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

I'm Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

>> There are a lot of federal employees here because there are a lot of Americans here.

It's not just DC President Trump's plans for the federal workforce Kit Chicago too.

>> Meanwhile, U.S. a I D workers are caught up in a legal limbo.

What the dismantling of the agency could mean both locally and nationally.

>> And how scientists are unlocking the secrets of life in some of the most extreme environments on earth.

>> Now to some of today's top stories, President Trump has pardoned former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich calling him a, quote, very fine person 5 years ago, Trump commuted Blagojevich's 14 year federal prison sentence on political corruption charges.

The former governor appeared on Trump's reality TV show Celebrity Apprentice before his 2011 conviction.

He had served 8 years of his sentence before Trump cut his term while signing the pardon.

Trump said Blagojevich was set up by by a lot of bad people.

The same people he had to deal with.

And effort designed to remove guns from domestic violence situations becomes law in Illinois.

Governor JB Pritzker today signed the measure known as Kareen U.S. Law.

It removes guns from individuals who've had their firearm owner identification or FOID cards revoked due to restraining orders.

The measure requires law enforcement to remove firearms within 96 hours of a judge issuing a search warrant.

The law is named after Karina Gonzalez who police say was shot and killed along with her daughter by her husband in Little Village.

Despite having an order of protection weeks before their deaths.

Chicago taxpayers spent a record amount of money to pay out.

Police misconduct lawsuits last year to the tune of at least 107.5 million Dollars W T Tw News data analysis finds that's the most the city has paid for such lawsuits since 2011 in 43% more than in 2023.

The city budget.

82 million dollars a year for police misconduct lawsuits.

But the actual cost between both settlements and jury verdicts ended up being 31% higher in 2024, that's the same year aldermen and the mayor scrambled to close a nearly billion dollar budget gap.

And for more on the lawsuits, you can visit our website.

Thousands of federal workers in Illinois are facing a difficult choice.

We explain next.

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

The gym and K maybe family.

The Pope Brothers Foundation.

And the support of these donors.

>> As President Donald Trump and Elon Musk seek to reduce the size of the federal workforce.

They're asking employees to take a buyout.

That's big in Washington, D.C., of course.

But in the Chicago area, too, the federal government is the state's second largest And joins us now with more.

Amanda Brandeis on the surface.

It seems like a great deal.

Keep on working until September, not doing any work.

Still getting paid but many federal employees who in late January got an e-mail from Elon Musk, the subject line fork in the road have been sweating like chlorine.

Talk >> Morale is at an all-time low.

These are folks who are in the civil service.

They're not political workers were here doing work that, you know, can kind of be taken for granted.

But it is in fact, what keeps our air breathe, a bull and our water drinkable every single day.

>> She works for the Environmental Protection Agency, but I spoke with cargos in her capacity as a local union leader.

The American Federation of Government employees has sued Trump over the offer today was supposed to have been the deadline for workers to decide if they take it.

But this afternoon, a judge extended and like you said, at first glance, seems like a good deal.

But but one of the problems over one tackle says that the work that the Environmental Protection Agency does is important.

She says that some Midwest, EPA workers have been deployed to LA to respond to the fire and even there some of them got put on leave the EPA in place inspectors to prevent toxic leaks.

She says.

>> EPA.

We have lots of folks who are out there doing preventative work to make sure our air and water and soil stay clean.

And then we have emergency responders, oaks writing permits, folks giving out grants awarding contracts, making sure bills are paid on time.

>> She says these are jobs.

America needs to be filled.

But there's also a weariness that the offers too good to be true.

Congress has not authorized the funding to pay the buyouts.

Governor JB Pritzker warning employees that it requires the way of many legal rights.

Some see the offer is more like U.S. threat because it warns furloughs could be coming for a substantial number of federal employees and that employees will be subjected to enhanced standards of suitability and And of course, you know, Chicago Snow, Washington, D.C., How big a deal is this year?

Well, it's a pretty big deal because you have, according to the Federal Reserve, 82,000 employees are employed by the federal government where Illinois residents and that does make it the state's second largest employer.

