Good afternoon, it’s Wednesday! And my bucket list includes going on HGTV’s House Hunters and complaining about the wall colors. You know, the easiest thing to fix. Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. Trump backs away from further military action against Iran

President Donald Trump said today that Iran appears to be “standing down” after Tehran carried out a missle attack on two bases housing American troops in Iraq. Trump credited an early warning system that resulted in no casualties from the attack.

The president also announced a new round of what he called “punishing economic sanctions” against Iran and called on NATO members to step up their presence in the Middle East.

After last night’s attack, Iran’s foreign minister tweeted, “We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression.” [NPR]

Satellite images show extensive damage at one of the bases targeted by the Iranian missile attack. [NPR]

Meanwhile, Iran said it will not hand over the black box from a Ukrainian jetliner that crashed last night near Tehran, killing all 176 passengers and crew members. [Guardian]

2. Illinois lawmakers outraged over ex-lobbyist’s email mentioning a rape cover-up

Several state lawmakers are calling for an investigation after WBEZ reported that a powerful former lobbyist hinted at a possible rape cover-up in a 2012 email to two aides of then-Gov. Pat Quinn.

The lobbyist, Mike McClain, sought leniency on behalf of a state worker in an apparent disciplinary case, arguing that the worker “kept his mouth shut” about an unspecified rape downstate, according to the email.

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, who had close ties to McClain, said in a statement today that he had no knowledge of the rape mentioned by McClain, which he called “extremely serious and troubling.” [WBEZ]

3. McConnell says impeachment trial will play out under his terms

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., today said there will be “no haggling” over the terms of the Senate’s impeachment trial of President Trump.

McConnell’s comments come as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has delayed sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate while Democrats press for testimony from witnesses during the trial.

That effort appeared to pick up steam earlier this week when former White House national security adviser John Bolton said he would appear before the Senate if subpoenaed. [AP]

4. A look at who is leaving Illinois

An estimated 1,628,866 people moved out of the state between 2014 and 2018, according to a WBEZ analysis of census data.

Records show four groups of people left the state in greater numbers during that time period. Higher percentages of people who are Asian/Pacific Islander, older people, college-educated people and higher-income people helped contribute to the exodus.

Job-related reasons were the most common factor for why people left the state between 2009 and 2019. [WBEZ]

5. Puerto Rico faces widespread power outages

Half a million Puerto Ricans are without power after a series of earthquakes struck the island, including Tuesday’s powerful 6.4-magnitude earthquake that left one person dead and nine others injured.

In addition, 250,000 people are without water, and more than 1,000 people were staying in government shelters. President Trump has declared an emergency and Puerto Rico’s governor has activated the National Guard.

Tuesday’s earthquake was the strongest one to strike the island since 1918, when a 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit, resulting in 116 deaths. [AP]

Here’s what else is happening

• A Cook County judge ordered Google to hand over a year’s worth of actor Jussie Smollett’s data as part of a special prosecutor’s investigation. [Chicago Tribune]

• A Chicago cop says a teen pointed a gun at him, but an expert hired by the cop said the teen was not holding it when the officer shot him. [WBEZ]

• A panel of judges may lower the $2.8-million jury award to a whistleblower who raised questions about how Chicago investigates police wrongdoing. [WBEZ]

• The U.S. saw a historic drop in the rate of cancer deaths. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

Boy, do I love watching Netflix’s The Crown, so much so that I wonder how recent events surrounding the royals will play out on the show.

Case in point: Today’s announcement that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are going to “step back” as senior royals and split their time between the U.K. and North America, according to a post on their Instagram account. The message goes on to say the couple is working to “become financially independent.” [NPR]

Prince Harry, if you’re looking for a job, I can write you a letter of recommendation if you’re applying to become Chicago Public Media’s new CEO. Being a not-so-senior royal isn’t a requirement but definitely a plus.

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.

Jerry Donovan writes:

“Since I eat a Vegan diet my guilty pleasure is CHEESE. It’s the only food I miss since going Vegan. Steak and Salmon are good, my favorite used to be Rack of Lamb, but I don’t miss them at all. But occasionally when I eat a good cheese, OMG it’s so good!”

And Renée Krakower writes:

“My guilty pleasure…a snack-sized Snickers bar. Well, maybe two.”

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.