Good afternoon! After rewatching Dune for the millionth time, I’ve begun telling my husband he has something on his neck, and when he asks what it is, I say, “Oh no, it’s the gom jabbar. Place your hand in the box!” Anyway, here’s what you need to know today.

1. Mayor Johnson never took up the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago on housing migrants for free

The archdiocese, which is one of the city’s largest private property owners, has offered to house migrants for free at more than a dozen locations.

But Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration has instead paid tens of millions of dollars to house asylum-seekers on private properties, my colleague Michael Loria reports.

Church officials say they have long been in talks with City Hall about housing migrants at church properties. Emails obtained through an open records request show church officials pitching the city on potential shelters throughout this past summer.

But city officials appeared largely unresponsive to the offers, the emails show. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Meanwhile, members of the City Council are asking Johnson to hold off on evicting migrants who have stayed at city shelters for more than 60 days. [Block Club Chicago]

And an outbreak of measles continues to grow at a shelter located in the Pilsen neighborhood. [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. Bally’s needs $800 million to break ground on a Chicago casino

The company is racing to close a funding gap as construction on the city’s first permanent casino is slated to begin this summer, my colleague Mitchell Armentrout reports.

Bally’s chief financial officer this month said executives “feel pretty good” about securing a deal with an unnamed lender “by hopefully summer of this year.”

But the future of the Chicago casino still appears murky. The company’s stock price has taken hits over the last two years. And New York hedge fund Standard General wants to buy Bally’s.

“Bally’s, of course, has consistently denied that they’re in trouble. But the market speaks for itself,” said Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd Ward, who has voiced concerns about Bally’s finances.

“The market has depressed their stock valuation, and that they can’t hide. And you can extrapolate from that whether they’re going to be in a position to borrow the substantial amount of money they need for a construction loan right now.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. The House overwhelmingly passed a bill that could ban TikTok in the U.S.

The House today voted to require the popular social media app to split from its Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, or face a ban on all U.S. devices.

The vote comes amid concerns over allegations that TikTok poses a national security risk, possibly allowing Beijing to spy on Americans and control software on millions of devices.

TikTok says the bill violates the Constitution. U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., who helped write the legislation, said “there’s no First Amendment right to espionage, there’s no First Amendment right to harm our national security.”

President Joe Biden, whose campaign regularly posts on the app, said he would sign the bill if it reaches his desk. But the legislation’s chances in the Senate are unclear. [NPR]

Former President Donald Trump told CNBC this week that he ultimately backed away from banning TikTok because it would make young people “go crazy.” [CNBC]

4. Chicago’s new spectator sport? Finding out where ‘The Bear’ is filming.

It starts with bright pink fliers on street lamps and apartment buildings that announce the upcoming filming for a project called Kubelik.

But keen observers on social media were quick to crack that project as a code name for FX’s The Bear, my colleague Courtney Kueppers reports.

Kueppers scoured filming permits and social media to put together a list of where the cast and crew have been working around town, offering a possible sneak peek of what Chicago might look like in the show’s next season.

But beware: The list is meant to be a spoiler-free zone, but there may be some season three clues ahead. [WBEZ]

5. Alanis Morissette and Carly Rae Jepsen are among this year’s headliners at Pitchfork

The Pitchfork Music Festival today announced the full slate of artists coming to Chicago later this year, my colleague Satchel Price reports.

Black Pumas, Jai Paul and 100 Gecs lead the schedule for Friday, which also includes artists such as Jeff Rosenstock, Yaeji and Sudan Archives.

Jepsen, Jamie XX and Jessie Ware get the headliner status on Saturday. De La Soul, Unwound and Wednesday will also play that day.

And the festival will wrap up Sunday with a headlining set from Morissette, the Canadian-American songwriter best known for her 1995 hit album “Jagged Little Pill.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

Here’s what else is happening

• Here’s a look into the U.S. plan to get food into Gaza by sea. [BBC]

• A judge overseeing Georgia’s election interference case against Trump dismissed some of the charges. [AP]

• Here’s where spring is coming earlier in the U.S. [Washington Post]

• Simone Biles’s husband, Jonathan Owen, has signed a deal with the Chicago Bears. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Oh, and one more thing …

Drag icon RuPaul appeared at The Vic theater last night for what has to be one of the most stylish WBEZ events I’ve ever seen.

RuPaul was in town for a sold-out performance to promote his new memoir, The House of Hidden Meanings. And fans of RuPaul dressed to match his exuberant, confident energy, writes my colleague Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis.

“I look at Ru because I get a lot of things from him and Michelle Visage [a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race] as well,” said Kitty Thomas, 72. “How to put on makeup and learn about new trends. And I’m a nurse, I teach some of my patients about mental health and things that you should learn for yourself, just to be your authentic self.” [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

I’ve been going on something of a book bender and need to add some stuff to my list before I run out. What books do you recommend?

Paul G. writes:

“The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Almost every page has a phrase that’s just incredible. The next page has even a better one. The movie they made of the book is a delight in itself. As a fan of fairy tales when I was young and sci-fi as a teenager, this book doesn’t fit into either category but is just amazing to read.”

Kay writes:

“Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Gramus for the belly laughs along the way (though it might help to be female and, er, of a certain age to appreciate those).

“The English Understand Wool by Helen DeWitt for a delicious bonbon of a quick read.”

And Lindsey writes:

“Check out Starter Villain or The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi. Both are great fun.”

Feel free to email me and your book recommendation might be shared in the newsletter this week.