracy and national security, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “If we do not act now, we would be derelict in our duty.”

House Republicans defended the president by saying he did not commit any crimes. Trump tweeted in all caps that his impeachment would be “an assault on America and an assault on the Republican party!!!”

The House is expected to vote later tonight after lawmakers finish their floor debate. If the House votes to impeach, the Republican-led Senate would then hold a trial. Two-thirds of the Senate, or 67 votes, would be needed to remove the president from office. [NPR]

2. Effort to delay recreational pot sales in Chicago voted down

After a heated debate, several procedural votes and a brief clarification that an alderman did not utter the F-word on the City Council floor, aldermen voted down a proposal to delay recreational marijuana sales in Chicago until July.

That measure was backed by Ald. Jason Ervin, the chairman of the council’s Black Caucus, who argued the delay was needed because all the companies authorized to sell recreational pot next month are owned by white people.

Ervin’s measure was defeated 29 to 19, and weed sales will begin on Jan. 1 as planned. [WBEZ]

3. Why R. Kelly faces a “baffling” charge connected to singer Aaliyah

Embattled R&B singer R. Kelly was already facing 38 charges in four separate jurisdictions when federal prosecutors made a “baffling” move according to some legal experts: They added another charge.

The new charge accuses Kelly of bribing an unidentified Illinois public official more than 25 years ago, an allegation that’s apparently connected to Kelly’s marriage to 15-year-old singer Aaliyah in 1994.

Federal prosecutors added the charge earlier this month to “ensure” they can tell a jury about Kelly’s marriage to an underage teen with the hope that it will show what kind of person Kelly is and what he is capable of carrying out, a former federal prosecutor told WBEZ. [WBEZ]

4. “It shocks the conscience that Illinois officials would treat our youth this way”

A federal lawsuit has been filed on behalf of children aged 7 to 16 who said they were abused while being treated at a psychiatric facility in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood.

Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert, who is leading the lawsuit, described Chicago Lakeshore Hospital as a “hospital of horrors” where staff and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services “turned a blind eye” to sexual and physical abuse.

DCFS, which is named in the lawsuits, stopped sending children to the facility in 2018 following reports from the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica that raised questions about how patients were being treated. [Chicago Tribune]

5. Virtual reality exhibit on Martin Luther King Jr. is coming to Chicago’s DuSable Museum

The virtual reality exhibition, called “The March,” will bring visitors “into the crowd and up close with the late civil rights leader at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom as he delivers his renowned ‘I have a dream’ speech,” reports the Chicago Tribune.

The VR experience lasts 10 minutes, uses immersive headsets and is capped at 20 guests per hour. While the “The March” opens on Fed. 27, tickets go on sale on Jan. 20, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. [Chicago Tribune]

Here’s what else is happening

• Federal authorities are investigating former Cook County Assessor Joe Berios. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Australia saw its hottest day on record. [NBC News]
• A team of archaeologists discovered two large ancient Greek royal tombs dating back some 3,500 years. [NPR]
• A 1980s Chicago hotline for mental health takes center stage in a new holiday play. [WBEZ]

Oh, and one more thing …

Who’d like to play some holiday bingo and potentially win a WBEZ scarf?

We gathered feedback from Rundown readers and created this bingo card of things to do during the holidays, from seeing the Home Alone house to riding the CTA’s holiday train.

Here’s how to play: Take photos of yourself completing the activities on the bingo card, then send photo evidence of your bingo to wbez.org/rundownbingo. Five random winners will be selected on Jan. 5 and will win a WBEZ scarf. [WBEZ]

Have fun!

Tell me something good …

I’m literally counting down the days until Friday because I’ll be on vacation for the next week and a half. (Don’t worry, someone else will be writing the newsletter.) So I’d like to know what you’re doing for the holidays.

Mindy Shore writes:

“For the holidays I plan to take that beautiful Skokie Swift Yellow Line up north, with the rest of the Jewish population, to visit my mom. Every year at Christmas we see a movie and wait an hour for mediocre Chinese food. Whoever sees the most people they know at the theatre or restaurant wins the holiday! I always end up eating Chinese leftovers from Christmas to New Year’s Eve because my mom inevitably orders too much food because I ‘look too skinny’ and ‘need to eat.’”

What are your holiday plans? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.

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