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

I'm Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

>> Abusing the power of the National Guard is not about protecting public safety.

>> Chicagoans brace for a possible deployment of the National Guard.

As I said ramps up, we get reaction from local congressmembers.

>> We want to be the best team out there.

>> What to expect from the Bears this year as the team kicks off a season this evening against the Vikings.

If you read about the theater, none of that can quite prepare you for what you see when you step inside.

>> And renewed momentum to restore the uptown theater as the iconic venue hits its centennial.

>> First off tonight, Homeland Security officials are announcing a new immigration operation in Illinois.

The agency says Operation Midway Blitz will target, quote, criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago.

The action comes after weeks of President Donald Trump promising to send ICE agents and possibly the National Guard to the city.

Here's the president earlier today.

>> I don't know why Chicago us and calling us saying, please, give us help.

When you have over just a short period of time, 50 murders and hundreds of people shot.

And then you have a government that stands up and says how crime is just fine.

It's a it's really crazy.

>> Joining us, our Congressman Jonathan Jackson, a Democrat representing parts of Chicago's South side and south suburbs, Congressman Jesus Chuy Garcia, a Democrat representing parts of Chicago's southwest side and southwest suburbs.

And Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, Democrat representing parts of Chicago's West Side.

We also invited the Republican Congress members from Illinois, but they either declined or did not reply.

We think the 3 of you for filling us in because I know there are votes happening as well.

Congresswoman Ramirez, I want to come to you first because this new operation Midway Blitz.

It is clearly aimed at Chicago.

Dhs says that it is targeting specific people, but it has I deed as, quote, gang members, drug traffickers rapists, sharing mugshots of these folks saying that they have been released back onto the streets of Illinois under Governor JB Pritzker's sanctuary policies.

What do you make of this new efforts from DHS?

think it's very clear for at what he's trying He's trying to stoke fear at every corner, every possibility.

>> And so he goes on in first pictures of people to be able to justify his tariff or shouldn't swarming.

just think about He's not talking about using us.

Yes, the department that's supposed to processing basis to create a police force that they're not going to be carrying guns to go after people.

This is not about safety.

It's about freaking everyone out putting people in such positions so they don't come out and protest or demand community safety.

Representative Jackson, the White House and DHS, they claim that 11 undocumented men have been released back into the city by local law enforcement despite having criminal records.

>> Who's responsible there?

Should ice be waiting outside of prisons and jails or should Cook County or the state communicate with ice since it sounds like Democrats and Republicans can agree that immigrants who commit crime should be deported.

>> Well, anyone the brakes on as a violent offender should be dealt with in a proper Minnesota.

We have public safety, Democrats, Republicans, we all agree on that when the president trying to target Chicago calling people illegal and talking about immigration.

We know that this is hi.

We know that even his facts that affects the wrong.

They want 50 people killed this past weekend with 54 shot and that number way too high.

It's not acceptable.

One person is shot one person is killed.

That's longer than what the people killed was to was a half a block from our house from my office where there were 2 of those mass shooting.

So we live in this violent.

We understand if the president wants to be helpful, he should coordinate with the governor with the mayor and also have the respect of the local police, 4th of the so that we can do do better and we need the aid that was already promised to the city that not retracted.

He cut the funding to enhance violence prevention.

>> Congressman Garcia also today, the Supreme Court in a 6 to 3 decision cleared the way for ICE agents to conduct sweeping immigration operation, saying that while ethnicity is not a reason on its own for reasonable suspicion, it is a quote, relevant factor when taken with other factors that ICE agents are considering to stop someone.

What is your reaction to that decision by the Supreme Court?

>> This is a radical departure by the highest court for decisions that have been made at the district level at the appellate level and as well.

This regarding all of the circumstances and whites, those decisions at the lower court level were made.

They the extent they basically given the green light to ice to continue to racially profile ethnically profile where people work where people live, where people are catching public transportation to profound them and then to interrogate them to handcuff them.

And then to 14th over the weekend, know of 13 people who are apprehended either in Chicago, mostly in the southwest side or suburban communities and they do fit the profile of the press release that was put out today by DHS.

There is an effort to paint.

Everyone has a criminal.

It is rooted in the false narrative that Donald Trump has been riding since he first declared for the presidency.

And right now they're picking on like the noles taking on the Mexican American community.

As we approach the celebration of annual Independence Day celebrations, this is to intimidate and to control.

>> The president has been threatening to send in the National Guard for some weeks now, but he hasn't confirmed when it would happen on the reports here locally are that there were 3 arrested by ICE over this weekend.

