Hey there! It’s Wednesday, and my nephew woke me up at 6 a.m. so we could play games before he started remote learning and I reported back to the fun factory. Here’s what you need to know today.

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1. Biden wants nearly half the nation’s electricity to come from the sun by 2050

The Biden administration today unveiled an ambitious plan to significantly expand solar power, a move that comes as a summer of extreme weather — from wildfires and heat waves to hurricanes and flooding — has propelled climate change to the forefront of American politics.

Solar energy provided about 3% of the nation’s electricity last year. President Joe Biden wants to boost that to 45% by 2050. A new report from the Energy Department says solar power could account for 40% by 2035 if Congress supports Biden’s green energy policies. Solar energy could also employ as many as 1.5 million people. [Washington Post]

In Illinois, state lawmakers this week will consider a new plan to phase out fossil fuel-burning power plants by 2045. The proposal from House Democrats sets benchmarks for reducing carbon emissions leading up to the shutdown date. [Chicago Tribune]

2. Chicago hospital refuses to give QAnon supporter an unapproved COVID-19 treatment

Some powerful backers of the QAnon conspiracy theory are trying to pressure a Northwest Side hospital into prescribing an unauthorized COVID-19 treatment to a follower.

Amita Health Resurrection Medical Center has reportedly been flooded with calls to give the patient a medication called ivermectin, which is typically used as an anti-parasitic drug for sheep and other animals.

QAnon and other far-right groups have touted ivermectin as they shun vaccines that have proven to be effective at preventing severe illness and death from COVID-19.

The FDA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Medical Association have all warned against using ivermectin until additional clinical trials can be completed. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Meanwhile, Chicago officials are reporting a seven-day average of 446 COVID-19 cases per day as of Sept. 3. That’s a 12% decrease from the previous week. The averages for daily hospitalizations and deaths also appear to be trending downward. [COVID Dashboard]

3. Many Americans say 9/11 changed the nation for the worse, poll finds

As the U.S. prepares to mark the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, about 46% of Americans say 9/11 changed the country for the worse, according to a poll from The Washington Post and ABC News. About 33% said it changed the nation for the better.

That’s a huge shift from 2002, when 55% said the country had changed for the better. About 49% of Americans say the country is safer from terrorism today than before 9/11. [WaPo]

Meanwhile, two more victims of the attack on the World Trade Center have been identified through ongoing DNA analysis of unidentified remains. More than 2,700 people were killed in the attack, and more than 1,100 victims, at least 40% of those who died on 9/11, remain unidentified. [NPR]

4. Amid surge in violence, tensions flare between Chicago cops and Cook County prosecutors

Cook County prosecutors and the Chicago Police Department are at odds over how much evidence is needed to charge a suspect in the murder of a 7-year-old girl last month, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

Prosecutors have declined to pursue charges because they want the Police Department to collect more evidence. But a detective on the case said he “had not seen his family and was tired and was not willing to do any more work on the case,” the newspaper reports, citing an internal memo.

At least one high ranking CPD official made an unusual suggestion to go around prosecutors and directly charge the suspect, the Sun-Times reports. One official appealed to a prosecutor to “do him a favor and charge the case” because his “team had bad morale problems and [he] will not be able to keep his team together with the rejections that have happened,” the memo said. [Sun-Times]

5. The #FreeBritney movement may soon claim victory

Britney Spears’ father recently filed a petition to end the controversial court conservatorship that has controlled much of the singer’s life and money over the last 13 years.

The news marks a dramatic turnaround for James Spears, who had long argued the conservatorship was in his daughter’s best interest. The guardianship was established in 2008 amid concerns over the singer’s mental health.

A judge will still need to approve the move. As The Associated Press reports, the judge overseeing the case has not appeared inclined to end the conservatorship in the past, but she’s also never had an opportunity to directly address the issue. [AP]

Here’s what else is happening

• A statue of Robert E. Lee was taken down in Virginia’s capital city. [AP]
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state’s new abortion law doesn’t force victims to give birth, but the law contains no exceptions for rape and incest. [AP]
• Nearly half the Chicago City Council has condemned an alderman who made derogatory and misogynistic comments in leaked text messages. [Block Club Chicago]
• A Banksy piece that “self-destructed” at auction could sell for millions of dollars more. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

Here’s a Hunter Clauss life hack: If you miss your flight, don’t claim there’s a bomb on the plane.

Case in point: A Lincoln Park woman and her family missed their plane this week at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, so she said her luggage had a bomb in it because she was upset her son would miss school, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

Passengers were evacuated, a search turned up no explosives and the woman was charged with falsely reporting a bomb. I’m guessing the kid didn’t make it to school.

“It was a mistake,” a relative told the newspaper. “She was nervous about the son needing to go to school. It was a mess but it was definitely not meant to be.” [Sun-Times]

Tell me something good …

So my husband and I have our nephew this week, and we’d like to know: What was your favorite thing to do as a kid?

Kelly Kenna writes:

“As kids, my siblings, cousin and I used to create these ridiculous talk shows in our basement — complete with musical guests, cooking demonstrations and celebrity interviews. My older brother ran the show, but I scored some pretty sweet roles, including Mariah Carey (lip-syncing an ~extremely~ earnest rendition of ‘Dream Lover’), Oyster Girl (a chef famous for her creative takes on the classic oyster cracker) and The Mysterious Fifth Beatle (with a VERY muddled accent and surprisingly little knowledge of the band’s discography). It was all extremely awesome.”

Feel free to email me at therundown@wbez.org or tweet me at @whuntah.

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