>> Well, and thanks for joining us on Chicago tonight.

I'm Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

>> What has happened in Washington that affects the lives of people living in Illinois.

>> Illinois senior Senator Durbin is here tonight to discuss the country's redistricting battle, the 2026 midterms his retirement and much more.

New data shows shootings and homicides are down in areas where the gunshot detection system shot.

Spotter was removed.

And Illinois is getting some new neighbors as armadillos are moving north.

>> We begin tonight with a wide-ranging one-on-one with U.S.

Senator Durbin 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 donors.

>> The FBI has agreed to cooperate with Texas law enforcement to locate the more than 50 lawmakers who fled the state for Illinois and New York.

The Democratic lawmakers left Austin to block an effort to redraw state congressional maps that would create 5 more Republican leaning districts per President.

Donald Trump's request.

The turmoil comes as the country looks ahead to midterm elections.

And Illinois braces for changes.

Senator Durbin steps aside after 5 terms in the U.S. Senate.

Joining us now is U.S.

Senator from Illinois, Durbin.

Senator, welcome back.

Good to have you.

Could be here.

So Texas Democrats, we know that they have been in Illinois all week attempting to thwart, as we mentioned this, a vote on redistricting measure in their home state.

You are planning to appear with him at a news conference yesterday.

But it was canceled following an alleged bomb threat which of course, evacuated their hotel in Saint Charles yesterday.

Is this the right move by Texas Democrats to leave the state?

>> Well, I can tell you they have few alternatives.

They are minority legislative setting there.

And so they have to appeal based on the rules and the rules on making a qorum require their presence.

So they are using one of the few tools have.

>> FBI director Kash Patel has granted your Senate colleague John Cornyn's request to help locate the lawmakers.

Governor Pritzker says that the FBI has no jurisdiction over this matter in Illinois.

What if the FBI does attempt to come to Illinois where New York for that matter and take lawmakers back to Texas.

>> First that comes as no surprise that Patel.

He's head of the FBI is involved in this political venture.

He came through a Senate Judiciary Committee.

I voted against He's not equipped for the job and the itself to be way too political.

Senator John Cornyn of Texas and trying to help.

He's in a red-hot primary and 15 points behind.

And so he's trying to find a way to get the headlines away from Ken Paxton, the attorney general of Texas by being tougher Paxton.

So he's proposed something which is Governor Pritzker said just doesn't work when it comes to state law enforcement.

We have a state we haven't called on the FBI.

They'll do their duty as required by law.

So this notion of bringing in the FBI bring in the feds, think about the National Police forces that with Donald Trump's promising us.

>> Today, Vice President JD Vance was in Indiana to discuss getting that state to redraw its own congressional maps.

There are reports that the White House is also eyeing Ohio for this same attempts to pick up more Republican seats in the House.

I mean, is is this a sip slippery if Democrats responds by redrawing their maps to increase the number of Democratic seats?

>> Not looking to do that.

agree with Governor Pritzker that he's not our intent.

We're going to be mindful of all the options.

What's at the bottom of this with what is base of this?

The basement is that Donald Trump realizes what he's done so far.

His legislative agenda is wildly unpopular and he's facing an election contest in just a few months as candidates are being chosen filing for office, he's trying to buy insurance policy, go to the friendly Can find and up the number in the Republican majorities.

So it's easier for him to hang on to Congress.

I don't think it's going to work, but I'll tell you, I understand sentiment that Governor Pritzker expresses.

We're not going to sit here and be taken for This notion that we're going to follow law and follow the traditions President Trump is throwing out the window was unacceptable.

What makes you feel confident that won't work?

The one that that President Trump's attempt to redraw maps in red states to pick up more seats in the House that this effort work.

I'm not sure it will.

I don't know one way or the other, of course, will rule and they'll be ruling initially.

>> On a state-by-state basis with some pretty friendly courts.

>> 14 of the 17 House members from Illinois are Democrats.

That means Republicans make up just under 18% of the Illinois delegation.

