Hey there! It’s Thursday, and I can’t stop watching this. Here’s what you need to know today.

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1. Illinois lawmakers seek to eliminate the state’s “last anti-abortion law”

Some state lawmakers want to remove a law requiring health care providers to notify a parent or guardian when a minor seeks an abortion, reports WBEZ’s Tony Arnold.

The move comes after the U.S. Supreme Court announced this week that it will review a Mississippi law that both sides of the abortion debate see as a potential challenge to rights established in Roe v. Wade.

Advocates for eliminating Illinois’ notification law say parents or guardians are already involved in these decisions, and the law only impacts minors who don’t come from a home with a parent or guardian.

“This was a solution in search of a problem that never existed,” said state Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin.

Social conservatives, however, say the law saves lives. Among those lobbying against its elimination is Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich, who argues the law provides emotional support to minors. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott this week signed into law a near-complete ban on abortions. [Texas Tribune]

If Roe v. Wade were overturned, access to abortions would decline in many states, according to this map from The New York Times. [NYT]

2. Lightfoot to unveil her long-awaited plan for civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is expected to soon deliver her plan for civilian police oversight as momentum builds in the City Council for a competing proposal.

Earlier this week, the council’s Black Caucus announced it would join the Hispanic and Progressive caucuses in endorsing a plan opposed by Lightfoot. That plan would ask city voters to approve a binding referendum to empower a civilian commission to hire and fire police superintendents, negotiate police union contracts and set the Police Department’s budget.

Lightfoot’s plan is not expected to go as far because she says she does not want to “outsource” responsibility of the Police Department to a civilian commission. [Block Club Chicago]

3. Israeli Security Cabinet approves cease-fire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet today approved a cease-fire after 11 days of warlike violence between Israel and Hamas, reports Axios. [Axios]

The news comes as President Joe Biden has become “increasingly impatient” with Netanyahu, reports CNN, citing a senior administration official.

International pressure has been mounting for a truce as a humanitarian crisis grew in the Gaza Strip. And Biden, who is a firm supporter of Israel, faces calls from some of his fellow Democrats to be more forceful with Israel. [CNN]

For example, Sen. Bernie Sanders is expected to introduce a resolution today opposing a $735 million weapons deal with Israel. [Axios]

More than 200 Palestinians, including over 60 children, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes, according to Gaza officials. In Israel, more than a dozen people, including two children, have been killed in rocket attacks from Hamas. [NYT]

The warlike violence has highlighted how young American Jews view the conflict differently than older generations. [NYT]

4. Americans may need COVID-19 booster shots in the fall

Some Americans could require a booster shot as soon as September, according to the CEOs of Pfizer and Moderna.

Scientists are still gauging how long vaccines remain effective, but early data suggests people who are already fully vaccinated may need a booster between eight to 12 months after their last shot, said Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. [Axios]

Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci says that the U.S. could avoid future surges of the coronavirus if at least 70% of adults receive at least one shot by July 4. President Biden has already set that goal, and 47.9% of the population has gotten at least one vaccine dose. [Washington Post]

In Chicago, the vaccination rate is three times higher in parts of the Loop compared to areas on the West and South sides, according to a Chicago Sun-Times analysis. [Sun-Times]

5. Dozens of House Republicans break with party and vote for a Jan. 6 commission

Thirty-five House Republicans broke with their party this week and voted to create a 9/11-style commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Among those Republicans were Illinois Reps. Adam Kinzinger and Rodney Davis.

As Politico reports, bipartisan support for the commission was a major rebuke to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

The bill now heads to the Senate, where its fate remains murky. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he opposes the plan. [Politico]

Meanwhile, the House today passed, mostly along party lines, a $1.9 billion emergency spending measure that would improve security at the Capitol. [NBC News]

Here’s what else is happening

• Weekly jobless claims in the U.S. dropped to a new pandemic low as some states cut federal aid. [AP]
• The Treasury Department today said it will crack down on cryptocurrency because it fuels “illegal activity,” such as tax evasion. [CNBC]
• A transgender woman, who sued the Illinois Department of Corrections for keeping her locked up in men’s-only prisons, has been moved to the female unit of the DuPage County jail. [WBEZ]
• Want a blue check mark on your Twitter profile? The social media company says it’s taking applications. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

I gotta get cracking on my book reading, because Amazon appears to be betting big on a TV adaptation of the epic Wheel of Time fantasy series as the streaming wars heat up.

The tech behemoth announced today that it’s keeping the series for a second season even though the first one hasn’t even been released yet.

The Wheel of Time books take place in a medieval-esque world where only women can harness magic. There’s a scary baddie known as the “Dark One” and a young man is prophesied to either save the world or destroy it.

The incredible Rosamund Pike (I Care a Lot and Gone Girl) heads the cast of Amazon’s series as the sorceress Moiraine, who is like the female Gandalf.

I started the fantasy series near the beginning of the pandemic, and I’m not even close to finishing all 14 books. [Hollywood Reporter]

Tell me something good …

I need a podcast to listen to because I’m taking a road trip soon. Got any recommendations?

@PracticalPossib tweets:

“A podcast that I recommend is @bythebookpod which is self-therapy meets comedy meets reality programming. @JolentaG and @kristenmeinzer are funny, sweet, and fierce when it’s needed. And they landed the world’s best husbands who make ‘appearances’ in the pod.”

And @emmaskid tweets:

“I am totally with Michael Blackwell and his recommendation of the podcast Cocaine & Rhinestones. I’m a classic country lover and the storytelling is wonderful. Disgraceland, You Must Remember This and How Did This Get Made? are also fantastic.”

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

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