There are two new omicron variants

Plus, the Ricketts drop their bid for Chelsea. Here's what you need to know today.

To view this email as a web page, click here. Today's Rundown is brought to you by WBEZ members and   by Hunter Clauss   Hey there, it’s Friday! And I still need to do my taxes. Woo hoo. Here’s what you need to know today. 1. What we know about two new omicron variants   Health officials in New York this week announced the two variants are spreading rapidly and together account for 90% of cases in the central part of the state. Scientists have detected one of the variants in six countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Israel and Luxembourg.  This variant, known as BA.2.12.1, appears to have an advantage, according to computational biologist Cornelius Roemer. That’s because it has a mutation on the part of the virus that binds to human cells. The spread of the variants coincide with cases creeping back up in Chicago and other parts of the nation.  But this rise is much slower and more gradual than the one we saw with the original omicron variant during the winter, says virologist Jeremy Luban at UMass Chan Medical School. [NPR] In Chicago, officials are reporting a seven-day average of 455 cases per day as of Thursday, a 45% increase compared to the previous week. Hospitalizations and deaths remain significantly low compared to the peak of the omicron wave, but they are beginning to increase. [COVID Dashboard] 2. Twitter seeks to fight off Elon Musk’s takeover with a poison pill   The social media company today announced it is pursuing a strategy aimed at slowing down and blocking Elon Musk’s hostile takeover.  The plan allows shareholders to buy Twitter shares at a discount if any person or group buys 15% or more of the company’s shares. Musk already has a 9% stake. [NBC News] Meanwhile, Wall Street doesn’t appear to think Musk’s $43 billion deal will happen. Stocks have dropped instead of shooting up, and some analysts are telling folks to sell as Twitter faces a “full blown Elon circus.” [CNBC] 3. Russia warns the U.S. to stop sending weapons to Ukraine   Moscow has sent several warnings to the Biden administration to stop sending advanced weapons to Ukraine or face “unpredictable consequences,” reports The Washington Post.  “What the Russians are telling us privately is precisely what we’ve been telling the world publicly — that the massive amount of assistance that we’ve been providing our Ukrainian partners is proving extraordinarily effective,” a senior administration official told the newspaper.  Experts are now watching to see how Russia acts on its threat, either targeting supply convoys in Ukraine or as they are en route in NATO territory. [WaPo] Meanwhile, a U.S. official says a Russian warship sank yesterday after a Ukrainian missile strike. [AP] In D.C., activists projected a giant Ukrainian flag on the Russian Embassy. [NPR] 4. The Ricketts drop their bid for the Chelsea soccer club   The owners of the Chicago Cubs withdrew their bid to buy the soccer club after facing opposition from fans over Islamophobic comments made by patriarch Joe Ricketts in emails leaked three years ago.  The bid was being led by Joe Ricketts’s son, Tom, and included investors Ken Griffin and Dan Gilbert. They did not directly say what caused the bid to be pulled. “In the process of finalizing their proposal, it became increasingly clear that certain issues could not be addressed given the unusual dynamics around the sales process,” the group said in a statement. “We have great admiration for Chelsea and its fans, and we wish the new owners well.” [AP] 5. Harold Washington would have been 100 years old today   Harold Washington, Chicago’s first Black mayor, will always be remembered as the “people’s mayor” and a champion for the weary, the tired, the underdog and the mistreated, writes Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell. Washington built a rainbow coalition that propelled him to victory in 1983. But he tragically died in office after a heart attack in 1987, leaving much of his work unfinished. “Washington believed Chicago was better than its reputation as the most segregated city in America, and he wanted the world to know that Chicago,” Mitchell writes. “He will always be remembered as the ‘people’s mayor’ and as the mayor who could unify Black people in this city in a way that we hadn’t seen before and haven’t seen since.” [Chicago Sun-Times] If you’d like to learn more about Washington, This American Life has a great episode that examines his rise to political power and the racism he faced. [TAL]  And if you want a deep dive, Gary Rivlin’s Fire on the Prairie is a must-read. [Chicago Public Library] SPONSORED BY STEPPENWOLF THEATRE A Historic Moment in Steppenwolf’s Journey Steppenwolf presents ensemble member Yasen Peyankov’s extraordinarily funny and lyrical adaptation of Anton Chekov’s Seagull. April 28th - June 12th. This first live production in the new Ensemble Theater features an ensemble member stacked cast! In classic Chekhovian style, they wrestle with the eternal questions that haunt the intellectual artist class: What is Love? What is Art? When is Lunch? It’s a historic moment in Steppenwolf’s journey as we explore the work that inspired us, laugh at the battles that consume us and celebrate, together, all that makes us grateful for each other. Get tickets now! Here's what else is happening Chicago’s South and West sides have been hit the hardest since the expiration of state and federal protections on evictions. [WBEZ] A report this week found that 69% of Illinois corporations paid no state corporate income taxes from 2015 to 2018. [Chicago Sun-Times] ComEd is proposing a $199 million rate hike that would add $2.20 per month to consumer bills. [Chicago Tribune] It’s birdwatching season, and climate change is sending birds our way much earlier. [WBEZ] Oh, and one more thing... The new execs at Warner Bros. Discovery want to reboot DC Entertainment, home to Superman and Wonder Woman, because it “lacks a coherent creative and brand strategy,” reports Variety. “Discovery believes that several top-shelf characters such as Superman have been left to languish and need to be revitalized,” according to Variety. “They also believe that projects like Todd Phillips’ Joker are a shining example of how second-billed characters from the DC library can and should be exploited (Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn was another opportunity, though Birds of Prey missed the mark).” One idea under consideration would separate DC from Warner Bros. as its own studio, similar to what Disney does with Marvel Studios. [Variety] Tell me something good I worked out of a tattoo shop this week, and it really has me second guessing my career choice. So I’d like to know: If you could do it all over again, what job would you do? Deeptha Vasudevan writes:  “I think I would choose being a scientist all over again! I wish I could go back in time and tell my sixth grade self how it would all pan out, and that I would be learning fascinating things about how the brain works, doing exciting experiments and experiencing the joy of discovery as a scientist everyday! Truly a privilege and a dream!” And Julie tweets:  “If I could do it all over again, I’d take more job risks and reinvent myself more often. I’ve worked in PR, as a freelance writer for 15 years, and am nearing retirement from middle school teaching. I love going to school (I have 3 advanced degrees). Can that be my job?” Thanks for all the emails this week. I’m sorry I couldn’t share them all, but it was nice hearing from y’all.  therundown@wbez.org | @whuntah Thanks for reading and have a nice night! I'll see you on Monday.  — Hunter Clauss P.S. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up to receive The Rundown in your inbox. 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