Trump won nearly 44% of the vote in Illinois.

Are Democrats in Illinois just as guilty of redrawing the maps to their benefit is they're accusing Texans of being wherever you drop.

And certainly I have to meet certain standards.

If you're discriminating against groups, denying them their vote for their vote.

Counting.

>> That can stop a map and it has many, many states.

We've passed that test and it's an indication of a good, good faith effort our part.

But let me be candid with you.

It is a partisan process in our state and all but other look, the other states are about 8 of them were isn't.

So the question is when we were going to wave the white flag and we're going to an independent commission.

But all the red states can continue Jews, political maps.

I wouldn't support So you feel like it needs to happen in both red and blue states do is going to I would certainly support a national basis but declaring surrender this point give us a disadvantage.

Several weeks ago, the Senate confirmed Emil Bows appointment to the federal appeals court.

He is a former defense attorney for President Trump.

>> He has limited to no experience with federal courts.

He has been supportive of the January writers who have been pardoned by the president.

Yet your Senate colleagues confirmed him only to members of the Republican Party voted with Democrats to vote against him.

Can true bipartisanship exist when proving judicial appointees and nominees so rare now it used to be.

>> most egregious cases you could hope to cut the someone bipartisan.

>> But majority against an 11 year for nominee.

That's not the case so much anymore.

And part of it is the loyalty of the Republican senators to the model leadership and the Republican Party.

Part of it is their own personal fear that they're going to be defeated in a primary election if they vote against President Trump.

You put that all together and we don't very many victories to show this year when it comes to nominations.

>> Today, turning to the Middle Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that he intends to seize full control of Gaza.

You and over half of the Senate Democrats who voted in favor of stopping the U.S. from continuing to send weapons to Israel.

What is your reaction to what the prime minister said today?

I believe in Israel.

I believe it is a right to exist and defend itself.

And that's been my position throughout my career.

>> What we're seeing in Gaza is horrific, unacceptable and violates the rules of war.

As far as I'm concerned, using starvation as a weapon of war is against little.

Rule of law.

And I think we should be vocal in opposing Netanyahu's effort.

This notion that he's going to control Gaza at what cost and what credibility.

The bottom line is that people with the people in this situation, the Palestinians should have their own secure, a safer homeland.

As long as it's no threat to Israel do believe genocide is happening here.

And guys, I wouldn't use that word and I'm not going to categorization of that kind.

I will tell horrific, unacceptable.

The United States should make that clear.

Is there a compromise to be reached here and what what I think there is, but this battle has been going on for decades and won't be easily resolve.

But the notion of a cease-fire in the release of hostages is important first step.

Get that then see what it takes to move to the next step.

I believe other Arab states will step in at that point.

Joining the effort.

>> Of course, we've talked a lot recent months about the president's passage of the so-called one big beautiful bill, which does a number of things, of course, because it is massive.

But how do you think this bill will play with voters in the 2026 election?

Well, I'm saying and how it's playing out this month.

>> As I come back home with their August recess and check on One of the major issues, the major issues, health care and the belief that the president's big, beautiful budget, it a disaster when it came to health care.

To think that 15 million Americans are going to lose their health insurance to think that the cost medical care and health insurance, he's going to go up for so many others.

We're going to lose.

Hospitals were going to lose clinics in the process.

The nursing homes are going to be unable to stay open.

This is going to be a disaster.

And what is it for?

It's about this for generating enough money to him continue the Trump tax cuts for the wealthiest people in this country.

That is just unacceptable.

I have had more hospital administrators the last several weeks from all over the state, including the city Chicago in contact with us and desperation because of the so-called big beautiful bill.

>> It is past us law.

The president who signed it, of course, is there anything that can be done legislatively or even on a state-by-state level to mitigate the impact?

The steepest in level becomes impractical.

The burden according to Trump should follow the governor's and this governor struggling to make ends meet dealing with pension crises.

>> And other things, I think it's unlikely to believe that the governors can bail out the Trump from this personally.

The bottom line is this.

