>> Hello and thanks for joining us on Chicago Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

Enhanced Affordable Care Act.

Subsidies are set to expire.

What that could mean for health insurance costs for millions of Americans.

We took the freedom of speech away.

And a federal judge's ruling prevents federal agents from targeting reporters and protesters with force more on the local impact.

>> First off tonight, federal immigration agents deployed tear gas on protesters today as a crowd gathered at the scene of a car crash involving those agents in the city's East side neighborhood.

The Department of Homeland Security says a vehicle driven by someone they believe to be an undocumented immigrant, rammed a Border Patrol vehicle before fleeing the scene.

As agents stopped the vehicle and detained 2 people inside.

Dhs says the crowd turned hostile.

They The Chicago Police Department says its officers were attempting to de-escalate the situation but individuals began throwing objects at the federal agents.

And that's when DHS agents deployed tear gas exposing 13 CPD officers and protesters.

So the dispersed passengers flying through O'Hare and Midway airports won't be seeing a controversial message from the Department of Homeland Security featuring Secretary Kristi Noem.

>> Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government.

>> 18 airports across the country, including in major cities like Atlanta, New York City and Las Vegas have removed the video playing at TSA checkpoints saying it is out of step with long-standing policies of not displaying political messaging or content at TSA.

Typically such videos feature government officials welcoming travelers and explaining procedures.

A spokesperson for the Portland Airport says the video could be violating the Hatch Act prohibiting the use of public assets for political purposes.

In a statement, the Chicago Department of Aviation said advertising at Chicago's airports including promotional materials in public service.

Announcements must comply with CDA is advertising guidelines which prohibit content.

>> That indoor says or opposes any named political party.

Quote, it adds, quote, These guidelines help ensure that the airports remain welcoming and a neutral space for all travelers.

Illinois state lawmakers are back in Springfield for the beginning of the annual fall veto session.

Their return will be against the backdrop of increased immigration raids across the Chicago region and the looming threat of National Guard troops on local streets.

While Democratic leaders say there are limitations on what they can do in light of the federal government's actions, they are looking into any options.

They may have some of the top issues.

Lawmakers will be considering include funding for public transit agencies, energy reform amid a spike in electricity bills this summer and possible regulations on home insurance companies after a rise in premiums.

One issue that likely won't be on the agenda is legislation on the Bear Stadium project in Arlington Heights.

Advocates for survivors of domestic violence are opening a new center to help respond to what they say is an escalating problem for the city.

What we had seen is an increase in domestic violence.

>> We've had 43 women killed since I took office in a domestic violence related murder.

We continue to see our crimes continue to drop.

But domestic violence arrest now comprise 26% increase over Europe.

That's not tenable.

We cannot except >> Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill, Burke was on hand at the grand opening of the Chicago advocacy Network for Hope or can hope in the Garfield Park neighborhood.

It's the city's first family Justice Center providing housing support, legal advocacy and counseling under one roof for survivors of domestic violence.

The agency says the need for support is growing.

The Illinois Domestic Violence hotline received nearly 19,000 calls last year up, 78% since 2019.

Sticker shock for some people in the health in the market for health insurance right after this.

>> 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.

>> Millions of Americans could soon face higher health insurance costs.

As enhanced affordable care Act, subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year.

Those subsidies introduced in 2022.

Helped more than double enrollment in ACA marketplace plans.

Now a report from the nonpartisan Urban Institute warns that around 5 million people could lose their coverage if subsidies aren't extended.

Joining us with more are news getting up?

I professor of economics at Loyola University, Chicago and via zoom, Windy Epstein, professor of law at DePaul University.

And and Gillespie director of the Illinois Department of Insurance.

Thanks to all 3 of you for joining us.

Windy of scene starting with you.

Please clarify for us.

Which subsidies are set to expire in what will happen to premiums if they do.

>> When the Care Act was passed back in 2010 and includes subsidies that were written into the law that would help people buy policies on the exchange.

So these are folks are not eligible for Medicaid and did not have access to affordable employer-sponsored insurance.

Those subsidies are, as I said written into the law and are what's at stake But in 2021, when when Congress passed a law And wrote in enhanced subsidies so people could get access to lower cost insurance plans that they were particularly low-income folks that made, you know, close to the cutoff.

Also get access to insurance.

Nobody had to pay more than 8.5% of income and health insurance.

So what's the impact on premiums if the subsidies these an extended or enhanced subsidies do expire?

>> Insurance companies are anticipating at this point that the enhanced something in some things are not going to continue.

And so they've already built in some rate increases into their proposed rates for the coming calendar year.

>> So rates are going to go up for folks.

