Hey there! It’s Thursday, right? I’ve reached the point where I can’t remember the days anymore. Here’s what you need to know. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. A funeral and a birthday party: How a coronavirus outbreak unfolded in Chicago

A study published this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows how a single person in Chicago caused a chain reaction of infections that resulted in 16 likely cases and three deaths.

The person, referred to as “Patient A1.1” in the CDC report, attended a funeral in February and a birthday party days later, events that took place before Gov. JB Pritzker issued a stay-at-home order.

The CDC says this cluster, which may have sparked a broader transmission of the virus in Chicago, highlights the importance of social distancing measures. [Washington Post]

Meanwhile, state officials today reported 66 people have died, bringing the state’s death toll to 528. Officials also announced 1,344 new known cases, pushing the total number of known infections to 16,422. [WBEZ]

You can find a map of where Illinois infections have been reported here. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, Chicago could be in line for more than $1.6 billion in federal stimulus money for COVID-19 relief, according to estimates from the mayor’s office. [WBEZ]

Cook County officials today opened a refrigerated warehouse in preparation for a surge in deaths linked to COVID-19. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Some nursing homes are refusing to take back residents who were hospitalized during the pandemic. [WBEZ]

2. Surge in jobless claims is the worst since the Great Depression, economists say

Federal data released today show 6.6 million Americans applied for unemployment claims last week. That means more than 17 million claims have been filed in the last four weeks. The job losses come after more than 40 states have issued shelter-in-place orders that have forced many businesses to close.

Janet Yellen, a former head of the Federal Reserve and one of the world’s top economists, estimates the unemployment rate is at least 12% or 13%, the worst the U.S. has seen since the Great Depression.

The latest unemployment figures came as the Federal Reserve announced it will pump trillions of dollars into the economy through a lending program aimed at businesses and struggling state and city governments. [Washington Post]

Meanwhile in Illinois, more than 200,000 people applied for unemployment benefits last week, an increase from the 178,421 claims reported earlier this month. [WBEZ]

Gig workers and other self-employed, independent contractors in Illinois won’t be able to get jobless benefits anytime soon despite a new federal law designed to help them financially. [WBEZ]

And a loan program created by Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration to help aid small businesses has only approved 10 out of 7,000 applications. [Crain’s]

3. New federal relief plan stalls in the Senate

A Trump administration request for an additional $250 billion for a small-business loan program stalled in the Senate after Republicans and Democrats could not agree on the scope of the new emergency package.

Democrats want to double the price tag of the plan and include aid to hospitals and state and local governments. But Republicans said small businesses need help immediately and any other proposals should be addressed separately. [Politico]

Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney General William Barr characterized state-enforced lockdowns as “draconian” and said they should be eased next month. [Washington Post]

4. Hospitalizations could begin to drop in New York

In a hopeful sign that New York is moving past the worst of the pandemic, the rate of hospitalizations have gone from hitting 20% at one point to just 1% this week. If that trend continues, the number of hospitalizations could soon begin to drop.

But the news comes as the number of deaths continues to climb. Nearly 800 people died within the last 24 hours, a new single-day record. [New York Times]

Meanwhile, the total number of U.S. deaths from the pandemic will be “more like 60,000,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, a leading expert on infectious diseases and a key member of the White House’s coronavirus task force. Previous estimates had projected a death toll between 100,000 and 200,000. [NPR]

In rural America, hospitals were already closing at an alarming rate before the pandemic. But that trend appears to be speeding up, further raising concerns about the coronavirus’ impact on small town USA. [NPR]

Across the nation, there have been more than 400,000 known cases reported and more than 14,000 deaths. [NPR]

5. Moscow emerges as epicenter of coronavirus outbreak in Russia

Russia has seen more than 10,000 known cases reported and 76 deaths from COVID-19. President Vladimir Putin ordered an extension of social distancing measures and signed legislation that punishes quarantine violators with up to seven years in prison. [NPR]

Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the fate of the European Union could be in jeopardy as the pandemic unfolds. Conte’s comments come as the EU faces criticism for not reacting quickly enough to the public health crisis and its economic challenges. [BBC]

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said she has “cautious hope” that the country’s health system will not be overwhelmed as infection rates drop. [New York Times]

Worldwide, more than 1.4 million known cases and more than 90,000 deaths have been reported. [Johns Hopkins]

Here’s what else is happening

• Violent crime in Dallas did not drop under David Brown, who is Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s preferred candidate to lead the Chicago Police Department. [WBEZ]
• A woman in Logan Square was shot dead while waiting in a social distancing line outside a 7-Eleven. [Chicago Tribune]
• The CTA wants two security guards removed from trains after one wounded himself and a teenager when his gun went off in his pocket. [Chicago Tribune]
• Yup, a reporter asked President Trump if he’d pardon Tiger King star Joe Exotic. [LA Times]

Oh, and one more thing …

So I’m doing this live event on Friday (more on that in the next section), and my beard is out of control. Honestly, I kinda look like the star of a hostage video right now. Or, like, a Lord of the Rings character who wasn’t gay enough to be a main character.

Anyway, NPR says some dudes are growing “quarantine beards” and you shouldn’t worry about getting the coronavirus from said beard. [NPR]

Tell me something good …

We’ll be launching The Rundown Live this Friday! You can watch me try not to swear beginning at 4:30 p.m. CT on the WBEZ Facebook page. To receive a notification close to the event’s start time, register here.

But what questions do you have for me? Feel free to ask, and I might share the answers in this newsletter and on the show.

Paul asks: What’s on your post-pandemic bucket list to achieve when social distancing is less frequent and social dancing returns?

Oh man, this is a good question. I’m going to fire up the nerd wagon and hit all of my favorite local spots to show my appreciation and hope they haven’t suffered too much during the stay-at-home order. I’m going to visit anything and everything, from board game stores to gay bars to comic book shops.

Want to know something about me? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.

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