Representative Ramirez, what does this tell you?

This continued uncertainty about the deployment of troops to troops and ICE agents to Chicago.

>> Yeah, I mean, look, he is saying that he's in the from the National Guard today and he says he's going to fashion a Orleans.

He she uses a National Guard, as if they work indispensable were to be discarded in many ways.

But the reality is we do know that the broad view processing centers being prepared to expand immigration enforcement.

And we do is that they're preparing to send a substantial number of ICE agents more than they already have here to Chicago to continue this.

campaign of terror it has to be able to create a violent confrontation that feeds the vision and justifies their tactics.

And so I want to make sure that people understand The weather's a national guard's getting more agents here.

about creating fear for innocent families.

And that's why we have to continue to organize to make sure that people know their rights.

>> The president posted on truth Social over the weekend.

Of course, everybody.

A lot of people saw this referring to Chicago as, quote, Chi paca lips now saying, quote, I love the smell of deportations in the morning, Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of War.

Trump has used this imagery in the past, of course, calling the city, quote, a hellhole, quote, a war zone.

Representative Jackson, what do you make of an American president referring to another American city that way?

>> Well, that's beneath the dignity of the office that was quite insulting and very disgusting.

This isn't a game.

This isn't a joke.

There are some people that might overstayed their their visas.

We can deal with and humane going away and there are other people, the violent criminals that we can have.

Law enforcement continue to enforce the law who should be focused on is 30,000 deaths from handguns across the United States every year we can clean up these guns across America.

America has a violence problem.

If he wants to be of whom I would also recommend he sends in the Center for Disease Control.

This violence ought to be called.

The disease is nationwide.

We know 8 of the 10 states that have the most per capita violins or a Republican state.

not polarize this racial lines he started with DUI with African-Americans and he went on to Hispanics, the Mexicans that he went on to Koreans the of the day and the Asian community.

This is the big heat, administration.

And we know that Secretary Hegseth is not qualified to be secretary of defense, secretary of war.

We need a peace on the war Department American citizens.

So you do have the Department of Homeland Security and it announced this operation Midway Blitz on X today in honor of a woman named Katie Abraham.

She was >> killed by an undocumented immigrant.

Here's a bit of what her family said.

>> Why do these people who break these laws who are not U.S. citizens deserve due process because again, got nothing.

She got that.

>> They these are not the productive folks we want to bring in the country.

You want to build a country on migrants?

Probably not the guy you want stand behind to to build.

>> To build a country.

>> Congressman Garcia backers of Trump's efforts say that's Chicago's sanctuary city laws.

It it prevents law enforcement from responding to victims of or incidents of violence that are carried out by people who are undocumented.

And there are folks who support President offering to send in the National Guard.

What do you say to those folks who believe that?

But there is a problem here.

People who've been victimized by crime and and think that more needs to be done here in that current policy isn't doing enough.

>> first of all, my heart goes out to the victim of incident that took all her life and to her and to her family.

Secondly, with respect the effort to try to justify the Sunday in of these agents or on the National Guard, if you want to fight crime, you have to collaborate.

You have to work with local law enforcement.

That would be Chicago police, other law enforcement in the state of Illinois and the people who have been driving the crime rate down Chicago for the past 2 plus years.

Those violence, prevention of violence, intervention workers.

That's why crime in Chicago to a great degree is going down is a post the pandemic era as wealth to trying to scapegoat a city because people in the vote for you don't like your policies is a terrible effort to try to intimidate to sow fear and yes, carry out an authoritarian move to have people succumb to every wish that you wish take, whether it violates the Constitution due process and the rule of law.

>> 30 seconds left, Representative Ramirez and I know you've got to go vote.

If the president were to send troops to Chicago, what if anything, can lawmakers in in Washington due to respond?

>> I have an amendment and the NBA now, amendment that prohibits president from using armed forces, including the National Guard to be able to do ice and Thorsten unless Congress authorizes I want that amendment to come to the floor and 41 struggle for it.

This is than National Guard's mission is not for this.

All right.

That's where we'll have to leave it.

Best of luck to all of you.

Representatives congresspeople, Jonathan Jackson.

He Jerry Garcia.

>> And Delia Ramirez, thank you.

And we're back with more 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.

Don't >> The Chicago Bears are kicking off a new era tonight.

They're taking the field under new head coach Ben Johnson, who is coming in to hopefully turn around a franchise that's faced years of disappointment.

Spotlight will also be on quarterback Caleb Williams, who's entering his second year after and up and down rookie season.

Joining us now to look ahead at that season is James Big Cat Williams, former offensive lineman for the Chicago Bears.

