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

I'm Nick Blumberg Brandis Friedman.

He's on assignment.

Here's what we're looking at.

>> To be a very bad ratings and they should have fired him a long time ago.

So, you know, you could call it free speech not.

>> But Jimmy Kimmel is back, though, not without growing concerns about free speech and government overreach.

And a new book explores why some women are stuck doing twice the amount of housework as their husbands and ways to change it up.

First off tonight, Senator Durbin says President Donald Trump's calls to prosecute his political enemies week in the country.

>> Speaking after touring you, I health surgical innovation training lab Durbin was asked about the president's multiple demands over the weekend that the Department of Justice investigate people, including former FBI Director James Comey and California Senator Adam Schiff.

>> This political retribution is at the expense of a safer The FBI, for example, is the premier law enforcement agency in the world and to waste time going through whether or not voted for President Trump and more loyal to President Trump.

It's never happened its history and his entire ways to resources.

>> Durbin also pushed back on the president's latest threat to send troops into Chicago, saying it won't make the city safer if the federal government acts unilaterally.

Mayor Brandon Johnson says collaboration and community investments help Chicago see its fewest summer homicide since 1965.

The administration marks the last official day of summer by celebrating more than 30,000 jobs for young people and the completion of more than 400 units of affordable housing also touted improved crime stats from the year prior with a 23% drop in overall violent crime.

And a 46% decrease in homicides.

Federal immigration officials deny using excessive force as protesters say they'll have a daily presence outside a suburban ice facility at a Friday protests.

Federal agents used pepper and tear gas against peaceful protesters, including multiple elected officials and political candidates.

Organizers are now calling for daily protests outside ISIS broadview facility every morning and evening telling demonstrators to bring masks and goggles.

Federal officials say they brought in more than 200 agents from around the country as part of an immigration enforcement surge in Chicago and say the operation has no set end time.

Longtime publisher and arts lead or Bruce, a gun has died Sagan own and publish the Hyde Park Herald for more than 3 decades.

He helped the Joffrey Ballet relocate from New York to Chicago and aided in the creation of the printers row lit Fest.

Second also served on our sister station WFM tease radio committee for more than 2 decades in 2024.

President Joe Biden awarded Sagan the National Medal of Arts earlier this year saying sat down to participate in an oral history project here at WDET WWF.

Mt.

Talked about how his publishing background helped his arts endeavors.

>> What was enormously helpful for the people.

I helped with the fact I was an entrepreneur in the community newspaper business.

Which is very similar to an station.

In terms of it has an audience who is that audience who likes the product?

How do you reach and how do you support the creation of the problem?

>> Cruz, a gun was 96.

Up next, a look at the state of free speech in America and whether there's cause for concern.

That's right after this.

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

The gym and K maybe family.

The Pope Brothers Foundation.

And the support of these.

Don't >> Jimmy Kimmel Live is set to come back on the air tomorrow.

But concerns over freedom of speech still linger with ongoing debate about government censorship amid pressure from the Federal Communications Commission, ABC suspended Kimmel last week after comments he made about Charlie Kirk's death on his late night show.

The move sparked outcry from Kimmel supporters who say the Trump administration went too far in an effort to silence him.

Joining us to talk about all this are Laura Beth Nielsen along sociology professor with Northwestern University.

Are co-lead counsel for tech policy at the Foundation for individual rights and expression and on zoom, Chicago, based comedian Patton again.

Lots to dig into.

Thank you all for joining us.

We appreciate it.

So it was just this afternoon we learned that Kamala set to return after his suspension last week, which drew a widespread backlash.

Here's a bit of what President Trump had to say yesterday at Charlie Kirk's memorial service.

>> And the same commentators who this week are screaming fascism over a canceled late night TV show where?

The anchor had no talent and no ratings.

Last week were implying that Charlie Kirk.

Deserved what happened >> So, you know, Ari FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, pretty openly be the threatened ABC after Campbell's comments about Charlie Kirk.

What do you make of the FCC's Roland Kimmel suspension?

What's not unprecedented >> Network pulling a host after controversy.

What is entirely unprecedented is the direct line from government threat.

2 network action.

And that's what's so astonishing here.

The FCC's threats to do this either the easy way or the hard way, which is truly something you expect to hear in the Godfather not coming out of the mouth of government official played a huge role in that pressure.

And as we've seen with lawsuits and other regulatory pressures of institutions are caving left and right.

And that is a really big problem for free speech in America.

>> And of course, there's also the issue of, you know, major media group that owns many ABC stations that needs FCC approval for, you know, a potential merger deal.

So that sort of another wrinkle there.

Yeah.

And and these these companies are always going to have business before the FCC.

