Good afternoon! It’s Monday, and I want to see Elektra Abundance from FX’s Pose battle the Adam West Batman. Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. Senate Republicans are crafting their own police reform proposal

Senate Republicans are expected to unveil their proposed police reforms this week after House Democrats announced their plan last week. And Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who is leading the GOP’s effort, recently gave a preview of what the major sticking points are between the two chambers of Congress.

In a series of interviews on Sunday, Scott signaled that Republicans are not ready to ban no-knock warrants and get rid of qualified immunity, a legal doctrine that shields cops and other government officials from lawsuits over their conduct.

Click the link to learn more about what proposals may appear in the Senate, what recent polling shows about where Americans stand on various policies and what to watch this week. [NPR]

Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court today declined to reexamine qualified immunity. [NPR]

In Atlanta, the widow of Rayshard Brooks said she wants murder charges filed against the police officer involved in his death. [USA Today]

In California, more residents and officials in Los Angeles County are demanding answers after a black man was found dead and hanging from a tree. [NPR]

2. Federal law protects LGBTQ workers from discrimination, SCOTUS rules

In a major victory for LGBTQ workers, the U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that the 1964 Civil Rights Act banning sex discrimination also protects employees from being fired based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.

The vote was 6 to 3, with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Neil Gorsuch joining the court’s four liberal justices in the majority.

Gorsuch, writing for the majority, said that lawmakers who crafted and approved the legislation likely “weren’t thinking about many of the act’s consequences that have become apparent over the years, including its prohibition against discrimination on the basis of motherhood or its ban on the sexual harassment of male employees. But the limits of the drafters’ imagination supply no reason to ignore the law’s demands.” [NPR]

Meanwhile, the Trump administration finalized a regulation that will erase protections for LGBTQ people against discrimination from doctors, hospitals and health insurance companies. [NPR]

3. Task force will review Chicago Police Department’s use of force

Mayor Lori Lightfoot today announced the task force will be headed by Deputy Chief Ernest Cato, who was a runner-up to become police superintendent, and activist Arewa Karen Winters, whose nephew was killed by police. The task force will also include students, residents, lawyers and elected officials.

“This is another opportunity for the community to be involved, and we believe that’s important,” Lightfoot said today. [Chicago Tribune]

The task force comes amid calls from activists to overhaul the Police Department, such as cutting its budget and using that money for social programs. As WBEZ’s Natalie Moore reports, the issue is complicated in some black neighborhoods, where residents and block clubs work with cops because of public safety concerns. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, a video shows police telling a Chicago Transit Authority supervisor to drop her complaint against a cop or be arrested. [Chicago Tribune]

And here’s a look at six Chicago activists who are driving local conversations about racial justice. [WBEZ]

4. UIC will test COVID-19 vaccine

At least 1,000 people in Chicago will be part of a clinical trial for a potential COVID-19 vaccine beginning July 9, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago will test a vaccine developed by Moderna.

Dr. Richard Novak, a UIC professor who is leading the trial, said researchers are hoping to test large numbers of Latinx and African American residents because both groups have shown to be particularly vulnerable to infections and deaths. [Chicago Sun-Times]

In Chicago, City Hall announced bars can begin serving outdoor customers on Wednesday and the lakefront trail will reopen June 22. [NBC Chicago]

Meanwhile, Illinois continues to see a low number of deaths related to COVID-19. State officials announced just 19 deaths today, putting the total number of fatalities at 6,326. Another 473 cases were reported after 18,627 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours. That means Illinois has seen more than 133,000 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. [IDPH]

Across the U.S., more than 115,000 deaths and more than 2 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]

Meanwhile, lockdown measures returned in Beijing after authorities discovered at least 79 new coronavirus cases. [NPR]

5. John Bolton’s memoir will be released later this month

The book, titled The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, will be released on June 23 over the objections of the White House, which claims that it contains classified information.

Bolton served as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser until September and reportedly had inside knowledge of the president’s dealings with Ukraine, which were the catalyst of Trump’s impeachment.

Simon and Schuster, which is publishing the memoir, said it looks at Trump’s dealings with China, Russia, Ukraine, North Korea, Iran, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. [Reuters]

Meanwhile, an upcoming book claims first lady Melania Trump delayed her move to the White House as leverage in renegotiating for a better prenuptial agreement. [NPR]

And a niece of Trump will release a book that claims she was the primary source of The New York Times’ coverage of the president’s tax returns. [New York Times]

Here’s what else is happening

• An American was convicted of spying by Russia and sentenced to 16 years in prison. [NPR]
• Chicago’s Millennium Park reopened, but you won’t be able to touch The Bean. [Chicago Tribune]
• The Oscars were pushed back by two months due to the pandemic. [Variety]
• Here are some tips for talking about racism with your parents. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

So the end of the world is happening sometime this week, which isn’t great with my schedule but I guess I can pencil it in.

According to an online conspiracy theory, the popular interpretation of the Mayan calendar is wrong. Some folks claimed the calendar said the world would end on Dec. 21, 2012, which obviously didn’t happen.

But an alternative theory claims we are currently in the year 2012 due to discrepancies in the shift from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. And that means the apocalypse is this week, according to the recent theory. [New York Post]

Back in 2012, right before that year’s “end of the world,” a Maya expert told NPR that the calendar’s apocalyptic meaning is a modern concept not shared by the ancient Mayans. [NPR]

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. My dad seems to have everything, and I need some ideas. Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.

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.