Good afternoon! I’m debating getting a subscription to an AI service after watching “Harry Potter by Balenciaga.” I really want the X-Men in Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums. Anyway, here’s what you need to know today.

1. The obstacles facing Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson’s public safety plan

One of the biggest challenges facing the mayor-elect’s nascent administration will be the rise in violence that typically coincides with the summer.

Today, my colleagues on WBEZ’s criminal justice team examined five of Johnson’s public safety goals and the problems that could hinder them.

Among them is a pledge to boost the Chicago Police Department’s rank of detectives by promoting 200 officers. Some experts say the move comes with the risk of further depleting the number of patrol officers who are critical to rebuilding trust with communities.

“We’re not able to recruit and train officers at a quick enough pace to sustain having 200 of our beat officers taken out all at one time,” said former deputy chief Eve Gushes, who retired last August from CPD’s Office of Constitutional Policing and Reform. [WBEZ]

2. Why Walmart’s plan to close four stores in Chicago is a big deal

Walmart came to the city with promises of bringing opportunities to underserved areas. More than a decade later, the big-box retailer announced it is closing half its Chicago stores in a matter of days.

“It’s like they didn’t even give a thought to the people in these communities,” said Regina Dickey, who recently visited a new primary care clinic in Chatham that’s attached to a Walmart Supercenter slated to close on Sunday.

Walmart said its Chicago stores lose “tens of millions each year.” But that explanation isn’t enough for residents and community leaders who are perplexed and outraged.

“Unceremoniously abandoning these neighborhoods will create barriers to basic needs for thousands of residents,” outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement.

“Walmart also needs to ensure that our residents in these communities that have been left behind will continue to have a reliable source for their everyday necessities. We as a City will do everything in our power to do the same.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. With the 2024 DNC in the bag, Chicago now has to come up with a safety plan

After the news broke that Chicago will host the 2024 Democratic National Convention, “chatter about the violent convention here in 1968 reverberated across social media and stoked the partisan divide,” write my colleagues Tom Schuba and Frank Main.

“But former police officials say the city needs to look at lessons from a more recent turbulent event in Chicago, the NATO summit of 2012, which drew world leaders but led to the first terrorism case to be heard in a Cook County courtroom,” they report.

But like everything, there are challenges.

Overall crime continues to rise, even in areas where President Joe Biden and top Democrats will gather. And the Police Department’s troubled response to the protests over the police killing of George Floyd in 2020 are still fresh in the minds of many residents. [Chicago Sun-Times]

4. A majority of new vehicles sold in 2032 may have to be electric

The Environmental Protection Agency today proposed ambitious new regulations to curb pollution from vehicles, estimating the moves could cut the equivalent of two years’ worth of nationwide carbon emissions.

“The overarching goal is not just cleaner cars, but the transformation of the auto industry: The EPA would essentially impose regulatory penalties on companies that do not move quickly enough toward electric cars,” NPR reports.

The regulations mean that about two-thirds of new passenger vehicles sold in 2032 may have to be electric in order to comply with emissions standards.

But there’s only one automaker that can meet that standard today: Tesla. Other companies have already announced plans to shift toward electric vehicles but at different timelines. [NPR]

5. Some good news: Inflation slowed down last month

Prices rose just 5% in the year ending in March, the smallest increase since May 2021, reports The Washington Post.

The news offers a sense of optimism that the Federal Reserve’s strategy to tamp down inflation may be working — and could signal the nation’s central bank will hit the pause button on more interest rate hikes.

But some economists say it’s too soon to break out the Champagne.

“To use my car analogy, we’ve managed to get through really difficult conditions — slowing the car, getting around the wrecks — but that means we’re only part of the way to our destination,” Betsey Stevenson, an economist at the University of Michigan, told the Post. “If we were to hang a banner up right now that says, ‘mission accomplished,’ I feel pretty confident we would wreck the car.” [Washington Post]

Here’s what else is happening

• The Biden administration issued a grave warning about a deadly cocktail of illegal street drugs. [NPR]
• NPR quit Twitter after the social media giant labeled the nonprofit newsroom as “state-affiliated media.” [NPR]
• Global warming could be juicing baseball home runs, a study found. [NPR]
• An outdoor workout is better than exercising indoors, research suggests. [Washington Post]

Oh, and one more thing …

We’re in peak “art season” with the 10th anniversary of EXPO Chicago at Navy Pier, where you can now find rideable unicorns — yep, rideable unicorns.

You still must purchase tickets to see the main event that runs April 13 through 16. But as my colleague Samantha Callender reports, the fair this year organized several satellite exhibits that are free to the public and feature fresh works of art.