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

I'm Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

>> I'm going to go after progressive revenue.

The mayor says he won't propose new property taxes but is looking for progressive ways to raise more revenue.

>> Officials are planning to remove a homeless encampment on the city's north side after a fire breaks out.

Advocates push back against cuts to gender affirming care for transgender youth.

A look at the local impact.

And I just >> wake up every morning.

I think about to helping the Cubs win.

>> And remembering Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg who died yesterday after battling cancer.

>> First off tonight, a homeless encampment along the North Shore Channel is being removed.

It comes following a fire at the encampment yesterday.

That's reigniting safety concerns.

Fire officials say there were no apparent injuries but were unsure.

How many unhoused people were displaced.

9th Ward Alderwoman Samantha Nugent told residents in an email yesterday that the park district will be moving forward with the closure of the encampment.

The incident comes amid the Trump administration's new executive order directing state and local governments to crack down on the unhoused community.

Joining us is Duck Schenkel Berg executive director of Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness to thank you for joining us.

Thanks, Ryan.

So fires are not uncommon in and around homeless encampments.

So why are encampments more prone to fires?

You know, folks who are living in encampments are doing what they can to survive.

And so >> and that might be cooking outside and, you know, be trying to stay warm.

Obviously this time of year isn't it isn't the case of that.

But there's a lot of different reasons why fires might start.

We don't know what happened at this encampment, but it is a safety issue to and sometimes we don't know that this was related necessarily in this instance.

But sometimes propane tanks were found at homeless encampments for use, like you said, keeping warm cook, cooking foods.

>> I'm in a statement the city said it is planning a more comprehensive cleaning of the encampment.

What does that mean and what does it mean for the people living there?

So, you know, I don't speak on behalf of the city.

What we've heard seen in the past when they talk about comprehensive cleans, it means.

>> Coming in with heavy equipment coming in remove.

Unused tense debris, things like that.

We hope that they keep with what they've done in the past, which is allow people to move back after that clean.

It's So hope to have a conversation with the city about, but specifically their plans are.

And we did invite the city for this conversation tonight as well.

And like you said, typically in the past, the city has said it is it's a matter of >> public health and public safety to those areas need to be clean.

But of course, there are concerns for the folks who live there being able to come back and also not losing all their belongings.

right the Chicago Coalition to end homelessness.

You all, of course, who helped to House displaced residents.

Part of your work considering what we know about the housing shortage in the city.

How do you do that?

How are you getting people into housing?

So it's really difficult right the number of people experiencing homelessness in our city incredibly high and keep scrolling the latest point in time.

Count.

>> Show that there was a 38% increase number of people who are experiencing homelessness.

And that's looking people in shelters and are unsheltered.

And that's on top of a 25% increase last year.

So we see the demand to grow and the supply not growing.

there's and real draconian threats to the existing housing funding.

So right now we're in a really tough spot, whether it's the city, the state or the federal government.

25 1% last year.

38 1% this year.

What do you think causing that increase?

I think the fundamental thing is that we don't have enough affordable housing, homelessness as a housing problem and between stagnant wages and an affordable housing.

Many people are one to 2 paychecks away from experiencing homelessness.

And that's what we're seeing in terms of this group.

>> So last week, President Donald Trump, he signed an executive order called ending Crime and disorder on America's streets, which among other things it seeks to revive, quote, civil commitment through.

That's the process of placing individuals with mental health issues in treatment without their consent.

Your organization has denounced this executive order.

Why do you oppose it and is absolutely what we should not be doing when it comes to homelessness.

>> go turns its back on the best practices that we know work.

Models like housing first or harm reduction, which are incredibly effective at moving people from experiencing homelessness to being state of housing remaining stably housed it, removes people's rights.

We shouldn't be involved.

Turning committing any one, too, institutions, you struggling with mental health issue, struggling with substance, use issues.

That is something we see throughout our society and we shouldn't be treating people experiencing.

Homelessness is though that there are poor because they're dealing with those issues.

What we should be doing with this administration should be to mean is focusing on best practices creating more housing opportunities get people out of homelessness and keep them out.

>> But who would most likely be affected or who's most likely to be most affected by an order like this one?

Well, you know, depending on how things play out and we don't know, you know, I suspect that there's an opportunity legal challenges to the order.

>> It's not really sure how you actually implement a lot of the pieces of this order.

But, you know, it's individuals who unsheltered who are at risk of, you know, summarily being removed from the streets, not because they're going to getting housing but being they want to take them out of the line of sight for people of color, more likely unfortunately up act and yet people of color.

You know, what we see in Chicago is.

