Hey there! It’s Friday, and that means Chicago’s mask mandate is now in effect for bars, restaurants, movie theaters and other indoor spaces. Here’s what else you need to know today.

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1. Biden pledges to get Americans out of Afghanistan as U.S. expands base of evacuations

President Joe Biden, facing criticism for the chaotic and sluggish evacuations out of Afghanistan, today vowed to bring Americans home.

“We will get you home,” Biden said during an address from the White House today. The president also admitted that “the past week has been heart-wrenching.” [AP]

Meanwhile, the U.S. will expand the number of bases used for evacuations after an air base in Qatar reached capacity and temporarily halted flights out of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, The Washington Post reports.

In addition to Americans, other foreigners and Afghan allies are also trying to flee the country as the Taliban returns to power. A NATO official said more than 18,000 people have been flown out of Kabul in the last five days.

But tens of thousands of people still need to be evacuated before the Aug. 31 deadline to remove all U.S. troops from the country, adding a sense of panic and urgency to the situation. [WaPo]

2. A majority of American adults want vaccine mandates for bars, restaurants and crowded events, poll finds

Support appears to be growing for vaccine mandates as Americans become increasingly worried about the delta variant, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

The poll found that 56% of Americans favor requiring people to be fully vaccinated in order to attend crowded events, like going to a movie theater or concert.

When it comes to bars and restaurants, 51% say they support vaccination mandates, and nearly 6 in 10 Americans say people should be fully vaccinated in order to travel on an airplane. [AP]

In Chicago, city officials are hoping an indoor mask mandate will cut off a rise in COVID-19 infections. The city is reporting a seven-day average of 462 cases per day as of Aug. 15. That’s up 25% from the previous week. The positivity rate is 4.7%. [COVID Dashboard]

3. Illinois is “absolutely pivotal” in battle for control of the U.S. House

Newly released federal census data now puts Illinois on a fast track toward redrawing the state’s congressional boundaries, and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s hold on power may well depend on the outcome of this decennial blood sport in Springfield, reports WBEZ’s Dave McKinney.

McKinney recently talked to David Wasserman, one of the nation’s top election forecasters and an expert on congressional redistricting at The Cook Political Report.

“Illinois is absolutely pivotal in the race for House control,” Wasserman said. “Keep in mind, the Democrats have virtually no margin for error. They’re sitting on a five-seat majority, and Republicans could conceivably pick up 10 seats from redistricting in the states that they control.” [WBEZ]

Speaking of the census, here are six takeaways about what the data means for Chicago and Illinois. [WBEZ]

4. Will Illinois extend enhanced jobless benefits that are set to expire soon?

The Biden administration this week said states could tap into federal pandemic funds and continue paying out beefed-up unemployment benefits that are set to expire next month.

Millions of Americans are currently receiving a $300-a-week supplement to their jobless benefits. And Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh told senators this week that it makes sense to extend that support in states with high unemployment rates. [CNBC]

One of those states is Illinois. While the national unemployment rate was 5.4% last month, Illinois’ rate was much higher at 7.1%.

The state agency that handles jobless benefits today said in a statement that the enhanced benefits are set to expire on Sept. 4. A spokeswoman for Gov. JB Pritzker did not return a request for comment.

Meanwhile, states that cut off the benefits early took a huge economic hit, according to a new study. [New York Times]

5. I’ll take “Complete Mess” for $500

Mike Richards, who oversaw the search for a new Jeopardy! host and then got the job himself, is abruptly stepping away from the gig after sexist and offensive comments he made years ago recently resurfaced.

As NPR writes, today’s news is a “fittingly sloppy end to this effort. From the moment Richards was announced, the whole thing had been called out as disingenuous, sketchy, shady, whatever words you prefer — even for a lot of people who thought Richards had been a good guest host substantively, the process left a bad taste.”

Richards will remain as executive producer of the show, and a search will resume for a permanent host. [NPR]

Here’s what else is happening

• Yesterday’s bomb threat near the U.S. Capitol is raising more questions about the area’s security. [NPR]
• Justice Amy Coney Barrett rejected an emergency appeal seeking to stop construction of the Obama Presidential Center. [Crain’s Chicago Business]
• Rain fell on the highest peak of Greenland’s ice sheet for the first time in recorded history. [NPR]
• K-pop supergroup BTS announced it is canceling its upcoming world tour. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

TGIF, am I right? If you’re looking for something to listen to this weekend, here are some podcasts I’ve got on deck.

Nerdette’s Greta Johnsen talked to New York Times TV critic Margaret Lyons and some idiot named Hunter Clauss about the latest news on COVID-19, the controversy surrounding Jeopardy! and a TikTok that I still can’t wrap my head around.

Johnsen also talked to local renaissance woman Eve Ewing about Maya and the Robot, her new book for middle grade readers. [WBEZ]

This week’s Art of Power features to Leigh Bardugo, author of the popular Shadow and Bones fantasy series. Bardugo talks about how she’s experienced many ups and downs, and how an abusive relationship threatened to extinguish her career before it began. [WBEZ]

And if you didn’t catch it the first time, the third season of WBEZ’s Motive recently won a prestigious Murrow Award. The podcast examines how neo-Nazi skinheads wrote a playbook for recruiting young people that’s still being used today. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

I’ve been blowing through a lot of books lately and need some recommendations. What did you read this summer that you really enjoyed?

Hannah writes:

“I’m in the middle of reading Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. It’s a contemporary YA fantasy/adventure with King Arthur mythology and a Black female lead. I really need to get more sleep but I’m having too much fun reading it to go to bed on time.

“I loved, loved, loved Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender. It’s the first YA romance I’ve ever read with a main character who is trans, and I can’t wait to read more!”

And CP Chang writes:

“Has anyone mentioned Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong? A collection of essays by a Korean-American poet may seem to be light and fluffy reading (I admit, it did to me when I first saw it), but this was explosive and incisive, ranging from mental health to stand-up comedy to destructive yet vital friendships. I had to stop using it as a ‘getting ready for bed’ book because it lit my brain afire whenever I read it.

“(And if you do print this, a shoutout to our Chicago peeps from Cambridge, Mass.: We miss you all and the city!)”

Thanks for all the book recommendations this week! I’m sorry I couldn’t share everyone’s responses, but it was nice hearing from y’all!

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