The Evening Rush for Monday, November 18, 2013

Aerial view of the devastation in Washington, Ill., November 18, 2013. | Jessica Koscielniak / Sun-Times

Cleanup begins

The cleanup began in earnest today in areas across the state after yesterday’s deadly tornadoes. Washington, Ill., was among the hardest hit and that’s where much of the focus has been today. The death toll stands at 6; hundreds were injured and thousands were left either with damaged homes or homeless. Rescue efforts, meanwhile, continued to expand with the Red Cross arriving on the scene yesterday evening, setting up shelters around the area. [Sun-Times, Video, Photos]

NSA intrigue deepens

The Supreme Court rejected (without explanation) a challenge to the NSA’s phone surveillance program. [TechCrunch, N.Y. Times]

Drone on

Because there aren’t enough cameras pointed at us at all times, how about unmanned drones? Ald. Scott Waguespack disagrees with the idea. [Sun-Times]

New hearing

The owners of the E2 nightclub got a new sentencing hearing. [Tribune]

Denial

The White House is denying reports that Valerie Jarrett has been holding secret disarmament talks with Iran without alerting Israeli officials. [Sun-Times]

Dad steps in

Dick Cheney had to step into a very public squabble between his two daughters over gay marriage. [WaPo]

Staying mum

Cardinal Francis George has little to say about the three prominent Democratic backers of the state’s gay marriage law. [Sun-Times]

Red planet

A new NASA mission launched today and is Mars-bound! [BBC]

Dow’d you do?

The Dow crossed 16,000 for the first time but retreated before closing. Does this mean Obamacare is fixed? [CNBC]

No Jay

Jay Cutler, still not playing football. [Sun-Times]

The Bright One

Thanksgiving is just 10 days away so here’s an eBook with 10 things to try for your holiday dinner. [Sun-Times]