>> Roughly 70% of people experiencing homelessness are black make up about 29% of the population are also there's a huge mismatch there.

Whole host of marginalized groups that this administration has called that after are disproportionately impacted by homelessness, immigrants be that the LGBTQ community be a black and brown folks.

They're all being hit even harder with this executive order.

>> This order would also shift funding away from housing first practices like the ones being used in Chicago.

What do we know about those and how they What they do is they meet people where they're at.

They recognize that the ability address the issues that people are dealing with, whether it's mental health, whether it's chronic health issues, whether substance use issues.

>> Those things are much easier to deal with someone stably housed.

So you don't put conditions on people moving at housing, you get them into permanent housing and then you providing the services they need to address that whole host of issues that works.

It is been studied nauseum that shows that people stay house when they get that.

So the types of barriers that the Trump administration is trying to put up trying to acquire surprise.

84, you've access to housing to require using medications we heard about access to housing.

This is the exact wrong way for us to be going on in effect.

>> Yesterday we reported that residents living near the encampment in housing have long-running concerns about encampment Legion Park.

Some mentioned feeling unsafe because of drug use in the area.

The occurrence of fires littering other nuisances are dangers.

What do you say to those residents?

So why not speak to their experiences are, you try >> repeat their experiences.

I will say is I hope that, you know, they will see what we see, which is that the way that we address this that we help people move out of encampments, reducing cam more housing and that we can work with to advocate for increasing housing supply services because that's really the only way that we're going to you move ourselves out of homelessness, that we're going to see the elimination of encampments is by really investing in the true solutions rather than peanuts solutions that the Trump administration is in case.

shekel Berg executive director of the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness.

Thank you for joining Thank you so much.

>> Up next, Mayor Johnson considers raising taxes on large companies to fill the city's projected deficit.

Heather Sharon joins us next to explain what's on the table.

>> Chicago tonight is made possible in part why the Alexander and John Nichols the gym and K maybe family the Pope Brothers Foundation and the support of these donors.

>> Chicago officials are considering hiking taxes on the city's biggest corporations to help fill the projected billion dollar deficit.

The city is facing next year.

Here's Mayor Brandon Johnson explaining how he plans to propose filling the massive budget gap.

>> So I think it's important that we look at in very meaningful way.

You know how those individuals with means particularly are billionaires and ultra Rich who have benefited from a growing economy.

You can put more skin in the game.

>> Our Heather Sharon joins us now with more.

Heather.

So the mayor said today that all options have to be on the table to fill the city's budget gap.

But he's already ruled out one specific tax increase, correct?

Right.

Just a few days ago, he told reporters he would not propose a property tax increase.

Now that was a little bit surprising because property taxes are the city's biggest source of revenue.

And it is the source of revenue that the city has most control over.

>> Most other tax increases that people who floated over the years state approval with one big exception.

The city has the ability to tax corporations, which is why this is an especially attractive option this year.

And what kind of corporate tax increases is the mayor considering?

Well, there are 2 proposals on the table.

One would first or a four-dollar per employee tax that was in place for 40 years until 2011.

And Mayor Rahm Emanuel, he axed it saying it was a job killer.

The other proposal is more complicated and is based on a Seattle tax that basically taxes the most biggest companies that have the best paid employees in an attempt to shrink the wealth gap between executives and their employees.

So what with that proposal have the support of the business community?

Absolutely not.

Chicago's business community would see this is a full frontal attack on their ability to make money in Chicago and they are certain to say that not only would it kill jobs, but it would also cause corporations to Chicago and put an end to sort of the steady drumbeat of corporations moving to Chicago from elsewhere.

There's no doubt that they would use it to attack.

Mayor Johnson expected to run for reelection in 2027 and his allies on the city council.

So when does the mayor have to have his budget proposal in place?

There are 2 key dates coming up by the end of August.

The mayor has to tell us exactly how big the city's budget deficit is.

Is it a billion dollars?

Is it more?

Perhaps it's a little less.

We don't really know yet.

By mid October.

He's got to tell us how he's going to fill that gap.

And that's when the rubber really meets the road with the city counsel okayed.

Of course, we all remember that budgets.

>> Season last year the mayor and his team are hoping to avoid that again.

Heather, Sharon, thank you.

Thanks.

Brandis.

And you can read his full story on our website.

It is all at W T Tw Dot com slash news.

>> Some local hospitals that have been on the forefront of providing gender affirming care to patients under the age of 19.

>> Have pulled back on those services, Lurie Children's Hospital announced in February they were no longer providing surgery for patients younger than 19 Rush University Hospital.

And you, Chicago medicine have also said they will cut some services for youth.

