Hey there, it’s Thursday! This week feels like it will never end. Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. Illinois surpasses 200,000 known cases of COVID-19

State officials today reported 1,834 new cases and 24 additional deaths. That means Illinois has seen a total of 200,427 confirmed cases and 7,696 deaths.

The news comes as Gov. JB Pritzker is increasingly warning the state is at a “make or break” moment. Illinois has seen an average of 1,739 cases per day during the last week, reports The New York Times. That’s an increase of 24% from the average two weeks ago. [WBEZ]

Across the U.S., the pandemic’s death toll could be significantly higher than reported. At least 200,000 more people have died than usual since March, according to an analysis of federal data by The New York Times.

Those findings suggest “that the official death counts may be substantially underestimating the overall effects of the virus, as people die from the virus as well as by other causes linked to the pandemic.” [New York Times]

2. New jobless numbers could further entrench standoff over federal relief package

New claims for unemployment benefits were below 1 million last week for the first time since March, according to Labor Department figures released today.

A total of 963,000 claims were filed last week, a drop of 228,000 from the week before. And the number of people receiving jobless relief also fell to 28.3 million as of July 25, a decrease of 3 million from the previous week.

The news could harden views from many Republican lawmakers who oppose another pricey federal relief package, arguing the economy is beginning to recover. Republicans also point to the country’s ballooning deficit, which has reached a historic high of $2.8 trillion.

But some economists say now is not the time to pull back on federal aid: The virus has not been conquered and the pace of hiring is slowing down. Some economists also worry that new job losses will likely be permanent. [New York Times]

3. Trump says he’s blocking Postal Service funding because Democrats want to expand mail-in voting

President Donald Trump today confirmed he opposes a boost in funding to the cash-strapped Postal Service because he wants to make it harder to expand mail-in voting. Congressional Democrats have long suspected the president’s disapproval of mail-in voting is why he resists a $25 billion infusion into the Postal Service.

In an interview today on the Fox Business Network, Trump said Democrats “need that money in order to have the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots. Now, in the meantime, they aren’t getting there. But if they don’t get those two items, that means you can’t have universal mail-in voting because they’re not equipped to have it.”

Trump has claimed, without offering proof, that widespread voting by mail would lead to voter fraud. [NPR]

4. Israel and United Arab Emirates reach historic peace agreement

President Trump announced the peace agreement that makes the United Arab Emirates only the third Arab country to open diplomatic relations with the Jewish nation.

“Now that the ice has been broken, I expect more Arab and Muslim countries will follow the United Arab Emirates,” Trump said.

As part of the deal, Israel will suspend its plans to annex part of the West Bank. According to a joint statement from the U.S., the UAE and Israel, delegations will meet to hammer out agreements on direct flights, security, telecommunications, energy, tourism and health care. [AP]

5. How Republicans are helping Kanye West’s presidential bid

The musician has enjoyed help from Republican-affiliated operatives in several states, raising concerns from some political observers that the GOP is using West to siphon votes away from presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

West met last weekend with Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and White House adviser, reports The New York Times. The Trump campaign said it is not involved with West’s political aspirations, but Republican operatives have helped West’s efforts to get on the ballot in Wisconsin, Ohio, Vermont and Colorado.

But some political experts say using West as an election spoiler could end up hurting Trump more than Biden. And one political scientist questioned the ethics of taking advantage of West, who has publicly said he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. [NPR]

Here’s what else is happening

• The third-in-command at the Chicago Police Department was suspended for 28 days over an insensitive comment mentioning rape. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Illinois state Sen. Terry Link was charged with income tax evasion. He is the third state senator to face felony charges in a little more than a year. [Chicago Tribune]
  
• More than 80,000 ComEd customers across the Chicago region are still without power. [ABC7]
• Cabrini-Green residents are coming together after the shooting death of a 9-year-old boy. [WBEZ]

Oh, and one more thing …

Hollywood is cranking up its movie factory again, and audiences may notice something different about films and TV shows that are in the works.

Production crews are taking numerous precautions to limit the risks of COVID-19 transmission while on set. As The Washington Post reports: “Crowd scenes are a no-go. Real-world locations will be limited. On-screen romance will be less common, sometimes restricted to actors who have off-screen relationships. And independent films — that tantalizing side dish in the U.S. entertainment meal — could be heavily scaled back.” [Washington Post]

Among the movies currently under production is Jurassic World: Dominion, which is following a 107-page safety manual that is being held up as an example for other studios on how to safely resume shooting. [New York Times]

Tell me something good …

I have to do a self-evaluation for my performance review at work. And that has me thinking: What do you miss about working from the office?

Rachel Wiandt writes:

“In the past few months of working from home, I miss my time to read on the CTA. I typically commute about 40 minutes on the Blue Line, so it’s time to dive into a good book.”

And Alex Whitman writes:

“I miss seeing and hearing my students’ voices as they create artwork with their peers. I just love seeing my students get so excited about a drawing, painting or sculpture that they are just bursting with joy to share about what they made. Although I am so glad we will be virtual to keep our students safe, there really is nothing that compares to the creative electricity that goes on between classmates while making art.”

What do you miss about working from the office? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.

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