Now, not all of these are eligible for that buyout officer.

Mail carriers, for instance, are exempt.

But the Chicago area has federal employees that work for Social Security offices, Veterans Affairs.

So on the SEC, the Department of Labor, some are USDA inspectors there.

Prosecutors at the U.S. attorney's office.

all wondering about their fate in many workers were hesitant to speak with me for fear of retribution.

I did talk to somebody who did not want to be named about how unnerving it is.

They say they're getting e-mails at 02:00AM encouraging them to quit in.

This worker says they're planning to stick it out, but admits that not all co-workers may be able to do that.

Now, by the way, Brandis the attorney general has filed a court brief, a friend of the court brief that is in support of the unions, efforts to put a restraining order on this buyout.

That today, though, Attorney General Raul following yet another lawsuit against the Trump administration.

This one seeking to prevent funding halts that would pay for university and medical research.

You while a lot of concerned and and nervous employees.

I'm sure.

Amanda, thank you so much.

Thank you.

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

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

>> Thousands of people who work for the U.S. agency charged with delivering humanitarian assistance overseas are currently in limbo.

This as the administration plans to shut down thousands of programs and cut the number of U.S. a I D workers from over 10,000 to just 290 senior officials have been put on leave while thousands of contractors have been laid off.

It's part of President Trump's effort to improve government efficiency and minimize spending.

But a federal judge has temporarily blocked the administration's plans to place.

2200 workers on paid leave.

Joining us now, our Catherine Bertini, distinguished fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

And Ted Dabrowski, president of Wire points.

A nonprofit focused on research of Illinois's economy and government.

Thanks to both for joining us.

Thank Catherine Bertini starting with you.

Please first, give us a sense of what you say.

It does.

>> Well, us ad is the most influential agency around the world in terms of providing.

Priorities and assistance for people who are in great need, especially what's called the global Developing countries.

And it's the way that America uses its soft power, which is say not military, not intelligence, but its assistance to help those in need that really carries the U.S. a long way in terms of its reputation globally.

>> Tell me more about that.

About soft power why the U.S. exercises that will be paid with us started decades ago, for instance, after World War, One Herbert Hoover an effort in Europe to help feed people because there were so many people that no housing, no food, nothing.

And then after Wilbur to the Marshall Plan did same kind of thing throughout Europe where the U.S. was funding programs to help people who are destitute because of the war.

Also, there were big programs in Japan to help people that were there.

So the U.S. started before President Kennedy created U.S. a I D a lot of support from people around the world who are appreciated appreciating that the U.S. cared enough to try to rebuild and to try to support people who are hungry and in need.

>> Ted, a president has claimed that USA ID is engulfed an unspecified fraud and corruption.

Do you think there are issues with the agency?

>> I think see the I think we've heard a lot of news about how that money is being spent.

And of course, I'm not privy to what's actually happening, but you see a lot of money that they say is being spent on all kinds of initiatives.

But the supporting some of the media Mike to oppose what they have been stationed stands for.

You're seeing a lot of money being spent on programs that dei related.

So there's a lot of things that that I think.

the president or mosque or some of the people.

Elected Trump in office would find offensive or not proper.

And, you know, God knows how much that is.

I think really what this is about, in my opinion is this is, you know, the governor going where that money is being spent, whether they like what's being spent and could be done more efficiently and I think that's what the public deserves to know, especially when we've got over 36 trillion dollars in deficit.

We 150 billion dollars and and Medicare and Social Security debts.

We need to be think about how we spend our money.

And I think right now nobody has any idea how our government spends money.

Second spends a lot.

It's one thing to sort of line by line go through, you know what is being spent and where.

But why eliminate the agency in one fell swoop versus.

>> Gradually shutting it down and maybe being less disruptive?

Well, I used to be under the State Department, which is where they're trying to put it again now so that it was there before returning to where belong.

I think hardship.

I was thinking about how how to think about this thing because understanding of that the big federal government spends money is hard.

