Hey there! It’s Friday! And you might want to keep an eye on the sky this weekend. Here’s what you need to know today.

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1. Huge electric vehicle factory is coming to Illinois as global competition heats up

A Canadian electric vehicle maker today announced it will build a factory in Joliet, employing about 800 workers in an industry that many analysts believe will only grow as more consumers shift toward renewable energy.

The Joliet plant from Lion Electric will build up 20,000 electric buses and trucks when production begins next year, reports Crain’s Chicago Business. It will be the second electric vehicle plant in Illinois, following carmaker Rivian’s factory in Normal that is set to open next month. [Crain’s]

Today’s news further puts Illinois in a better position to capitalize from the industry as President Joe Biden pushes an infrastructure bill that would increase the nation’s production of electric vehicles. The president’s move comes as China hopes to become a global leader in the industry. [New York Times]

The expansion of plants in Illinois could also potentially increase the number of vehicles in the state. According to federal data, 12,400 electric vehicles were registered in Illinois in 2018, far behind California (256,800), Washington state (28,400) and Florida (25,200). [U.S. Department of Energy]

2. More than 900,000 people died from COVID-19 in the U.S., according to new study

That’s compared to the official count of 576,238 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study comes from researchers at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, who looked at excess mortality from March 2020 through May 3, 2021, compared that number with a typical year and then made adjustments to account for a handful of other pandemic-related factors, NPR reports.

The study estimates that worldwide deaths are closer to 7 million than the official count of 3.24 million. [NPR]

Meanwhile, some Chicago residents say they’ll continue wearing face masks even as guidelines are relaxed. [WBEZ]

3. Derek Chauvin and three other ex-cops are indicted on civil rights charges

A federal grand jury today indicted Derek Chauvin and three other former Minneapolis police officers on charges of violating George Floyd’s civil rights during his arrest last year.

Today’s indictment names Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao. Chauvin is accused of using excessive force. Kueng and Thao are charged for failing to stop Chauvin. And all four are charged for failing to provide medical care to Floyd.

The news comes weeks after Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter in a state trial. The move by the Justice Department to file civil rights charges could add another layer of accountability for Floyd’s death, which sparked nationwide protests over police brutality and inequality. [NPR]

4. Hiring significantly slowed down in April, federal jobs report shows

The U.S. only added 266,000 jobs last month, far below expectations and a major setback for hopes of a speedy economic recovery.

Some economists say today’s report signals that employers are having a hard time finding enough workers for various reasons, including people switching careers and women leaving the workforce to care for children. Economists don’t believe generous unemployment benefits are holding people back because the labor market did grow for the fourth month in a row.

Most economists say they expect job growth to pick up steam as more people become fully vaccinated, states begin to fully reopen and trillions of dollars in federal aid are dispersed. But some analysts say today’s news could mean the economic recovery may be rockier than previously thought. [AP]

5. Protests in Colombia could spread across Latin America, experts say

More than 20 people are dead and more than 85 people are missing as protests over inequality and poverty grip the streets of Colombia’s capital in Bogotá, where demonstrators have been met by a militarized police force.

The unrest began last week when President Iván Duque proposed a tax overhaul to address the country’s pandemic-hit economy. Critics said the president’s plan would disproportionately impact the middle and working classes, and Duque eventually rescinded the plan as protests grew.

But public outrage continued, partly fueled by the government’s heavy-handed response to protests. Political analysts and other experts say growing poverty during the pandemic, as well as government budget shortfalls that have resulted in service cuts, could spark unrest in other parts of Latin American. [New York Times]

Here’s what else is happening

• Texas became the latest state to move forward with restricting access to voting. [NPR]
• India faces growing pressure to enact a lockdown as its record surge in coronavirus cases shows little sign of slowing down. [AP]
• Survivors of police torture in Chicago are calling on the city to honor a reparations package that was passed six years ago and remains partially unfilled. [Block Club Chicago]
• Outgoing Chicago Public School CEO Janice Jackson urges her successor to focus on academics and not get distracted by the “silly stuff.” [WBEZ]

Oh, and one more thing …

If you’re looking for some podcasts to listen to this weekend, there are plenty from WBEZ.

In this week’s episode of Art of Power, host Aarti Shahani talks to David Collins, the creator of Queer Eye, about why he created the show and how he got the idea. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, Nerdette talks about the YOLO economy and says goodbye to any hope of reaching herd immunity. [WBEZ]

And the new episode of The Pie talks about the high cost of discrimination on society. Two researchers found that declining barriers to careers for women and Black men during the last 50 years accounted for up to 40% of all productivity growth in the U.S. [University of Chicago]

Tell me something good …

Summer really does feel like it’s around the corner. What are you looking forward to when the weather warms up?

Juhi writes:

“I’m really looking forward to introducing my golden retriever puppy to Lake Michigan. He’s 6 months old, and all he’s seen in his life thus far are the concrete sidewalks of the city and the inside of my apartment building. I’m hoping he’s one of those dogs that loves to go for a swim.”

Thanks for reading and have a nice night! I’ll see you on Monday.

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

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