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

I'm Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

A look at how a second Trump presidency could affect public transit construction, diversity programs and more.

Plus local reaction to the President Elect's health Department cabinet picks and what it could mean for Illinois.

I don't believe taking a face in trying to change I like taking your face hands.

And makeup guru Bobby Brown on her newest company Jones Road Beauty.

>> And now to some of today's top stories, special counsel Jack Smith is moving to dismiss all federal charges against President-elect Donald Trump.

Smith filed the motions today to drop the election interference in classified documents.

Cases against Trump in the court filing Smith wrote, quote, This outcome is not based on the merits or strength of the case against the defendant.

Trump celebrated the move today on truth, social saying in part, quote, These cases like all of the other cases I've been forced to go through are empty and lawless and should never have been brought over 100 million dollars of taxpayer dollars has been wasted in the Democrat Party.

Spite against their political opponent.

Me Trump has said he would fire Smith once he retook the office.

The move at odds with how previous presidents have handled special counsel's Smith dropped.

The case is without prejudice, leaving the door open for charges to be brought again in the future.

The Chicago mayor's office says it will keep 162 vacant positions in the Chicago Police Department.

After all, the move comes after multiple agencies criticized plans to eliminate the positions in next year's budget.

The city made the announcement just hours after the community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability expressed the same concerns as both a federally appointed independent monitor overseeing the consent decree and the Illinois attorney general.

Critics say the proposed cuts of both civilian and sworn positions were concentrated in units that would directly on what would work directly on reform that is required by the consent decree.

The mayor's office says it plans to propose a budget amendment to restore those positions to the budget.

The Chicago Bears Stadium saga takes a new turn today.

Team officials are announcing they've reached a tentative agreement on a property tax deal with the village of Arlington Heights.

According to multiple reports, the Bears purchased the 326 acre plot.

That was the former site of the Arlington International Racecourse last year.

But faced roadblocks, the tentative deal now opens the possibility of the team landing in the northwest suburb.

But multiple reports say the team still focused on Chicago as the landing spot for the new stadium, though the team also proposed a new domed stadium just south of Soldier Field on the lakefront.

And they're also reconsidering the former Michael Reese hospital site in Bronzeville.

The late Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, was honored this morning at a wreath-laying ceremony at the city's Oakwood Cemetery where the historic figure was laid to rest.

37 years ago today.

>> Throughout choices, we have all been blessed to know, follow respect road and most importantly to vote for our mayor here, Washington.

And today we look at life legacy in memory.

>> The mayor, Harold Washington Legacy Committee, host of the annual.

We Remember Harold event each year in an effort to keep the memory and message of Chicago's first black mayor alive and their Washington was also honored last Friday by the Illinois Labor History Society with an award for his advocacy in union and Human Rights, which the committee accepted on his behalf.

Up next, local public transit advocate gear up for another Trump term.

That's right.

After this.

>> 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.

>> Local leaders are scrambling to figure out how a second Trump presidency could affect Chicago and Illinois mass deportations and massive cuts in federal spending are top of mind for many.

But there's another key area how residents get around day in and day out in particular, on public transit.

Our Nic Bloomberg has been looking into this and joins us now with more.

Nic Brandis, let's start with the big ticket item that's on a lot of people's minds.

>> That is, of course, the Red line extension that is set to finally bring the CTA rail line all the way to the South.

Far south side of the Chicago passed its current and point at 95th Street.

Now that's a 5.6 mile addition.

It's relying on 1.9 billion dollars billion with a B in federal funding.

The hope is construction will start next year sometime right now the CTA and their federal counterparts are hurrying to get the final approvals done and and agreement in place before President Biden leaves office in January.

Cta officials say they're in the final phases of locking down the grant money and they're confident it will happen.

Its an interesting coincidence.

Final approval for federal funding of that massive red purple modernization program that's going on on the north side right now that came through as it happens at the very end of the Obama administration.

Despite Trump taking office, there have not been any problems with the promised federal money coming through on schedule.

So transit officials are pretty confident that will be the case here.

Despite big promises to slash government spending.

Could some of those big cuts affect future transit projects?

Well, it's certainly possible during the last Trump administration, there was a push for the U.S. Transportation Department to get rid of the infrastructure grant program that funds things like the Red Line extension like the red purple overhaul.

Now a former Transportation Department official wrote in the transit section of the controversial project 2025 document.

But the grants are, quote, another example of Washington's tendency to fund the transit expansion rather than maintaining or improving current facilities because Americans have demonstrated a strong preference for alternative means of transportation rather than throwing good money after bad by continuing federal subsidies for transit expansion.