I was thinking about this Illinois terms, Chicago public schools and you've got the big union.

You get the the not the union got the big.

>> Cps.

Nobody can stop how they spend money.

They did the union strikes every few years.

They spend billions more all the time.

Results are worse.

Kids leave and nobody can stop.

What's happening.

And so this is I think why Trump is doing that because unless you take a really strong stance, you can't figure out how to stop the government from growing growing growing and spending money were doesn't fortune spent.

>> Except that it doesn't necessarily apply to USA ID.

It's not growing growing growing.

It's appropriate to the budget is appropriated by Congress every year.

And in fact, it's never kept up with the number number of people who are really needs.

That's one reason why it has so many contractors, both Americans and and people overseas who actually work for ad.

I think now that there's a pause that to which you referred earlier.

It's time to look at what really does U.S. and the billions of dollars, not the not the.

2 million dollars here.

2 million dollars.

billions of dollars that U.S. aid uses too, keep people alive because it's ending hunger sending food to the World Food Program.

The world's premier food aid agency.

It's ending assistance to UNICEF who it helps keep babies alive and keeps mothers being able to take care of their their infants and their young children, both of these agencies, by the way, WFP and and UNICEF.

We're we're highlighted and and supported by Elise Stefanik, congresswoman, who has been nominated by the president to be the UN investor and during her confirmation hearing this.

during her confirmation hearing, she said how good these organizations are, how well they meet objectives will manages the inputs to those organizations.

U.S. A I D and then USAID is the one that sends literally billions of dollars.

>> I might just add, I think there's a lot of problems that, of course, will survive as a lot of really good programs that that need to exist.

I think the question is, do they all need to exist?

The other is can be done efficiently under other existing bureaucracy is because we have a lot of Iraq season.

I think that's the big question.

How big and how many people do we have doing work on all kinds of things where we don't know how many spent in this also mission creep as well where used to be the other side didn't like the the cultural imperialism of USA ID you're talking about.

You're back in the now.

That what other side the Democrats today.

It's the Republicans.

>> not true.

Republicans inrix both support U.S. a I D and it had bipartisan support for for But I think I think there are many claims that is being used.

To invade the Republic's are being using it to influence other countries.

And in cultural way.

So but what the point is is that I don't think anybody's been that happy with idea overtime.

And the question is, can we keep the could program that you mentioned that are critical without having the bureaucracy to the There's also that the method by which all of this is going down because there's a lot of controversy about Elon Musk and his role in Trump's administration.

Of course, that, you know, it is the president's prerogative to choose its advisors, but >> and I'm guessing you, the world's richest man is probably working for free.

But is there not any danger concern about the world's richest man, Ted, sort dabbling in American government making decisions like this?

We had he's he's an amazing guy, right?

He's a guy that created Tesla created Space X.

>> And if you know any of the story there, you know, he's been amazing managing cost, you know, car companies can profit like until he came along.

He's created electric car company massively profitable in big.

He knows how to cut knows how to do things efficiently.

people are trusting for that.

I think the question should be asked is our most bureaucrats.

When government are they able to control cost?

Are they able really think in this way?

had a government that refuses control spending, right?

We have another 2 trillion dollar deficit again.

They refuse control spending.

So who do we count on to control?

that's right.

That's what people are looking us because nobody else is doing it.

But the way to control it is not.

>> Let's get rid of this whole thing.

but we forgot we still have a few people that we forgot.

We still have to take care of We still have to do this right now.

pause pause.

I think the administration could would be smart to look at what do they want to achieve that U.S. a I D what programs do they want to keep it it.

If these other programs, some of these decided they don't want to keep.

That's that's a different issue rather than throw throw everything before we run out of time because there's also the domestic impact of closing USA ID Chicago's headquarters.

Also multiple international aid organizations like Rotary Lions Club, others, for example.

>> Catherine, tell us a little bit more.

What is the local and the national impact here?

Sure.

Well, there was just an announcement at the University of Illinois Champaign that they had to lay off 30 people.

>> Because they work for program is funded by U.S. ad.

