>> Hello and thanks for joining us on Chicago tonight.

I'm Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

How Chicago police are preparing it.

President Trump since National Guard or a nice strike team to the city.

Illinois is also in the president cites over the elimination of cash bail.

We have local reaction.

And as NASA prepares to return to the moon, we talk with 3 UIC students who could be the NASA engineers of tomorrow.

>> First off tonight, Chicago's board of Education members are facing an important vote.

At issue is how the district will fill its 734 million dollar budget gap.

The proposal on the table relies on non classroom cuts additional $10 and pushing 175 million dollar pension payment on to the city.

Some board members are supporting the plan saying it keeps cuts out of the classroom, but others are criticizing it for banking on unconfirmed to funding and dodging the pension payment.

They say that failing to enact those changes could lead to midyear cuts in schools.

The expected vote comes just one day ahead of a state deadline for the spending plan to be in place for more coverage on tonight's votes.

Please follow along on our website.

Chicago officials say they with the city will be ready.

Should the federal government deployed either the National Guard or a strike team of ICE agents to the city.

Despite there being no official word from the feds that such deployment is imminent.

Governor JB Pritzker says Donald Trump's threats to send federal troops to Chicago isn't really about the city's crime rate.

>> You know, this is a part of his plan to do something really nefarious, which is to interfere with elections in Twenty-twenty 6.

He wants to have troops on the ground to stop people from voting to intimidate people from going to the voting booth.

So take note, that is what this is all about.

>> President Donald Trump's so-called borders are Tom Homan did confirmed to reporters that the administration is considering using Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago to House federal agents or National Guard troops.

If they're deployed.

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snowing says while his officers won't interfere with federal agents work, CPD will not assist those efforts.

And also Kabul, police officers will be required to wear their uniforms so that they can be clearly identified.

Community members gathered today to remember Emmett Till who was killed 70 years ago today.

He was honored along with his mother, Mamie Till Mobley with flowers and a service at the Burr Oak Cemetery in south suburban.

All set.

>> The black Chicago teen was 14 years old when he was abducted, tortured and killed while visiting relatives in Mississippi after a white woman accused him of whistling at her in 1955.

>> The effort dealing with racism and hate bigotry.

>> violence has not stopped this.

So we must continue the fight.

And continue to be the change.

That we're looking for.

>> Till's death and his mother's decision to have an open casket.

Funeral helped to galvanize the civil rights movement.

If you're planning to fly for the Labor Day weekend arrive early and pack your patience.

O'hare Airport is expected to see more than 1.5 million passengers during the 6 day travel weekend up nearly 4% over last Labor Day.

And up more than 10% compared to the same weekend in 2019, which heres busiest year in history.

Friday is expected to be the busiest day of the travel weekend.

Meanwhile, I dot says it will reopen some construction lanes to minimize travel disruption for the weekend.

But of course, many will remain.

Students at Simeon Career Academy.

We're in for a big surprise today.

>> Chicago Zone Chance the rapper made an appearance at the South Side School to give away $500,000 in grants through his charity.

Social works.

The grants will go to Simeon as well as diet high school, Dunbar Vocational Career Academy Prosser Career Academy and Manly Career Academy since its launch in 2017.

Be, quote, new chance fund along with philanthropic partners, support 56 CPS schools with grants which go towards things like upgraded classrooms and equipment, arts education, career exploration, experiences and more.

Quite the surprise for those kids up up next, states that have eliminated cash bail like Illinois are set to possibly lose federal funding a look at the potential impact right after this.

>> Chicago tonight is made possible in part why the Alexandra and John Nichols family.

The Pope Brothers Foundation.

And the support of these don't.

>> President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week aimed at ending no cash bail nationwide.

Illinois became the first state to implement that type of system with the Pretrial Fairness Act in 2023 that ended money.

Bonds.

Proponents say the laws intended to address equity issues.

However, the president claims the policy, quote, allows dangerous individuals to immediately returned to the streets and further endanger law abiding Americans.

The administration cites cities and states do not comply with the order or risk losing federal funds.

Joining us now are former Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx.

on Zoom, Clay County State's Attorney Philip Givens attorneys.

Thanks to you both for joining Attorney given I want to start with you first, please.

So you were one of the 62 Illinois states attorneys who filed a lawsuit against the safety Act back when do you agree with the president's tactic to withhold federal funding from cities and states that don't comply with his executive order from cities and states that.

Have abolish cash bail.

>> I agree with the fact that he's he's putting out there and making a nationwide issue.

