Good afternoon! It’s Monday, and happy birthday to my nephew Beau, who is also starting kindergarten today and only tried running away once. Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)
1. Big questions hang over the Republican National Convention
President Donald Trump is expected to speak all four nights at the Republican National Convention, and the stakes are high as several polls show the president behind Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
How much of the convention will be aimed at Trump’s base, and how much time will it focus on voters in the middle of the country’s political spectrum? Can the president beat back concerns within the party that the election is shaping up to be a referendum on him? And can he offer a clear vision to voters on what he’ll accomplish if given another term?
Click this link to learn more about the challenges facing Trump as he prepares to address voters tonight. [NPR]
WBEZ will air the convention tonight at 8 p.m. You can find live news and analysis in this link. [NPR]
Meanwhile, here’s a look at how Illinois Republicans are hoping to energize voters during the convention this week. [WBEZ]
2. Chicago’s Trump Tower among properties under scrutiny by New York Attorney General
The New York Attorney General’s office is reviewing a number of Trump properties as part of its investigation into the Trump Organization and whether it misled lenders by inflating the value of its assets, The Washington Post reports.
The attorney general’s office is asking a state judge to force the organization to hand over information it has withheld and order Eric Trump to talk to investigators.
Today’s legal filing redacted many details of the investigation, but it did mention several Trump properties, including the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago. The court filing mentions a question about a loan on the Chicago hotel, which lenders forgave in 2010, but it’s not clear why that has drawn the attention of investigators. [Washington Post]
3. Why are COVID-19 cases in Illinois rising as U.S. cases decrease?
The number of new cases reported in the U.S. is dropping even though the infection rate remains one of the highest in the world, reports The New York Times. Most of the states driving the drop have paused reopening plans or revived restrictions, like closing bars, restaurants, gyms and theaters. And all of them have some form of a mask mandate.
But health experts warn outbreaks can and will reemerge as schools reopen and hurricane season approaches. [New York Times]
In Illinois, a face mask mandate remains in place, but many restaurants, bars and gyms are open to indoor customers. State officials today announced 1,612 new cases and eight additional deaths. Illinois has seen a seven-day average of 2,032 cases per day, according to The New York Times. That’s a 17% increase from the average two weeks ago. [WBEZ]
In Chicago, where coronavirus restrictions are more strict than the state’s guidelines, the number of new cases is increasing at a slower rate. The city’s seven-day average is 347 per day, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. That’s a 6% increase from the average two weeks ago. [Crain’s]
4. More than 550,000 mail ballots were rejected in 2020 primaries
That’s according to an analysis from NPR. The station found that the number of absentee ballots tossed during this year’s primaries is far more than the 318,728 ballots rejected in the 2016 general election.
(In Illinois, 11,709 ballots were rejected in the state’s March 17 primary.)
Election experts told NPR that first-time absentee voters are likely to make mistakes that result in rejected ballots, like missing signatures or signatures that don’t match ones kept on file, or ballots do not arrive in time to be counted.
The implications could be huge in battleground states, like Wisconsin. President Trump won that state in 2016 by about 23,000 votes. NPR found that more than 23,000 absentee ballots were rejected in the state’s presidential primary in April. [NPR]
Meanwhile, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said he will not restore mail-sorting machines and blue mailboxes that have been removed, actions that fueled concerns over USPS’s ability to deliver mail-in ballots on time for the November election. [AP]
5. Chicago’s small businesses are still waiting for emergency loans
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration remains far from meeting a $100 million goal of providing relief to businesses struggling during the pandemic, reports Crain’s Chicago Business.
The Chicago Small Business Resiliency Loan Fund, announced in March, was designed to quickly give loans to businesses facing cash shortages. But so far, only $17 million has been given to 625 small businesses, including restaurants, bars and day care centers, reports Crain’s. [Crain’s Chicago Business]
Meanwhile, questions are also being raised about a relief fund for small businesses damaged during unrest over the summer. The Chicago Tribune reports that Lightfoot’s “Together Now” fund has only approved $232,760 in grants, far less than the $10 million promised. [Chicago Tribune]
Here’s what else is happening
- A police shooting of a Black man in Kenosha, Wis., sparked protests overnight. [AP]
- German doctors say Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny appears to have been poisoned, but his life isn’t in danger. [BBC]
- Tropical Storm Laura could become a hurricane as it approaches the Gulf of Mexico. [NPR]
- A new trailer is out for Wonder Woman 1984. [Polygon]
Oh, and one more thing …
I watch a million Disney and Pixar movies whenever I see my nephews. But I’ve never seen Disney “mockbusters,” which are movies that are very clearly knockoffs of more popular (and better) films.
This hilarious video from Gizmodo explains how decisions made by Disney executives helped make the “house of mouse” a target for mockbusters, how courts have weighed in on the copycats and how hilariously awful these movies sound. For example, a mockbuster called The Lion and the King is very clearly a Diet Coke version of The Lion King. [Gizmodo]
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?
I’ve got two: I took a creative writing class in high school taught by Ms. Johnson that offered a nice break from writing essays all … the … time. And I took a mythology class from Mr. Rosenberg that strengthened my love of The Odyssey.
What was one of your favorite classes?
Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.
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