Hey there! It’s Monday, and I recently learned my nephew’s kindergarten class, which is doing remote learning, begins each morning by listening to “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Did Trump break the law during his call with Georgia’s secretary of state?

Some lawyers and legal scholars say President Donald Trump’s actions during an hourlong call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger may have violated both state and federal criminal statutes.

During the call, Trump urged Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to overturn his defeat, according to a recording obtained by The Washington Post. (You can find the audio and a transcript of the call here.)

It’s “a crime to request, solicit or ask someone else to say falsify returns or falsify reports of votes, and arguably that’s what we heard on the call,” said Kim Wehle, law professor at the University of Baltimore and author of How to Read the Constitution — and Why, during an interview today with NPR’s Morning Edition. [NPR]

The call comes as congressional Republicans are divided over certifying the presidential election results on Wednesday. Dozens of Republicans in the House and Senate say they will oppose certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s win in the Electoral College, but that effort has no chance of succeeding. Trump’s call could prevent other Republican lawmakers from joining the opposition. [NPR]

2. Biden and Trump visit Georgia in final push before key Senate runoffs

Biden and Trump are holding dueling rallies in Georgia ahead of tomorrow’s crucial runoff elections that will determine which party holds the majority in the Senate.

The two high-stakes races are expected to be close. Almost $500 million has been spent on campaign ads, and 3 million people have already voted.

Democrats say they are optimistic about their chances of winning. Black voters are making up a higher percentage of voters than they did for the Senate races in November. And Democratic congressional districts are seeing higher turnout than GOP-held ones so far.

If Democrats win both races, they take control of the Senate with soon-to-be Vice President Kamala Harris acting as a tiebreaker. But if Republicans score just one win, then the GOP retains its majority and the incoming Biden administration will face a divided government. [NPR]

3. The Chicago Teachers Union says a strike vote could happen this month

Mayor Lori Lightfoot faces growing opposition over plans to have preschoolers and some special education students return to classrooms next Monday.

More than 5,800 teachers and support staff were expected to return to schools today, but the Chicago Teachers Union said some teachers would not report to work due to health and safety concerns regarding the coronavirus. It is not immediately known how many teachers did not show up.

As WBEZ’s Sarah Karp reports, union leaders are telling members to prepare for a possible strike authorization vote later this month.

The news comes as 33 aldermen — more than half the City Council — signed a letter, saying they are “deeply concerned” about Chicago Public Schools’ reopening plan. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, a CTU board member over the holidays urged special education teachers to oppose returning to classrooms as she vacationed in the Caribbean. [WGN]

4. With COVID-19 vaccination efforts falling short, some scientists call for a new strategy

A debate has sparked over whether to delay second doses of vaccines and instead give them to as many people as possible. In Britain, health officials have already decided to push back the distribution of second doses, but U.S. officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, reject the idea.

The debate comes as the U.S. has fallen behind its goal to vaccinate 20 million Americans by the end of 2020. About 4.5 million people have received their first vaccine so far. [New York Times]

In Illinois, 176,577 people have been vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile, the state’s positivity rate is increasing, with an average of 8.6%, the highest since mid-December. [Chicago Tribune]

5. Iran boosts uranium enrichment and seizes South Korean oil tanker

Iran today made a series of moves that will likely escalate tensions between Tehran and the White House.

Iran announced it has begun enriching uranium at levels that breach an agreement under the 2015 nuclear accord, bringing the country closer to developing a nuclear weapon. Under the accord, Iran was limited to enriching fuel to around 4%. Now, it says it’s ramped up its efforts to 20%. The next step would be 90%, which means weapons-grade uranium.

Iran also today seized a South Korean oil tanker in the Persian Gulf. The seizure comes as Tehran has pressured South Korea to release billions of dollars in funds that have been frozen because of U.S. sanctions. [NPR]

Here’s what else is happening

• Lawsuits filed on behalf of two victims in the Kenosha protest shooting are seeking $20 million from the city’s police department and the county sheriff’s office. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
• About 50,000 people have been wounded from shootings in Chicago since 2000. [WBEZ]
• The Cook County medical examiner’s office handled 16,049 death cases last year, a new record. [WBEZ]
• A lot of Republicans are considering a run against Gov. JB Pritzker. [WBEZ]

Oh, and one more thing …

Works from F. Scott Fitzgerald, Virginia Woolf, Franz Kafka, Gertrude Stein, Agatha Christie, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Duke Ellington and Buster Keaton are now in the public domain, meaning their copyrights have expired and they can be freely used by anyone.

Copyrights expire after 95 years for works published between 1923 and 1977. Work published after 2002 and under corporate ownership goes into the public domain 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation, whichever is first. So I’ll likely be long dead when the John Wick movies lose their copyright protections. [NPR]

Tell me something good …

I recently watched Wonder Woman 1984 and, ugh, I wouldn’t recommend it. But the movie did make me think about my favorite songs from the ’80s.

One of mine is “Hungry Like the Wolf” by Duran Duran. Like, if I were a supervillain, I’d totally play this song as I hijack a train carrying money with my gang of albino gorillas.

What’s one of your favorite songs from the ’80s? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.

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