Good afternoon! It’s Tuesday, and still somehow January? It feels like we’ve been in this month forever. Can’t wait for … February. Here’s what you need to know today.

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1. Federal website for free COVID-19 tests goes live a day early

The site, covidtests.gov, went live today with a soft launch aimed at ironing out any tech problems. Americans will be able to order up to four tests per household, and tests should ship within 7 to 12 days, the White House says.

Health experts say the national push could be too late to play a huge role in curbing the omicron wave, but the test will be useful in areas of the U.S. that have not reached their peak in infections. [Washington Post]

Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the U.S., says COVID-19 will likely not go away like smallpox and will instead become endemic.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum’s Davos Agenda yesterday, Fauci said “if you look at the history of infectious diseases, we’ve only eradicated one infectious disease in man, and that’s smallpox. That’s not going to happen with this virus.” [NPR]

In Chicago, officials are reporting a seven-day average of 4,378 cases per day, down 24% compared to the previous week.

But hospitalizations and deaths are rising. The city is reporting that 204 people per day are seeking care, up 18%, and deaths have increased 38% to 20 per day. [COVID Dashboard]

2. Pritzker throws down $90 million for his reelection bid

Gov. JB Pritzker recently made a $90 million contribution to his reelection campaign as billionaire Ken Griffin is expected to throw his wealth behind a Republican candidate.

Griffin has vowed to go “all in” against Pritzker, but it is unclear which candidate he will support.

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin announced over the weekend that he will compete for the GOP nomination, a race that includes state Sen. Darren Bailey, former state Sen. Paul Schimpf and businesspeople Gary Rabine and Jesse Sullivan. [Politico]

Crime so far appears to be a key issue for Republicans. During his campaign kickoff, Irvin stressed “his background as a former county prosecutor to focus on a tough-on-crime message the GOP is hoping will play well against Democrats this year,” reports the Chicago Tribune.

“I’ve seen it up close. Defund the police is dumb, dangerous and it costs lives. And I believe that all lives matter. Every family should be safe,” Irvin said. “My city is now safe, stronger and full of opportunity. I want that for Illinois.” [Chicago Tribune]

3. Health experts call for supervised injection sites as opioid deaths spike in Cook County

More than 2,000 overdose deaths are expected to be recorded for 2021 in Cook County as a growing number of health experts call for safe injection sites, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. In 2015, there were 647 overdose deaths.

Safe injection sites appear to be gaining some momentum. New York City recently opened the nation’s first sites, and Chicago officials say they are watching how the program works.

But Illinois state Rep. La Shawn K. Ford, D-Chicago, tells the Sun-Times that opening similar sites depends on the public’s perception.

“It’s not good for politics,” Ford said. “People would have to agree that they’re letting people do illegal drugs. If you look at it that way, and not the benefit, you’re going to say you can’t do that.” [Sun-Times]

4. Senate Democrats, bracing for failure, move forward with voting rights legislation

The Senate is expected to begin debating voting rights legislation today, and it’s not looking good for Democrats, who have tried five times during this Congress to pass such bills.

Two senators — Democrats Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia — said they will not support changing the Senate’s rules and break a Republican filibuster of the legislation. That means Democrats would need support from Republicans, which is unlikely to happen.

Sinema and Manchin were recently singled out by Martin Luther King III, the son of the late civil rights leader.

“History will not remember them kindly,” the younger King said. [AP]

5. Microsoft will buy video game maker Activision Blizzard for nearly $70 billion in cash

Activision Blizzard, the maker of video game hits like Call of Duty and Candy Crush, will be gobbled up by Microsoft in a deal valued at $68.7 billion.

It will be the largest acquisition ever for Microsoft. And the deal could put the software giant on better ground to compete in what is expected to be the future of the internet — the metaverse, an augmented and virtual reality that is currently more of an industry buzzword.

The deal presents a challenge to federal regulators, as Republicans and Democrats seek to limit the power of tech giants. Microsoft says it doesn’t expect the deal to close until the next fiscal year that ends in June 2023.

The deal also comes as Activision Blizzard faces allegations of widespread sexual harassment and discrimination, resulting in multiple lawsuits and a federal investigation. [The Verge]

Here’s what else is happening

• Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Ukraine this week as concerns grow over a Russian invasion. [AP]
• A majority of states are turning to nuclear power in their fight to cut emissions. [AP]
• Black neighborhoods in Chicago have water debt 10 times higher than white areas. [WBEZ]
• Daniel Radcliffe will play Weird Al Yankovic in a new biopic. [New York Times]

Oh, and one more thing …

The undersea volcanic eruption that hit Tonga over the weekend was so huge that shockwaves were detected at Chicago’s O’Hare airport, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

“The eruption was so powerful that the waves actually propagated all the way around the globe and then back again,” National Weather Service meteorologist Gino Izzi told the newspaper. [Sun-Times]

The eruption blanketed parts of Tonga in a thick layer of ash and created tsunami waves of up to 15 meters. Here are before and after images showing the extent of the damage. [NPR]

Tell me something good …

What hobbies, sports or activities are you picking up as we trudge through the winter?

I recently got back into Dungeons & Dragons after going through a pandemic hiatus. I ran a game over the weekend that involved two queens who are twins, an island fortress and a group of baddies known as the Congress of Evil Witches.

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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