It is just it.

that can't be helped.

But what lack the problem is.

>> When you pay the extortionist once they always come back for more, it's never just once.

So unless you plan on keeping every single time, the Trump administration as an issue or will a future administration even has an issue with what you're broadcasting You're in for a bad time.

If you think that this is just you're in a cave in and go along with this.

>> You know, Pat is as a comedian.

What effect do you think a suspension like this can have on the larger community of comics and performers, even folks who aren't necessarily particularly political.

>> Well, I think it's just a little bit alarming, right?

And then seems speak to a trend we with cold air on the heels of this.

It sounded like they were to do more like this is not the last shoe to drop.

There might be more consequences.

don't know.

It's kind of seems surreal.

You know that I'm even here talking about this.

>> I'm kind money.

Seems to be a place where we talk about troops and in is a place where we kind of tackle heart issues and it you know, when they're starting to silence comics, a cause for concern.

So I think we have continue just watch and see what what happens next.

Yeah.

>> You know, learn about obviously there's been lots of conversations hear about the government's role, potential overreach into folks using words like censorship in what circumstances is the government allowed to restrict speech?

>> Well, it's a great question and a lot of people are framing what's happening right now in terms of hate speech.

And it's important.

To understand that, you know, speech in the United States of America is allowed until it's not.

And hate speech is not a category and that we have decided is okay to legally restrict.

We restrict lots of kinds of speeches, defamation.

We restrict commercial speech advertising we're checked, fighting words.

We hate speech is not something that we.

Constitutionally can restrict and the circumstances in which the government itself can restrict speech are extremely limited.

It has to be sort of very specifically tied to reviewing famous troop movements in sale reviewing war should plans were and >> other than that, the tenants, the the bigger tendency is pressed to prefer.

>> And there might be consequences later, but we don't restrict it up at first.

Yes, to the question of prior restraint.

there are folks that are saying that the FCC's role in all this is really unprecedented.

I mean, are there other >> past instances of government interference that come to mind for you that compare it sort of this level.

>> Well, we have a lot of institutions right now that are being asked to have kind of speech litmus test that we have thought of in the past as independent institutions, universities, my own university, Northwestern.

I also worked at the American Bar Foundation, the American Bar Association.

There's there have been reprisals, law firms for who they representing in court law clinics.

So we're seeing a lot right now in terms of the government wanting to limit speech.

then of course, we have historical examples like the Sedition Act and things that we look back on and considered grave errors and our history.

we seem to be repeating them.

Well, you know, to that question our about page speech are things that.

>> Categories of speech we might want to restrict their folks who, you know, have argued that if you're calling out Charlie Kirk's rhetoric saying that he made racist statements or even making jokes about his death.

That that can be hate for that that can feed into political violence.

But are there any sort of constitutional justification is for restricting speech on grounds like that?

No, it and and you know, the categories on Texas Beach do include things like incitement, but that's a very narrow category this week that is limited to speech that is intended to and likely to cause someone to act unlawfully immediately like within the next couple seconds.

Not even 5 minutes from now.

>> So it doesn't fall within that.

And what you see here is this almost.

This in North Korea, asked him to this where people are trying to be if people are attempting to get People Punisher insufficient morning in a sense.

But even as distasteful as we might find, joking about someone's death or saying I'm not sad day died, which, by the way, you know, people on the right have said about other people like George Floyd.

you know.

That's not enough to cause speech to be unprotected.

In fact, that's the kind of distasteful provocative, yet important speech to protect because if we can't criticize things as they are somebody for who they were, we lose a whole lot of what makes Democratic self-governance possible.

Yes, even someone makes a comment, that's that's a cooler.

That's off color that's not inciting and activites and of itself.

And the Supreme Court said explicitly that free speech serves its highest purpose when incites people not to unlawful action.

But 2.

Discomfort or, you know, that acts of provocation.

That is the point to free speech.

We don't need it to protect discussing the weather past.

You've you've been a guest before on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Someone with a long history of political humor.

>> Do you worry late night hosts might start to shy away from discussing, you know, the topics of the day, if they're potentially hot button, even though in many ways that's that's a big part of the job for a late night host.

>> Yeah, I don't think you'll see that.

I think you may even see more because this is kind of poking the bear with You know, I think comics are going maybe even get louder in a way both sides.

I hope that it still.

Is rooted in truth and looking to make people think.

Around laughter still think it.

I still hold that.

It brings people together, but I don't think it's going to be like, you know, comics, good comics.

They talk about the elephant in the room.

They talked about the things that are uncomfortable or maybe offer to approach.

That's why usually a little bit easier when it's addressed under the umbrella of comedy.

So I certainly hope not.

