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

I'm Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

>> This is an invest.

>> Mayor Johnson is proposing a new corporate tax hike in an effort to break deadlock at City Hall.

The Trump administration is threatening to withhold CTA funding, citing safety concerns >> Chicago's feral cats have a scrappy reputation.

But when it comes to rats, a new study shows they might not have that killer instinct.

Inside the school.

In a new special Jeffrey Bear shows us why Chicago is famously known as the city that works.

Brace yourself and Chicago is sinking.

And it's happening without you even realizing it.

But what's causing Chicago to sink?

We explain.

>> First off tonight, 5 U.S.

citizens who had been detained by federal immigration agents in recent months testified on Capitol Hill today.

>> What happened to me?

is not an arrest.

It was an assault and the kidnapping of a U.S.

citizen.

I was never arrested.

I was never charged, has never given a nation or an apology.

Look at them.

It is done and it continues to get our recounted for both the U.S.

Senate and House committees.

>> How she was detained by federal immigration agents after being sideswiped by one of unidentified SUVs.

Democrats accuse the Department of Homeland Security of lying about not arresting and detaining American citizens in its immigration efforts.

Figaro who is a U.S.

citizen says she still suffers injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder from that incident that happened on October 10th in the city's West Town neighborhood.

In Illinois, bill aimed at protecting immigrants in some public spaces is signed into law today.

The law shields, immigrants living in Illinois from federal enforcement near courthouse hospitals, college campuses and daycares.

It also provides legal steps for people constitutional rights were violated during federal enforcement action in the Chicago area to sue federal agents.

More than 4,000 people were arrested during Operation Midway Blitz.

While data shows that only 15% had criminal records and only 3% were for violent crimes.

Critics say the law, which takes effect immediately will be overturned by the courts.

For more on what's included in that law has our Web site.

The Trump administration is threatening to withhold CTA funding weeks after a woman was set on fire while on board a blue line train.

Federal transit authorities sent letters to Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker demanding Chicago transit leaders update this eta's safety plan and implement it, quote, verifiable security enhancement plan.

>> The governor today pushed back saying, quote, that action has been taken and is being taken to protect transit riders pointing to the state's recently passed transit funding bill the letter repeatedly cites the high-profile attack on 26 year-old Bethany McGee, who was doused with gasoline and lit on fire as she wrote a CTA train last month.

She survived and continues to recover from her critical injuries.

Lawrence Reed is accused of the attack and is facing federal terrorism charge.

Mayor ends his spending plan hoping the 3rd time will be the charm right after this.

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

The Pope Brothers Foundation.

And the support of these donors.

>> Mayor Brandon Johnson is hoping the 3rd time will be the charm for his plan to hike taxes on big corporations to help balance the city budget.

Here's the mayor unveiling the new proposal which would impose a $33 per employee tax on companies with 500 or more employees.

>> What types of companies with this impact will word talking about >> the largest corporations, of course, in the city, we are not talking about your local retail shops over.

We are not talking about your mom and pop restaurants.

We are talking about the companies who have done exceedingly well in this current economic climate.

>> Our Heather Sharon joins us now with more on Chicago's budget deadlock.

Heather, break down.

The mayor's latest head tax proposal and how this plan changed.

Well, originally back in October, this tax would taxed companies with more 100 employees.

21 $1 per month per employee.

Thank you.

Changed it to apply to only firms that had 200 or more employees and he site 18 million dollars of the 100 million dollars.

It was going to generate to sort of remember small and midsized businesses that might struggle to bear this cost.

But now we've got a new plan.

This would only apply to the biggest firms in Chicago with more than 500 employees.

They'd have to pay $33 per month per employee to generate 82 million dollars because now that it doesn't apply to small and mid-sized businesses, those grants are necessary.

The mayor said also an increase in the dollar amount from $21 to $33.

Any sign that this proposal will win support with the majority of City Council?

Well, it didn't produce an immediate breakthrough.

That's for sure.

The older people who have been leading the charge against this tax, including alderman coli of the 11th Ward said it was still a bad idea, but could help or shore up some votes from members of his progressive caucus who support this tax but were worried that it would hurt those mom and pop business is we heard the mayor talk about also this would only apply to 175 businesses in Chicago.

The biggest Google JP Morgan Chase, Accenture Walmart.

There are not a lot of progressive older people who will lose a lot of sleep about increasing those companies, tax bills.

Okay.

So the majority of the debate over the budget cuts focused on this hit tax.

But that is not the only sticking point.

What else is at issue here?

Well, the rival budget plan that the mayor has flatly refused to even consider would make a number of changes.

It would pay more towards the city's pensions in the hopes of avoiding a credit rating downgrade.

