Hey there! It’s Wednesday, and sadly the nephews went back home. The oldest one starts kindergarten next week and got really mad when I tried on his tiny backpack and told him I was going to school. Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)
1. It’s Kamala Harris’ night at the Democratic National Convention
Sen. Kamala Harris will formally accept her party’s historic nomination tonight as the vice presidential candidate. Harris’ address is just one of three high stakes speeches lined up for Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention. Former President Barack Obama and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton are also returning to the stage tonight.
You can find more news and live analysis of the DNC in this link. [NPR]
WBEZ will also be airing the convention beginning at 8 p.m.
Meanwhile, Democrats yesterday largely focused on building the case for how presidential nominee Joe Biden would tackle the economic and public health crisis facing the country. You can find more takeaways from last night in this link. [NPR]
2. Illinois reports the most new cases of COVID-19 since late May
State officials today announced 25 deaths and 2,295 new cases, the most reported in a single day since late May. Illinois is seeing a seven-day average of 1,841 cases per day, according to The New York Times. That’s a 17% increase from the average two weeks ago.
The state’s positivity rate, which is currently 4.4%, is also steadily increasing. You can find more information about COVID-19 in Illinois in this link. [WBEZ]
Among the areas of concern is “Region 4” under Gov. JB Pritzker’s reopening plan. That region includes areas of Illinois near St. Louis, and its positivity rate hit 9.5% as of Aug. 16, which is well above the state’s 8% threshold, according to data compiled by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Region 11, which includes Chicago, is seeing a 5.1% positivity rate. [IDPH]
3. Local Chinese officials hid dangers of COVID-19 from Beijing in January
That’s according to a U.S. intelligence report obtained by The New York Times, which reports officials in Wuhan and in Hubei Province, where the outbreak began, tried hiding information from the country’s central government for weeks.
As the Times reports: “Local officials often withhold information from Beijing for fear of reprisal, current and former American officials say.”
The intelligence report confirms what some U.S. lawmakers suspected: That early information about the dangers of the outbreak were purposely concealed. But the report does not confirm leaders in Beijing were a part — or even aware — of an alleged cover up. [New York Times]
4. Chicago officials announce reforms to controversial cops-in-schools program
Facing demands from protesters to remove officers from public schools, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson today unveiled reforms to the controversial program.
Officers will face a more extensive review to make sure they do not have any allegations of excessive force before they are assigned to a school. Officers must also take additional training in cultural sensitivity and implicit bias. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Meanwhile, CPS recently gave an idea for what the fall will look like as students return to school virtually. Students will be expected to be in front of a computer and participating in classes for at least four hours a day, and they will be graded. [WBEZ]
5. Apple becomes the first U.S. company to be worth $2 trillion
The tech giant’s astonishing ascent comes even as the U.S. economy shrank faster than ever due to the coronavirus pandemic. The maker of iPhones, Mac computers and Apple Watches crossed the $1 trillion milestone just two years ago.
Apple’s stock is up nearly 60% this year, and much of the increase has come since late March, illustrating how the pandemic has boosted the fortunes of large tech companies. The S&P 500 index was propelled to a new record this week largely due to Apple and a handful of other tech giants.
For the sake of comparison, Amazon’s market cap is about $1.7 trillion, Microsoft $1.6 trillion and Google parent Alphabet $1 trillion. [NPR]
Here’s what else is happening
- Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate as nearly 40 wildfires tear through Northern California. [AP]
- The European Union said it does not recognize election results in Belarus, where protesters say the election was rigged to favor authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. [NPR]
- The federal corruption case against Chicago Ald. Ed Burke will move forward this week, but it’s not clear how much evidence will be available to the public. [Chicago Tribune]
- A drive-in movie theater in Pilsen will host 31 nights of scary movies in October. [Block Club Chicago]
Oh, and one more thing …
A new episode of Nerdette Recaps with Peter Sagal is out today, and the crew watches Independence Day, the 1996 alien-invasion bonanza featuring Randy Quaid as a savior of humankind. (Could Quaid’s character really learn how to fly a fighter jet in one night?)
Greta Johnsen, Tricia Bobeda and Peter Sagal from Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me review the summer blockbuster as part of their adventures into classic movies from the ’90s. Take a listen to this week’s podcast, and then check out White Men Can’t Jump, which will be up next week. [WBEZ]
Tell me something good …
This week is the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. Is there a woman who fought for equality who inspires you?
Vivian Noble writes:
“I grew up in Montana and think Jeannette Rankin is someone people should know about. She was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives — before women had the vote. She championed women’s suffrage and was also a life-long pacifist and voted against the U.S. entering both World Wars.”
What about you? Is there a woman who fought for equality who inspires you? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.
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