It's it's a program to support the sort support the soybean industry, both in the U.S. and throughout the world to develop markets for soybeans.

miss U.S. A I D and they get a cease and desist order and and they got laid off and also when people are coming back home, people from Illinois who work for us.

all of a sudden, boom, you have to come back home.

Sorry couple has to come back.

The kids are yanked out of school and in February they come back to what they made have a house, but it's rented so they don't have a salary and they don't have a place to live.

And it's just because this decision was made without any space for movement in for a transition.

>> Ted dissolving USA ID.

It's it's just one part of the president's plan to to stop overspending.

Could something like this be replicated in Illinois?

Do you think?

I think it absolutely is absolutely needed that we have the worst credit rating in the country and Illinois.

Chicago's in the deep mask and nobody knows how to stop stop.

He said a costume going up.

>> I think we have to remember too, all these this money that we take to spend other countries.

remember that we have massive debts in Illinois and though in the country that the only way to get paid back as he threw massive tax increases or massive inflation and that always hurts the little guy.

And we can keep thinking about how we spend money elsewhere.

But we're forgetting about our very own people and all the stats are extremely dangerous to American its future.

And of course, the livelihoods of people that will have to leave it thanks to Captain Bertini intended rescue.

Thank you.

Thank It.

>> Up next, scientific exploration with a local paleontologist.

For this next conversation.

Where going to the polls know not to vote.

We mean the polls of the Earth University of Chicago paleontologist and author Neil Shubin has been on multiple expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica.

Those trips have produced groundbreaking discoveries about the evolution of life, including the missing link fossil to.

Now is out with a new book that celebrates the incredible variety of scientific research and discovery in these extreme environments.

The book is called ends of the Earth journeys to the polar regions in search of life.

The cosmos and our future and Neil Shubin is back with more.

Welcome back.

Good to see you.

It's great to be here How many polar expeditions have you been on now?

I've been doing it for over 3 decades.

So probably about 25 of them.

So you started your baby?

Yeah.

Exactly.

Like 6 So in this book you write about your first expedition to Greenland in 1988.

Looking for fossils >> what are the challenges?

The dangers of conducting research in such remote really inhospitable to human kind of places.

For me, the biggest challenges I didn't camp much before.

I think Rob is a camp or anything like that.

No outdoor experience.

And so here I am taking a small plane for a 3 hour ride to Greenland with a bunch of with 3 other experts who really continue what they're doing.

Fortunately, when you work in these places that temperature can be, you know, 0 to -20 Fahrenheit.

You're living in a nylon 10 for 4 to 6 weeks.

It's daylight 24 hours a day and some are dark.

24 hours a day and winter, they're polar bears.

Polar bears, eat people.

You know, there's a lot of stuff and all the food has to come in.

Logistics is really important.

You may be 30400 miles from other people.

So it's really remote, really extreme.

That the conditions can be really harsh.

And you have to know you're doing not only survive there, but to do the science.

And I would imagine you have to be ready because the weather can turn on you at any point.

You kind of have to be ready for everything, you know, because you make plans to work in these places and by the time you hit the ground, the weather can change the planes and helicopters can have mechanical problems.

So you really have to be able to adjust on the fly to make an expedition work.

So it might be tempting to think that, you know, the challenges of working in both the Arctic and the Antarctic are pretty similar right essentially the same.

But you write that your experience to the Arctic was a quaint family camping trip.

>> Yeah.

Compared to the Antarctic.

Why is the Antarctic the South Pole so much more difficult?

More time?

Yeah, I mean, my trip to the Arctic was was was like being in the Bahamas compared all things that will.

Antarctica is a continent.

>> So as land the Arctic is not.

And that's a big difference.

So with the Antarctic, what you have is Syriza mountains, the pokes through the ice and the ice can be at 7,000 to 10,000 feet.

So you're at high altitude, you know, surrounded by thousands of miles of ice.

You know, it is a con at the size of North America.

So it's colder, windier and drier than the Arctic, at least in the places we've worked.