This move comes after President Trump signed an executive order seeking to stop federal support for gender affirming care for young people.

Joining us to discuss the local impact.

Our Shannon Parker CEO, a Brave Space Alliance and LGBTQ+ center on the South side as well as interim CEO of Equality, Illinois and Rage Wash art student at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine.

We did also reach out to these hospitals.

We received a response from one of them will share that in just a moment.

Thanks to both of you for joining us reached let's start with you.

Please give us an idea of the range of services that are impacted for these young people.

Yeah.

So gender affirming care is a very broad term.

But I think what is being targeted right now specifically relates to both medication and surgical care.

>> So in terms of medication, there are a variety of different things that prescribers use mainly puberty blockers, which can pause puberty, allow young person reflect on their own identity.

Big decisions without having to go through that.

The very distressing changes that can occur when you go through puberty in a body that doesn't align with your identity.

So these are very reversible.

It could be used for children as they're entering into puberty for older teenagers.

We can also prescribe hormone therapy.

So because like testosterone or estrogen, and these will induce permanent changes to align their body you know, the gender that they view themselves as in terms of surgical services the king mastectomy is mainly for people under the age of 18.

There's practically no other surgeries that are done children and children under 18, 100's as adults.

Then, you know, then we're talking much more complex surgeries that can happen.

what do you think's important for minors with gender dysphoria to receive gender affirming care?

>> Well, research has shown time and time again that access to the scare is life-saving young people, especially young trans people really struggle with mental health and very high rates of anxiety and depression and numerous studies have shown that access to gender affirming care, but that that's hormone surgical or even just a social support network of providers can really reduce those rates and reduce the levels of suicidal intention self-harm and really some other like adverse mental health outcomes.

Shannon, what does this mean for the young people who had previously relied on these hospitals for the care they were getting?

>> You know what it means is for young people who were led on that care, but also the families.

It means that they're going to be left with a void of service provision, you know, in its most extreme and detrimental circumstance becoming that young returned back to black market treatments right?

It could mean that young people return to harmful medications in an attempt to, you know, alleviate the dysphoria that they're experiencing.

You know, it also means that young folks we'll have to potentially just turns again unsafe means.

But also what I will say to his head.

It means that the care providers who have provided care to these young people may also face repercussions.

What looks like.

Legal charges on whether that looks like the potential of imprisonment finding so many things, right.

So right now, the young people, but also the care providers.

I had a great deal of risk in this moment.

You say for the care providers, should they provide the care?

That absolutely right.

That we did get a statement, as I mentioned from Rush University Medical Center on and they say, quote, Rush has paused on offering formal care.

>> 2 new patients under the age of 18.

This decision was made in collaboration with our clinical leaders rushed does not provide surgical treatment to patients under 18 years of age.

Such surgeries for minors have not occurred at Rush since 2023.

It goes on to say our expert clinical team will provide more detailed information to patients and families based on their specific medical needs.

Rush continues to be strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.

Shannon, what's your response to that?

>> Well, you know, the main thing that.

The main point is they young people are gonna find themselves without care that they've been receiving for years.

Right?

We're going to see young people who potentially self-harm.

You know, we're going to see young people who have a reversal of really positive health outcomes that they've been experiencing.

You know, in previous years.

This is just really a huge setback for the young folks, but also for the families of young people who hospital psych rash, universal Chicago have been providing care to.

>> ridge.

There's been reporting that some young patients have had their appointments for services canceled at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

We did reach out to them.

Haven't received a response just yet.

But what would it mean to patients that have already started care and have had their care to be halted?

What would that mean I mean, I think it's a devastating blow to anyone to Get your expectations up to have such an impactful procedure medication.

>> And really, to have that taken away from you.

I don't speak on behalf of Northwestern Medicine, but I do know that, you know, hospitals are in a very difficult place right now.

As Shannon mentioned.

And I think that it's it's really just putting the strain on on the families and the children who are going to suffer from this.

Many European countries, which have also been on the forefront of gender affirming care for minors.

They've also been pulling back but more due to questions about the benefits and risks of such care.

>> Richie believe that there are any legitimate questions that are being raised on.

And what do you think or sort of the best ways to assess the benefits and the risk?

>> I mean, I think with any medical intervention, there are questions things that should be explored.

I think the biggest concern for the European Union countries that just that we don't have long-term data on a lot of these medications.

But there are lots of new medical advancements that we don't have long-term data on.

So I think when we're thinking about whether or not prescribe this medication for a patient, we're really waiting the cute mental distress that they might be now going through puberty in a body that doesn't align with who they are versus long-term effects down the road that we may have.

