Hey there! It’s Wednesday! And oh boy, Chicago is going into overdrive with peak “Chicago news” that can only happen in this city. So without further ado, here’s what you need to know today.

1. The political clout behind a new bid to put a pot dispensary at Chicago’s old Rainforest Cafe

A pot firm is reviving its bid to put a dispensary at the old Rainforest Cafe site in downtown Chicago after learning its previous plan was illegal under a state law that regulates where dispensaries can be located, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

Now the company, PTS, is partnering with a social equity firm called Bio-Pharm, which has a license for the area where the Rainforest Cafe is located. Bio-Pharm can also avoid the state law because it doesn’t apply to social equity applicants, according to the Sun-Times.

The renewed push comes as PTS has some big names from the old Daley administration on its side.

Representing PTS is lawyer Mara Georges, who served as former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s corporation counsel for 12 years. And PTS’s newly installed CEO is Terry Peterson, who has a long history with City Hall. He’s a former City Council member who later worked as an aide to Daley, going on to lead the Chicago Housing Authority and becoming the board chairman of the Chicago Transit Authority. [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. A Chicago ward superintendent was charged with trying to sell a machine gun to an undercover agent while on the clock

Prosecutors say 45th Ward superintendent Charles Sikanich tried selling a machine gun to an undercover ATF agent in 2020, and Sikanich drove to a meeting with the agent in his Department of Streets and Sanitation vehicle, reports the Chicago Tribune.

During the meeting, Sikanich “indicated he would have his mother complete the illegal transaction, as he hoped to avoid complications to his role as a superintendent of Chicago’s 45th Ward,” according to Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office.

As Sikanich was being arrested on Monday, he repeatedly asked to speak to Ald. Jim Gardiner, who represents the 45th Ward on the City Council, the Trib reports, citing police records.

Gardiner also faces his own legal problems. He and Sikanich are being sued in federal court for allegedly getting a man falsely arrested. [Chicago Tribune]

3. Russia cuts off gas to Poland and Bulgaria

The Kremlin’s move to suspend shipments of natural gas to the two countries is the toughest retaliation yet against the U.S.-led alliance supporting Ukraine.

European leaders denounced the move as “blackmail,” and Russia threatened to cut off gas supplies to more nations, which could eventually force the rationing of gas and further strain economies suffering from rising prices, reports The Associated Press.

Earlier today, a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia offered a tiny glimmer of hope that tensions could thaw. Moscow traded a Marine veteran for a convicted Russian drug trafficker.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed today that Moscow will achieve its military goals.

“All the tasks of the special military operation we are conducting in the Donbas and Ukraine, launched on Feb. 24, will be unconditionally fulfilled,” he said. [AP]

4. New week, new recording of GOP leader Kevin McCarthy’s private concerns following the Jan. 6 insurrection

U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy feared “several far-right members of Congress would incite violence against other lawmakers, identifying several by name as security risks in private conversations with party leaders,” reports The New York Times, citing a new audio recording.

In a Jan. 10 phone call with other GOP leaders, McCarthy specifically named U.S. Representatives Matt Gaetz of Florida and Mo Brooks of Alabama, according to the Times.

“He’s putting people in jeopardy,” McCarthy said of Gaetz. “And he doesn’t need to be doing this. We saw what people would do in the Capitol, you know, and these people came prepared with rope, with everything else.” [NYT]

McCarthy defended himself this morning in his first face-to-face meeting with House Republicans since audio recordings began leaking. He was greeted with a standing ovation, attendees told The Washington Post. [WaPo]

5. A $12.5 million gas and public transit giveaway narrowly clears Chicago’s City Council

In an extremely close 26 to 23 vote, the City Council approved Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan to provide 50,000 gas cards worth $150 each and 100,000 Ventra cards worth $50 to struggling Chicago residents.

As the Chicago Sun-Times reports, it was one of the closest votes of Lightfoot’s tenure.

Critics said the mayor’s program is a political stunt right before the upcoming election, and the money would be better used on services like food depositories.

But before the vote, Lightfoot gave an impassioned speech saying action is urgently needed because residents are “hurting.”

“The bottom line is, in this city, there are people in Chicago who barely have a couple dollars in their pocket and now, they cannot meet a basic need, which is the need for transportation,” she said. “People in this city are hurting badly and we feel — I feel — we have an obligation to address this need. This is an emergency.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

Here’s what else is happening

• Dr. Anthony Fauci said the U.S. is “out of the pandemic phase.” [NPR]
• NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins begins her journey to becoming the first Black woman to spend months in space. [NPR]
• Foreign leaders were among the more than 1,400 people who attended the funeral of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. [Washington Post]
• A major museum expansion in Chicago will give Pullman’s Black porters their due. [WBEZ]

Oh, and one more thing …

Robert Pattinson will suit up for a sequel to The Batman, and I hope it includes a scene of me twerking at the Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge.

Warner Bros. and DC announced the big news last night, but no release date has been given.

It’s also unclear which villain the caped crusader will tumble with next. Mr. Freeze? The Mad Hatter? The Condiment King? Who knows.

But HBO Max has ordered a limited spin-off series about the Penguin that sees Colin Farrell back underneath all that special-effect makeup. [Hollywood Reporter]

Tell me something good …

World Press Freedom Day is coming up on May 3, a day proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for free access to information and ideas around the world. WBEZ is bringing awareness to the importance of a free press this week leading up to the day.

But it has me thinking about what great works you enjoy that may not have been created if we didn’t have the constitutional right to free speech?

Maggie Geppert writes:

“Basically, anything written by Neil Gaiman since he moved to the US in 1992. I read an interview somewhere that he found himself facing censorship in the UK, and came here because of the 1st Amendment.”

And Pat writes:

“John Waters’s Multiple Maniacs is on HBO MAX! Do you even believe it!? I’m a long time fan. He’s even in my bio pic on Instagram! I’ve seen him several times and will hopefully see him again.”

Feel free to hit me up, and your response might be shared in the newsletter this week.