I I don't love like heavy handed super heavy like there's other things to discuss you know, it's not the only topic, but I hope it continues to hold up a mirror to society.

That's that's what comedy is.

Yeah.

People are able to laugh about it.

You know, maybe they can start to see their way toward.

>> Now taking everything, you know, you're seeing other people's opinions, not taking everything quite a seriously, perhaps.

You know, Laura Beth, you are among several Illinois professors on Turning Point USA's watch list of so-called radicals.

Turning point, of course, being the Charlie Kirk's on political organization.

What was that experience like?

>> I was put on the watch list after published an op-ed in The La Times which was about the argument for restricting hate speech, which as I said is not restricted.

The United States, but even just discussing it.

Got me on the watch list.

And then your deluge with hate mail threatens to or discusses fantasies about coming to kill you coming to do other very violent things, too.

Emails and phone calls to the president of the university.

I would never send my children and Northwestern because you let these radical it's it's really hard to withstand.

But we are told, you know, don't be a snowflake.

Don't be so sensitive.

These are just words until they become a threat, which is another category of speech.

You can restrict.

That's what we're not seeing on the other side right now.

you know, it's my feelings are hurt because you're not properly morning.

Charlie Kirk, are you think it's OK and you think it's okay that he's dead and those are awful vile sentiments.

The man has children, his wife.

He has a family that same argument goes for us, too.

When he puts us on his watch list, we get those death threats.

We get that kind of intimidation.

Our jobs feel threatened.

So we need to have a set of standards that applies equally and not just to the powerful and privileged You know, Pat, you touched on this earlier, but comedians often use there ability to engage in free speech to make jokes that are subversive are that are off color.

Things like that.

>> Why is it important to have that that open Mike kind of a platform?

Well, I think it you again, it's just a place where people.

Gather to maybe hear about the things that they're seeing and feeling and experiencing but can't really verbalize.

You know, you mentioned open mic.

That's where we go to develop material and, you know, America needs to always all the mikes.

We should.

We should have platforms where people go and talk about and debate and openly, you know, commenting can bring up debate.

You know, I've had that or you bring up a topic and then afterwards people might engage with you to offer different perspective on it.

It's just it's not a threat.

And I think that's what people need to pump the brakes on.

really all of and every side maybe stopping in listening to each other a little bit.

And hearing some of these words that you know.

What are we really doing to each other?

We're making enemies out of each other.

when when you start to do that with comedians who are really, you know, I always think overstating it calling us who have come story about now, but important voice.

And it is important voices all the same.

I thank you all for sharing your your perspective on this.

Unfortunately, that's where we'll have to leave it.

But we appreciate you being here, Laura.

Beth Nielsen are a cone and Pat McCAnn, thank you all so much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Up next, Brandis Friedman and the author of a new book about how gender roles play out at home and in the workplace.

In a conversation recorded earlier.

>> For current low being a is an evidence-based decision.

She's only kind a kitten because here's her evidence.

Women in heterosexual marriages who are the primary breadwinners do almost twice as much cooking and cleaning as their male spouses.

That evidence is further explored in her new book having it all.

What data tells us about women's lives and getting the most of yours.

And here to talk about these findings is the author herself, Karin Lowor professor Chicago area native.

Thank you for joining Thanks so much for having me up to what led you to do this research.

You had your own experiences.

Yes, so I was in the thick of it myself.

And I was feeling I was juggling all these once and they were all falling down on me.

And it's like, is it just or like what's wrong here?

And so I was an economist and >> have been studying economics of being a woman, my whole career.

And so I decide to start looking into it and I started looking at time use data and what I found shocked me, which is that it just doesn't add up.

It's not in our heads.

It's that gender roles have converged in the workplace.

They haven't converged at home.

The staff that you just mentioned, but not only that we have explosion of parenting time that comes in the 1990's meeting.

We spend twice as much time with our kids as our own mother's dead.

>> And that parenting time explosion is a result of what we learned about the benefits of being with our kids.

Absolutely.

So it's because we actually understand child development and it's important to hold your in fans and talk to your toddler and say that the kitchen table doing homework together.

So.

>> I think it's a beautiful affirmative choice for a stunt.

Do that.

it's tremendously costly in terms of our time.

Yes, because with that comes a lot of pressure of being, you know, better parents and great parents and but let's get back to households who are because, you know, asking for friends, why don't men do what is I want to their fair share, but do more of a household chores even when some of those men are not employed because there are modern day stay at home.

Dads as well.

>> Yes, so I think, you know, there's some assumptions there, some gender norms there.

And some of it is just like lack of information.

And I don't think >> that it's working from an either or, you know, I think that they they want to do more and do better.