Welcome back.

Good to see you could OK?

So Ben Johnson formally in offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions comes to Chicago with some big expectations and a big price tag.

What do you think his biggest challenge is going to be with the Bears?

Well, I think his biggest challenge is going to be figuring out.

>> Exactly what Caleb is good because at least during the beginning of the season.

need to run things that Caleb is comfortable with roles that he makes.

Well, the reads, if he can handle so you can get the ball out of his hands.

Quick and going to be a growing process.

I don't think that week one will look like week 6.

I think they should progress as time goes along.

But that's going to take not only the 2 of them rushing and figuring out exactly what works.

But the team around growing as the season goes Any concerns about a first-time head coach?

Always because he's never had to deal with the entirety of the team as an offensive coordinator deal with the offense you deal with, you know, all different pieces of the offense.

But now your scheduling things.

You have to make sure that everything's running right.

Not only offensive Lee but defensively.

Special teams.

You're being pulled in a lot of different directions and this is going to be a first for >> been is Caleb Williams.

Of course.

You know, he came into the league with some sky high high first year.

His rookie year didn't quite live up to all of that.

What do you think went wrong last season and what you need to do to turn around this time?

>> I think last season as a rookie player.

I'm not sure exactly what went wrong in the building, you know, but you heard a lot of reports come out of the building as far as the different things that were wrong with the coaching staff, the the lack of ability to protect the player like that his inability to get the ball out of his hands.

Quick.

So I mean, these are things that they're focusing on now.

The Ben Johnson is going to focus on, but I don't know how much focus they put into these things.

His first year when he really needed.

And now he's going into another.

system and learning from scratch all over again.

>> Ok, so there is this three-part series on Substack by go long.

It's called House of dysfunction.

3 parts right?

They report having interviewed more than 30 former executives scouts coaches, players and they report that Williams wasn't listening to coaches change in Clay's, not listening in the locker room, skipping film sessions, whole bunch of stuff.

What did you make?

What do you make of reporting like that and what you're hearing come out of that?

Well, I think when you >> have 30 people and no one's willing to put their name it's something that I frowned upon a little bit because you don't know whether it is people that are disgruntled for some odd reason or if they're actually knew what was going Now, if they're actually knew what was going on in the building in the locker room on the field.

And those are some disturbing things because this is a guy that you brought in to lead your franchise and you need someone to lead your franchise.

That has that.

That ability to be a leader to ask questions on questions need to be You know, you hear about the he didn't know how to watch Phil.

Well, who did you talk to about watching You you have all these people in your back pocket as far as people that are willing to help you.

Why didn't you go to of these people?

So?

I think it's a lot all balled up into one.

And eventually it's all gonna rise to the top and everyone's going to find out exactly what went on book.

It's going to be a process and he's going to have to figure out how to shut out all this noise and become the player that everybody expected him to be.

>> Okay.

So the Bears they've also draft a tight end Colston Loveland.

How might adding that extra target for Williams I can help them out the field this Any time you're at it, I didn't like that.

That's that's kind of like a security blanket for a young quarterback.

He's he's guy that's going to be in middle of the field.

He seems to run good has an ability to catch the ball.

So, >> you know, a safety blanket that he can rely on when things break When they need goals.

You know, year short-yardage plays that somebody that's going to be there for.

>> So last time the Bears are at the top of the NFC North.

That was in 2018 when they secured the division title.

That season ended, of course, with the infamous double doink and that we all when there is double double I'm I let it go next But how do you think the Bears stack up against their division rivals?

>> Still, you you've got a first time head coach Green Bay is looking better.

Minnesota is a team that's on the rise.

Detroit is a team that seems to have the personnel, but they lost a lot of the coaching staff.

So you really don't know how they're going to do.

I think the kind of in the middle of the pack right depending on how they progress through the season will depend on how 4 they're able to go.

>> And the season, how far do you think they'll go in the season?

Big cat.

Wow.

>> 9 wins is I think a good season.

I don't know it's enough to get you into the playoffs, but I it's an improvement and it proves that they're on the right track.

Whether or not they're going to get to playoffs.

It's it's hard because like you said that this this vision is stacked You know, it's going to be it's going to be a job.

Never bet against the Bears.

I How important is it for them to win against the Vikings today?

>> first game of the season.

I think it's big for a personal outlook.

It's big for the morale of the team.

>> In the long run is just another game with the beginning of the season.

But, you know, it's Monday night football.

Everybody's watching no other games on TV.

So, you know, you want to go out and you want to put.

want to be the best team out there tonight.

