Hey there! It’s Tuesday, and the first full week of the new year is shaping up to be a real rollercoaster. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Is Georgia a blue state? Or a purple state with a red tan?

Voters in Georgia are casting their ballots in two crucial runoff races that will determine which party controls the Senate. Today’s election holds enormous consequences for the incoming Biden administration and its agenda, which includes everything from the pandemic to the economic recovery to climate change.

WBEZ will air live special coverage tonight beginning at 7 p.m. CT. You can also find live updates on the election via NPR.

So how “blue” is Georgia really? Advisors to President-elect Joe Biden do not expect Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock to win, reports Politico, but they are more optimistic than they were weeks ago.

While some conservative voters shunned President Donald Trump in the presidential election, the “anti-Trump” vote did not punish Republicans in down-ballot races. [Politico]

GOP strategist Karl Rove estimates that Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue will win if 1 million or more voters show up to the polls today, according to Punchbowl News. But it remains to be seen how many Republican voters turn out after Trump has spent months promoting baseless claims that the presidential election was “rigged” in Georgia and other swing states.

When will we know the results of tonight’s election? It could take officials in Georgia days to count all the ballots, meaning we’ll likely see tonight play out like the November election, where the Republican candidates will lead early in the night, and Democrats will begin showing gains as early ballots are counted. [Politico]

2. Trump falsely says Pence can overturn election

President Trump turned up the pressure on Vice President Mike Pence to reject electors when he presides over a joint session of Congress tomorrow to certify the Electoral College vote.

“The Vice President has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors,” Trump falsely claimed today on Twitter.

The vice president plays the constitutional role of overseeing the vote count and naming the winner of the presidential election. It is a procedural and largely ceremonial role, and there is nothing in the Constitution that gives the vice president the power to toss out electors and unilaterally decide who won.

Think of it like ABC 7’s Janet Davies doing Chicago’s New Year’s Eve ball drop. She can say when it’s midnight, but she can’t decide when midnight happens. [NBC News]

Meanwhile, officials in Washington, D.C., are preparing for protests for the next two days over the election results. The Pentagon has approved a request from Mayor Muriel Bowser to send the National Guard to the nation’s capital.

Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the far-right Proud Boys, has been banned by a judge from attending protests in D.C. after he was arrested on suspicion of burning a Black Lives Matter flag at a historic Black church last month. [Forbes]

3. No Kenosha police officers will be charged in the shooting of Jacob Blake

Kenosha police Officer Rusten Sheskey will not be charged in the shooting of Jacob Blake, Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley announced today. Graveley also said Blake will not face any charges.

Blake was shot multiple times in the back as he walked away from officers and toward the driver’s side of a parked vehicle in August. The shooting left Blake partially paralyzed.

A witness recorded the shooting on a cellphone, and the recording was posted on social media, sparking outrage and days of protests and unrest. On the third night of unrest, Antioch teenager Kyle Rittenhouse was captured on video shooting three people, two fatally. Rittenhouse today pleaded not guilty to all seven charges against him.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers yesterday mobilized the state’s National Guard in anticipation that prosecutors would soon make an announcement in the Blake shooting. Kenosha officials also said earlier this week that they are prepared to impose a curfew. [WBEZ]

4. Chicago does not have enough doses of COVID-19 vaccines, Lightfoot says

Mayor Lori Lightfoot today said it would take a year and a half to vaccinate all Chicago residents if the federal government does not ramp up the number of doses distributed to the city.

The city has administered 33,607 doses as of Sunday, according to the city website. Lightfoot said the city has distributed 95% of the vaccine it’s received.

“If you want to have us bend this curve, and give people confidence that they can resume their normal lives, there must be an exponential increase in the amount of vaccine that’s available to cities and towns all over the country,” Lightfoot said. [Chicago Tribune]

Globally, infections are surging faster than authorities can distribute vaccines. Britain faces a third lockdown that will last six weeks, hospitals in Mexico City are overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients and Japan is preparing to declare a state of emergency later this week. [AP]

5. Almost half of eligible teachers and staff did not show up to work on Monday, CPS says

Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson today said 40% of teachers and staff did not return to schools and accused the Chicago Teachers Union of “pressuring” teachers to not show up. The district and the union are at odds over whether it is currently safe to begin reopening schools for the first time during the pandemic.

Jackson said teachers who did not show up to work have received letters saying their absence was unexcused. Jackson said teachers who continue to refuse to return to schools will face more disciplinary measures, but she said it was not in the district’s interest to fire teachers.

CPS says 5,800 employees were told to go back to schools yesterday, and 60% did so. Last year, about 83% of employees were present on the first day after the district’s winter break.

The Chicago Teachers Union says many of its members are concerned about their health and worried that the district’s mitigation efforts are not enough to prevent outbreaks. Jackson said she is confident in the district’s plan and is worried a generation of students will fall behind. [WBEZ]

Here’s what else is happening

• Unemployed Americans might see smaller or no tax refunds this year. [Axios]
• Iran asked Interpol to arrest President Trump and other U.S. officials for the targeted killing of Qassem Soleimani. [NPR]
• Illinois Republican Jim Oberweis seeks to overturn his election loss to Rep. Lauren Underwood. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Macy’s is closing its flagship store on the Magnificent Mile. [Chicago Tribune]

Oh, and one more thing …

Will 2021 be the year we find life on other planets? Some scientists say they are optimistic about their chances.

The U.S., China and the United Arab Emirates are all sending probes to Mars next month to find clues about whether life once existed on the Red Planet. And NASA is expected to launch the James Webb Space Telescope, a powerful telescope that could help scientists find Earth-like planets.

These moves come after the astonishing discovery last year that Venus may have gas in its atmosphere that could indicate life on the planet. [Axios]

Tell me something good …

I recently watched Wonder Woman 1984 and I wouldn’t recommend it. But it got me thinking: What’s one of your favorite songs from the ’80s?

@fatuouspauper tweets:

“If I had to pick just one (popular Billboard-charting) song as my favorite from the 1980’s, it’d have to be ‘Under Pressure’ by Queen + David Bowie. So much emotion packed into 4 minutes and 6 seconds.”

@NoStrohsThankU tweets:

“One of my favorite songs of the 80’s, Broken Promise by New Order”

And @cultureguru tweets:

“There was nothing like Ain’t Nobody by Chaka Khan or Burning Down the House by Talking Heads, blasted really loud, to energize you while getting ready to go out on a Friday or Saturday night during college.”

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

Have a nice night! If you like what you just read, you can subscribe to the newsletter here and have it delivered to your inbox.