Hey there! It’s Wednesday, and I refuse to concede to Michael B. Jordan, who has been named People magazine’s sexiest man alive. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Lightfoot’s $94 million property tax hike clears first hurdle in City Council

In a crucial vote, the City Council’s Finance Committee today approved Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s $94 million property tax increase, setting the stage for a final vote before the full council on Tuesday.

The mayor’s property tax plan cleared the committee in a 21-12 vote. If those numbers hold up, Lightfoot would only need support from at least five more aldermen in order to reach a majority in the 50-member council.

Lightfoot’s proposed budget had appeared to be on shaky ground. Several aldermen questioned why they should support a property tax increase as the pandemic has impacted the economic livelihood of many residents.

But in the last week, Lightfoot appealed to members of the council’s Black and Latino caucuses for support by offering concessions, such as canceling the layoffs of hundreds of city workers. [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. About 12 million Americans could lose jobless benefits the day after Christmas

That’s according to a new report from researchers at the Century Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank. The report states that more than half of the 21.1 million people currently receiving aid will lose it because of deadlines established by Congress in the CARES Act.

“Nobody is talking about this,” researcher Andrew Stettner told The Washington Post. “We’re just careening into this huge cliff and it’s like it’s not even happening. People are just totally, completely ignoring the situation at a time when things are getting worse before they’re going to get better in terms of public health. And that just really is going to constrain people’s ability to get a job when benefits run out.”

The report’s dire warning comes as many economists — across the ideological spectrum — say Congress must soon reach a deal on further federal relief. If not, millions of Americans could suffer severe economic hardships, especially as coronavirus cases surge throughout the nation. [Washington Post]

3. Pfizer says its vaccine is safe and 95% effective

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. today said it is ready to ask the Food and Drug Administration for emergency approval of its COVID-19 vaccine. After completing a final analysis, the company said its vaccine has no serious side effects and is much more effective than previously believed.

The most common and significant side effect seen in trials was fatigue, occurring in about 3.8% of volunteers. The company also said the vaccine’s efficacy held up across gender, race, ethnicity and various ages. [NPR]

Today’s news from Pfizer offers more light at the end of the tunnel, but we still have a ways to go. Local public health officials said this week it may take until the spring for a widespread rollout of vaccines.

In Illinois, officials today announced 8,922 new cases and 140 deaths. The state is seeing a rolling, seven-day average of 12,381 cases per day, up 78% from the average two weeks ago. [WBEZ]

In Chicago, officials today announced a new COVID-19 testing site at Midway Airport as demand for testing grows. [WTTW]

4. A look at how Biden won the election

President-elect Joe Biden won the election by turning out core voters and expanding his support in key suburbs, according to an NPR analysis of the more than 3,000 counties across the country.

The analysis also found that fewer counties flipped from one party to the other this time around. Just 77 counties changed allegiances so far this year, with Biden winning 59 of them. In 2016, 237 counties were flipped.

The bottom line? The country is increasingly becoming more polarized, and there is a clear divide between rural and urban areas of the country. [NPR]

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s campaign says it will ask for a partial recount in Wisconsin, but it likely won’t end with a substantive change in the swing state’s results. [NPR]

And Republican officials face allegations of racism for initially refusing to certify votes in Detroit. [Detroit Free Press]

5. What to do about Thanksgiving?

Health experts across the nation are warning that the current record surge in coronavirus cases could further explode this Thanksgiving — and the rest of the holiday season — as people gather indoors to celebrate.

The AAA projects that close to 50 million people will be traveling this Thanksgiving. If people follow through on those plans, it would be down 10% from last year.

“We’ve been back and forth for about a month, deciding whether it’s really doable,” said Aleta Nissen, who would normally travel with her husband and teenage daughter to a relative’s home for Thanksgiving. [NPR]

Canada could offer a cautionary tale: The country celebrated its Thanksgiving on Oct. 12. Two weeks later, infections skyrocketed. [Miami Herald]

Here’s what else is happening

• The FAA cleared Boeing’s 737 Max for flight, nearly two years after it was grounded following two deadly crashes. [AP]
• Rep. Nancy Pelosi was reelected as House speaker, and Rep. Kevin McCarthy will remain as minority leader. [NPR]
• A federal appeals court threw out a 16-year sentence for a man convicted of plotting to bomb a Chicago bar and restaurant. [Chicago Tribune]
• WBEZ’s Reset has a new host. [Robert Feder]

Oh, and one more thing …

The ’90s really loved Shakespeare. Theaters were filled with movies inspired by the bard’s work, such as Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet (1996), the Mel Gibson-starring Hamlet (1990) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999) with the most ’90s cast of Michelle Pfeiffer, Kevin Kline, Rupert Everett and Calista Flockhart.

But one of my favorites is 10 Things I Hate About You, a teenage riff on The Taming of the Shrew that stars Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger. Today’s episode of Nerdette Recaps with Peter Sagal revisits the film as part of the podcast’s odyssey into classic 1999 films.

And next week, the Nerdette crew will watch Office Space. If you’d like to weigh in on either film, feel free to record yourself on your phone and email the file to nerdetterecaps@gmail.com. Tell them you know me. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

What’s one of your most prized possessions?

Trevor Lucas writes:

“My most treasured possession would also have to be an illustration: my transgender daughter’s depiction of us when she was a wee one, at the very beginnings of her audacious, authentic, awe-inspiring artistic abilities!”

And Sarah Wilson writes:

“Hi Hunter! You asked for prized possessions. One of mine is a pair of puppets my brother made for my husband and me as a wedding gift (my brother was a professional puppeteer). My puppet is a green sloth, and my husband’s is a purple dinosaur. My brother died a couple years ago, so his thoughtful, handmade gift is even more precious to me now.”

What’s one of your prized possessions? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.

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