It would also reduce the amount of money that the mayor's proposal would borrow to pay for firefighters, salaries and to cover the extreme cost of police misconduct settlements.

Just 21 days before this deadline for the city Council to pass a budget deal.

What happens if there is no deal?

Now?

We've all gotten used to the state sort of missing the budget deadline ING, but everything's sort keeping on as normal.

That cannot happen for the city.

If the city does not have a budget as of December, 30th employees will not get paid and it is unclear about which city services will stop.

So that prospect is concentrating the minds of everybody at City Hall with both the mayor and his opponent saying they're not going to let city government shutdown.

It's just that nobody quite sure exactly how that goal will be accomplished.

Certainly and charted territory if it gets to that point had to Sharon.

Thanks so much.

Thanks, Brandis.

And you can his full story on our website is all at W T Tw Dot com Slash news.

Tom never did catch Gerri, but it may have been for the better.

We'll explain.

But first, let's back up.

>> The city has undergone many efforts over the years to control Chicago's rat population.

One of which is poison, but that's led to the unintended death of some birds after they ate the dead rats.

team at Lincoln Park Zoo's Urban Wildlife Institute conducted a study to see if cats were also collateral damage in the campaign to control the city's rat population.

Joining us now is set Magli director of the Urban Wildlife Institute at Lincoln Park Zoo.

Seth, thanks for joining us again.

thanks for having me.

is it just that, you know, cats aren't the little mouse traps that we thought they were.

What sort of set you off on this study and what are you looking to find?

>> Well, that's what we want to find out really is.

Can cats be effective controlling rats?

A number of people are really hoping that they can.

So first step we thought would be the testaments ER.

They actually consuming the start sides because we know that coyotes are in big numbers, raccoons, many other species are.

We're fighting them with huge quantities of these.

So we tested these cats.

We found that a few of them did have trace quantities of for genocide.

That really most of them did not.

>> So what was your methodology here?

How did you have to do this?

>> But we we teamed up with an animal shelter to blood samples from cats that undergoing trap neuter It's just a simple example.

We were able to send to a lab and we can test that for a variety of different sides to really see what the concentrations are in the blood.

>> What does this teach us about the real behavior of cats in Chicago?

>> Well, I think what this teaches us is that at least among the cast we tested they're not eating a lot of rats.

Like I said, we did find a small number that were exposed, which is a concern.

If you are a cat owner in your cat is outside.

You don't want them to be exposed to these chemicals.

But it looks like by and large, they're really not consuming these rats.

>> Are they chasing them down for for fun?

Because we kind see the thing.

Go ahead.

Yeah, that's where we don't So they may be killing the rats and not eating them.

That's possible.

Don't require different study.

>> are they may just be chasing them around, which is what often seen in other studies of of cats and rats and other cities that even though they don't kill them, sort of tend to make the move around by scaring them.

Those things may be going on.

We didn't test for that in this study, but we were able to demonstrate that they're they're not really eating them, at least not in large numbers.

>> What seems to be the best way then to reduce the rat population in the city.

>> Well, the basic way to reduce population, the city has been the same for decades.

No one wants to hear.

The answer is we have to control our trash.

Really.

It's the trash that's driving is rat populations.

They see it again and again.

And if get a better handle on how to kind of contain it keep it out of their reach, that would really be the best thing we can do to control rats across the city.

>> And that said, what should people know about Rodenticides?

>> We're sides are when you place a lot of the environment, you don't know what's going to get into them.

What's going to keep them isn't going to be an owl.

Is it going to be a cat?

Is it going to be a rat?

They can be effective, but it's a very broad scale tool and a lot of people we think are just not using them criminally.

They're using them just broadly and sort of spreading across the yard or across their property.

And that can really have harmful really would prefer if people could leave the application of herbicides to the trained professionals.

>> Your research, you've also understood that.

some communities bear sort of a rat burden where some communities experience more rats than others.

Tell us about that.

>> Yeah, we've done a number of surveys across the city to really look at which communities are suffering from these rap burns and often it's the communities of color.

It's they accuse of lower income are the ones that really have these massive problems with with rats and rat infestations are trying understand why that is.

And how does the weekend?

I mean, we want to reduce everyone Trafford, but especially those communities that are suffering disproportionately.

>> What are you?

What do you anticipate some of the likelihood maybe some of the reasons might be for those communities?

>> Well, again, think some of probably comes down to trash and then why trash is stored different ways in different communities in summer.

It probably comes down to how does that people are responding to this right into stations?

Are they calling 3, 1, 1, Are they contacting a private pest control professional?

Do they have the resources to do that?

So I think we need to dig in deeper understand the motivations of how does that people can an address, what their capabilities are and also what they feel empowered to do.

>> Okay.