>> And is there any way for Illinois ends to know how much they might have to pay in the ACA marketplace?

>> I yes, we are in the process sending and Roman notices everybody who's been on the market place in the last year and they will see in those notices exactly what the premium changes are going to be.

In addition, we will have as soon open enrollment starts November.

1st, we will have that information available on the get covered.

Illinois DOT Gov website as well.

So they will see what their premiums are going up too.

Okay.

>> News we're hearing about this November first deadline, of course, Democrat and some Republican lawmakers have called for the subsidies to be extended before open enrollment Congress meanwhile, has until the end of the year to extend the subsidies, some people that were getting notice of higher premiums.

news, what does this mean for people when they when they go to the market?

>> Well, of sorrow, sorry, I gonna come back to you and a promising news.

I want to get the the first thing they want keep in mind here is that.

But this market Carolina, 2014.

So we're talking 27 to go back to 2017 health insurance premiums have increased by about 66% over the period time.

But the consumer, the American, average American, has blunted from this because of the subsidies and now they're going to start dive starting to face the actual price that the actual harm about care prices and where the gone lately.

So this could be a bit of a shot enrollees when they come to the health care dot, Gov or a state-based exchange in November.

And they start seeing prices that premiums that could expand by 2 to 4 a factor for the big nervousness on the public health side is could this change the composition of enrollees entering the marketplace is could this make leave out?

People who maybe somewhat healthy, maybe it's not that this an opportunity to forgo health insurance altogether.

The individual mandate no longer in effect.

I if the pool get sicker, the war happened with the worry is what will happen.

The plans down the Do they have to further race but increased premiums to maintain to cover these costs?

And that could you know, introduce this concept of a death spiral where health insurance plans could just become not viable in this marketplace.

in the absence of the federal subsidies.

So there's a lot of concerns about what people are going to see on these websites in open enrollment.

Now, there's also the chance that millions could go without insurance a nationwide.

What are what are the numbers?

Tell us about Illinois and more specifically in Chicago.

Sure.

I know this is for colleagues over the Urban Institute.

>> They have a prediction of nationally.

We're talking about 5 million people about that.

Their their best estimate.

There's always uncertainty baked into these estimates.

>> 5 million people might be facing uninsured going on in short, among the 5 million for a look at drill down to state-level estimates in Illinois.

We're looking at something on the order magnitude the 100,000 people and in the Chicagoland area.

You look at congressional districts in Chicago.

anticipate something on the order of 60,000 people.

This is not small numbers, right for the context of state, major city and for the nation as a whole.

>> And the Department of Insurance, of course, he will administer get covered, Illinois, which is now a state based health insurance marketplace.

How could this be more flexible alternative for folks instead of the federal ACA marketplace.

>> There's a number of ways that we have more flexibility is a state-based marketplace.

One of the key ones is that we know run the navigator program for the people, the work with insurance or potential insurance to help them find coverage that fits their health care needs and their budget.

And that's critical.

This year as you're seeing these premium increases go on.

We want to make sure that people still reach out and talk to and the Gators don't assume there's nothing that you can forward because we have over 1000 different plan options available Internet.

Gators are here to work with you to try to customize a solution for you.

The other thing that we the flexibility to do now is to have special enrollment periods that we can control versus the federal government.

So too new ones we're going to be doing this year include a pregnancy special enrollment period.

If you become pregnant between open enrollment periods, you can sign up to still get coverage for at this special enrollment.

And we're doing easy enrollment, which is in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Revenue that there will be a check box on your tax return this year.

That allows you to indicate that you would like information about health care coverage and then we will reach out and follow up on that and get talking to a navigator broker to help you find something.

>> Taxes and health So Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries today he framed these ACA subsidies as part of the broader push for affordable health care.

Here he is.

>> I think what we've made clear is that you've got to cancel because lower the cost safe healthcare that involves addressing the Medicaid crisis that Republicans have created Medicare crisis, Hospitals, nursing homes, community-based health clinics closing all across the country.

And of course, extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits so that tens of millions of Americans don't experience dramatically increase health care costs.

>> Wendy, of course, you know this, this whole issue is at the crux of this government shutdown.

The second week we're in currently has the potential end of these subsidies, though.

Does it fit into the larger conversation about health care access under this administration?

>> So I think what we're looking at is need to have a global approach to this problem.

When we talk about we have a fractured health care system in the U.S., some folks are getting access to insurance through Medicaid, some for Medicare, some through their employer, some through these marketplace plans.

But we need to figure out how to get make sure that everybody has access to affordable coverage and the Republicans.

The Democrats just really disagree about how best to accomplish that.

