Hey there! It’s Thursday, and there’s a winter storm warning for the Chicago area, with as much as 6 inches of snow from late tonight into tomorrow morning. Stay safe out there. Here’s what else you need to know today.

1. Biden vows to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court by the end of February

President Joe Biden today reaffirmed his pledge to nominate the first Black woman to the nation’s highest court, saying “it’s long overdue.”

There are three frontrunners being discussed, reports The Associated Press.

There’s Federal Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was on then-President Barack Obama’s shortlist for the court in 2016. And there’s California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger, who was the assistant, and then deputy solicitor general in both Democratic and Republican administrations before she was nominated to California’s highest court.

And last but not least is Federal Judge J. Michelle Childs, who is a favorite among some high-profile lawmakers, including Rep. James Clyburn, a close Biden ally.

So what’s the timetable? Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to swiftly confirm Biden’s nominee within roughly a month, just like Republicans did with Justice Amy Coney Barrett. [AP]

Meanwhile, Democrats, bracing for a brutal midterm election, are hoping liberal voters will be energized by Biden’s historic nomination. [AP]

2. The Kremlin says there is “little ground for optimism” that the U.S. and NATO will meet its demands

Moscow is growing more pessimistic about its chances of getting what it wants from the U.S. and NATO, and now all eyes are on Russian President Vladimir Putin as the fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance.

The U.S. this week gave written responses to Russia’s demands, which include barring Ukraine from joining the NATO military alliance. The Kremlin says Putin is studying the proposals and would soon respond, suggesting diplomatic talks could continue.

But how Putin reacts remains a guessing game. Some analysts believe the Russian leader could blink and accept small wins contained in the responses from the U.S. and NATO.

Others, however, say Putin could move forward with an attack on Ukraine, where he hopes to install a government that’s more complacent to Russia. [AP]

3. The economy grew last year at its fastest pace since 1984

The Commerce Department today reported that the nation’s gross domestic product — the total output of goods and services — grew 5.7% last year following 2020’s pandemic recession.

That’s the largest expansion since a 7.2% surge in 1984, which also followed a recession.

But uncertainty still surrounds the nation’s economic recovery, with the highly contagious omicron variant still spreading.

“The economy remains tethered to the pandemic,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics.

And concerns about how the Federal Reserve will handle rising inflation, which has hurt consumers and businesses, spooked investors this week, causing wild swings on Wall Street. [NPR]

4. A Chicago Park District supervisor allegedly assaulted a patron, a new watchdog report reveals

Investigators at the Chicago Park District say they’ve looked into 48 allegations of misconduct at the city’s beaches and pools and found ample evidence to back up complaints that supervisors got away with sexually harassing, abusing and assaulting young female lifeguards, including underage girls, reports WBEZ’s Dan Mihalopoulos.

“These allegations brought to light not only misconduct, but also failures in the Park District’s reporting and administrative functions,” wrote Interim Inspector General Alison Perona in a new report released this week. “At several locations, long-tolerated hazing behavior fostered an environment where bullying, harassing and sexual misconduct flourished and went unchallenged.”

Perona said the allegations were deemed sustained in 29 cases investigated by her office. [WBEZ]

5. Two more Chicago-based COVID-19 testing companies are under investigation

The Illinois Department of Public Health has launched probes into Northshore Clinical Labs and O’Hare Clinical Labs after several complaints were made about delayed tests and other issues, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

One person told the Sun-Times they waited four weeks for their test results from a facility run by Northshore only to find out the samples couldn’t be tested.

More than 40 complaints were made about Northshore and over 30 about O’Hare, according to the Illinois attorney general’s office.

The investigations come as the feds look into Center for COVID Control, based in suburban Rolling Meadows, amid complaints of botched tests. [Sun-Times]

Here’s what else is happening

• COVID-19 cases in Chicago continue their sharp decline. [COVID-19 Dashboard]
• Chicago’s City Council approved a $14 million settlement to two men who were coerced into confessing to a 1989 murder by detectives under disgraced police commander Jon Burge. [WBEZ]
• The Chicago Fire wants to build a 30-acre training facility on the city’s Northwest Side. [Chicago Tribune]
• The Chicago Bears are reportedly hiring Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus as their head coach. [AP]

Oh, and one more thing …

A Tennessee school board this month voted unanimously to ban Maus, a Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust, from being taught in classrooms.

The book portrays Jews as mice and Nazis as cats in author Art Spiegelman’s telling of his parents’ experiences during the Holocaust.

According to minutes of a McMinn County Board of Education meeting, board members objected to language used in the graphic novel and an image of a nude woman.

Appearing on CNBC this week, Spiegelman called the vote “Orwellian.” [NBC News]

The news comes as the world today marks Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Ginger Lane, a survivor who lives in Chicago, told the Sun-Times that her message to younger generations is to “never be a bystander … do not put up with bullying or taunting. … Learn your history, to not be put off by Holocaust denial.” [Sun-Times]

Tell me something good …

This week is a cold one. So I’d like to know what tips you have for staying warm when Chicago becomes frigid.

Ian Mason writes:

“I’ve recently taken up trying to keep running outdoors in the winter and have found keeping your hands, head (head band plus hat) and feet warm to be the most important spots to focus on. For indoors, we recently had a baby, so I’ve found keeping a baby pressed to your chest all throughout the day is like carrying a portable heating battery. Highly recommended!”

Feel free to email me at therundown@wbez.org or tweet me at @whuntah, and your responses might be shared here this week.

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