Hey there! It’s Friday, and I’m heading into the weekend with Spanish pop group Locomia and their artistry of fans. And a heads up, the newsletter will take a short break on Monday, but I’ll be back on Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know today.

(By the way, if you’d like this emailed to your inbox, you can sign up here.)

1. Millions of Americans will lose enhanced jobless benefits, alarming some White House officials

Several states, including Illinois, are cutting off enhanced unemployment benefits this week, and senior White House officials are worried it will have a dangerous impact on millions of Americans, reports The Washington Post.

The newspaper reports President Joe Biden believes it’s appropriate for the benefits to end, but some aides are concerned low-income Americans will be left behind in the nation’s economic recovery.

The internal friction within the Biden administration comes as the U.S. economic recovery hit a major speed bump amid concerns of the highly contagious delta variant. The Labor Department today reported that employers only added 235,000 jobs last month, a massive slowdown from close to 1 million in July.

The administration earlier this month said states with high unemployment, like Illinois, could use other pandemic funds to extend federal jobless benefits, but not a single state has acted on the recommendation. [WaPo]

Meanwhile, nearly 350,000 Illinois residents will see their benefits reduced after tomorrow, reports WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang, who created an easy-to-read guide about how the end of aid could affect Illinois. [WBEZ]

2. Abortion rights comes to the forefront of American politics as midterm elections loom

Democrats are planning to highlight abortion rights in next year’s midterm elections, which will decide which party controls the House and Senate.

And they’re hoping Texas’ new and unprecedented abortion restrictions, as well as the Supreme Court’s conservative majority, will drive out voters who took access to clinics for granted.

“I want to see the GOP defend the idea that your nosy neighbor can sue your aunt for driving you to the hospital,” said a senior White House aide. [Axios]

The issue will also energize the GOP’s base, but some Republican strategists are worried the party could lose support from suburban women and independents in swing House districts.

“It is going to be a very motivating issue for women who haven’t typically been single-issue pro-choice voters,” said a Republican pollster. [AP]

Meanwhile, activists on the social media platform TikTok are spamming a Texas website for reporting prohibited abortions. [NPR]

3. A week into the new school year, CPS is already behind on widespread COVID-19 testing

It will take Chicago Public Schools until Sept. 15 to implement COVID-19 testing at all public schools, a district spokesman told the Chicago Sun-Times.

The news comes as the school district faces mounting criticism from parents and teachers that it has not done enough to ensure the safety of students, many of whom are unable to get vaccinations because of their age.

“This has, quite frankly, been one of the worst roll-outs at the worst possible time with one of the most serious things we’ve ever encountered,” Stacy Davis Gates, the vice president of the Chicago Teachers Union, told the Sun-Times. [ST]

Meanwhile, the number of cases in Chicago remains flat. City officials are reporting a seven-day average of 470 cases per day as of Aug. 29. That’s just 1% lower than the previous week. [COVID Dashboard]

4. Top federal health officials want the White House to scale back plans for COVID-19 booster shots

The leaders of two federal health agencies have advised the White House to slow down plans for booster shots later this month, saying they need more time and data to make a blanket recommendation.

The Biden administration has previously said booster shots would be available beginning Sept. 20, pending federal approval, for anyone who received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

But FDA acting commissioner Janet Woodcock and CDC director Rochelle Walensky reportedly said their agencies may only be able to recommend boosters for some recipients of the Pfizer vaccine. [NPR]

Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci says the U.S. is “keeping a very close eye” on the new mu variant, which the World Health Organization has designated as a “variant of interest.” [Washington Post]

And in other news, the number of Americans who say they have gotten or will get a vaccine is up to 79%, a 5-point improvement in a month, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll. [NPR]

5. The return of ABBA

If I had to do the same again, I would, my friend, Fernadoooo!

After 40 years, the Swedish pop group ABBA is back with an upcoming album, Voyage, and … what’s this?

Are thine eyes deceiving me?

A HOLOGRAM concert slated for May?!

According to NPR, “the group will perform digitally with a live band in a specially built arena at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, employing likenesses created by a team from George Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic.”

In a statement, the band said, “We’re going to be able to sit back in an audience and watch our digital selves perform our songs on a stage in a custom-built arena in London next spring.” [NPR]

Here’s what else is happening

• A Chicago alderman apologized for profane and misogynistic text messages about his colleagues. [Sun-Times]
• Power could be restored to almost all of New Orleans next week, officials said. [AP]
• Here’s a look at how the creators of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings overcame the comic book’s racist stereotypes. [New York Times]
• Adult Swim unveiled a live-action clip for Rick and Morty that stars Christopher Lloyd, fueling rumors about the future of the cultural phenomenon. [Screen Rant]

Oh, and one more thing …

Ah yes, Labor Day weekend. If you’ve got some extended time off and are looking for something to listen to, Nerdette reviews Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun. It’s a dystopian tale told through the point of view of a robot companion to a little girl with a mysterious illness.

Joining Nerdette host Greta Johnsen to unpack the critically acclaimed book are Divergent author Veronica Roth and writer Anita Felicelli. [WBEZ]

And if you’re a fan of What We Do in the Shadows, Greta interviews actor Harvey Guillén, who plays the fan-favorite human familiar Guillermo de la Cruz. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

The new school year is here, and I’d like to know: What is one of your favorite memories of going to class, either grade school, high school or college?

Ellie writes:

“My favorite class of all time was second grade with Miss Mulcahy. She wore sensible shoes, a wool skirt and a blouse. When she came in each morning, she put on a blue and purple smock with grapes on it. She wore a rhinestone American flag pin well before those were a thing. We said the pledge, recited the Chicago creed and recited various patriotic poems. Everyday! We sang ‘America the Beautiful’ and always began with a note on her pitch pipe.

“She challenged us academically in every way she could. Reading, math, English, she made us love it all! I worked so hard in that class. This was about sixty years ago! My brother and I can still sing the patrol safety song she taught us.

“Truly one of the finest teachers in the history of CPS.”

Thanks for all the stories this week. I’m sorry I couldn’t share them all, but it was nice hearing from y’all!

Have a nice night! If you like what you just read, you can subscribe to the newsletter here and have it delivered to your inbox.