The news, what are some of choices that some families might have to make when faced with these higher premiums when they go to market place.

>> I think there's really there's really 3. done 3 alternatives here.

The first is yet to find alternative source of coverage potentially.

But that seems unlikely as it is a noted already.

This is a group that's already not all.

They make too much income to be eligible for Medicaid.

And if they had an employer plan on the table, they would have taken it presumably because they wouldn't have been qualified for that.

The subsidies in the marketplace in the first So they don't this is seems like a potion that doesn't have a lot of other alternatives.

Are coverage.

So it's the second alternative.

Now maybe I pay through the nose on and pay this premium take insurance.

But the problem with that is I'm left with less income on the other end.

And we know we should go to some news.

Reports have highlighted change in the premiums as astonishing in over a year.

This is quite a quite a large sum of money, money that would have problems for these valleys, been spent on groceries, housing, home improvements, etcetera, childcare books as well.

the 3rd the option is go uninsured entirely, right.

So we've had now 2 to 3 decades of evidence from the Affordable Care Act.

And before that on the effects of insurance, what happens when people go uninsured?

Well, they use the health care system they get.

needed detections at less red lower rates.

So you may not find the cancer diagnosis that you need say mortality rates go up I financial protections go down.

Mental health does not.

does not go in direction either.

You have food security, more housing evictions rates.

So also it's a bad come as a result of that.

So no great options for families.

Lot of tough choices, OK?

That's where we'll have to leave My thanks to our guests.

News going die.

>> When have seen and Angeles, we we appreciate it.

Up next, a look at what some are calling an assault on free speech.

Federal agents are now temporarily barred from using riot control weapons like tear gas and pepper spray on reporters and protesters who aren't an immediate threat.

federal judge's ruling comes after a group of reporters and protesters sued the Trump administration last week.

Meanwhile, President Trump is ramping up his crackdown on the press and his critics.

Here are some of his recent comments.

>> We took freedom of speech away because it's been through the courts and the court said you have freedom of speech, but what what has happened is when they burned a flag in education.

Irritates grads had never seen anything like it on both sides and you end up with right.

>> Here with more on what's happening, our Charles Whitaker, dean of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and Kevin Fee, legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.

Welcome back.

Thanks to both of you for joining So the ruling that we're talking about it grant a temporary restraining order, protecting journalists and protesters who are not a public safety threat.

We just covered at the top of the show today that this morning ICE agents deployed tear gas on protesters and CPD officers were exposed as well.

This happened near 100th Avenue in in the East Side neighborhood.

There are reports that protesters were throwing objects reports from CPD officers that objects are being thrown at the ICE agents.

Kevin.

Could that mean that the agents were potentially in violation of the restraining order?

Is this the kind of thing that would have to get investigated or her before court before we get that part?

First, we actively monitoring situations on the ground that are, of course, rapidly changing.

And but, yes, I mean, we're definitely looking to see whether incidents like this are others when the full facts come out are violations of the court order.

And if they are, we fully expect.

>> To bring them to the court's attention so that orders and force that kind of line drawn in real It is up to the, you know, the officers on the ground.

The agents on the ground or >> well, ultimately figure that out.

Sure.

Yes, it's up to the court ultimately based on other provisions of the order that she's entered, whether the fact that the parties, you know, bring to her when they allege a violation of the order, they'll cross any of those lies that she's strong.

Charles, what does this ruling mean for journalists?

I think it's an important marker in local and national jurisprudence.

It says what is codified in the constitution that reporters who are attempting to document the actions of federal agents who operating?

>> You know, in the name of the government should be allowed to do so without fear of harm and harassment.

That's an important marker.

>> Overall, what is sort of your reaction to the fact that this is where we are that journalists are taking the federal government to court to sue over over its rights.

You know, this should be taken for granted, right?

We should understand that journalists are here to do a job that they're operating on behalf of the public and in the public's best interest.

And yet because of the attacks, both in Purple online journal us right now, we do have to take the extraordinary means of suing to ensure that those rights are protected.

Kevin, what have you heard from clients about what they've been experiencing outside the brought the ice facility in there protesting?

>> for weeks in the run-up to this Clergy protesters, members of the press were gathered at broadview elsewhere protesting the actions of this administration and frankly being subjected to to file its very real violence at the hands of a federal officials, rubber bullets, tear gas, pepper fired sometimes from from very close range directly at people's faces directly.

People's bodies.

It was it was it was a really quite dangerous situation for those involved in for people who are really just out there trying to exercise their their cherished First Amendment rights.

>> The restraining order is temporary.

Set to expire on the What happens next?

