Hey there! It’s Thursday, and here’s a live shot of me returning to the office. And here’s what you need to know today.

(By the way, if you’d like this emailed to your inbox, you can sign up here.)

1. Today’s the first day of Lollapalooza. Chicago already crossed the line for potentially more restrictions.

Chicago is seeing a seven-day average of about 217 COVID-19 cases per day, according to data published by the Illinois Department of Public Health as of July 25.

That means, on the first day of the massive Lollapalooza music festival, Chicago has reached a point where COVID-19 restrictions could return. Mayor Lori Lightfoot this week said if the city consistently surpassed a case rate of 200, she will consider a mask mandate and other restrictions.

The data from the Illinois Department of Public Health is available on its website for tracking whether to bring back state-mandated restrictions. While Chicago is seeing cases rise, the city hasn’t hit all of the benchmarks that would force the state to revive stricter precautions, like capacity limits on bars and restaurants. [IDPH]

About 100,000 people are expected to attend each day of Lollapalooza. Dr. Emily Landon, the chief epidemiologist at the University of Chicago, said festival-goers should not assume they’ll be safe from infections, especially after Lollapalooza relaxed testing precautions.

“I think if you bought tickets and you were expecting it to be really tightly controlled and this was going to be a safe space for you, I don’t think you can count on that now,” the doctor told WBEZ’s Reset. [WBEZ]

2. More companies push back return dates for workers and take other precautions

Ride-sharing company Lyft will not require employees to return to offices until February. Twitter has indefinitely postponed reopening its offices. And Netflix announced a vaccine mandate for its casts and crews in the U.S.

The national rise in COVID-19 cases, fueled by low vaccination rates and the highly contagious delta variant, is causing many businesses to rethink their plans.

Apple this week announced all employees and customers, regardless of vaccination status, must wear masks inside the company’s U.S. stores. And the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort will implement an indoor mask mandate tomorrow. [New York Times]

3. Sunisa Lee wins gold for U.S. in women’s gymnastics all-around competition

Sunisa Lee, an 18-year-old from Minnesota, won Olympic gold in the marquee individual competition of women’s gymnastics after star gymnast Simone Biles withdrew due to mental health concerns.

“I was nervous, but I did my best, and I’m super proud of myself,” Lee told reporters after the competition. “It’s crazy. I didn’t ever think I’d be here.”

Lee’s win is the fifth Olympic gold in a row for the United States in the individual all-around. Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade took silver, winning the first ever medal for her country in women’s artistic gymnastics. Angelina Melnikova, a veteran of the team from Russia, took bronze. [NPR]

Meanwhile, NPR answers some “extremely random” questions about the Olympics. [NPR]

4. Democrats say bipartisan infrastructure deal is a first step in combating climate change

A bipartisan group of senators this week reached a deal on a $1 trillion infrastructure plan that sets aside $550 billion to update roads, bridges and ports to withstand severe weather caused by climate change.

But that falls short of President Joe Biden’s ambitious environmental agenda, which aims to cut emissions in half by 2030. Democrats are hoping to make more progress in a separate $3.5 trillion bill they’re hoping to pass on a party line, reports The New York Times.

“As climate policy, this is an appetizer,” Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said of the bipartisan deal. “It’s not the main course.”

Democrats hope the second bill will include tax incentives for Americans to buy electric vehicles. Biden is seeking to boost the nation’s electric vehicle industry as other countries, like China, are making moves to become a global competitor. [NYT]

5. The federal eviction moratorium ends on Saturday

President Biden today called on Congress to extend a freeze on evictions by another month in order to prevent a housing crisis as COVID-19 cases surge in many parts of the country.

About 3.6 million people said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to census data released earlier this month. Congress has set aside $47 billion for rental assistance, but state and local governments have struggled to distribute the money.

Biden is turning to lawmakers for an extension after the Supreme Court last month allowed the moratorium to continue through July. But Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was part of the 5-4 majority, said he would block further extensions unless they were approved by Congress. [AP]

Here’s what else is happening

• The U.S. economy is doing well, but here are four things to keep an eye on. [NPR]
• Here’s a look at how much money is spent on trying to reduce violence in Chicago. [WBEZ]
• Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney, saying the company breached her contract by simultaneously releasing Black Widow in theaters and on Disney+. [Variety]
• Actress Jodie Whittaker, the first female lead in Doctor Who, will leave the sci-fi show next year. [Hollywood Reporter]

Oh, and one more thing …

Break out the binoculars on Sunday, because Saturn will begin showing off.

The planet, known for having more rings than a drag queen, will appear somewhat brighter than normal, and some observers may be able to make out the rings and Saturn’s largest moon, Titan.

And this won’t be a one-night-only performance, NPR reports. Saturn may be seen for a few weeks and may do a duet with Jupiter, which will pop up around Aug. 19.

To catch the action, all you have to do is look low in the east-southeast about an hour or so after sunset.

“The brightest ‘star’ you’ll see not far above the horizon is Jupiter, and Saturn is the fainter yellowish object about two fists seen at arm’s length to its upper right,” Rick Fienberg of the American Astronomical Society writes in an email to NPR. [NPR]

Tell me something good …

What is your favorite summertime memory?

Shirley writes:

“I grew up in Georgia, and summer meant homemade fresh peach ice cream.

The ice cream churns were manual and hard to crank. While our uncles shared the work of turning the crank, one of the kids got the job of sitting on it to prevent it from wobbling and ‘walking’ across the garage floor. We sat on newspapers spread over the ice and salt. It was a cold job, but we all took turns being the anchor. The reward was the best ice cream ever.”

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

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