Hey there! It’s Wednesday, and I’m really looking forward to watching RoboCop 2 after I finish this newsletter and return to quarantine life. Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. Without social distancing measures, half of Chicago could have been infected right now

New city data shows the number of infections appear to be leveling off, a glimmer of hope that Chicago has avoided a worse-case scenario where as many as 50,000 people could have died from COVID-19 and more than 1.5 million people — or about half the city — could have been infected by this point in time.

So far, there have been 9,666 known cases and 347 deaths in Chicago. Cases are now doubling every 12 days instead of every two, which was the situation at the beginning of March.

Lightfoot credited the social-distancing measures widely followed by residents, but she warned the city is not out of the woods yet. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, Gov. JB Pritzker today addressed the economic damage to the state’s budget from the pandemic. He said Illinois faces an estimated $2.7 billion shortfall this fiscal year, which ends June 30.

And the financial pain will be even worse next year. Pritzker said the state could see a budget hole of $6.2 billion, but that hole could reach up to $7.4 billion if his plan for a graduated state income tax fails.

The budget news came as state officials today reported 80 people have died, bringing the state’s death toll to 948. Officials also announced 1,346 new known cases, pushing the total number of known infections to 24,593. [WBEZ]

You can find a map of where Illinois infections have been reported here. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, Abbott Laboratories in North Chicago created a test to determine if someone has previously been infected. [Crain’s Chicago Business]

Chicago police are setting up checkpoints to remind people about the state’s stay-at-home order and “show a strong police presence” in areas hit by violence, according to the Chicago Tribune. [Trib]

And with summer approaching, many large-scale summer events face an uncertain future. [Block Club Chicago]

2. Federal officials craft a roadmap to reopen America

The plan does not offer a target date for easing stay-at-home orders issued across the country, but it states America will not be ready to reopen before May 1, according to The Washington Post, which obtained parts of the strategy crafted by a team led by the CDC and FEMA.

According to the Post, the plan offers guidelines for states and local governments, and recommends varying degrees of mitigation tactics to use during phased reopenings. It recommends prioritizing the reopenings of childcare services and K-12 schools, which would allow Americans to return to work.

But the roadmap offers a grim warning: “Models indicate 30-day shelter in place followed by 180 day lifting of all mitigation results in large rebound curve — some level of mitigation will be needed until vaccines or broad community immunity is achieved for recovering communities.” [Washington Post]

News of the federal plan comes as the World Health Organization issued six conditions that must be met before lifting restrictions. Among the recommendations: “Communities are fully educated, engaged and empowered to live under a new normal.” [NPR]

Across the U.S., there have been more than 605,000 known cases and more than 25,000 deaths reported. [NPR]

3. U.S. retail sales saw record plunge

Retail sales nosedived last month, seeing the worst drop in nearly three decades as businesses coast to coast shuttered during the pandemic.

Federal data released today showed spending fell 8.7%, surpassing the previous record drop, 3.9%, which occurred during the 2008 financial collapse.

Americans are still spending money at grocery stores, pharmacies and online retailers, but those gains were not nearly enough to offset massive drops in other areas, like clothing and accessories, which saw a 50.5% decline.

And economists are warning that the numbers for this month could be even worse. [NPR]

The New York Times compiled a bunch of infographics showing how American spending habits have changed. Grocery sales, including alcohol, are up while spending on travel and restaurants have cratered. [New York Times]

4. Leaders around the world criticize Trump’s decision to halt WHO funding

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general for the World Health Organization, today said he “regrets” President Donald Trump’s decision to withhold funding.

The U.S. is the single largest financial backer for the health organization, giving more than $400 million in 2019. Trump has accused WHO of mismanaging the fight against the coronavirus, but leaders around the world have slammed the decision, saying it could jeopardize efforts to overcome the pandemic. [BBC]

Here’s a look at what the loss in funding could mean for the WHO. [NPR]

Worldwide, more than 2 million known cases and more than 132,000 deaths have been reported. [Johns Hopkins]

5. Warren endorses Biden in show of party unity

In another reminder that the nation also faces a presidential election, Sen. Elizabeth Warren today endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party. Earlier this week, Sen. Bernie Sanders and former President Barack Obama also endorsed Biden. [NPR]

The endorsements came after Tara Reade, a former Senate aide, accused Biden of sexually assaulting her in 1993. A spokeswoman for Biden said the accusations are false, and former Biden staff members could not corroborate details of the allegations, according to The New York Times. [New York Times]

The Times, as well as other media organizations, have been criticized for how they’ve handled the allegations. Here’s an interview with the head editor of the Times about why it took the newspaper 19 days to report on Reade’s accusations. [New York Times]

Here’s what else is happening

• About 60 vehicles were involved in a pileup this morning on the Kennedy Expressway near North Avenue. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• The developer responsible for a controversial demolition in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood has apologized and fired a contractor. [Block Club Chicago]
• This story keeps getting weirder and weirder. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• The second season of FX’s What We Do In The Shadows comes out tonight. [Rolling Stone]

Oh, and one more thing …

Oh hey! Thanks to everyone who watched The Rundown Live web show last Friday. I’ve been out the last couple of days and haven’t had a chance to thank y’all. It means a lot to me.

Sarah and I will be back this Friday for another episode beginning at 4:30 p.m. The show will be streamed live on WBEZ’s Facebook page. Will I mention Dungeons & Dragons? Will my dog, Princess Leia, start barking uncontrollably? Will I remember to unmute my mic? Who knows, but we’ll find out!

Tell me something good …

What’s something that made you smile this week?

Paul Lockwood writes:

“What made me smile this week? Seeing the large turnout of congregation members in their cars Easter Sunday afternoon to parade past the homes of our church’s two pastors. It was a surprise for them and their families, and it gave them a sense of how much we miss being in church with them.”

What made you smile this week? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.

Have a nice night! If you like what you just read, you can subscribe to the newsletter here and have it delivered to your inbox.