Good morning, Chicago.

A federal jury has heard a series of women testify over the past week that they thought U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent Luis Uribe was “the fake police,” a man posing as law enforcement who was robbing and sexually assaulting Chinese sex workers in Chicago-area hotel rooms.

In closing arguments of Uribe’s trial yesterday, a prosecutor said that, in a way, they were right.

“He kind of was a fake cop,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Shih told the panel. “He wasn’t a cop, he was a rapist with a gun. He was a rapist in a police uniform.”

Uribe, 45, is on trial at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on a federal indictment charging him with deprivation of rights under color of law, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.

After hearing closing arguments, the jury of six men and six women deliberated the case for more than three hours yesterday without reaching a verdict. Their talks will resume this morning.

Read the full story from the Tribune’s Jason Meisner.

Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including: why wildlife officials suspect ducks kept dying near a Chicago harbor, 3 things we learned from the Bears and what to do in Chicago this weekend.

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Mayor Brandon Johnson’s renters’ rights bill advances

Aldermen advanced Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposal to overhaul tenants’ rights yesterday, while opponents prepared to move ahead with their own version.

Split factions in the City Council’s Housing Committee traded jabs while debating the controversial legislation aimed at giving renters more power and placing restrictions on landlords, before aldermen voted 12 to 9 to send the mayor’s package to the full City Council.

House passes bill aimed at addressing impact of data centers on energy costs

The House overwhelmingly approved a bill yesterday that aims to have artificial intelligence data centers pay for their substantial energy needs as lawmakers used what was expected to be their final day in Washington before the midterm elections to address a growing voter concern.

The legislation would require state utility regulators to consider a standard by which utilities charge data centers for the full cost of the new power and transmission upgrades needed to serve them. The bill passed by a vote of 417-3.

Related:

• Recent AI worries behind Gary mayor’s one-year halt on data centers
• Residents express concerns about data centers at meeting in Aurora

E-bike rider dies after crash at Southwest Side intersection that claimed another life a year ago

An e-bike rider struck in a multivehicle crash on the city’s Southwest Side earlier this week has succumbed to his injuries — a year and a half after an elderly pedestrian was struck and killed at the same intersection.

School bus aide granted release after 12-year-old student fired gun near Bridgeport school

A Cook County judge yesterday ordered the pretrial release of a school bus aide, in relation to an incident this week in which a 12-year-old student fired a loaded gun allegedly left on a school bus.

Ducks kept dying near a Chicago harbor. Wildlife officials suspect botulism.

In the soft shimmer of the water near DuSable Harbor, several Canada geese and a double-crested cormorant foraged among aquatic plants, the former nibbling on the feather-like leaves and the latter diving time and again for fish. By the docks and boats, an American black duck preened itself.

Near the geese, a dead bird floated next to trash and vegetation. It likely fell victim to a lurking danger that has killed at least a dozen waterfowl along the lakefront downtown in recent months, according to county and state officials.

‘Better than it was’: Creek, DuPage River removed from Superfund cleanup list after decades of work

Smallmouth bass swim in the West Branch of the DuPage River as it flows through McDowell Grove Forest Preserve near Naperville.

Native plants are thriving along the riverbanks. Kayakers and canoeists enjoy paddling the waterway.

There’s no sign today that this stretch of the river was once part of a nearly $150 million effort to remove radioactive thorium from it and one of its tributaries — Kress Creek in West Chicago. The contamination originated from the former Kerr-McGee factory site in West Chicago.

3 things we learned from the Chicago Bears, including Caleb Williams ‘seeing the field really well’

In Week 1, the Chicago Bears ran away from the Carolina Panthers 59-37.

They are expecting more of a slugfest this time around versus the Minnesota Vikings, particularly against a defense that’s “a handful each and every week,” Ben Johnson said yesterday at Halas Hall.

More on the Bears:

• What makes a historically good offense? Here are some numbers Bears coach Ben Johnson is chasing.
• Today in Chicago History: George Halas attends meeting in Ohio that creates the NFL

Column: Fan angst at fever pitch as Cubs and White Sox take playoff hopes into final days of wild season

There have been few baseball seasons in Chicago like the one we’re going through, writes Paul Sullivan.

The Cubs and White Sox are fighting for a playoff spot with 11 days left, and every game from here on out has meaning.

Related:

• White Sox drop out of AL Central lead for 1st time since July 4 with 6-3 loss to Cleveland Guardians
• Pete Crow-Armstrong hits historic milestone and Alex Bregman stays hot as Cubs protect wild-card lead

Halsted Street to be the focus of a (third) documentary

A number of Chicago thoroughfares have been immortalized in song over the years, from State Street to Lake Shore Drive. But it is Halsted Street that has been the subject of not one but two documentaries. Soon enough, a third will be set in motion.

What to do in Chicago: Destinos Latino theater festival, Chicago River Swim and a Role Model concert

From Phoebe Bridgers performing at the United Center tomorrow night to the Chicago River Swim on Sunday, here are our picks for events in and around Chicago this weekend.