There should be a focus on reducing costs that make transit on economical.

While Trump tried to distance himself from project 2025 during the campaign, he's now appointed numerous people who contributed to it to government post.

But brand even with opposition to the grant program from some conservatives.

It's had bipartisan support on Capitol Hill for the kinds of reasons you can imagine.

It creates jobs and improves local infrastructure in lawmakers, districts, their home states.

There's also some money available through the bipartisan infrastructure law, though that's only through 2026.

So besides funding, what else the transit leaders concerned about even a funding doesn't go away entirely.

The administration could make some quiet changes that end up having a big impact, for example, altering eligibility requirements for certain programs without much fanfare, leaving important jobs unfilled and gumming up the works that way making choices based on political calculations.

There's also the question of diversity programs which the CTA has made a centerpiece of its big infrastructure projects.

There's a federal effort to help more women and people of color benefit from big money, transportation contracts.

It's currently being challenged in court and it's the exact kind of program that Trump administration is highly unlikely to fight for.

If the program goes away, that will put the onus on state and local governments to step up.

A lot of questions about the future.

Of course.

It's not written yet.

We'll be watching.

We'll be watching.

Nick number, thanks so much.

Thank you.

And you can read next full story on our website.

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

>> Up next, we explore how a second Trump term could impact another area of everyday life.

Public health.

Many of President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet picks are raising eyebrows.

He recently nominated environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine organizer Robert F Kennedy Junior to lead the Department of Health and Human Services and controversial television talk show host Doctor Mehmet Oz as head of Medicare and Medicaid.

Neither of whom have public health experience.

Joining us now with more on the potential impact on public health is Doctor Robert Murphy, professor of infectious diseases and executive director of the Institute for Global Health at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, Dr. Murphy, thanks for joining us again.

Welcome back.

>> Thank you for inviting me.

>> So what was your reaction to President Trump's selection of RFK Junior Robert F Kennedy Jr to lead a this department?

>> Well, really, I'm horrified because this is a person who is completely incompetent in this area.

He's a vaccine the NIE ER.

He's stated publicly.

He says he's walked it back a little bit.

I guess it's a little bit too much for people to absorb, right?

Know.

But this is a person with no public health background.

No real Knowledge.

Who is going to be running?

One of the biggest department in United States, the Department of Health and Human Services.

People don't realize Holmen is encompassed year.

>> The NIH, the CDC, the FDA.

>> All that and more is under this person's purview.

It's an incredibly important post and this person is completely uncalled for.

>> You mention CDC and FDA.

So let's at some of his other choices for other agencies.

Got Doctor Dave Weldon as the nominee for CDC, for the Centers for Disease Control Prevention, Dr. Jeannette Nationwide for surgeon General Dr Martin, the Kerry for Food and Drug Administration, Dr Mehmet Oz for Medicare and Medicaid.

And Doctor Jay Bhattacharya for NIH, National Institutes of Health.

What are your thoughts?

Concerns with some of the book picks?

>> It's a mixed bag.

First of all, Dave Weldon, who is a physician, was in Congress for I think 12 years is a believer that the there are ingredients in vaccines that cause autism.

He has really he was a founding member of the Autism Caucus.

This has been disproven time and time again.

This completely non scientific us.

So here's a person with a little knowledge who has really gone off the plank.

He doesn't know what he's talking it.

He's going to be in charge of the Centers for Disease Control, which a lot of it has to do with recommending vaccines.

Some of the other choices after are pretty solid.

Dr McCary for a head of the surgeon Johns Hopkins with a master's in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health, also a member of the National Academy of Medicine, a very respectable person.

And I think he's he's pretty solid.

>> Well, it is let's let's let's talk about him for just a just a minute.

Because Dr, Martin, care he has, you know, decried the overprescribing of drugs, the use of pesticides in food, undue influence of pharmaceutical and insurance companies over doctors and government regulators.

So some of that sounds, you know, fairly mainstream reasonable.

You say it's a mixed bag.

So it sounds like some of these nominees you think could be suited for the job.

>> I think they could.

And I think he's one of the ones that, though, is probably going to go forward, you know, having this kind of institutional change, a change at the top and change in direction.

This is normal.

This is normal evolution of these gigantic departments.

I think this would be a healthy change with him in charge of the FDA.

>> Okay.

But obviously it sounds like you've got some concerns potentially a couple of the Dr Little Public with who he reports to.

He's going to be reporting JFK to RFK Junior who doesn't know what he's talking about.

Some of the other, the CDC Dr. Well done is is another person who is a really an extreme U.S. >> Some of these appointees, as you've mentioned as we've discussed, are either anti-vaxers or anti, you know, required vaccine programs.

