The Rundown: New abortion bill could test Illinois Dems

Illinois House
In this Friday, May 23, 2014 photo, lawmakers convene on the House floor during session at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Ill. AP Photo
Illinois House
In this Friday, May 23, 2014 photo, lawmakers convene on the House floor during session at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Ill. AP Photo

The Rundown: New abortion bill could test Illinois Dems

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Good afternoon! It’s Monday, and while the weather was really something this morning, it’s supposed to be sunny on Halloween. Here’s what you need to know today.

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1. Illinois Democrats push for repealing parental notification law for minors seeking an abortion

An effort backed by Gov. JB Pritzker seeks to repeal a law requiring parents to be notified when a minor seeks an abortion, but some Democrats wonder if the the party is going too far and stepping on the rights of parents, reports the Chicago Tribune.

Illinois lawmakers could debate a bill seeking to overturn the law as soon as this week.

But the timing of the law could impact its chances of clearing the state legislature, the Trib reports. All 177 seats in the General Assembly are up for election next year, and some Democrats may be wary of taking on a polarizing issue.

Illinois lawmakers in recent years have preserved and expanded access to abortions as the constitutional right to the procedure has been challenged in Republican-led states, including Mississippi and Texas. Illinois is one of 38 states with parental notification laws. [Chicago Tribune]

2. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg sacrificed freedom of speech for growing the social media platform, insiders say

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has frequently touted himself as a champion of free speech. But former employees told The Washington Post that Zuckerberg appeared to abandon that belief when it jeopardized the company’s growth and dominance.

For example, Zuckerberg decided to censor anti-government dissidents in Vietnam after the ruling Communist Party threatened to kick the social media platform offline last year.

And as the 2020 presidential election approached, teams at WhatsApp, a messaging app owned by Facebook, wanted to provide basic election information in Spanish. But the Post reports Zuckerberg opposed the idea, saying it was not “politically neutral.” [Washington Post]

The Post also obtained troves of internal Facebook documents showing “the social media giant has privately and meticulously tracked real-world harms exacerbated by its platforms, ignored warnings from its employees about the risks of their design decisions and exposed vulnerable communities around the world to a cocktail of dangerous content.” [WaPo]

3. Moderna says its vaccine is safe for children ages 6 to 11

A low dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine produces a powerful immune response in children ages 6 to 11, the company said today, citing interim data.

Moderna did not share a full report, but the company says it plans to soon share its interim data with U.S and global regulators.

The news comes a day before an advisory panel for the Food and Drug Administration is expected to consider the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children 5 through 11. If authorized, the vaccine could be available to young children as soon as early November, health experts say. [AP]

Local pediatricians and health officials are getting ready to administer the shots and dispel misinformation surrounding the vaccines, reports WBEZ’s Susie An. [WBEZ]

4. How to get COVID-19 booster shots

Speaking of vaccines, booster shots are now available for millions of Americans now that Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have all received federal authorization.

But the eligibility varies depending on the booster. Block Club Chicago put together this handy guide that breaks down who is eligible for each vaccine and where Chicago residents can get their booster shots. [Block Club Chicago]

In Chicago, 68.6% of eligible residents were fully vaccinated as of Oct. 21. [COVID Dashboard]

Across Illinois, 63.5% of residents are completely inoculated. [IDPH]

Meanwhile, the president of Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police urged members of the City Council to pass an ordinance aimed at overturning the city’s vaccine mandate.

The plan was eventually sent to the council’s Rules Committee, where legislation generally dies. [Chicago Sun-Times]

5. Saving Chicago’s Mercy Hospital

Chicago’s Mercy Hospital, a 170-year-old Bronzeville institution serving low-income patients, faced the reality of permanently shutting its doors last year as it lost at least $4 million a month.

But a community campaign launched to save the hospital, sparking an emotional battle that formed on the heels of George Floyd’s murder by a white Minneapolis police officer, and during a global pandemic that disproportionately killed and infected Black and Latino patients, reports WBEZ’s Kristen Schorsch.

In the end, the hospital was sold for $1 to an out-of-state biomedical technology company. But health care experts say community hospitals like Mercy will continue to struggle unless the nation’s medical system is fundamentally changed. [WBEZ]

Here’s what else is happening

  • President Joe Biden hopes to secure a deal on his massive social spending and climate bill before he leaves at the end of the week for a Group of 20 summit. [New York Times]
  • Car-rental company Hertz said it has ordered 100,000 electric vehicles from Tesla. [NPR]
  • Actor Alec Baldwin was practicing a stunt when a prop gun he was holding fired and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, according to affidavits. [NPR]
  • Singer Ed Sheeran tested positive for COVID-19 days after SNL announced it would feature him as a musical guest on Nov. 6. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

Ohio recently screwed up its new license plate honoring the Wright Brothers and rekindled one of the dorkiest debates facing the nation right now.

First, the plates depict the Wright Brothers’ plane flying backwards, because the thing that looks like a tail is actually in the front of the plane.

Second, the plate features a banner saying “Birthplace of Aviation,” which is apparently a source of annoyance to North Carolina. Ohio is where the Wright Brothers were born and created the first airplane, but they made their first flight in Kitty Hawk, N.C. [NPR]

Tell me something good …

What are your plans for Halloween this year?

My husband and I got married on Oct. 31, 2019, which is really weird because the pandemic has made it feel like we’ve been married for a decade. So we’re going to splurge on some champagne, put out some lawn chairs and hand out full-size candy bars to kids in the neighborhood.

We’re not leaving that stuff out in a bowl because I remember my brother, when he was a man child in grade school, dressed as Peter Pan and sitting next to a bowl of candy and just eating it in front of all the kids.

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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