Hey there! And congrats: It’s almost Friday. Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. Justice Department opens investigation into police shooting of Jacob Blake

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a civil rights investigation into the police shooting of Jacob Blake that sparked chaotic demonstrations this week. The FBI will take the lead in the federal inquiry and will work alongside Wisconsin authorities.

The news comes as the Wisconsin Department of Justice identified the officer who shot Blake: Officer Rusten Sheskey, who fired seven shots into Blake’s back and was the only officer at the scene who fired a weapon, the department said. Blake also had a knife “in his possession,” according to the department. [NPR]

Meanwhile, The New York Times analyzed several videos that appear to show 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse shooting three people during protests this week in Kenosha, Wisc. Two people were shot to death, and Rittenhouse faces a charge of first-degree intentional homicide. [New York Times]

Skateboarder Anthony Huber was one of the men killed. A vigil was held for him last night at a skatepark in Kenosha.

“He had so much love in his heart for this city … he took down an armed gunman with nothing but his f——— skateboard, and he took that f——— bullet,” said Hannah Gittings, Huber’s girlfriend.

Joseph “Jojo” Rosenbaum, a father of a 2-year-old girl, was also killed. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Meanwhile, several professional sports teams staged walkout protests to raise awareness of racial injustice. [NPR]

2. Trump will deliver his acceptance speech tonight from the White House

President Donald Trump will accept the GOP’s nomination tonight and pitch his candidacy to a nation facing more civil unrest, a pandemic and massive unemployment.

Tonight’s theme at the Republican National Convention is “land of greatness,” and it will include a speech from Trump at the White House. No other president in recent history has used the White House as a backdrop during a nominating convention. Other speakers include Ivanka Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Housing Secretary Ben Carson. [NPR]

WBEZ will provide special coverage of the RNC beginning at 8 p.m.

Meanwhile, Republicans spent a lot of time last night reaching out to a crucial bloc of voters: suburban women. And Vice President Mike Pence tried reframing the election as a choice over who would preserve “law and order.” You can find more takeaways from Night 3 of the RNC in this link. [NPR]

3. Could this rapid COVID-19 test be a game changer?

Chicago-based Abbott Laboratories plans to ramp up production of a COVID-19 test that sells for $5 and provides results in 15 minutes. The Food and Drug Administration recently gave emergency approval of the test, and Abbott hopes to produce 50 million tests a month beginning in October.

To help meet that goal, Abbott today said it wants to hire 2,000 workers. [Chicago Sun-Times]

President Trump is expected to announce during his acceptance speech tonight that he has reached a $750 million deal with Abbott for 150 million rapid tests. [CNBC]

Meanwhile in Illinois, state officials today reported 1,707 new COVID-19 cases and an additional 24 deaths. The state has seen a seven-day average of 1,998 cases per day, according to The New York Times. That’s a 15% increase from the average two weeks ago. You can find more information about the state’s positivity rate and other COVID-19 metrics in this link. [WBEZ]

4. Hurricane Laura makes landfall as one of the most powerful storms to hit the U.S.

Hurricane Laura pounded the Louisiana and Texas coasts early today, carrying winds of up to 150 mph that destroyed buildings and sparked flash floods. The hurricane has been downgraded from a “catastrophic” Category 4 storm, but the National Hurricane Center says it remains “life-threatening.”

Louisiana took most of the initial damage, particularly in the Lake Charles area, and officials said a full damage assessment could take days. At least one person, a 14-year-old girl in Louisiana, was reported dead.

Hurricane Laura is now expected to push inland over Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas, which is under an unusual tropical storm warning. [NPR]

Meanwhile, here’s a look at how deadly hurricanes are becoming more likely thanks to climate change. [NPR]

And here’s a look at how policymakers believe relocating entire communities from vulnerable areas is wiser than staying put and rebuilding over and over again. [New York Times]

5. New U.S. jobless claims remain above 1 million

Today’s jobless numbers are the latest sign that the economic recovery may be losing steam as the White House and Congress remain deadlocked over a new rescue package.

Just over a million new claims were filed last week, about the same as the previous week, the Labor Department announced today. Unemployment claims dipped below 1 million earlier this month, offering hope the job market was improving, but claims shot back up the following week.

Other areas of the economy, like the housing market, have rebounded since the beginning of the pandemic. But economists are concerned those gains could be tenuous. Job growth slowed in July, and some economists are worried the slump has extended into this month, suggesting that many employers do not believe things will return to normal soon. [AP]

Meanwhile, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell announced a major policy shift today, saying he will allow inflation to run slightly higher than normal in order to support the labor market and the broader economy. [AP]

Here’s what else is happening

• A former top aide to Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson was charged with lying to the FBI about whether he passed along secret information on a $1 billion contract to a lobbyist. [WBEZ]
• Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration is asking for ideas on how to create a Chicago casino and entertainment district. [WBEZ]
• Exelon says it will close two nuclear power plants in Illinois unless it receives state aid. [WBEZ]
• I guess I literally did “survive the Rogers Park tornado.” [Block Club Chicago]

Oh, and one more thing …

Some good news for stoners who forgot to stock up on Doritos and beef jerky before getting the munchies: Rapper Wiz Khalifa is opening a delivery-only restaurant featuring “stoner-friendly dishes,” reports Eater Chicago.

The restaurant called HotBox by Wiz is planned to open in Chicago in October. The full menu hasn’t been released, but Eater Chicago reports it will include a “Mile High Dark Chocolate Brownie.” Bon appetit. [Eater Chicago]

Tell me something good …

Many students are either back in school or soon will be. And I’d like to know: What was one of your favorite classes?

Meredith writes:

“Best class ever was Speech with Mr. Ertzman. Fun and tough, but we better not misuse an adverb. He would interrupt us, and it was mortifying. In the ensuing decades I have NEVER said ‘real good,’ and I promise you, neither have any of my classmates!”

And @Simpsonology tweets:

“My favorite class was one I taught: an intro to literature class at @UofStFrancis where everything on the syllabus had been mentioned or spoofed on #TheSimpsons, from Pablo Neruda to Macbeth to Streetcar. As we always say, pop culture makes you smarter.”

What was one of your favorite classes? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.

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