Hey there! It’s Friday, that magical day in the week when I don’t wake up and instantly regret some of my life decisions. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. The Chicago Police Department wants you to weigh in on policies

The department recently released seven online surveys where the public can comment on several issues, including how officers respond to hate crimes and reporting allegations of sexual misconduct against an officer.

The surveys are anonymous and due Oct. 15. You can find them in the link.

As WBEZ’s Patrick Smith reports, the surveys come as the Police Department has repeatedly failed to meet deadlines on enacting court-mandated reforms, which were unveiled in the aftermath of the police killing of Laquan McDonald. The surveys also come as a coalition of civil rights groups and activists have accused the department of doing a poor job of engaging with the public. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration is looking for potential cuts in the Police Department as the city faces a $1.2 billion deficit in next year’s budget, the Chicago Tribune reports. One option under consideration is not filling positions that become vacant when officers retire.

Chicago’s budget crisis coincides with a significant rise in city violence, as well as calls to shift money away from the Police Department and into a variety of social services. [Chicago Tribune]

2. Biden leads Trump by substantial margin, national poll finds

Joe Biden has a 9 point lead over President Donald Trump in a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll of likely voters. The poll shows Biden leading 52% to 43% against Trump nationally. When it comes to registered voters, Biden leads Trump by 52% to 42%. [NPR]

Keep in mind this is a national poll: The winner of the election is determined by the Electoral College and not the popular vote. Check out this analysis of the Electoral College to see what recent polling indicates about where states appear to stand at the moment. [NPR]

Meanwhile, Trump trails Biden in two key states: Maine and Arizona, according to a poll released today from The New York Times and Siena College. The two candidates are pretty much tied in another critical state, North Carolina.

But in all three states, polling shows Republican senators are behind Democratic candidates, indicating that the GOP’s majority in the Senate could be in jeopardy. [NYT]

3. Controversial CDC guideline on testing was not written by scientists

A new report from The New York Times raises more questions over whether politics has infiltrated the independence of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Last month, the CDC updated its testing guidelines, saying people showing no symptoms of COVID-19 did not need to be tested even if they had been exposed. It turns out those guidelines were not written by government scientists and went around the CDC’s scientific review process, the Times reports, citing internal documents and people familiar with the situation.

Officials told the newspaper that the Department of Health and Human Services was behind the new guideline and “dropped” it on the CDC’s website.

The CDC today removed the controversial recommendation. [NYT]

Meanwhile in Illinois, the number of new coronavirus cases appears to be plateauing. State officials reported 2,120 new cases and 20 additional deaths. [WBEZ]

4. More migrant women say they received surgeries they didn’t seek or understand

More allegations are surfacing against Dr. Mahendra Amin, a gynecologist accused by a nurse of performing unwanted hysterectomies on immigrant women detained at a facility in rural Georgia.

In a review of medical records and interviews with lawyers, The Associated Press reports that four other women received surgeries or procedures from Amin that they didn’t understand or never sought.

The AP reports some of the procedures could be justified based on documented problems, but lawyers and medical experts say the situation raises legal and ethical concerns.

The AP also reports it did not find evidence of mass hysterectomies, an allegation made by Dawn Wooten, a nurse at the facility who filed a whistleblower complaint earlier this week. [AP]

5. Chicago’s census count faces significant problems as deadline approaches

The Census Bureau has less than two weeks to finish counting every resident. But tech issues, mismanagement, decreased funding and a shortened timeline have created chaos, reports WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang.

Those problems further raise concerns that the Chicago area will see an undercount, which would jeopardize federal funding and political representation for the region.

“A lot of my experience has been frustrating … just feeling like there’s a better way to do this,” says a census head counter. [WBEZ]

Here’s what else is happening

• Federal prosecutors gave Illinois lawmakers the green light to call witnesses in the special investigation into House Speaker Michael Madigan. [WBEZ]
• Beginning on Sunday, Americans won’t be able to download popular apps TikTok and WeChat. [NPR]
• Also on Sunday: The Emmys. [NPR]
• The head of Russia’s space agency said Venus is a “Russian planet.” [CBS News]

Oh, and one more thing …

If you’re looking for podcasts to listen to this weekend, WBEZ has a couple of great ones that I’m looking forward to listening to.

I highly recommend the new season of WBEZ’s Motive, which examines the youth white supremacist movement in the U.S.

Episode 3 is out today, and it takes a look at the Chicago Area Skinheads, aka C.A.S.H., which is considered to be the first racist skinhead crew to organize in the U.S. [WBEZ]

And Nerdette interviews author Sarah Kozloff, who was inspired to write The Nine Realms fantasy series after learning that The Lord of The Rings movies failed the Bechdel test.

That test asks: Are there two named female characters that talk to each other about something other than a man? [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

It feels more and more like fall with each day. So I’d like to know: What are you most looking forward to about autumn?

Libby Pasztor writes:

“I always look forward to autumn, my favorite season, because MY BIRTHDAY — but especially this year because the summer was SO hot. Also because we will be taking our usual trip to northern Michigan, and it will be lovely to just get outta town.”

Todd Mack writes:

“Gourds and pumpkins, gardens and houses displaying their best foliage from a summer of tending, sweaters, of course, and snuggling with pets and blankets. Oh, and getting dark earlier.”

And because I forgot to include the link (sorry!), Erin Doyle writes:

“My favorite part of autumn is revisiting this Onion masterpiece!”

Thanks for all the responses this week. I’m sorry I couldn’t include everyone, but it’s nice to hear from you!

Thanks for reading and have a nice night! I’ll see you on Monday.