So it's much more extreme.

It's larger.

So you have to really, you know, travel over long distances.

You know, it's a whole different kettle of fish working in Keller, fossil you did there.

Yeah, that's interesting.

>> So tell us about the range of science.

It's being conducted in polar regions in the importance of some of those scientific discoveries.

Yeah, you know, working in polar regions and this is what I want to capture in the book changes the way we see the world.

really does because there's so much science about there that tells us about our past our present our future.

You have people looking at the rocks and of and Antarctica below the ice or even exposed.

But tell us about ancient environments about what the polls looked like millions of years ago and how ice actually form.

We have people working on satellites to tell us about the movement of the eyes.

We have people working on meteorites which tell us about the origin of the cosmos.

There are telescopes in the clear air of the polar world.

But tell us about the origin of the of the cosmos of the of the universe since the Big Bang.

So it's science that tells us about ourselves.

Our biology, our history, the planet, and the cosmos.

It's a remarkable stories and so privileged to tell them you a few examples that you write about.

You mentioned ancient environments, for example, there was what water found.

How many, how far?

>> Into the the surface when you go to the center of the ice cap, you can go 2 and a half miles below the surface of the eye of the ice.

There are lakes lakes, the size of Lake Ontario.

There are about 600 lakes below the ice miles below the ice Antarctica.

And it gets even stranger.

>> When you look inside the water of that ice, you find microbes creatures living creatures that have been separated for the rep from the rest of the planet for millions of years.

That's the science that we get by studying these polar regions.

Are those creatures?

I imagine probably unlike anything that we used to seeing that we know about rest of the planet.

Their ecosystem is very different.

They don't have any light.

>> So how did they get energy?

They have to metabolize certain molecules.

They have to, you know, have an ecosystem which is entirely different from the ecosystems that exist on the surface.

So whole world's exist under the ice.

That's fascinating, OK?

So you also tell us about something called a Musk oxen Yeah, which is fascinating.

Know, let's started.

We would run into them from time to time.

And it's a remarkable thing because when you think about the the the the tundra of the Arctic, it's Barron, but occasionally you'll see flowers.

Usually you see green.

And when you see that green, almost invariably, you see.

Mosques or horns sticking through the ground.

An entire carcass of a musk ox can be buried and the reason call them gardens is because life springs from from these carcasses as they decay the nutrients into the soil, the Rock and Life Springs in spring's new.

we were just looking at a picture of it as you were I'm not sure the rest of us know much about Musk oxen about how big are those like?

How big was that test?

The air could be about half about think about the size of a mini Cooper car.

>> With horns and for a that's what you got.

ice at the poles.

It's relatively rare in the Earth's but it its first humans go.

It's all we've known.

What are scientists learning about how our climate has changed by studying ancient ice cores, mostly history of our planet on over 4 billion years didn't have ice at the Poles.

Ice really started now at the polls about 3 million years ago.

Just at the time when our species started to separate from other primates.

So much of a revolution happened during a time of ice.

>> So we are defined in many ways by the ice that at the polls.

Another thing to think about is 8% of the surface area of the Earth is polar, but 80% of the fresh water is locked in that ice.

So it's remarkable.

One of the things that's going to guide our future is what happens to the ice at the poles as it melt as it melts.

It can change our What's next for you?

What's next for me is I'm going to go on a book tour and talk about the book and we're actually now working on fossils that we found most recent the polar expedition in July.

So we're working this fossil.

I'm sure we'll be back to tell us about those when the time is right and look forward right.

Shubin, thanks so much.

Good to see you.

Thank Again, the book is called ends of the Earth journeys to the polar regions in search of life because most and our future.

>> And we're back right after this.

And that's our show for this Monday night.

You never have to Miss Chicago tonight.

Subscribe to our W T Tw YouTube Channel to Catch our program every evening and join us tomorrow night at 5, 30 10, our spotlight politics team, an packs for Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's pardon and much for all of us here at Chicago Brandis Friedman, thank you for watching.

Stay healthy and safe and have a good night.

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