>> Good evening and thanks for joining us on the week in review on them.

And even a key, a nail in the coffin for the Velvet Hammer.

>> Is that his start?

Conviction?

Which ranks high in the annals a criminal case is tried in this court.

>> The once vaunted powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan convicted on 10 counts of corruption.

But it was a split verdict.

Jurors spent 4 months in court.

They watched undercover recordings that showed the former most powerful man in Illinois politics operates So what would happen if recommend me?

We support?

Yeah.

He had tried to convince the jury he did nothing wrong.

Even as other lawmakers were snared Madigan insistent the feds had nothing on him Madigan's ruin.

Came the same week.

His one-time nemesis got his criminal record cleared.

>> I'm signing this is a full pardon.

Rod Blagojevich.

>> I want to say to the people of Illinois to things.

Number one.

And is your taxes?

And number 2, I didn't do it was all political talk.

>> Meanwhile, days after Mayor Brandon Johnson promised heads will roll.

There's turnover at City Hall.

Chicagoans get a glimpse of the city's formerly secret gift closet and fears that federal funding won't come through Plaza project meant to keep invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes.

>> And now to our week in review panel.

Joining us, our Dave McKinney from WBEZ, Adriana Perez of the Chicago Tribune.

Rob, part from WBBM Newsradio and our very own Matt Masterson.

Let's get to it.

And Dave, I'm going to begin with you because you have covered Speaker Madigan for really most of your career.

How big a deal is it to see him likely going to prison?

>> Well, I mean, he he basically ran Illinois down to you know, down to the smallest village in the state of Illinois.

he he controlled everything, the purse strings, the policy.

He was more powerful than than many governors were.

He arguably more powerful in state.

Senators were and to see him kind of in this diminish state in the courtroom, really no longer controlled his own fate and handed over to the to the jury was really something.

And he wound up.

you know, it's it's hard tell even there he was.

He was he stoic Spinks like that's what they call them.

The sphinx.

you know, he looked like he was trying to maintain strong public face, a confident look.

But but at the end of the day, I mean, it was a big victory for the government.

Even those a split verdict because they got him on big charges.

So yet met over to you.

This was a victory.

Even know what 10 counts.

But then there were.

>> Several where he was either acquitted or at the start of the week.

Mike Madigan wasn't a convicted felon is now.

So it's absolutely win for the government.

He faces up to 20 years on some of these charges, 10 5 years and other ones and we'll see a prison sentence he actually gets if he is sentenced to prison.

But >> that's absolutely a win for them.

They didn't have to get every single charge on here.

That's sort of what this was all about.

There was.

23 charges that were 5 separate schemes.

They do need to nail him on every single one and they didn't get the top charge.

But that is still definitely a win in their books and called it historic victory.

And you can see why they would.

The prosecutors are absolutely happy with the verdict.

I don't think they were thrilled.

I think they absolutely wanted the racketeering charge to be a guilty verdict for Madigan there.

They didn't get that, but they got them in water for the and bribery and they convinced the jury that this was a person who was correct.

So record hearing was that overarching charge that you talked about where they you described it as a >> Madigan enterprise that they he and co-defendant Mike mclane were running this as a criminal enterprise met.

You talked about the sentencing.

It could be a addition to press prison.

There's also a forfeiture hearing they're looking take his money.

What what's going on there?

Right?

So that's going to made initially want to do it immediately after the verdict, assuming he was found guilty of these charges.

So >> the money that changed hands in these convictions.

They didn't all go into Madigan's pocket was obviously paid to a lot of these contractors who can or jobs.

But Matt, again, as I going to be liable for that.

So some of this money is going to possibly be clawed back by the government.

There's gonna be a lot of briefing that used to be done on this, but it's going to be some sort of financial hit likely to Matt again following his conviction as well.

So in the millions of dollars, it's it could be up to that.

We'll see what amount actually comes out of it.

But that was like the initial range was as was a couple million dollars that it could have been targeted over to you because this really encapsulated House things worked in Springfield.

>> That the speaker, those in power would say, hey, you know somebody that to be a good fit for that job that the jury found his co-defendant, longtime friend and lobbyist Michael McClain.

He said they believe that it was just lobbying, nothing illegal.

How do you parse out what we learned history in terms of how things work behind closed doors?

Well, I talked to the foreman of the of the jury.

>> And it seemed like and I think when you go to a trial where a situation like this where there are a lot of details and everything really rests on.

How do you interpret certain words?

How do you interpret certain phrases?

How do you interpret someone's tone on a tape?

And when it came to talk about it was there is there is no verdict on the racketeering charge.

The big in the jury room.

That was the last one.

That was the lead.

They agreed on day one of deliberations that they're going handle racketeering last and he was about to be found not guilty on racketeering.

They had one holdout want to convict and that is why they did not have a verdict on that particular count.

>> has been a juror in that room.

No date.

>> At least one juror seemed to have been put off by things that she heard from Again, if it was a at either way, the juror put off by Madigan.

>> Sort downplaying relationships, including with McLean.

What do you make of that and how he's taking the stand impacted the outcome?

Well, that was a dramatic moment.

A big decision to put him on the stand.

>> It was a situation where, you know, it started out and are very comfortable questioning from his defense lawyer.

We we heard all sorts of biographical details about him about how he came from a household where they, you know, as parents didn't tell him, they loved him, for example, things like that.

You know, the more he got into it, the more he talked about under defense questioning it opened the door for the feds to come hard at him and that included opening up a tape where they had fought to keep it out.

It was called the bandits tape where he was recording the McLean and him talking about these go subcontractors, a comment and how they were making out like bandits for very little work.

And so that would be left.