That's that's where we'll leave it Magli on top of the rat population for us.

Thanks for the work you're doing.

Take care.

Up next, Jeff Ribera clocks and the jobs that make Chicago work.

From how the United Center transforms its basketball court into an ice hockey rink.

To the journey your holiday packages take to arrive at your door wt do you zone?

Jeffrey Bears latest project.

Chicago works brings to the forefront the behind the scenes work, the work that we might take for granted.

That helps keep the city running.

The new special premieres tonight at 07:00PM.

Take a look.

>> Chicago is known as the city that works.

keeps that point?

was just like a dream come true do this.

And this is going to come out with this It's why.

Oh, We just don't smell it anymore.

All right.

Here.

Just a doll.

But Inside the ballparks in America.

>> During a says, the man who gets all the fun job, the W T Tw our own Jeffrey Bear.

Welcome back having to You just said it there in that trailer.

But we're known as the city that works.

Why is that?

Well, it's a tribute to the first Mayor, Richard J Daily.

You know, the city that works.

I don't know that anyone has documented exactly where that came from or who his team.

it goes back to daily kind of promoting Chicago is.

>> You know, a city that that where we know how to get things done.

Yes, in Chicago a proud of that as well.

You take us on sort of a career day.

How did you narrow down which jobs to Well, it's only a one-hour show where there's all kinds of jobs that we would have loved to have included in.

There are more on our website, by the way, but I guess, you know, we talked about what would be the most the visual I got to do some bucket list of things that I would love to do.

Writing Metro locomotive.

And as you saw going inside the scoreboard at Wrigley and just things we thought would would be surprising actually, to people.

So one of the jobs that viewers get to see its workers at the United Center and they're converting that basketball court into the ice hockey rink, as we mentioned.

And of course, it is very timely this time of year.

Tell us about that.

Yeah, I mean, I got to help them a little bit.

>> You know, when you're watching a basketball game, you just looks like a smooth floor, right?

But it's it's it's into sections.

And you don't even see the seams.

>> But, you know, the minute the you know, basketball players are off the floor.

This other team takes the floors that were literally, oh, yeah, the And, you know, the big surprise is that the ice is always under there.

Whether you're at a concert the basketball game, the ice is there all the time.

So there's a layer of something called ice decking, which is sort of this some fiberglass material.

And then the the basketball floor has these little pads.

So there's a little bit of a cavity and are there.

So best ballplayers feet don't get cold and yeah, that's that's how they do.

You think it would keep them cool weather a planet might use that.

You mention that you did get to help out.

Let's take a look at that.

They only started this 15 minutes ago and >> And how much gone already?

Braddock not not too bad.

I'll just give up.

United Center.

>> Do they know how much costs for okay.

So our viewers who are familiar with the blue bins in Chicago, we also get to see some behind the scenes of of the recycling sorting facility and we see how automated systems are used.

There's also a lot of manual painstaking.

work to This is always been a big cause of Big recycler and you throw everything in the blue bin and you're like, who sort all that stuff and does it get recycled?

Not a huge percentage of it.

Sadly, really does glass paper metal is pretty good.

Plastic is is a is a problem in turn because part of it has to do with the price of oil.

>> They're meant to be a market for the plastic that they're recovering.

But listen to what I'm saying right now.

Do not throw plastic bags in the recycling plastic just just gum up the works.

You saw those crazy machines.

the spinning augurs and things?

So there are people all around on that.

This is device that's like the size of the biggest ride you've ever written at 6 Flags under one roof.

But they human beings all around all day long.

Just pulling plastic bags out because otherwise they get caught in the works and the whole system stop literally gumming up the works with What were some of the interesting things that you saw, what we Yeah, I mean, that's part of it is that you're seeing the detritus of people's daily lives right the woman who tours me around in the show is a former school teacher and she spotted the kids math homework going by.

I'm some were looking for.

you know, there's that energy drinks, you know, and you just think about all the things that people tossed in the recycling that, you know, you know, didn't really they used and didn't, you know, think where's it going to end up?

And so it is fun because you're in there and it's massive operation.

But it is kind of a a metaphor for our daily lives.

All the stuff gets discarded personal question.

What were some of the jobs that you had before you were t tw that shaped you?

My first job was a big donalds and I made a $1.60 an back then that minimum wage was a $1.65 But you becomes a restaurant so they can pay less because of tips.

Expedient allows too excited to get you and then actually one of my great jobs that I loved was I was the amazing Alfredo 6 Flags, Great America back then was Marriott's Great American.

My job was to get your name age weight or month of birth.

Which one did you tend to pick when you want to go?

They re had today.

They say had to tell you they could tell me, yes, my weight or my age weight was very delicate issue.

sure it was.