What could a change in vaccine requirements mean for schools?

>> Where all this is going is relaxation in the requirements for vaccination in public facilities like nursing homes hospitals, et cetera.

that vaccine mandate that exist today for like, say, for example, measles, if that drops below 90% or even below 95%.

I hate to say it.

You're going to start seeing measles outbreaks and why is that important?

Because measles can kill children.

They can kill adults who vaccinated can kill anyone is not vaccinated.

And the RFK junior should know this because he was involved in the crisis in Samoa years ago where he convince the president of that country to eliminate the mandate for measles vaccine and they had a big jump in cases in 90 children died.

we can see the same thing here.

If visa vaccine uptake drops like it did in some old.

>> Rp juniors also said that he would pause drug development and infectious disease research.

Lot of that is funded out of the National Institutes of Health in favor of focusing on chronic diseases.

What impact will that have on research?

And at, you know, the universities that conduct a lot of that research.

>> Well, the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases where falls into is about 8 billion dollar a year enterprise of the 50 almost 50 billion dollars that the NHS.

It's a huge investment in research.

What's happening know with drug resistance and the bacteria with new pathogens emerging are emerging critically important.

Look what happened in 2020.

>> I mean, with COVID, I mean, you think we're not going to have another infectious pandemic and to put all the infectious to >> interest to the side.

This is this is insanity.

do we learn anything from our mistakes?

>> It was tough enough getting through the COVID pandemic avian flu becomes transmissible human to human, which is a huge fear certainly a possibility that could Is this group going to be able to run it?

I mean it what the RFK is saying is a list that the look at the infections anymore.

This is this is absolutely ridiculous.

>> Dr Murphy, Hines, public, how has public health public health leadership at the national level affect public health outcomes at the state and local level.

>> there is no national mended.

There's nothing in the constitution that says that.

Public health is a U.S. constitutional issue.

That has always been delegated to the states.

So we have 50 states.

We have 6 territories that have including Puerto Rico and the District Columbia and others and everyone has their own Illinois here.

We actually have 3.

We have the city of Chicago have Cook County with the state of Illinois.

Unfortunately, they're all working together things are working just well.

But every state is different.

And when these infections roll into a you can when you're one state doing one thing, another jurisdiction doing another thing.

I mean, that is really not going to be the wisest thing in situations.

You know, it's really just a matter of time before there's another epidemic or pandemic that comes along.

We have to be ready for it.

And this group is group that could run it.

>> Okay.

We'll have to leave it there.

My thanks to Doctor Robert Murphy for joining us with your insight.

Appreciate it.

>> Up next, beauty mogul Bobby Brown talks cosmetics and aging.

But first, a look at the weather Bobby Brown has launched not one but 2 billion dollar beauty brands.

Makeup maven has been a household name since the 90's.

And now at 67, she's given her own business.

A makeover with the brand Jones Road beauty ringing in its 4th anniversary this year.

And Chicago land native and beauty mogul Bobby Brown joins us now.

Welcome.

It's good to have you in Chicago tonight.

I'm so happy to be like why also we know that you have created a legacy in the beauty industry.

One that appeals to women of varying backgrounds and ages.

Why would you say or what do you think?

Diversity has been such an important part of what you because what our world right?

It's what a world as it was.

Always important to me.

No matter what your age.

>> And then what your skin color that when you came to to look at any makeup that I created.

We had colors for you.

It to me.

It was not like it's not a trend.

It's not a fad.

It's just the way it has to be.

>> And I coming to its right to something.

A field, women of color, especially, you know, often say that they've struggled And I had a friend, a producer who told me, you know, for the longest time she thought Bobby Brown was black owned businesses because they had so many colors available to women of color.

You know, her mom, Sundance, all use Brown.

And so it seems like like you said, that's just something that just makes good sense to to offer that.

not every company thought that way.

>> No, but it didn't matter.

I mean, I I don't do things because I think they're going to sell.

I do things because it's the right thing to do.

Which is good rule to live by.

Yeah, you founded.

As we said, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics about 3 decades ago.

A little more than.

>> then, of course, Jones Road beauty 4 years ago after leaving Bobby Brown back and you said 2017, 20's City 18.

I there's how would you say that Jones Road customer of today is may be different from the Bobby Brown customer years ago?

Well, I think that John, to a customer is certainly educated, is cooler is kind just really knows what's going on out there and are people that >> want just look better?

You know, they're not looking to be made up.

They're just looking to to feel great and to look great.

I'm not saying it's a more natural look, but it kind of is, you know, that's really how women are wearing makeup these days.