No new medical into interventions to treat.

So I think that there's some caution in the EU because of that lack of long-term data.

But really what they're emphasizing its to take a more personal holistic approach, which is what we already do here in the United States.

Shannon universities, as we know, are facing similar choices, right?

Either do what the Trump administration is asking of them or face losing billions of dollars in federal funding.

>> Is there another way for hospitals which also received billions of dollars in federal funding in the form of Medicaid, Medicare, maybe research grants.

Is there some other way for them to respond to the administration?

Because for some time admit universities were doing what they could and then some of them are are having finding themselves making a deal with the administration begin.

Hang on to that money.

>> And so hard, right?

Is that?

This administration is literally using trans people as a bargaining chip right?

>> we in Illinois.

>> Are fortunate, if you will, to be a safe state, right.

But that being a safe state is only as good to infrastructures within the state that can provide the supports that folks need, you know, so going back to your question.

Hospital simply cannot last without Medicaid funding, but also to the scores of other individuals who seek supports from hospitals, cancer, support's, diabetes, all the other.

emergency supports.

I mean.

The hospital's, the communities, the patients.

Simply.

would be devastated rate.

So again, what cool moment that we're in when this administration, it's literally leveraging billions of dollars against hospitals all in the name of providing.

Safety, if you will, for trans people, which is the furthest thing that they're providing.

Rachel whats the alternative for families and the young people who had been a friend hope to receive care from these hospitals is out of country or a realistic option.

>> I mean, I think that that really depends on the situation of families I know that there at cross roots movements here in Illinois for providers who don't receive money from the federal government come together and provide emergency services for these people.

But obviously kind of at a critical moment where there are many young people being left left out in the dark with no access to the services.

So I think that this might look like traveling to different states for people for whom that's financially accessible.

And I think that really means the burden falls on those who didn't have any other options as well.

We'll have to leave Parker and reach.

Richard, thanks to both for joining us.

Best of luck in your work.

Thank.

Thank you.

>> Up next, remembering Chicago Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg.

The 1984 season was a magical time for the Chicago Cubs.

The team made the postseason for the first time in 39 years.

Eventually coming up, one game short of the World Series Ryne Sandberg who died yesterday at 65 was in his 3rd full major league season 1984 was a breakout year for Sandberg who was named National League MVP.

Here he is on Wtta W's Sports show called Time out talking about his success with reporter came up rentals.

>> Basically know the pitchers in the league now and the in a once is want to learn what they throw the new as a hitter.

You can kind of go up there expect and what you're going to get as far as pitches goes and I just to feel more relaxed because I I've been in the major leagues for 2 years and just the surroundings and the atmosphere and the just a getting used to being around these players, you know, just feel comfortable and you know, I've had a lot of help this year from Jim He's helped me learn about hitting as far as thinking goes you know, so far that improved offensive Lee, a big reason is is Jim Frey.

Are you tired of all this media attention everywhere you go in the All-Star game, everybody want to talk to Sandberg.

>> If you where you go, media writers, everybody want to talk to you.

Are you tired of all this attention?

Not really you know, it's it's part of the game.

The media has to do their job and cover the games and everything in.

I just try take care of the media and the in about an hour before the game.

Then I stop and I start thinking about the ballgame and play the game.

you know, if you don't do that and if you let them interfere with the and the concentration on the game, then can affect on the field.

But so I've had a little k I feel comfortable doing that.

you know, I'm thinking about still playing good ball helping the Cubs win.

I hate to put you spot, but there's no doubt that you're having MVP year.

A lot of people think you're the best player in the National League.

And Yost stats show that in the team standings show that do you think you've BP of the National League and I don't want to put you on the spot.

It's tough to answer.

I'm not thinking about anything like that.

I'm not thinking about personal goals are awards or anything.

I think you know, those things welcome a 5th.

Their deserved and I just wake up every morning, I think about helping the Cubs win and a nice the way that I look at it in.

And as far as individual I just think that they'll take care of themselves.

If I if I if I play my capabilities on thinking about helping the team win right now and so far, I know you've done that.

The doing fantastic and part of the reason.

The big part, right?

Sam?

>> Thank you very much.

>> Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg back in 1984.

On W T Tw the Cubs will wear a commemorative patch honoring Sandberg for the rest of the season.

And that's our show for this Tuesday 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, 30 10, the interim superintendent on Chicago Public Schools on the district's budget challenges and the upcoming school year.

Now for all of us here at Chicago Brandis Friedman, thanks for watching.

Stay healthy and safe and have a good night.

>> Closed captioning is made possible by Robert a cliff and cook for A Chicago personal injury and wrongful death.