We're going to lose good hospitals around the state and are in the city Chicago and surrounding areas and people are going to be denied health care.

As a consequence, we're going to find ourselves with a lot of sick people.

>> Along with federal cuts to Medicaid and snap, of the administration is also move forward as it did last month with cutting 1.1 billion dollars from the corporation for Public Broadcasting, which announced its plans to close down last week.

Of course, as a result, you said that Trump is declaring an attack on public media.

What impact you think that will have on public media and on democracy?

Well, I think it would have a negative impact the bottom line.

Is this.

>> We need more independent voices speaking to the American people.

look at the surveys and very few people are coming to televisions and radios as they once did for the news.

have other services may be reliable.

May not.

I think her operation for public broadcasting is proving itself reliable over the years.

I don't believe partisan.

Perhaps the other side does.

But to say that we're going to quiet voice and give fewer options for information to the American people.

He's just plain wrong.

It tells that this president is not prepared to take the kind of criticism ordinarily comes with the office.

He drew the shutdown, the opposition.

>> shifting a little bit environmental issues.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, it's up for reauthorization.

You've been a champion, of course, of the Great Lakes, the hasn't passed through the House yet.

What happens if these funds should dry out?

>> I'm afraid a lot of projects that are being pursued in order to keep the Great and environmental safe area.

We'll be at risk.

Definitely a risk.

This program started under President Obama and we have used it wisely.

I think this is an extraordinary asset, then ask the people of Chicago of many years ago.

What is the one thing that distinguishes city from Seoul from all others.

And they said Lake Michigan, they understand it.

I think we do to intuitively this is resources.

Give to watch.

And this program is designed to do just that.

This idea that we're going to stop environmental sensitivity is just plain wrong.

>> Do you think the system of checks and balances still at work in the country's government?

>> It is but narrowly.

When you look at the Constitution and see in the extreme, what is area to hold back the president of states and then the extreme situation where it's a court order from the Supreme Court that said Mister President, this is what you must This is something you can too.

And then the question he defies so that could follow.

He's been tempting us with that kind conduct leading up to this point.

But that is what's at stake here.

And we never take never tested that.

history.

What happens do.

And I would you enforce a Supreme Court order?

president, the United States.

So I'm not going to follow.

We've never quite faces.

hope we don't eyes open.

>> So you announced your retirement earlier this year.

What led you to that decision after nearly 30 years?

>> Well, I've served longer as an elected U.S. senator Illinois than anyone history.

I'm honored to have that opportunity.

And secondly, a real us no matter what area specialties in Congress, particularly the Senate after a period of time, one of the majors becomes geriatrics.

You notice age takes its toll on many people.

I want to walk out the front door this job rather than being carried out the back door.

I think this is a time to do it.

>> long-serving representatives chance Koski, Danny Davis, they have also recently announced their plans to retire.

Do you think it's time for a newer, younger generation and what it what do you say to them?

The voters make that decision.

When people say to me when you're 80 years old, you know, to get the out of their turban.

>> I said, you Bernie Sanders is the man who's drawing large crowds in history for his rallies.

>> His 83 and I keep saying to him see when Senate floor you've been in that stumble and fall, buddy, because I keep using it as an example, someone older than me.

I'm making a great contribution.

So with the voters to side with take a look at each candidate.

Decide if it's time.

>> lot of conversation about whether or not the Democratic Party has lost its way, whether or not the voters still have confidence in the party.

What do you think the party should be telling voters right now?

Well, I think we've got to define yourself more clearly and it could a miscue, constructive.

>> It's saying to a step up and tell us what you believe in.

Tell us what you're gonna fight for and will decide if consistent with our family's values.

That's a reasonable question.

Any campaign and this we have miss a tuition.

We have a president with his own agenda which is not popular.

So I think we're in a position to move forward as a party to define our goals clearly and to identify with the voters for majority, which of those goals be, which are the priorities start with the pocketbook of voters.

This notion that we're going to raise the cost of health care across the board.

