Hey there! It’s Thursday, and the sun’s already out heading into a holiday weekend. If anybody needs me, I’ll be lounging in a kiddie pool to the delight of all my neighbors. Here’s what you need to know today.

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1. Who could run against Lightfoot in 2023?

That’s a question I hear from a lot of people. Chicago Sun-Times reporter Fran Spielman, who has covered City Hall for decades, mentions a couple of possible contenders in an analysis of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s grip on power.

They are “former Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan; Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th); Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd); City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin; U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill.; CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates; and City Clerk Anna Valencia, now running for Illinois secretary of state.”

But as Spielman writes, the next mayoral race may be smaller, as the city’s executive branch is expected to lose most of its power over Chicago Public Schools and, if progressives are successful, the Chicago Police Department.

“If the mayor eventually … will have almost no say in the schools and you’ve got a potential position where they also can’t appoint the police [superintendent], the job becomes a glorified Streets and San commissioner job,” said Democratic political consultant Peter Giangreco. [Sun-Times]

2. Shootings and murders in Chicago are outpacing last year

The city is on pace to report one of the most violent years since the mid-1990s, according to an analysis from the Chicago Sun-Times.

There have been at least 336 homicides this year so far, up just two compared to the same time last year. But it’s a 33% increase from 2019, the newspaper reports.

When it comes to shootings, the city has recorded at least 1,892, an almost 12% increase from last year and a 53% increase compared to 2019. [Chicago Sun-Times]

The news comes as 19 aldermen have called for a special session of the City Council tomorrow to hear from Police Superintendent David Brown. The aldermen are threatening to take a vote of no confidence if Brown does not show up. [Sun-Times]

3. Rescue operations halted in Florida condo collapse

Rescue crews searching for survivors of the Champlain Towers South collapse were told to stop early today over concerns the rest of the building could also fall.

Officials say it’s unclear when they might resume search and rescue operations, which are now in their seventh day. At least 18 people are known to have died from the collapse, and 145 people remain unaccounted for.

The pause in rescue efforts comes as President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visit the area, meeting with workers and the community. [NPR]

Meanwhile, The New York Times reports many members of the building’s condo board quit in 2019 amid disagreements over repair plans. [NYT]

4. Supreme Court deals major blow to critics of new voting restrictions

The U.S. Supreme Court today upheld voting restrictions in Arizona that a lower court previously said were discriminatory to minorities.

Today’s decision will likely make it harder for civil rights groups and Democrats to challenge new voting restrictions that are increasingly being passed by Republican-led state legislatures, election experts say.

The Supreme Court’s 6-3 vote was along ideological lines. Justices considered if Arizona’s new voting laws violated a section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which prohibits restrictions that disproportionately impact minorities.

As NPR’s Nina Totenberg reports, today’s decision “narrowed the only remaining section of 1965 Voting Rights Act, rendering the landmark civil rights law close to a dead letter.” [NPR]

5. U.S. passports will soon have a third gender option

Applications for U.S. passports will soon have a gender marker that isn’t male or female, a move that accommodates Americans who are nonbinary, intersex or gender nonconforming, the State Department announced this week.

The move comes as Dana Zzyym, who is intersex and nonbinary, has been fighting for years for additional options to be included on passports. In a lawsuit, LGBTQ rights organization Lambda Legal argues the State Department is violating Zzyym’s constitutional rights by denying them a passport that accurately reflects their gender.

Zzyym told NPR they welcome this week’s news.

“It’s great news for all intersex and nonbinary people, because it basically says that we can get our passports,” Zzyym said. “We don’t have to lie to get our passports. We can just be ourselves.” [NPR]

Here’s what else is happening

• Questions emerge over how Miami University handled sexual assault claims against former Blackhawks coach. [WBEZ]
• Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said some low-level cases might be dropped as courtrooms face a backlog in trials. [WBEZ]
• A Los Angeles judge denied Britney Spears’ request to remove her father from the financial aspects of her controversial conservatorship. [NPR]
• Health experts are debating when booster COVID-19 vaccinations will be needed. [Axios]

Oh, and one more thing …

I don’t know how I missed this, but Peacock is working on a limited TV series that stars John Cameron Mitchell (Shrill, Hedwig and the Angry Inch) as Joe Exotic, the tiger park operator who gained newfound fame in last year’s Tiger King docuseries on Netflix.

And just as exciting is Saturday Night Live’s Kate McKinnon playing Carole Baskin, the eccentric big cat rescuer who finds herself in an ongoing feud with Joe Exotic.

The show, currently called Joe Exotic, does not have a premiere date. [Deadline]

Tell me something good …

It seems like everyone I know is buying house plants or gardening, so I’d like to know what you’re growing, planting or buying this summer.

Christina B. writes:

“Our ‘pandemic project’ refreshed deck now has privacy walls with a view of our very lush green garden. One summer to-do is to extend the garden onto the deck by hanging frames of faux moss with live air plants from the deck walls. Our happy collection of potted herbs, a huge citronella plant, soft lights and soon-to-be-planted cool shade stunners will complete our green oasis for all-hours enjoyment.”

And Katie Barrick writes:

“My friends, who left in October 2020 to escape “round two” of covid quarantine, asked me to temporarily house their plants for a few months. They have yet to return … so this year I’m growing/adopting a fiddle leaf fig, two monsteras, a rubber tree plant, along with my own house plants and my whole patios worth of begonias, impatiens and trumpet vines. My house (which is now a jungle) makes me wonder when they’ll be coming back. Happy growing season!”

Feel free to email me at therundown@wbez.org or tweet me at @whuntah.

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