Good afternoon! It’s Wednesday! And I finished the new season of Stranger Things and totally missed this. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Inflation hit a new high in June

Inflation soared by 9.1% last month compared to a year ago, the fastest pace since 1981, the Labor Department reported today. Looking month to month, prices rose 1.3% between May and June, which is also considered high.

Record gas prices helped push inflation to a new 40-year high. The national average for a gallon of unleaded gas last month was about $5. Prices have dropped in recent days, but it remains too early to say whether they have peaked, according to AAA.

Looking at “core” inflation — which ignores volatile energy and food prices that can swing dramatically — prices remain elevated at 5.9%, partly because of rising rents and higher prices for new and used cars.

There are now growing concerns that Americans and businesses will get used to the higher prices. Workers could begin to negotiate for higher cost-of-living adjustments, which in turn could prolong inflation. [NPR]

Today’s news is not great for President Joe Biden, whose popularity has been clobbered by growing concerns over the economy.

Jobs and the economy were the most important issues for voters recently surveyed by The New York Times and Siena College, coming in at 20%.

When it came to abortion, just 5% of voters surveyed said that was the most important issue facing the country, according to the poll. [NYT]

2. Local moms and activists rally in D.C. for an assault weapons ban

Many mothers and survivors of Highland Park’s Fourth of July mass shooting are in Washington, D.C., today for a major march aimed at putting pressure on lawmakers to pass an assault weapons ban.

“Highland Park has to be the last community on this list to just be massacred by assault weapons,” said Dr. Emily Lieberman, an organizer for the march who was at the Fourth of July parade with her family. [NBC Chicago]

It’s unlikely the Senate will pass an assault weapons ban. Last month, following mass shootings at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store and a Texas school, President Joe Biden pushed for a ban.

But it was eventually left out of gun control legislation supported by both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate. [New York Times]

In Illinois, however, Democratic state lawmakers are working to build up support for a ban. [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. A Wisconsin doctor buys two buildings in northern Illinois to help provide abortions

In a move further highlighting just how important Illinois has become for those seeking abortions in the Midwest, a Wisconsin doctor has purchased two clinical buildings in Rockford, Illinois, to help accommodate patients in his home state.

Dr. Dennis Christensen said he is hoping to begin providing services at one of the locations as soon as Friday.

“We feel like it’s absolutely essential for us to get open as quickly as possible,” said Jeanne Bissell, the president of the newly formed Rockford Family Planning Foundation, which is helping with the effort to open the abortion clinics. [AP]

4. Pritzker will headline a gala in Florida, further stoking speculation of his plans for 2024

Gov. JB Pritzker will speak at the Florida Democrats’ annual Leadership Blue Gala on Saturday, and the news adds “more fuel to the talk of his presidential aspirations,” reports Politico’s Illinois Playbook.

“Florida is in dire need of a pro-choice, Democratic governor, and Governor Pritzker is proud to support the Florida Democratic Party in their efforts to flip the state blue,” campaign spokeswoman Natalie Edelstein told Politico in a statement. [Politico]

Stray observation: Pritzker’s trip comes as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a politician not shy about diving into the nation’s culture wars, has been noticeably quiet on local GOP efforts to further restrict abortion rights in his state. [New York Times]

But Pritzker’s profile is rising more and more nationally as Illinois becomes a key state in the debates over abortion rights and curbing gun violence.

And some Democrats have become frustrated with Biden. Going back to The New York Times poll mentioned above, a whopping 64% of Democratic voters want a new nominee in the 2024 presidential election. [NYT]

5. Oh bummer, today’s the season finale of Ms. Marvel

The season finale of Ms. Marvel is out today on Disney+. Don’t worry, there are no spoilers here. I haven’t even watched it yet myself. But the show is extremely endearing if you haven’t checked it out.

Anyway, Reset host Sasha-Ann Simons recently interviewed young adult novelist Samira Ahmed, the author of the new graphic novel Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit.

She said she loved superheroes as a kid growing up in the Chicago suburbs, but she did not see herself reflected in the comic book characters she admired.

Now, she said writing Ms. Marvel comics has been a “dream” job.

“It’s been really amazing to be able to take on the mantle of this beloved superhero,” she said. [WBEZ]

Here’s what else is happening

• A Chicago police officer who struck an 18-year-old activist during a chaotic 2020 downtown protest has resigned. [WBEZ]
• A type of bird known as “nature’s a**holes” is back at Chicago’s lakefront, where they are known to dive bomb people who get too close to their nests. [Block Club Chicago]
• Tom Looney, who transformed Chicago’s Abbey Pub from a modest bar into a music mecca, died at 81 due to complications from COVID-19. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• The distinctive underground rock band Karate gets a fresh listen — and a prime-time Pitchfork slot. [WBEZ]

Oh, and one more thing …

What ‘tis this? Do thine eyes read thou words correctly?

LOL sorry. Just trying out an old-timey British accent as I read about how a 5,000-year-old tomb connected to the legendary King Arthur is being excavated for the first time.

The tomb, called Arthur’s Stone, is a rock formation consisting of a large capstone being held up by smaller, upright stones.

“It’s likely the tomb was used as a resting location for dead human bodies, which were left to decay in the chamber and then later rearranged after the flesh had rotted away and only clean bones remained,” reports CNN. [CNN]

Whatever happens when the archaeologists start digging, I hope the heavens part and the first 40 seconds of “This Corrosion” by The Sisters of Mercy starts magically playing.

Tell me something good …

What was an act of kindness that really lifted your spirits?

Danielle Russell writes:

“Music is something that has defined my life but I never felt confident in my own musical abilities, particularly singing. One of my favorite musical moments was when I had VIP tickets to see George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic at Thalia Hall on Jan. 31, 2018. I got to meet Dr. Funkenstein himself before the show. I didn’t know how to express how meaningful his art was to me so I jokingly said, ‘Yo, can I get up on stage with you?’ And he responded nonchalantly and with a smile, ‘I’ll bring you up for “Atomic Dog,” ’ and we took a picture.

“The show was phenomenal. It was beautiful watching him incorporate his grandchildren into his new band of funkateers. They had one of the most diverse crowds I’ve ever seen and they were all the way funked up. The band closed with ‘Atomic Dog.’ Forgetting my ‘agreement’ with Mr. Clinton, he somehow found me in the very crowded hall and started pointing at me, beckoning me up on stage. All of a sudden security was ushering me on stage and I was singing and dancing with George Clinton. What?? He gave me the microphone and I tried my best to call folks to ‘do the dog catcher.’

“I kind of felt like I could do anything after that because my soul obviously left my body. The next day I got up and sang in front of people for the first time in about 17 years. Thanks, George Clinton, for shocking me back into sharing my voice with people!”

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