Good afternoon, it’s Tuesday! And here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. Madigan ally vouched for state employee who he said “kept his mouth shut” about a rape

Michael McClain, a powerful former Illinois lobbyist and close friend of House Speaker Michael Madigan, sought leniency on behalf of a state worker in an apparent disciplinary case by arguing that the worker “kept his mouth shut” about an unspecified rape downstate, according to a 2012 email obtained by WBEZ.

Gov. JB Pritzker and the top Illinois House Republican have called for an investigation after learning about the email from a WBEZ open records request.

The news comes after WBEZ reported late last year that McClain is an important focal point in the ongoing federal investigation into ComEd and the electric utility’s actions in Springfield. [WBEZ]

2. Iran’s supreme leader gives outline for retaliation

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei laid out the parameters of how Tehran will respond to the U.S. killing of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani: It must be an open, direct and proportional attack on U.S. interests, reports The New York Times. [NYT]

Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister told NPR that the killing of Soleimani was “a cowardly armed attack” that “amounts to war.” [NPR]

U.S. officials said they are preparing for a possible attempt on the life of an American military commander. [AP]

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo today declined to give new details about what “imminent attack” Soleimani was planning. Pompeo also said the U.S. will comply with international laws after President Donald Trump suggested Iranian cultural sites would be targeted. [NPR]

What is Trump’s strategy with Iran? Many analysts say they can’t figure it out, and that could present a dangerous risk for foreign governments who can’t either. [New York Times]

And dozens of people have died after a stampede at Soleimani’s funeral. [NPR]

3. Nearly half a billion animals killed in Australian fires

Australia’s deadly fires have killed an estimated 480 million animals, according to Chris Dickman, a biodiversity expert at the University of Sydney.

Many animals have been directly killed by the fires, and others have faced death due to the destruction of their natural habitats. Here’s a look at how Dickman calculated his estimate and why some experts believe the death toll might actually be higher. [Vox]

Meanwhile, 24 people have been charged with deliberately setting fires and could face up to 21 years in prison. [ABC News]

And the fires have raised a big question for some Australians: Is it time to abandon areas impacted by climate change? [Atlantic]

4. McConnell lays out blueprint for impeachment trial

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., says he has enough Republican votes to move forward with President Trump’s impeachment trial without support from Democrats. McConnell told GOP lawmakers he is also prepared to move forward without an agreement on witnesses, according to The Washington Post.

The Senate would vote on holding a trial only after it receives the articles of impeachment from the House. [Washington Post]

5. New fight emerges between Chicago Public Schools and teachers union

The school district promised to dole out $25 million to veteran teachers over five years, a decision that helped end last year’s historic teachers strike.

Now, the Chicago Teachers Union and CPS are debating over how exactly to hand out that money. The union says school officials agreed to use the money for salary raises for veteran teachers.

But a CPS source said the district did not agree to that. CPS wants to use part of the money for salary raises and the rest for one-time bonuses. The union does not want bonuses, which don’t compound like raises. [WBEZ]

Here’s what else is happening

• A state of emergency has been declared in Puerto Rico after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake. [NPR]

• Chicago police officials tried scaling back a 90-day suspension for an officer who used an unregistered handgun in a fatal off-duty shooting. [WBEZ]

• A Chicago co-op aims to empower immigrant women and create a sustainable garment manufacturing option for designers and consumers. [WBEZ]

• Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter face off in Jeopardy’s “Greatest of All Time” tournament tonight. [Vulture]

Oh, and one more thing …

A lot of folks in the newsroom have been talking about Star Wars lately, whether it’s the new movie or Disney’s The Mandalorian TV show.

I won’t spoil anything, but those discussions reminded me of these amazing YouTube reviews of the Star Wars prequels. They’re definitely not kid-friendly but extremely hilarious and amazingly insightful. I’d watch them now if I wasn’t at work. [Red Letter Media]

Tell me something good …

So I’m trying to eat more healthy foods, but I’d like to know what’s your favorite guilty pleasure when it comes to food.

Sarah tweets:

“My guilty food pleasure is flour tortillas with butter. The simplicity of a fresh hot tortilla with melty butter dripping out is the secret of its magic.”

And Debby Donovan writes:

“Cheese and crackers. My husband got a really good triple crème goat brie over the holidays at Whole Foods. I never buy triple crème brie.”

What’s your guilty pleasure? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.

Have a nice night! I’ll see you tomorrow. And if you like what you just read, you can subscribe to the newsletter here and have it delivered to your inbox.