I mean, I think that In essence doing is making it known that accountability is restored at this point time.

You criminal need to understand that they will be held accountable if they commit crimes.

it goes after whole withhold federal turns in order to get people's attention and do I think it's something that was necessary because crime continues to rise.

We continue to have issues with no cash bail.

My discretion or discretion the prosecutor continues to be reduced because of this law.

So I admire the.

The ability in the action.

President Trump attempting to take with the executive order at this time.

>> Kim Foxx, you've been out of office for just under a year at this point.

Of course, you are still serving when this was implemented and you worked with it for a while.

Why do you think this is something the president is singling out?

>> Why I think it's ridiculous.

I think this is a political stunt.

The cash bail system that we now have an Illinois mirrors what the federal system has.

So it is a surprise to hear my fellow prosecutors say that this is an accountability system.

The system that we have is very much like the federal system, which does not generally require cash bond.

The president right now is doing anything and everything to cause chaos and really highlighting Democratic lead cities.

This is political theater and the risk taking away federal dollars that could be used to fight violent crime to make our streets safer.

Tells you that the president's priority is not about public safety, but about politics.

>> Philip Givens, what structural issues do you think need to be addressed with the state's safety act?

>> The main for me is is the the fact prosecutors lost their discretion on which cases we can try to.

And with that cash with cash bail, we were able to sense certain amounts on certain cases that it didn't matter.

The dangers.

The 7 defendants would received $30 per day.

If we did have a cash But the thing about it is people like in Clay County, I mean, in surrounding counties in southern Illinois.

We know our community.

We know the people that are being arrested.

We know who's a danger.

We know what's going on.

Our judges now with within our circuits within our.

Counties.

And so.

Being able to hold people accountable in that sense and ask for certain amount of bail on any case is extremely important.

And we lost that with the safety Act.

Now we have to look at what the charges and trying to make a certain way around it.

You know, there's certain offenses.

They're still not on the table.

Aggravated battery to a police officer concealing a death.

Concealing a homicide on the table.

Offense.

So if you help someone move a body that you didn't kill him.

You can ask to be detained if you have no prior history whatsoever.

I mean, that's that's concerning.

And that's something that at least with cash bail, we were able to try to hold someone have that discretion to determine the dangerousness that way instead of the legislature.

Just trying to tell us which crimes we can hold people.

>> Kim Foxx, what what has the what is the research?

What's the data told you on impact of of cash bail?

Well, one act a reminder that sat here a couple years ago as it was first passed and there was.

>> Doom and gloom, crimes going to rise.

People are going to take over the streets.

The purge, what's going to happen?

And I'm sure my fellow panelists will tell you that the data and the research and the evidence for the past 2 years has shown violent crime in major cities and throughout the state has declined and across the country, it has declined.

We have shown that people who have been committing or been accused of committing violent offenses are being held in custody.

And those who are not have been released.

We've seen a drop in the jail population for people who are there for nonviolent offenses and actual increase in jail population.

For those who've been charged with violent offenses.

So it's been effective and I get slightly frustrated when we're not talking about public safety, but about dollars.

And under the old system, someone charged with the very offenses and that the attorney just described could pay their way out.

It was no guarantee that they were going to be held.

What the difference was if they could write a check, they can be out.

People charged with murder.

People charged with assault.

People charged with violent offenses who can write a check walk out the door with this law has done has allowed for judges to have the discretion to hold those people and not have money be the factor rather dangerousness.

>> given proponents of the active stated that its purpose was to address an equity issue.

As as your your fellow attorney has just referenced, preventing low-income defendants from being detained just because they can't pay bail.

Are there alternative options that you think the state could explored versus going straight to abolishing cash bail except in certain instances.

>> Well, I think that first step is we don't need to get a list of what crimes are dangerous and in crimes.

We shouldn't be able to ask a judge to hold someone.

Recently had someone travel down a neighborhood in Kent Peeping into windows and transparent, and under this law had this item, you come back inside again and come back and finally was able to at least pick them up for the night.

likely had a little bit of methamphetamine and a backpack to be able to see a judge other counties in that situation.

They're going to continue site.

Under the law.

It's it's.

Inappropriate.

In opinion, unconstitutional to have the community's not safe in equity has nothing to do with that part.

We have ethical duties as prosecutors dismiss parts knew when she was a prosecutor in order to hold people accountable.

Live for the best interest of justice.

This interest of justice doesn't mean hold someone.

Jim.

All the time doesn't mean you set a high people can just pay their way out every time murder, concealing a body, things like that, those would have been extremely high amounts in my county.

