Hey there! It’s Thursday, and if you want to watch me drink my first (and last) shot of Malört, here you go. Anyway, here’s what you need to know today.

(By the way, if you’d like this emailed to your inbox, you can sign up here.)

1. Democrats face dwindling options for advancing voting rights legislation in high-stakes political debate

Congressional Democrats today are searching for a path forward on bolstering voting rights after Senate Republicans yesterday blocked their latest attempt. It was the third time this year that Republicans have filibustered such legislation.

The New York Times reports some Democrats are trying to ditch the wonky-sounding debate centered on eliminating the filibuster and instead reframe the issue in larger terms: The Senate isn’t working, and rule changes need to happen so the chamber can function as the nation’s founders intended.

The stakes are particularly high for Democrats. Republicans in states around the country responded to former President Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud by pushing new voting restrictions, which Democrats say could interfere with minority voters casting ballots. [NYT]

And President Joe Biden’s approval rating has fallen in recent months with a key bloc of voters — African Americans. Black voters in Georgia, a crucial battleground state, told The Washington Post they are frustrated with Biden’s inaction on voting rights and other important issues. [WaPo]

2. CDC panel discusses COVID-19 boosters and the “mix-and-match” strategy

An advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is today taking up a host of complicated questions as it discusses how best to ramp up the nation’s COVID-19 booster campaign.

The advisers will evaluate which Americans need an extra shot of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines. But the bigger question is whether people who are fully vaccinated should be able to get a booster shot of a vaccine from another company.

The Food and Drug Administration yesterday gave medical providers the OK to use a “mix-and-match” strategy. [AP]

In Chicago, 68.5% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated, according to city data. [COVID Dashboard]

3. Trump’s social media platform was almost immediately infiltrated by pranksters

Former President Trump last night announced he will launch a new social media platform called Truth Social next year.

Soon after, pranksters found what appeared to be a test version and posted a picture onto the “donaldjtrump” account of a pig pooping, reports The Washington Post. And a reporter for the newspaper was able to register account name “mikepence.”

This would no doubt be an embarrassing moment for any social media company. But Trump’s team hyped Truth Social as the opening act of a new media company, called Trump Media & Technology Group, that could one day compete with Disney, CNN and Facebook. [WaPo]

Meanwhile, Axios looked at the business side of Trump’s new venture and concluded: “So far, this is a joke.” [Axios]

4. U.S. unemployment claims fall to their lowest point during the pandemic

The U.S. economy is a really strange place right now, but here’s some good news: Businesses largely appear to be holding on to workers.

Unemployment claims dropped to 290,000 last week, the Labor Department announced today, marking the lowest number of claims since March 14, 2020, when the pandemic upended everything. And the number of people receiving jobless benefits has declined to 3.3 million as of Oct. 2. A year ago, about 24 million people were getting unemployment aid.

While jobless claims are steadily dropping, hiring has slowed down over the last two months even with a near-record number of job openings, suggesting many workers have changed career paths. [AP]

5. A meme a day keeps the COVID blues away

Memes helped people cope with life during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to researchers with Pennsylvania State University and the University of California Santa Barbara.

“While the World Health Organization recommended that people avoid too much COVID-related media for the benefit of their mental health, our research reveals that memes about COVID-19 could help people feel more confident in their ability to deal with the pandemic,” said Jessica Gall Myrick, a professor at Pennsylvania State University who worked on the study.

The researchers found people who viewed memes featuring cute babies or baby animals were overall less likely to think about the pandemic or the effects it has had on them. [NPR]

Here’s what else is happening

• Attorney General Merrick Garland today deflected questions from lawmakers over whether the Justice Department is investigating legal violations by Trump. [NPR]
• A Cook County judge scolded the Lightfoot administration and Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police over the “sensationalization” of their vaccine mandate standoff. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• The Art Institute of Chicago finds itself in the latest cultural flashpoint. [New York Times]
• Dune will hit HBO Max today, a day earlier than expected. [The Verge]

Oh, and one more thing …

As someone who has nearly 24,000 unopened messages in their Gmail account, the latest episode of NPR’s Life Kit — about how to handle your inbox — is total vindication.

Taylor Lorenz, a technology reporter for The New York Times, uses a method called “inbox infinity,” which is the exact opposite of “inbox zero.” Basically, just ignore your inbox.

“I described it as just letting email messages wash over you,” she says. “Responding to the ones that you can, but ignoring most of them.” [NPR]

Tell me something good …

What’s the best way to brighten up on a gray Chicago day?

Jim Jolley writes:

“Even though it is a gas fireplace, a nice fire with a single light on and me in my rocker with a good book and a glass of fine Chateauneuf-du-Pape while I can see the snow falling through the open blinds of my window, all while my two cats are snuggled in their resting place — this is my way to keep the winter blues at bay.

“The cats, who are sisters, will decide to argue over where they are snoozing. I will jump from my chair in an effort to calm them, spilling the glass of wine on my beige carpet and watching the food book go into the fire, setting off the smoke alarm. Just another night at home!”

Feel free to email me at therundown@wbez.org or tweet me at @whuntah, and your responses might be shared here this week.

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.