Trump Tower is in for a big tax hike

Plus, ballerina assassins. 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’m watching videos of some dude chopping wood while I count down the minutes until the glorious weekend. Here’s what you need to know today. 1. Chicago’s Trump Tower will get hit with a big tax increase after getting a break last year   Former President Donald Trump got a $330,000 tax break last year after Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi slashed the value on the largely vacant retail space at the Trump Tower.  Now, Trump’s taxes are likely to skyrocket because Kaegi says the storefronts are worth 68% more than the value he placed on them last year, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. Kaegi said the move has nothing to do with the June 28 primary election, in which he faces challenger Kari Steele, president of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. [Sun-Times] 2. A setback for efforts to further expand the Latino community’s political power in Chicago   The City Council is currently engaged in a bitter fight over how to redraw the city’s 50 wards to reflect population shifts in the U.S. census, which found Chicago’s Latino community is larger than the Black community. On one side are Latino council members and their supporters who back a plan called the People’s Map, which creates 15 Latino-majority wards and 16 Black-majority wards.  The council’s Black Caucus and others are backing a competing map with 16 Black-majority wards, 14 Latino wards and an additional ward with a Black plurality. To help boost their argument, the council’s Latino Caucus wanted to update its map with input from good-government groups, reports the Chicago Tribune. But the caucus didn’t have enough votes to move forward with those changes this week.  Both sides have until May 19 to reach a deal or the whole thing will be decided by voters. [Chicago Tribune] 3. Russia attacks Kyiv during a visit from the head of the U.N.   Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the attack was Russian President Vladimir Putin’s way of giving “his middle finger” to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.  The attack on Kyiv hit a residential high-rise and another building, and it came barely an hour after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a news conference with Guterres, who condemned attacks on civilians.  The Russian bombardment came as life in the capital appeared to be returning a little closer to normal.  Meanwhile, a former U.S. Marine was killed while fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, according to his family, marking what could be the war’s first known death of an American in combat. [AP] 4. Republicans have an advantage with voters ahead of the midterms, a poll finds   A new poll out today of 1,162 registered voters found that 47% said they are more likely to vote for the Republican in their district, as opposed to 44% who said Democrats. The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points, meaning the results could be almost 4 points higher or lower. Republicans have big leads on issues like crime, national security and inflation, which Americans said was at the top of their concerns. Democrats, meanwhile, have advantages on LGBTQ rights, climate change and handling the pandemic. [NPR] 5. The summer blockbuster season is quickly approaching   CinemaCon, something of a pep rally for movie theater owners, took place this week to get the industry pumped about the upcoming summer blockbuster season. And Sun-Times movie critic Richard Roeper has this preview of the 15 movies that he’s looking forward to the most. Among them is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, out next month, which features a team-up with the Scarlet Witch, more cape tricks from the sorcerer supreme and a potentially big reveal that could indicate the direction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. [Sun-Times] At CinemaCon, some of the biggest news was the return of Avatar about 13 years after the first movie. And there will be a sequel to The Batman. But I’d be neglecting my duties as the president of the Edgewater chapter of the John Wick Fan Club if I didn’t mention a fourth film in the action-packed epic is set for March of next year. We’ll also get a John Wick spin-off movie about a ballerina assassin because what is not cool about a ballerina assassin? [Variety] SPONSORED BY RENEWAL BY ANDERSEN Energy-Efficient Windows and Doors Renewal by Andersen of Chicago specializes in window and patio door replacement. A full-service window replacement division of the 119-year-old Andersen Corp. and 15+ years of servicing Chicago homeowners. With showrooms in Lombard and Glenview in addition to knowledgeable window installers and design consultants servicing the entire metro area! Get started with a Renewal by Andersen professional today. Here's what else is happening Young physicians need to fight back against political attacks on transgender youth, says the highest ranking transgender official in U.S. history. [NPR] Chicago will host the WNBA All-Star Game for the first time. [AP] Former Chicago Ald. Edward Vrdolyak was released from prison after 5 months. [Chicago Sun-Times] We haven’t even put a person on Mars and we’re already trashing the place. [CNN] Oh, and one more thing... There are at least two things we can all agree are cool. One is assassin ballerinas, as mentioned above. The other is Julia Child. On this week’s Nerdette, host Greta Johnsen talks with Daniel Goldfarb, the executive producer of the new HBO Max show Julia, about how Julia Child is still shaping American culinary culture 60 years after her television debut. [WBEZ] Tell me something good World Press Freedom Day is coming up on May 3, a day proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for free access to information and ideas around the world. WBEZ is bringing awareness to the importance of a free press this week leading up to the day. But it has me thinking about what great works you enjoy that may not have been created if we didn’t have the constitutional right to free speech? Dee writes:  “I am quite sure that I would not have been able to purchase the book I am currently reading: The Love Songs of W.E.B Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers. Her historical fiction depiction of the slavery and violence against those bought and sold in the old south brings me to tears. It is an important book to read. And we know if it is important these days, it contains stories and facts that some do not feel need to be shared, sadly.  “I am also sure that Overstory by Richard Powers might be swept from the shelves as it urges readers to understand the fate of the earth if climate change continues to be ignored.  “READ everyone, and take action.” Thanks for all the responses this week! It was nice hearing from y’all! therundown@wbez.org | @whuntah Thanks for reading and have a nice night! I'll see on Monday.  — Hunter Clauss P.S. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up to receive The Rundown in your inbox. VIEW OUR BROADCAST SCHEDULE ©Chicago Public Media Inc 848 East Grand Ave, Navy Pier Chicago, IL 60611 Please do not reply to this email. If you need assistance, you may contact us here. You are receiving this email because you are a WBEZ member or signed up to receive email communications from us. You can unsubscribe from The Rundown here. CHICAGO PUBLIC MEDIA'S PRIVACY POLICY