The Costa Health insurance, his inconsistent with people feel about their economic circumstances.

Secondly, learned as I moved around the state around the city, I hear over and over again about housing, important it is to have affordable difficult that is.

That's something that issue that we see over and over again.

And finally, as I mentioned, health care, this is an issue that affects every single one of us.

>> You've said that you're still more that you want to accomplish as a You've got 17 months left.

Would you say that those priorities match what you would like to focus on in the 17 months or are there others?

I would say those are important priorities for me personally.

>> It's the hundreds of thousands of young people who've been protected by Dhaka and the Dream Act who been given a chance to stay in the United States, educated and to contribute to our economy, a remarkable job.

They deserve an opportunity to be citizens.

They were brought to the United States has little kids did make the decision given chance to prove themselves.

And I worry that and 17 months it will be able to get that.

I hope we can.

>> You have not endorsed any of the 3 Democratic candidates who have announced plans to run for your seat.

Your colleague Tim worked ductwork excuse me has already endorsed Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton what are you looking for in a successor and you still intend to not to endorse?

I don't plan sing.

We have 3 good candidates.

Maybe others surface in the.

>> That is ahead.

But the bottom line is anyone 3 can do this job.

If something pops up in the campaign that I think is noteworthy, I might reconsider this.

But for the time being of a stand on the sidelines for the series.

>> As a voter as a as someone who has held the seat for quite sometime.

What what are you looking for?

Who?

does it take to be the senator of Illinois?

I was somebody recognizes representing just Chicago as great as a city may be.

>> It's a big state.

102 counties engage in south into southern Illinois.

And take a look around.

It's a little different than the city Chicago, but they're great people.

Some of the voter way.

Some don't make sure that your statewide candidate.

Okay.

Us Senator from Illinois, Durbin, congrats on making this decision to retire.

Best of luck.

We hope to have you back.

>> Very soon.

Thank you.

You too.

Thank you.

And we're back with more right after this.

>> Mayor Brandon Johnson pulled the plug on ShotSpotter nearly a year ago.

Critics warned the decision to turn off the controversial gunshot detection system would unleash a wave of gun violence on the city's south and west sides.

Well, the new analysis suggests those fears were unfounded.

City data shows violent crime and homicides dropped significantly in the 12 neighborhoods once home to ShotSpotter sensors.

Heather Sharon joins us now with more.

Heather, so break this down for us.

So areas that had ShotSpotter sensors saw a 17.8% This crease in violent crime.

>> In a 37.0, 5% decrease in the number of homicides.

Now there's no evidence in this analysis by Rob Carr gets of Chicago Justice project.

He says sociology professor, that the removal of ShotSpotter caused this decrease in crime, which is somewhat in line with the citywide drop in crime we've seen in the first 6 months of 2025, but it certainly suggests that the removal ShotSpotter did not cause a public safety threat and so many older people and south and West Side, residents warned to the mayor, the Chicago City Council be twice rebuked Johnson and demanded that he reversed his decision to scrap that system.

Is this analysis showed that the mayor made the right call.

Florida's told me that it certainly suggests that Johnson did the right thing by sticking to his guns under pressure.

However, the causes of crime increases decreases are hard to pinpoint with any specificity.

So like I said, the only thing we can do is say Shotspotter didn't read removal of shot spotter didn't make anything worse in neighborhoods that have really suffered this persistent violent crime for DEC.

It's so under pressure, Johnson agreed to consider proposals for a new gunshot detection system.

Does the mayor still think the city needs one?

Well, he pouch this question at a press conference earlier this week, sort of saying he was in favor anything that works to reduce crime and increase public safety.

However, the city taken no action to move forward on any of proposals that he got all the way back in April, suggesting certainly at least not a priority for the Johnson administration and with this data in hand, it's hard to see why Johnson would spend millions of dollars to set up a new gunshot detection system.

And he said that it has to cover the entire city, something that really doesn't exist.

And to be clear of those proposals did not sound thinking the owner of ShotSpotter also submit one certainly and I reached out to them for comments about this decrease in crime and they said they couldn't comment because of the ongoing contract process.

