The hottest day in Chicago in a decade?

Plus, Biden says he's considering a gas tax holiday. 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   Good afternoon! It’s Tuesday, and it’s the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, which seems right for a Tuesday, the worst day of the week. Here’s what you need to know today. 1. Will today be the hottest day in Chicago in a decade?   The temperature in Chicago could reach 100 degrees this afternoon for the first time since July 6, 2012, which saw a high of 103 degrees, reports the Chicago Tribune. The heat indexes are expected to hit 102 degrees, according to the Trib. The record temperature for June 21 was set in 1988 with 101 degrees. [Tribune] The news comes as several parts of the U.S. face extreme and dangerous weather conditions. “More than 55 million Americans are predicted to face triple-digit highs this week,” reports The Washington Post. [WaPo] In New Jersey, a wildfire today grew to 12,000 acres, making it the state’s largest blaze since 2007. [ABC News] 2. Despite a string of recent traffic deaths, Chicago’s City Council considers rolling back a key speed camera policy   The City Council’s Finance Committee is meeting right now to discuss when the city’s automatic speed cameras should issue a ticket: When a driver is over the limit by 6 or 10 mph? Mayor Lori Lightfoot lowered the threshold to 6 mph as part of last year’s budget, arguing it would save lives and make the city safer. But critics accused the mayor of balancing the city’s finances through fines and fees, a practice she vowed to end. If the committee passes the rollback today, it will then go before the full City Council on Wednesday. [Chicago Tribune] The news comes after a series of recent traffic deaths this month put the spotlight on the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists. [Chicago Tribune] 3. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, Illinois could become a major training ground for doctors   Some Illinois hospitals are already seeing requests from medical residents in states that are expected to ban abortions if the Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade, reports Crain’s Chicago Business. Throughout the nation, OB-GYN residency programs are required to provide training in abortion or provide access to those trainings, Crain’s reports. That standard, established by a national accrediting agency for medical education, won’t go away if Roe is struck down.  So that means “scores of OB-GYN residency programs around the country will have to secure training elsewhere” should as many as 26 states ban or severely restrict access to abortions. “It’s a really complicated issue and already something that programs throughout the state of Illinois are discussing,” Dr. Cassing Hammond, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University, told Crain’s. “We can’t absorb all the residents from all the other states. We don’t have the capacity.” [Crain’s] 4. Today’s Jan. 6 hearing focused on Trump’s efforts to pressure state officials   And among the key witnesses who testified today was Arizona’s top Republican legislator — state House Speaker Russell “Rusty” Bowers.  He explained how he resisted calls from then-President Donald Trump and his allies to change Arizona’s election results.  “I didn’t want to be used as a pawn,” Bowers testified. [AP] Also today, committee vice chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., urged the Department of Justice to pay attention to the evidence the committee is presenting amid a debate over whether the committee should send a formal criminal referral to the Justice Department. [NPR] The Jan. 6 committee also subpoenaed a documentary filmmaker who followed Trump and his inner circle throughout the 2020 election. [Axios] 5. Biden is considering a gas tax holiday   President Joe Biden said he hopes to make a decision this week on a potential gas tax holiday aimed at tackling high fuel prices. Gas prices in Chicago are averaging around $6 a gallon — about a dollar higher than the national average, according to AAA. The average for Illinois is about $5.50 per gallon. If federal gas taxes are temporarily removed, drivers could save about 18.4 cents per gallon. But such a move comes with a cost — gas taxes help fund roads.  Congress would have to sign off on a gas holiday, and Republicans are already showing resistance to the idea. Even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi questioned whether oil companies would pass on the savings to motorists. [Washington Post] SPONSORED BY MEEZ MEALS Top Meal Kit Brand is Right in Your Backyard Meez Meals is a dinner meal kit delivery service that has been around since 2011 and is rated the #1 national brand by the Chicago Tribune (#1 on YELP too).  Meez does all the chopping and prep-work for you, so you can easily create delicious, from scratch dinners in about 30 minutes. Additionally, Meez Meals doesn’t make you sign-up for a subscription or lock into a fixed meal plan. They only deliver when you place an order. (crazy idea, right?)   Meez is locally based in Evanston and has a prestigious 3-Star Green Rating from the Green Restaurant Association. Visit meezmeals.com and use code Radio for 50% off your first order! Here's what else is happening The head of the Texas State Police today called the police response to the Uvalde school shooting an “abject failure.” [AP] The Chicago Police Department released a final foot chase policy that says officers cannot chase someone simply because they ran away. [Chicago Sun-Times] Former Vice President Mike Pence was in Chicago and sounded closer to announcing a presidential run. [Chicago Sun-Times] Comedian and former Chicagoan Joel Kim Booster is having a very good month. [Chicago Sun-Times] Oh, and one more thing... In what almost sounds like a Lovecraftian horror story, an extreme drought in Iraq unearthed a 3,400-year-old city that was submerged in the country’s largest reservoir along the Tigris River, archaeologists announced this week.  The ancient city, which includes a palace and a fort, is “believed to be the Bronze Age city Zakhiku, a major hub of the Mittani Empire that reigned from 1550 to 1350 BC,” reports CNN. Archaeologists said they were under tremendous pressure to quickly excavate the site earlier this year because they didn’t know when water levels would rise again. The city is now resubmerged, but much of the site has been mapped and cataloged, researchers say. [CNN] Tell me something good The Chicago Pride Parade returns this Sunday for the first time in two years. And I want to know how y’all like to party. What are your plans this year? And if you don’t have any plans, what’s one of your favorite memories of the LGBTQ holiday?  I’m an old fart now, so I typically go to the Pride North festival in Rogers Park. Last year was amazing because it felt like a victory party after a war. COVID-19 vaccines were widely available, and people just wanted to have fun with friends they might not have seen in-person for months.  I also had a few too many drinks and would sing ABBA’s “Fernando” to everyone I would pass on my way home. My husband asked if he’d get a repeat performance this year.  Feel free to email me, and your response might be shared in the newsletter this week. therundown@wbez.org | @whuntah Thanks for reading and have a nice night! I'll see you tomorrow. — 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. 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