They're not, you know, they're not overdoing it the way when did in the 90's.

And that's also, but it's sort of been your sort of your approach here is static for most of your career, sort of calling yourself a beauty and enhance or versus, you know, a makeup artist who puts on tons and tons, right?

I don't believe taking a face in trying to change it.

I'd like taking a face and enhance again.

>> I'm someone that doesn't like contouring.

I don't think anyone needs country their face.

They just need to use makeup to bring out special things on their skin.

How do you think the makeup industry, the beauty industry changed over the years?

It's grown immensely because besides all the you know, the brands that have been around forever in the department stores, now there's brands you can get.

It answered apology.

You know, direct-to-consumer freestanding stores.

There's so much when I was in the traditional market place.

They were just the department store makeups and now it's exploded and a lot of people are makeup artists who and they and they all have brands.

Some are pro summer You know, some are on social media.

You yourself have taken to social media how do you think that social media has impacted the industry?

>> Well, I think it certainly brings this big giant world together smaller.

So, you know, the great thing about social media is it really doesn't cost anything, doesn't have to cost anything.

You can get your message out there.

You can.

You can show people what you're about either by words or by pictures.

And it just, you know, and make sure community hopefully a very dedicated community, which is great.

There are also some influencers, though, who have, you know, sort of a million different products create a look.

>> And a million different steps.

And then, you know, there's the response to that I tried to make that look that, you know, this beauty influencer recommended might look like a clown.

>> I think there's some people have a really dedicated following that people trust them.

And there's others that are constantly posting, you know, everyone's and you don't know what to believe.

So I you know, I tend to like my my content creators to be people that truly love the brand.

You're also all about sort clean beauty was at me.

It means that Jones Road is a totally clean line.

It means that anyone that was starting a makeup line, you know, 2020 you know, it's it's has to be clean.

I mean, people care about what the ingredients, what you're eating, what goes in your body, people care about, you know, different ingredients.

I've always been part of a traditional makeup company, but because I was starting a brand.

In a different world, I wanted to see what was possible.

Clean.

And, you know, I love the Jones Road is totally clean.

And what it means is there's 2600 ingredients on the do not use on the band site in in the U.S. in Europe.

And none of those are in the products.

And that makes you a clean brand here.

>> The beauty industry typically has also not always been kind to women is older women, particularly and women constantly seeking ways to look younger and younger there is Demi Moore's recent movie, the substance, which is, you know about the horrors of aging or avoiding aging what is your monitor on aging?

And, you know, we made progress and how we discuss and treat the process of aging.

Well, first of all, aging is great, right?

Getting older is great.

You get so many great things with it.

You get you get your.

>> Your power, you find your voice to you have all the knowledge and you know what?

So what?

You have a few lines.

And so what you have things that you didn't have before, it doesn't matter.

And my my message to women is that always try to be the best version of yourself and as we get older, it's more important to think about your body and what you put in your body and how you move your body than it is about.

Oh, my God, this is changing.

This is changing.

This is changing and you just want you want to be a healthier, better human.

And it's just remember, it's not about how you look, it's about how you feel you.

That's really important to look at yourself in good lighting.

Good Mears.

And yes, have make of so you can put it on.

So you just look better, especially on those tire days, especially on those tire days.

>> I know we've got a little bit of product here in just a few seconds left.

If you wanted to tell folks, this is the thing that you need from Jones Road beauty if you have a face, this is what you need.

Maybe it's on this train.

Maybe it's one of the other products about town store.

Well, if you have not tried the product, I would say go try one of the miracle bombs.

We called America long for a reason because it's a skin care and makeup in one, it could be a 10 to the skin.

It could be a blush.

It could be a lipstick.

And it's a moisturizer or so it's it's really up to you.

And it will absolutely when you have no makeup on you put it on.

You say I just look so much better.

So that's a good starting points like picking a child, isn't All right.

3 sons and I every day I like a different one.

Better.

it depends on how they're doing.

alright.

Makeup maven body Bobby Brown, pleasure to have you in the studio.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Thank you so much.

And we're back to wrap things up right after this.

And that's our show for this Monday night.

Be sure to sign up for our free email newsletter.

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>> And while you're there, check out our website for the very latest from W T Tw News and join us tomorrow night at 5.30, and a special time.

That's at 11 o'clock.

The latest updates on Chicago's City Council with our Spotlight Politics team and the co-host of America's Test Kitchen.

Join us to talk about their new cookbook and helpful hacks for holiday meals.

>> Just in time in case you got a holiday this week.

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

Stay healthy and safe and have a good night.

>> captured.

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