All right.

so an angel with mandate for that Yes, okay.

So in the specially also take a visit to the Shedd Aquarium.

Here's a clip of that.

>> It's a school oh, my gosh, I'm going to have nightmares.

>> Now comes the fun part.

All right here.

Just a goal.

But >> The whales are pretty cute.

Aren't paying 3, baker's order.

Both sides of the car to say that.

It's cute.

I know you can't really in your pocket, but they're so So be on feeding the beluga whales also learned about how should get water.

Yes, so in the early days, the salt when it first opened, they actually shipped to the salt water to the shed in railroad tank cars from Florida.

They actually built a special track through what is now the museum campus.

But now there's a person whom we interview areas down in the lower level, their their areas.

It's the same product.

If you've got an aquarium and home, it's the same products you use to put that make your water salty in the aquarium.

But this comes in one town bags and, you know, they very carefully calibrate the amount of salinity that the various animals need.

So that's it's a very high tech process.

But yeah, they make their salt water make this the guy who doesn't.

Then they got a guy.

They something that I noticed while watching this.

And I wonder what common thread you found in the people that you spoke with this that everyone you spoke with is really they like their jobs.

They are enjoying their jobs and happy to do that.

Which I love to see right.

We left it.

If people who are lucky as lucky as me, new mayor who to do jobs that they enjoy.

What what common thread did you notice?

Yeah, I mean, we really I really expected.

You know, we're going to show up with a film crew and these people are busy and they were just going get out of our way.

You're bothering us.

They were so excited to share their work with us because not they're not often.

People don't often get to see what they do and they're proud of the work that they do so by and large, except for engineer in the metro locomotive I don't know if we actually told them we're going interview him.

But ahead of time.

But I was riding alongside this, you know, engineer in the locomotive.

And I said we love strains.

We always wanted to be.

And engineering 3rd generation real runner and my family said don't get into this business because it's, you know, weekends and nights and vacations.

And you know, so he didn't love it.

But the other people that Metra, oh, my goodness, there was a young woman who's a dispatcher in the control center.

You know, she sitting in the console and controlling trains across hundreds of miles.

And I said, if you know like your John Shaw, I've always wanted to do this when I was a little girl, least run alongside the freight trains when they came through town.

>> And I always wanted to do this.

>> Jeffrey Jahre, Chicago works.

It I enjoyed And thank you for joining us again to share with whole thing kind recognized.

Of course.

>> And you can see bonus content and you can stream Chicago works at W T Tw Dot com Slash Chicago works and of course China works premieres tonight at 7.

>> Something >> is happening in the city and you're probably don't know it.

It has to do with the ground under your feet.

But you can't feel it.

And while it may be happening slowly, the consequences could be huge.

Are you intrigued yet?

W T Tw News fellow Bianco explains.

>> Attention Chicagoans brace yourself and Chicago is sinking.

Yes, you heard sinking.

More signs.

name is land subsidence whatever you call it, the city's ascending by more than 2 million each year.

>> That's about a 16th of an inch to get to the bottom of the matter.

You need to wind 20,000 years Glacier cover the entire city, the weight of the ice caused downward motion.

And when he was gone, a rebound, the forming Earth's crust as well as helping create our clay base oil.

>> Fast forward to today.

We all know about climate change, but Northwestern researchers with the first to underground climate change and its effects urban infrastructure.

They call it a silent hazard.

installed temperature sensors around the city including below ground.

Turns out the layers of clay and or Chicago are deforming over time due to the rising underground.

Temperatures.

In fact, Northwestern says the Underground tips and parts of Chicago have risen 27 degrees since the 1950's.

>> The culprit buildings, transportation systems and other infrastructure creating sheet that safe underground.

>> Open space allows the ground to breathe a So the hottest temps under streets, sidewalks and buildings.

We've got a lot of those.

study of 28 cities revealed at least 20% of the land every one of them is sinking and most have 65% or more subsiding.

Those researchers cite groundwater extraction and expanded urban development has been additional contributing factors and one that even slight downward shift inland to significantly compromise the structural integrity of buildings, roads, bridges and railways overtime.

So what's to be done?

Scientists recommend increasing energy efficiency and reusing so-called he placed on the service before travels underground.

4 starts.

It looks like action today may say future generations of Chicagoans from living in a hole the ground.

>> Or at least from having their buildings.

>> And you can watch more of our Emmy winning W T Tw News explains videos on our website.

And that's our show for this Tuesday night.

You can stream Chicago tonight on our W T Tw YouTube channel every evening and catch up on ending programs you may have missed and join us tomorrow night at 5, 30 10 now for all of us here at Chicago Brandis Friedman, thank you for watching.

Stay healthy and safe and have a good thing.

>> Closed captioning is made