No one was going to be able to pay if you've got a murder and you want to hold them under line, you still can ask to do that with no bond.

But now we have a list of offenses that we have to abide by doesn't matter on money or not.

It's public safety in this issue.

>> It came head very quickly.

When we talk about constitutionality as my fellow attorney nose under the 8th Amendment of the Constitution.

It says that there should be no excessive bail.

So when I hear him under the old system, we could ask for amounts that we knew people couldn't pay for.

That is actually what unconstitutional.

And the fact that we're using anecdotes about nonviolent low-level offenses and say, but if only we could get money for them, the system was unfair.

The system was not just and the current system mirrors the federal system that we have right now.

And so this isn't about constitutionality of gone through the courts rigorously all the way up to the Illinois Supreme Court.

This is about politics.

This is about Donald Trump tried to use a wedge issue in Democratic run cities to garner political points.

And as lawyers and particularly as prosecutors, we ought not be playing into the politics of the moment and uphold our constitutional responsibility.

relates to the Constitution.

>> Almost at a time and I want to get this resort write him to on the Constitution.

Only one of the arguments in in our lawsuit against the governor's that legislature didn't properly past the safety Act.

And as the Illinois Constitution and that all persons shall be available by sufficient.

Sure.

A tease inter out the Constitution and victims rights portion of the Illinois Constitution.

right and the safety of the victim and the victim's family considered in denying we're fixing the amount of bail.

>> And then the legislature just trying to do it and pass it their own way.

So it became political in that sense because that's how it was past.

It did go into the only Supreme Court and I'm not going necessarily get into how they have been back to some of them have been backed by Mister Pritzker.

On their campaigns in order to have certain votes that way.

But I don't believe and it's not just a political.

I still feel that we have a constitutional duty to hold people accountable and and right now under this system, my hands are tied in a lot of sense.

>> Ok, so we've got about 30 seconds left a fill-up given time to come to you very quickly.

Your reaction to the attempting to send the National Guard to Chicago to tackle the crime rate that is falling.

>> helps hold people accountable and axes and turn and to turn against criminals in work continues to happen in the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago and to restore law and order.

Right now >> Kim Respectfully as someone who lives in Chicago, not hundreds of miles away.

This is an attempt to militarize black and brown communities.

And that is what he is trying to do.

This is not about public safety.

This is about having the military on American soil.

Police black folks and it is unconstitutional.

It is not within the bounds of the separation of executive powers from the alleged state powers.

My colleague knows that and it will be shut down by the courts.

But this is theater and theater on the backs of black and brown communities.

that's where we'll have to leave it.

Lake County State's Attorney Philip Givens, former Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx.

Thanks you both for joining us.

Best of luck to you.

>> Thank thank you.

And we're back with more right after this.

>> As NASA's Artemis mission prepares to return humans to the moon and establish a permanent lunar base.

3 University of Illinois-Chicago students are playing their own small part to make that happen.

The 3 of just completed a summer internship program at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, helping lay the groundwork for humans to have an enduring presence on the moon.

And maybe even one day Mars.

Joining us now to talk about their experiences are read West.

Haha.

Phd student in the Civil Materials and Environmental Engineering Department at UIC Caleb Smith, who earned his bachelor's degree this spring.

Congrats and will soon start working on a PhD in mechanical and industrial engineering Department at UIC.

And you're in book, mechanical and industrial engineering undergrad at UIC who's working towards one day becoming an astronaut.

Congrats to all 3 of you completing your internship.

thanks for joining us.

Caleb Smith.

Want to start with you.

So the internships we know were offered through UIC Center for In-space Manufacturing.

Sounds like a partnership that the school has with NASA.

fairly new collaboration there.

What did your NASA internship have you doing?

Yes.

So the main goal for my project was to develop a system to print with lunar regulate stimulant.

>> So this is a fancy term for moon dust.

So we want to be able to fabricate components and ultimately habitats on the moon.

So that was our goal.

This summer was developing that system.

So I got to work with robotics lasers to be able to create that very cool.

>> What was that like was like for you being able to do that?

It was an amazing opportunity definitely very challenging.

But I had a great time working with my team.

I worked with the team of 2 and then a mentor as well.

And from there, I went again a lot about robotics, a lot a lot about working with Moon dust as well, which is a great yeah.

>> dust.

Yes.

Like that.

You have actual I know this is a very non scientific Was moon dust like from previous expeditions or you worked with sort of creating something similar?

Yeah.

So we use lunar regulate stimulants.

