Hey there! It’s finally Friday, and I went to bed at 8:30 p.m. last night because this pandemic has awakened my inner grandpa. Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. How “defunding the police” is playing out in Chicago

The mayors of Los Angeles and New York City recently announced they would “defund the police,” which means Chicago is the largest U.S. city that has not taken steps to cut its police department’s budget and shift that money to social programs.

This fascinating article from the Chicago Tribune provides some context and analysis as to why the issue of “defunding the police” is much more complicated here. For starters, Chicago officials have long believed the solution to the city’s gun violence is boosting police resources, like adding more cops to the force.

This gets to the heart of the debate over “defunding the police”: Will it decrease crime? Click the link to read more about the local arguments for and against “defunding the police” in Chicago. [Chicago Tribune]

Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of Americans say they oppose “defunding the police,” according to a poll from ABC News and research firm Ipsos. [ABC News]

What is the right amount of money to spend on police departments? Here’s a look at how police budgets have grown over the decades. [New York Times]

2. What police reforms others cities and states are adopting

The Minnesota State Legislature is holding a special session today to address police reforms in the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing while in the custody of Minneapolis police.

Among the package of proposed reforms are a ban on chokeholds, funding community groups as an alternative to the police and allowing paroled prisoners to vote. [New York Times]

In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law a series of measures aimed at holding officers more accountable. Those reforms include striking down a longstanding statute that allows police disciplinary records to be kept secret. [Buzzfeed]

Meanwhile in San Francisco, officers will no longer respond to non-criminal activities, like reports about homeless people. [AP]

And in Louisville, Kentucky, no-knock warrants were banned under legislation named after Breonna Taylor, who was killed during a raid on her home. [NPR]

3. Chicago is on track to further ease coronavirus restrictions on July 1

Dr. Allison Arwady, the head of Chicago’s Department of Public Health, said today the city is on pace to reopen more parts of the local economy with restaurants, gyms and other businesses potentially welcoming back indoor customers on July 1.

The news comes as City Hall today announced a tracking system that helps show how well the city is containing the virus, what benchmarks must be met to lift further restrictions and what could set the city back.

Arwady said she is seeing very good progress in containing the virus, but she said she remains cautious.

“We’re seeing increases in cases in about 20 other states that reopened, so our concern is real,” Arwady said. “No single measure will determine whether we move forward or backward but we’ll be watching all of them as we make that call.” [WBEZ]

Illinois’ rate of COVID-19 infections appears to continue easing. Officials today announced 77 new deaths, putting the state’s total number of fatalities at 6,260. Another 595 cases were reported after 24,774 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours. Illinois has seen more than 131,000 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. [IPDH]

Chicago’s Riverwalk reopened today with some restrictions. [Chicago Tribune]

Nationwide, more than 113,000 deaths and more than 2 million cases have been reported. Check out this map to see where cases are rising and where they’re plateauing. [NPR]

4. Calls grow louder for Biden to pick a black woman as his running mate

Former Vice President Joe Biden faces increased pressure to select a black woman as his running mate, reports NPR. According to a recent Politico/Morning Consult poll, 46% of Democrats want Biden to pick a person of color, up from 36% in early April.

Among the black women who are frequently mentioned by Democrats are California Sen. Kamala Harris, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Florida Congresswoman Val Demings and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. [NPR]

In other election news, people who attend President Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, must agree to not sue the campaign and the venue if they get the coronavirus. [New York Times]

5. Pritzker hired 35 people from House Speaker Michael Madigan’s clout list

Despite repeatedly promising to be “independent” of longtime Democratic boss Michael Madigan, first-term Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker filled many prominent roles in his administration with people recommended by the state House speaker and party chairman, reports WBEZ’s Dan Mihalopoulos.

The governor’s office defended his picks, saying “almost all” who were recommended by Madigan were “extremely qualified” for their state jobs. But the pattern of Madigan-recommended hires revealed by WBEZ undercuts Pritzker’s long-running attempts to distance himself from the speaker.

Illinois taxpayers are paying those Madigan-endorsed public officials a total of more than $2.5 million a year, according to public records. [WBEZ]

Here’s what else is happening

• Two years after President Trump met with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, U.S. relations with Pyongyang are back to square one. [NPR]
• The Chicago City Council is being sued for allegedly violating the Illinois Open Meetings Act. [Chicago Tribune]
• South Side store owners say they feel betrayed by cops who relaxed in U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush’s office while looting took place. [Block Club Chicago]
• Chicago-area high school grads created their own commencement speech. [WBEZ]

Oh, and one more thing …

Ah, summer, that time of year for reading books on the beach. If you’re a huge nerd like me and looking for something good to read, here’s a great list of science fiction books written by black authors.

At the top of the list is N.K. Jemisin’s excellent The Fifth Season, the first book in her Broken Earth trilogy about a world that hops from one apocalyptic situation to another. Hmmm, sounds familiar. [Buzzfeed]

Speaking of Jemisin, she also has a new book out called The City We Became. WBEZ’s Nerdette had a great interview with Jemisin about the book. [WBEZ]

And if you’re reading it, check out this “book club” episode from Nerdette. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

What is your favorite summer treat?

Suzanne Meyering writes:

“Chocolate frozen custard from Lickety Split in West Ridge or a chocolate peanut butter cone from Rainbow Cone in Beverly.”

Rose writes:

“A freezing cold wine cooler — served over ice in a white wine glass, please.”

And Josh Arkin writes:

“Cold brew coffee!!”

Amen to that. Thanks to everyone who wrote in. I’m sorry I couldn’t respond to everyone this week, but it was nice hearing from so many of you.

Thanks for reading and have a nice night! I’ll see you on Monday. If you like what you just read, you can subscribe to the newsletter here and have it delivered to your inbox.