Good afternoon. It’s Wednesday, and authorities today released more details in the Fourth of July shooting in Highland Park. Here’s what you need to know.

1. The suspect in the Highland Park mass shooting confessed and considered a second attack in Madison, Wis., officials say

Lake County prosecutors today revealed the suspect, Robert Crimo III, confessed to killing seven people and wounding dozens more after firing more than 80 shots at a crowd gathered for Highland Park’s Fourth of July parade.

A judge denied bail for the suspect, who so far faces seven counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors say “dozens” of more charges will be filed.

Authorities today released more disturbing details about the events surrounding the mass shooting.

Christopher Covelli, a spokesman for the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, said the suspect drove to Wisconsin after the shooting and considered using a second rifle he had with them to carry out an attack in the Madison area. [Chicago Sun-Times]

The suspect’s motive largely remains a mystery. But Covelli said the suspect had an “infatuation with the numbers seven and four, which is why [he] decided to conduct his attack on July 4,” reports the Chicago Tribune. [Trib]

2. Did authorities miss opportunities to block the suspect from buying guns?

How was a man who authorities said threatened to kill himself and his family able to legally buy several guns in the blue state of Illinois?

The suspect in the mass shooting was not old enough to get a state gun permit in 2019, but his father sponsored him, authorities told the Chicago Sun-Times.

In September 2019, a family member called police saying the suspect “threatened to kill everybody,” according to authorities. Family members did not want to press charges, authorities say, but Highland Park Police afterward sent a “Clear and Present Danger” notice to the Illinois State Police.

Then, in December 2019, the suspect applied for a firearm owner’s identification card, according to authorities. At the time, he was 19 years old, so the application had to be sponsored by a parent or guardian, state police say, adding the suspect’s father did so.

The Illinois State Police, in a statement, said there was an “insufficient basis to establish a clear and present danger to deny the FOID application” in January 2020.

“There were no arrests made in the September 2019 incident and no one, including family, was willing to move forward on a complaint nor did they subsequently provide information on threats or mental health that would have allowed law enforcement to take additional action. Additionally, no Firearms Restraining Order was filed, nor any order of protection,” the ISP statement said. [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. Some Democrats see Pritzker as the voice they need in the national debate over gun violence

While President Joe Biden has taken a more consoling approach in the aftermath of the Highland Park mass shooting, Gov. JB Pritzker has delivered a more passionate response that is being noted by Democrats who have grown frustrated with the president.

These Democrats see Pritzker’s “type of passion and energy as the response needed to galvanize voters for the midterms and in 2024 as questions continue to percolate about whether President Joe Biden can channel the angst and anger coursing through his party,” reports Politico.

But: “Pritzker’s challenge is managing Illinois while trying to bring the rest of the country along with him.” [Politico]

At the same time, Pritzker and California Gov. Gavin Newsom are being closely watched by political observers for any hints of a 2024 presidential campaign.

“In the view of many distraught Democrats, the country is facing a full-blown crisis on a range of fronts, and Biden seems unable or unwilling to respond with appropriate force,” reports The Washington Post. [WaPo]

4. Chicago’s Soldier Field needs a dome, according to a committee created by the mayor

The committee will recommend the city “explore the feasibility” of adding a dome on top of Soldier Field in an effort to broaden the stadium’s appeal to new users, reports Crain’s Chicago Business.

The committee, called the Lakefront Museum Campus Working Group, is expected to release a report as soon as tomorrow.

“No cost figures for the dome are listed in the draft, but sources close to the matter say estimates of $400 million to $1.5 billion have been mentioned,” reports Crain’s.

The news comes as officials for the Chicago Bears have their eyes on the Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights as the site of a possible new stadium for the team. [Crain’s]

5. The skeleton of a T. rex relative will hit the auction block

The 76-million-year-old dinosaur skeleton will be auctioned on July 28 in New York, Sotheby’s announced this week.

The skeleton belonged to a Gorgosaurus, an apex carnivore that “predated its relative the Tyrannosaurus rex by 10 million years,” reports NPR. The skeleton measures nearly 10-feet tall and 22-feet long.

If you’re in the market for a new 76-million-year-old dino skeleton, Sotheby’s presale estimate is $5 million to $8 million. [NPR]

If you’re like me and everyone else I know who doesn’t have that kinda change, you can actually rent a T. rex skull from the Field Museum. It costs $200 and you’ll need a truck to transport the fossil. [WBEZ]

Here’s what else is happening

• The Ravinia Festival in Highland Park today canceled concerts through July 10 in response to the Fourth of July mass shooting. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Former Chicago Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson today became the first member of the storied Daley family to be sentenced to prison. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Former White House counsel Pat Cipollone, a critical figure in the final days of the Trump White House, will testify before the Jan. 6 committee on Friday. [NPR]
• A four-day workweek? Sign me up. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

Who made the universe?

That doozy of a question comes from 6-year-old Zahlia Bess. WBEZ is talking with kids, parents and experts about the tough questions children ask. [WBEZ]

I recently had the nephews over at my place. They ask a lot of questions, but the 5-year-old told me he had a secret he wanted to tell me. When he got up to my ear, he calmly whispered, “I’m going to fart on your face when you’re asleep.” The joys of youth.

Tell me something good …

I went on a road trip over the weekend, and some readers emailed me their podcast recommendations. So let’s keep them coming. What’s a good podcast you recently listened to?

Judy writes:

“I really like the Unorthodox podcast from online Tablet magazine. It’s a leading Jewish podcast but embraces people of all faiths. In fact, in addition to their ‘Jew of the Week’ segment, they also have a ‘Gentile of the Week’ segment! The three hosts in NYC are smart, funny, and well educated in Judaism and Jewish culture.”

And James Scalzitti writes:

“I’ve really been enjoying the new (Spotify only?) podcast on pioneering, iconic singer Sylvester. (Even though there’s only two episodes so far.)

It makes good use of audio clips of interviews with Sylvester, interviews for the podcast with people who knew and worked with him (like Martha Wash, the Pointer Sisters, producers and family members) and those who were influenced by him (Billy Porter), as well as a good amount of clips of his performances, including some never-heard-before demos and rarely heard live shows.”

Feel free to email or tweet me, and your response might be shared in the newsletter this week.