So we have taken samples that we've collected from the moon.

>> And we've researched the composition of that dust and then from there were able to replicate that composition utilizing materials here on actions like moved us to second he See, I know runways.

I understand you've got a civil structural engineering background.

You were initially little bit hesitant about this internship.

Not sure if you're the right fit for the program.

What NASA have you working on?

So my work actually aligns with my PhD research.

I was hired to process like our Dana.

>> Light are is just the laser scan.

So essentially think of it like sending alike and then it bounces off of the wall.

When you get a million points in space, my task was to connect the dots that make it a 3 D model.

And so the idea is to create these model so that we can then better inform ourselves of what lunar and Martian space is going to look like.

The model that you'll see on the table now is one of the lava tubes that I inspected and created this 3 D component for I can then use my engineering background to study more about it, which can then be used for exploring Martian space.

And so this is a 3 D print out.

Yes, okay.

You can actually people.

So this is a in America there you're going through the lava tube and it was able to capture some of the people that were on site at the lava tube as well.

And so I was able to print them out to show that.

>> The scale of what the lava tube looks like compared to the people was all this like for you to be able to do this, especially it must have been a bit of a surprise if you really got know if this is right for me.

Definitely.

I was very surprised with how versatile NASA can be.

There's a spate their space for everybody.

And so there's space for everybody.

I'm I would I would encourage anybody with different backgrounds to pursue opportunities at NASA.

so it's very rewarding to be able to contribute in my own way and to take my field and compare to other fields as well.

You're you've said that you've dreamed of going into space from a very young age.

Just where did that come I actually watched my first space shuttle launch when it was 7.

>> On YouTube, it was some STS one.

29, it suspicious.

The first space shuttle launch site.

Watch >> And I remember and that the sound like sticks with me.

Remember hearing how Chris, the sound was like this is cool.

This rocket I want be like.

These people and I take a shower, it's like put like a very common thing that listen to the site to listen to the com's, because like just brings me so much comfort that, you know, I've I've been like I've been to NASA before and know how how this sort of works and I can actually know they're talking about.

And it's a very surreal experience for And well, you remember when the when they discontinued space flight, but have you had the opportunity to see a live It?

>> So part part of the Marshall.

They're very flexible So survey flexible actually planned with the interns, a sort of in total launch party for crew.

11 Kerr 11.

And you can see the mission patches of dry actually punish if you've got several, which is was a very cool experience to be watching that live and also get a chance to meet positions.

And to that was a very surreal experience for all 3 of an expedition me to that involved much Wilmore who recently tired.

think for something Williams, Nic Hagg we'll see if close dump that and the oldest astronaut still going strong.

I've had highest respect for these these people and all the people that I met.

Marshall, NASA have you personally?

The same thing as rock was surprisingly, but it's more checking the manufacturing processes to make sure everything was manufactured to spec or within within tolerance that basically means like is it by defection correctly?

This is the is the fault acceptable and some of the stuff that that I've seen over there, our for our actually harbor for the SLS special system.

Big Orange Rocket.

Nasa is using to go back to to So having have this experience, what do you think is next for you?

I would like to keep simple as that.

So I mean, clearly something you'd like to return to NASA what would that look like for It could make could honestly until the most likely from the until going back to Marshall.

And if and if that's not the case and maybe try the other centers for go back or going to industry I just had the realization that like the starship system, SpaceX, it looks.

It kind of looks like modern shuttle.

yeah.

So yeah.

Well, sorry.

I just want to because we're almost at a time we know about the 2 of you ride was what do you think is next for you?

>> So I will be graduating your fingers I do want to continue in academia, but I want to stay connected with with NASA's mission.

>> Maintaining those that working opportunities that bills and those connections that I felt that NASA to to see how I can continue my research and collaborate with in the futures.

Okay.

With.

>> starting on my PhD program.

So I'm looking forward to working through that and then continue the collaboration between UIC and as was NASA Marshall Space Flight Center to take my research.

All right.

Thanks, Best minds on ground summer, Rod Caleb Smith.

And you're looking think you think is a sure.

And that's our show for this Thursday night.

You can stream Chicago tonight on our W T Tw YouTube Channel every evening.

>> And catch up on any programs you may have missed Join us tomorrow at 5.37, for the weekend review.

Now for all of us here at Chicago tonight, I'm Brandis Friedman, thank you for watching.

Stay healthy and safe.

>> And have a good night.

>> Closed captioning is made possible by Robert a cliff and Clifford Chicago, personal injury and wrongful death.