But I often say that they try to do half of the tasks that they're aware of, right?

So say, OK, drop the kids off half the time, but they don't know in order to get to that drop off.

Well, we had to make sure that there were the right-sized and seasonal clones.

We had to make sure that lunches packed.

We had to make sure the replay dates after school care right?

And so that's all that.

And as a believer and so one of the solutions I talk about is saying, look, I think there's a win-win here, which is that your spouse doesn't want to be like a low-level junior employee at home either.

So promote him to Co-CEO and really divide ownership over the tasks and the work of living so that you can let go of some of that mental load.

So it sounds like a conversation that that women wives are not having with husbands, I don't like and want to place blame on anybody.

But one of things I suggest because the data was so important for me to understand is that you can actually get data in your own household.

So you can actually track your time.

And that's one of the exercises in the book is like, make that invisible labor visible, You write about the house work changes and how it changes relative to.

>> Women's age and income Varities 3 eras of one's life that you describe.

What are those walk us through?

Those I call era one the time, but no money era.

You're in your 20's and you're investing in your career and then get into this era 2.

And this is what's so important.

The squeaky cheese housework and childcare time skyrockets.

But you're still making investments in your career.

Haven't paid off yet.

So you don't have money to throw at the problem.

And then eventually we'll get to ERA 3, which I call the ironic relief because housework and childcare comes down and now you also have more money because your career investments have paid off.

But for a lot of women, it's actually hard to kind of get back on the high-speed career track at that point in time.

So I have a lot of strategies that recommends a kind of getting through squeeze with just saying, like you have to radically prioritize when you are in that era, like what actually matters and say no to everything else.

Does that amount and is it sort of shift to the right?

Maybe a little bit in the 40's as women have children later?

Yeah, you're absolutely right.

So 8 is going to depend on when you're caregiving responsibilities are at their peak.

And yet we see an average in the data.

You know, it's just it's right around that time when your kids are John.

But it's so short it doesn't last.

And so well, part of message to from this is if you can retain women through that squeeze, right, then you're going to have that talent innovation and that competitive edge through the rest of their working career.

And so we've got to do better at having strategies to survive that period.

What are some of the ways that firms employers can support those women during that squeeze to make sure they stick around?

Later on the research shows that women don't want flexibility.

They want boundaries.

And that's why health care, which is a very inflexible profession.

Nursing is 86% female.

It works for women because its structure and so what firms can do to get that structure is saying, let's use the technology.

We have to say alright in office, work ends at 05:00PM and then you can block off that time for dinner and then we can back on after bedtime.

We could have rotating on call shifts where you're not always waiting for your phone to ring.

You actually have a designated on call shift like in the healthcare industry but also encourage women to not wait for their employers to make these changes to set some of those boundaries themselves.

Now, there's also, you know, you talked about how you made the choice to in from your dating pool.

You have a wife now your wife.

You have together you have your 2 children that's not an option for and that defer sort.

But even though that was where like I ended up in my life because I was married to a man.

And, you know, eventually I said I'd like try something different.

>> But I have a lot of faith in people making partnerships, work, you know, with with partnerships.

And so I think if you're looking for a partner right now and you're looking for a man that we want to date, then what I tell people is we interview for the wrong position.

We interviewed for the position of boyfriend and we need to interview for a Co-CEO if the household right?

It matters a little bit less like.

>> Who like going to the movies with and over the course of our lives in matters.

Who does your laundry what you like to cook and what want to play with our kids.

So you know, after, you know, you've worked through the you've lived it yourself.

Would you say you have a better grasp of >> having it all as the title of your book says?

I think once they really looked at the science and, you know, figure out some of the strategies, what I've realized is, you know, can't have everything at once.

Okay.

The idea that we're going to be a super career woman who's going to be perfect in every dimension and we're going to be Instagrammable track life.

Those are 2 separate full-time jobs and they don't add up the 24 hour day, but we can have what we need to have a life that's sustainable, rich and fulfilling.

I really hope that together we're going to have that conversation.

That's in the book about how we do that, OK?

all those conversations with me, my friends, people, I know what going to have.

All of those.

Enjoyed having with you.

Current low.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Thank you so much, sir.

And again, the book is called having it all.

What data tells us about women's lives and getting the most out of yours.

And we're back right after this.

And that's our show for this Monday night.

Join us tomorrow night at 5, 30 10 temperature on celebrating Rosh Hashanah beginning this evening.

The over now for all of us here in Chicago tonight.

I'm Nick Blumberg.

Thank you for watching.

Stay healthy and safe and have a good night.

>> Closed captioning is made possible by Robert a cliff and Clifford law offices, Chicago, personal injury and wrongful death.

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