So I think it's important to them.

But it's not the end all be there.

And if they a game predictions.

I'm gonna wear.

My bears had no one to go.

24 24 OK, write that down, everybody.

Go right.

you just said right here OK?

James Vick at Williams, thank you so much.

Good to see Good to see you, too.

>> And we're back right after this.

Chicago's landmark Uptown theater just turned 100.

>> And like a lot of 100 year old, the old girls got some aches and pains.

But it's also got a dedicated community hoping to see the long vacant movie palace restored and brought back to life.

The theater's also being celebrated in a just released book as our Nic Bloomberg reports, the building's owner and its many supporters are hopeful the momentum around the uptown Centennial will finally get the massive project off the ground.

>> The 46,000 Square-foot Uptown Theater opened its doors in August 1925.

With much fanfare.

Dave Siff checks been coming to the theater since he was a kid.

Now he's the building's caretaker.

>> The idea the theater was to make the common man feel like a king or a queen like he was visiting Europe World, Spain as the design of the building in the case.

>> The uptown boasts more than 4300 seats.

Gorgeous.

Architectural details everywhere you turn.

And not one but 3 lobbies, including a cavernous showstopper of the main entrance.

>> And this staircase has been described as one of the grandest staircases ever in a movie palace.

>> It also had state-of-the-art heating and cooling a nursery for mothers, a rotating selection of fine art and beautiful mood lighting.

>> If you read about the theater or seen photos of it of its interior, none of that can quite prepare you for what you see when you step inside.

>> Robert lowers Allen Andy Pierce's new book.

The Uptown is a treasure trove tracing the theater's many lives.

The history of the neighborhood and the ongoing preservation and restoration efforts.

>> These immense spaces have just so many details of architecture and art.

Little faces on the columns sculptures, little flares of architecture.

Pretty much every corner of the building has something like that grab your attention.

This is the moment.

>> Where we can bridge the generations.

We've got people who remember going there and can share their experience and why it's important to them.

The rest of us see the opportunity and the potential.

>> Over the years the uptown went from a grand movie palace to a concert venue.

Longtime concert promoter Jerry Michelson started booking shows there in 1975.

>> This was the place that everybody wanted to play and will be again, the place that everybody wants perform at and bags.

And it was, you know, grateful Dead.

Prince Springsteen, number of just loved it.

>> But Michael, since as he watched as the building's owner at the time, let it fall into disrepair.

It closed in 1981.

Michelson bought it in a foreclosure auction in 2008 and says he's determined to see it reopen as I like to you know, we're not chasing of a dream.

We're building a plan for years.

Chicagoans have been working to preserve and restore the city's historic theaters last year.

The rim over and Bridgeport reopened its doors after a 30 million dollar overhaul.

But the massive scope of the uptown not to mention decades-old water damage means a much bigger price tag.

About 190 million dollars.

According to Michael since teen.

>> This has to be a public private partnership.

This theater.

It is an asset to the city of Chicago.

And most importantly, Uptown COVID scuttled an earlier renovation effort backed by public funding.

Michelson is confident he can pull together a mix of public and private support to bring the uptown back to life.

>> In the meantime, Pearson lower xl's new book cannot only give you a look inside.

But take you on a trip back in time.

And so can a pop-up exhibit at the Chicago History Museum where the authors did extensive research.

>> I can't stress enough the importance of those archives to understand the building and see it knew we could confirm different entertainers appeared there such as the Marx Brothers, Duke Ellington and others.

We had this world history and we were able to verify that to records and then share.

>> By the way, if you notice the frame behind me looks a little.

That's because it is.

But it's on purpose pretty soon.

The newest uptown community portrait celebrating the theater.

Centennial will take its place right here on the Wall.

>> It's just heartwarming and it's reassuring to see that support.

We just have to figure out how to do it.

>> For Chicago tonight, I'm Nick Blumberg.

>> The new book, the Uptown is available now.

The pop-up exhibit at the Chicago History Museum runs through January 4th and they hope to have the new community portrait up sometime this month for her part.

46th Ward Alderwoman Angela Clay tells us she's open to city support potentially in the form of revenue from an existing TIFF district.

That includes the theater as long as there's private funding involved too.

She wants to see the theater become not just a venue but a community hub and a source of jobs for the neighborhood.

Got much more of that on our website on our website.

that's our show for this Monday night.

Join us tomorrow night at 5, 30 10.

We explore whether an expected surge of Department of Homeland Security agents in Chicago could provoke wide scale civil unrest now for all of us here at Chicago Brandis Friedman, 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 that supports