>> So is the preliminary injunction stage of the case where we seek to extend the protection that was granted by the temporary restraining order for the pendency of the case that will come after the court has hearing where she will hear evidence from both sides and determine whether the protection that she is granted to these plaintiffs will continue as long as the case is pending.

>> Trump, he initially pushed for free speech when he was campaigning.

Here's a little bit of that.

>> We don't have free speech.

Then we just don't have a free country.

It's as simple as that.

If this most fundamental right is allowed to Paris, then the rest of our rights and liberties will topple just like dominoes.

One by one.

>> Charles, do you think he's he's?

He changed his tune because we heard buddy what he said at the beginning of the segment and obviously we know what he said before.

I think government's interpretation of free speech just you are free to praise the government.

But any speech in any way criticize us or attempts to shed light on government action is not as welcome as speech >> Promotes the public relations lineup.

The administration.

Kevin, some question I completely agree with Professor Whitaker having this administration's conception of of free speech is entirely.

>> Selective, which, of course, means that it's not free at all.

>> Charles, how do you think journalists should be covering the situations that when tensions are high?

And, you know, we've got a number of citizen journalists on the ground as well.

Now, so many people using their phones to document what they're saying.

I'm actually grateful for those citizen journalists actually who are out there documenting those the these episodes.

We wouldn't have as clear a picture of what's going on.

Were it not for them?

I think Governor general us to need to take care.

>> Extreme caution.

And you know, counselor students to do that.

But I am so proud of the intrepid journalists who are there attempting shed light on again.

What's happening in the name of the government?

>> Kevin, where does where do you draw the line between free speech and public safety?

Well, you know, free speech is guaranteed by the First Amendment >> public safety is enforced by law enforcement officers.

And, you know, in ways that our neutral are intended to peer supposed to be under the Constitution, viewpoint, neutral, where you start to get into trouble is where public safety is enforced in a way.

That really burdens one particular viewpoint that's a First Amendment violation.

That's First Amendment retaliation.

And that's exactly what we saw here.

>> Meanwhile, of course, we're seeing media just today, CNN FOX News, even Newsmax, which is considered, you know, fairly conservative television and cable news outlet.

They're all pushing against the Pentagon's new press access rules.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saying that the press quote, no longer rooms free, referring to the Pentagon.

The media also most were visible badges and can't, quote, solicit criminal acts.

Charles, what do you what impact do you think this will have on journalist ability to report the administration accurately?

Well, it absolutely an attempt at censorship sort of pre publication restraint on news outlets.

>> But it's heartening to see a variety of news outlets on each from perspective coming together and saying that this is untenable.

This is not this is not Charles and his public relations.

That said, what happens, right?

Can the Pentagon >> actually deny reporters access?

They certainly can make it But I and >> try to limit access as much as possible.

But what we've seen and they're attempting prevent leaks.

What we've seen is that there are many people within the Pentagon who care about what's happening, who care about democracy, who care about free speech there.

We will be ways around.

This will just be more difficult.

Remind us of, you know, there have been times in history where classified or top secret information.

papers, says that fine example of that right where the Nixon administration tried to prevent the release of documents that would accounted for the history of the Vietnam War that was struck down by the Supreme Court.

I am not convinced, however, given the antipathy that the conservative members of this court have for the media, that we would have the same outcome today.

So it'll be very curious to see how this plays out.

Kevin, what else can people do if they believe that their free speech rights are being curtailed?

Well, you know, I think they can really take inspiration from the brave coalition of clergy of members of the press of protesters who, >> you know, insisted that their rights be respected by bringing this lawsuit in front of this court in this moment and that if Graphical location, Northern Illinois, if folks feel that they are their rights are being violated in the way that violates the terms of this order, if subjected to a lawful arrest or 2 tear gas canisters without warning indiscriminately applied.

They should contact the the litigation team and we will bring those violations to the court outside the bounds of this litigation.

I just encourage people to continue to speak up, speak out, you know, show up and make their voices heard because that's what the First Amendment all about.

>> Same question to you, Charles, in about 20 seconds, journalist, what can I grew tough and I think we have to continue to press forward to again sept light on what's happening in the administration.

We have an obligation in order to inform the public.

>> Journalism is a pillar of the democracy.

It's important that we have a free press.

Okay.

>> I'm thankful for that, If you all I'm thankful to have both of you for joining us.

Trials would occur in Comfy.

Thank you so for having us.

And that is our show for this Tuesday night.

You can stream Chicago tonight on our W T Tw YouTube Channel every evening and catch up on any programs you may have missed and join us tomorrow night at 5, 30 10.

Now for all of us here in Jakarta Brandis Friedman, thank you for watching.

Stay healthy and safe and have a good night.

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