Of course, OK, so the analysis, it also looked at whether violence interruption programs are helping to reduce crime and homicides want to find.

Well, it looked at specifically one program that has state and local funding the peacekeeper program, which trains residents to sort diffuse disputes to prevent them from spiraling into violence and in areas of the city that had that active program, the decrease in crime was more than 20% significantly more perhaps than the citywide decrease.

Now, the big issue here, as we've talked about on the show, is that the funding for these programs are incredibly uncertain at this point.

And it's not clear whether they can be sustained given the cuts in federal funding and the city's own massive budget crisis.

Yes, another subject that Heather is spending lots of time payments lots of time with You're not your own.

Thanks so much.

Thanks, Brandis.

And you can read Heather's full story on our website.

It's all at W T Tw Dot com slash news.

Up next County Whitley introduces us to the state's new neighbors.

That's right after this.

What do you picture when you think of Illinois, a wildlife, probably deer, raccoons, skunks.

>> Come to mind surprise.

You can add armadillo to that list.

Michelle mammals have been working their way north from Texas for more than a century.

And they have already been spotted in southern Illinois and they reportedly have their sights set on the bright lights.

Big city of Chicago are petty.

Wet Lee is joining joining now to give us those details.

Patty.

So we tend to associate armadillos with places like Mexico, Texas.

What are they doing in Illinois?

You know, ever since they arrived in Texas in roughly the 18 50's or what's now Texas, they have just continued to consistently.

It slowly move their way north.

And a lot of that has to do with climate change.

>> You know, this is an animal that doesn't hibernate doesn't like the cold.

Thanks for its food in the ground, but there's less and less snow cover and the winters are getting warmer.

So it's just kind of creeping up along with warmer winters, short legs, but they move quickly home because there's some evidence that they may have migrated as close as Kankakee.

What do we know about scientists at the field museum a couple years ago took a sample of water, analyzed the environmental DNA within that water from the Kankakee River.

And lo and behold, she was surprised to find armadillo.

Dna sequence turned up just a smidge under what she would consider 100% confidence.

But there was evidence of the armadillo there.

So, you know, they're here.

They're here research to be done on that.

I'm sure another scientists that you spoke with the field museum said on Monday lows could appear in Chicago within the next 5 to 10 How might their presence disrupt the local ecosystem?

And yes, scientists are saying, you know, it's not a matter of if they show up.

It's when.

>> And the short answer is we don't know how they're going to affect the local ecosystem.

That's where they're kind of trying to get a baseline.

Now.

And they're asking people in central and northern Illinois to report their sightings.

So we want to know what's the status of certain species of birds now and then what happens when armadillos come along and maybe start disrupting the nest that they have on the ground when they start competing with reckons for resources, they don't really have predators here that we know of at least as long as Jaguars.

Stay south.

So, you know, we don't really know they're not supposed to be here.

We don't know what their impact will be, OK, so it sounds like we should probably get used to seeing them want what should we know about them?

Well, there are about the size of a cat.

So if you see a giant armadillo online, which is about the size of me, that is not the ones that were expecting here.

The only species in North America is the 9 banded armadillo.

That was when you get like 9 flexible bands, kind of like a bendy straw that allows it to bend does not roll up into a complete ball.

Only the 3 banded do that.

And mamas out there will be interested to know that have and to go quadruplets every Every Every have, they reproduce.

It's a identical quadruplets, little armadillo babies.

Patty, what we thank you so Thanks.

Prentice.

And you can read patties full story all about the armadillo babies, the one to roll up into a ball on our website.

It is all the W T Tw dot com slash news.

>> And that's our show for this Thursday night.

Stay connected with our reporters and what they're working on by following us on Instagram at W T Tw Chicago and join us tomorrow night at 5.37, for the weekend review.

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

Stay healthy and safe.

>> Have a good night.

>> Closed captioning is made possible by Robert a cliff and Clifford law offices, a personal injury law firm,