Good afternoon! It’s Wednesday, and can you believe I’ll be 37 years old in a couple of weeks? Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. Lightfoot’s budget: What’s on the menu?

Mayor Lori Lightfoot today unveiled her plan to close the city’s $838 million budget shortfall, and it doesn’t include a major property tax hike — so long as the state lawmakers help out.

So what are some of the tax hikes in Lightfoot’s plan? There would be a small property tax increase to keep public libraries open seven days a week. Solo ride-sharing trips would cost more, and the sales tax on food and beverages purchased at restaurants would be hiked, meaning there would be an extra 25 cents added on bills of $100. [WBEZ]

As Lightfoot laid out her budget plan at City Hall, striking public school teachers demonstrated outside. Lightfoot said she would divert some money in her budget to help fund the city’s offer to the Chicago Teachers Union. But Lightfoot said that money is only for the existing offer. [WBEZ]

You can find the latest news on the teachers strike here. [WBEZ]

And here’s where you can learn more about the issues driving the teachers strike. [WBEZ]

2. Key diplomat says Trump engaged in a quid pro quo with Ukraine

The fallout is setting in after the top U.S. envoy to Ukraine told House investigators that President Donald Trump froze military aid to Ukraine — aid intended to help the country combat Russia — in efforts to pressure Ukraine into investigating his political rivals.

Ambassador William Taylor yesterday explained how Trump orchestrated a shadow foreign policy with Ukraine that was headed by his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, and how that created consequences for Ukraine and the U.S. [NPR]

Today, Republican lawmakers tried storming into a secure room as impeachment investigators questioned a witness. [NPR]

Meanwhile, Trump and his allies have said no quid pro quo took place because Ukraine did not know U.S. military aid had been blocked. But a New York Times investigation discovered high-ranking Ukrainian officials were aware. [New York Times]

And while Trump has cited corruption as a reason for holding up the military aid, the White House repeatedly tried to cut funding to anti-corruption programs in Ukraine and elsewhere. [Washington Post]

3. Trump defends pulling U.S. troops out of Syria

The president announced today a permanent cease-fire between Turkey and Kurdish fighters in northern Syria. Trump’s comments come a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reached an agreement to remove Kurdish militias from the area, a deal cementing Russia’s status as a power broker in the region.

Trump said that if he had not pulled out troops — a move criticized by Republicans and Democrats — today’s permanent cease-fire would never have happened. [NPR]

4. Zuckerberg gets grilled on Capitol Hill

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared before a House committee today to defend a digital currency project, Libra, which he wants U.S. regulators to approve.

But lawmakers questioned Zuckerberg on a host of other controversial issues, from political advertising to hate speech, putting the social media giant on the defense over whether it can be trusted.

Here’s a handy rundown of the biggest questions from the hearing and how Zuckerberg responded. [NPR]

5. Who isn’t going to be in Chicago next week?

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama will be in town next Tuesday for an Obama Foundation Summit, reports the Chicago Tribune.

Also joining them for the two-day gathering are award-winning director and writer Ava DuVernay, musician Mavis Staples, civil rights leader Dolores Huerta and actor, performer and fashion icon Billy Porter. [Chicago Tribune]

As you probably already know, President Trump will be in town next Monday for a fundraiser and the annual conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said he will skip Trump’s speech. [Chicago Tribune]

Here’s what else is happening

Investigators are trying to identify 39 bodies found in a container in southeastern England. [NPR]

All eyes are on the EU to see whether the bloc will grant the U.K. a Brexit deadline extension. [AP]

Cards Against Humanity wants to open a board game cafe in Chicago. [Chicago Tribune]

David Ross is expected to be the next manager of the Chicago Cubs. [Chicago Tribune]

Oh, and one more thing …

Have I mentioned that I’m a professional nerd? Well, HBO has a new TV series that serves as a sequel to one of the most celebrated comic books ever, Watchmen.

The comic follows a group of masked vigilantes in a Cold War-era world where superheroes are outlawed. The HBO series takes place 30 years after the events of the comic, and it’s set in Oklahoma, where white supremacy is on the rise and cops have to wear masks to protect their identities.

The series is helmed by Damon Lindelof, a co-creator of ABC’s Lost and HBO’s The Leftovers. Lindelof was on Morning Edition this week and talked about why he decided to tackle racism and begin the series with the 1921 Tulsa massacre. He also talked about whether he had reservations about depicting police officers as victims of violence. [NPR]

If you’re not familiar with the Tulsa race riot, there’s a reason for that. [New York Times]

And if you’d like to know more about why the original comic book series was so monumental to pop culture, here’s an explainer. [New York Times]

Tell me something good …

Halloween is almost here. What’s your favorite Halloween memory?

Stephanie writes:

“When someone looking like Ichabod Crane delivered my divorce papers while I was giving out candy. Yes, I gave him a handful too.”

What’s your favorite Halloween memory? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet me at @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.