They laughed about it and that that that created this kind of thing.

And I think one of the things the people 0 in on and that discussion in the in the testimony him talking about, well, my friendship with McClain has ended.

I mean, he it surprise people because it's a prize jurors because, you know, there I think, over 150 audio recordings that got played and many of them, we're of Madigan and McLean talking about, you know, dinner plans and their families were very close and, you know, there was just poor team written that he really I will what stand and stand on the hill with my musket.

you know, right at the ready, you know, to defend you against all things immunity.

Interviewed McLean, I believe he was coming out of a dinner and the he had been questioned by the feds asked what turn on the speaker and he said no, yeah.

He said, you know, would an act of betrayal, not only against Madigan but against himself.

>> And so it was really surprising to hear Matic and say you they weren't friends, but >> the thing was that the juror said that that was that you know, it created a mixed bag from attic.

And because then it became created the storm where they could hear with their own years.

How these 2 interact and how many dinners they went to together.

And yet.

It affected credibility.

You know, man was the real problem.

He also talked about helping out a woman.

He said that he met at a block party, said this was just somebody might randomly try to help her get a job.

The Fed said hammered on this and is it later turned out she was the wife of an alderman.

This was a politically connected person.

>> That meeting already knew he didn't just meet her at a block party.

And jurors heard that put some doubt in your mind together that he's telling the complete truth when he's up there seems like it very unforced error there for somebody that had this reputation of >> playing chess when everybody else is playing checkers.

The adage I've heard I don't know how many times since I started covering Illinois politics.

What do you make of that?

That Madigan who was supposed to be smarter, wrote the rules.

It's now in trouble for breaking them.

>> Well, I guess the I guess but the interpretation is or the lesson is, is that everyone it comes to you eventually.

And even if you've been doing it for decades, even if you wrote the rules yourself, even if you are so detail oriented you thought you had every single contingency covered eventually.

Over a long enough time Horizon.

You make a mistake and that's what happened, especially when the feds are listening.

Well, and when you consider, I think on the stand for 4 days, right?

>> That's a lot of time.

A lot of room to be making unforced error.

speaking of time, Dave, how did met again last so long in the Sun-Times broke this story that Alderman Danny Solis was cooperating with the feds back January of 2019.

>> And then he denied.

We heard that tape earlier back in October of 2019, that Madigan said he was not a target of anything.

And then 6 months till after the ComEd Deferred Prosecution agreement, he lasted the speaker of the House.

How?

>> Well, I mean, was just sort of a drip, drip, drip effect, because, you know, you fast-forward from that point to to the summer of 2020 and that's one the Deferred prosecution agreement with ComEd came out with 8 that the whole scheme involving these go subcontractors and Madigan and the bribery all kind of came to light and it put pressure on a Madigan in a way that he had scrutiny on him in a way never before had to deal with.

There was a there was a committee that was formed in the House.

The Republicans pushed hard to get there to to investigate what was in that deferred prosecution agreement with comment how did he stick around?

I mean, there was an example where we're Democrats, including that the House speaker does that now House shared that committee.

You know, they wouldn't.

They blocked Madigan from testifying in front of this committee.

They they have they shut the committee down before.

There are any sanctions given against Madigan.

And so, you know, it was just you know, death by 1000 cuts politically for him.

And then finally had to go.

>> You know, we cannot escape the irony that has met again faces really his ruin.

Former Governor Rod Blagojevich this week was pardoned.

Now they were both Democrats, but they did not get along.

So first of all, what is the practical impact of apartment?

>> The practical impact of a part of Boyd to Rod Blagojevich.

Is that his record is clean all that stuff remember from 16 years ago, bleeping golden, the tapes, all that it's it's off the books for him now.

He was impeached and removed from office.

So he cannot run for a statewide office again, however, because his record is clean, that could set him up to run for Senate in Twenty-twenty 6.

He could run for his old House seat if you wanted to.

So he can't run for federal office and it would be key.

I wonder if those gears are turning in his head right now, making another run for it and possibly getting that Senate seat, that not enough that Senate seat specifically, but that position in the U.S. Senate that he was thinking about 16 years ago when Barack Obama was like the president, he would not be surprised.

He's never turned off that the politician in himself.

>> Let's hear from President Trump has to his reasoning.

Trump saying that that was set up.

>> It was Ed sort of a terrible injustice.

They just were after him.

They go after a lot of people.

a bit people that the other so I think is a a just a very fine person.

They fake charges and the big lie was told.

>> By the prosecutor in his office that did to me and my family what they did.

But it's over.

President Trump saw what happened.

And I would just think it is that when someone goes to something like we went through and he's gone through what he's gone through.

It creates a certain understanding.

>> Blagojevich, Dave, never apologized peers he didn't need to.

That seemed like the same Blagojevich that you covered as governor.

Well, I mean, you know, he had his sentencing.

He did apologize in federal court when he was trying to win mercy from former judge.

The late former judge James Zagel.

>> That sounded just like him.

But but, you know, let's let's not forget that that case.

And he was tried twice.

Both instances resulted in convictions.

The first case was just one.

But then other with 17 counts.

And so a jury of 12 people look at those counts and decided he was guilty of them.

So, you know the argument about things being, you know, trumped up and use that word here.

But the idea that these charges were were embellished or whatever.

I mean, a jury had a chance to to look at that and decide as did his peers.

And it was nearly unanimous in the legislature.

Only member of the legislature and that was his sister-in-law.

>> Voted with Blagojevich at the time in terms of his removal from office.

Know, Matt Blagojevich, Trump, of course, talking about the weaponization of justice.

And this comes as you have and the attorney general of the United States now putting on pressure to drop corruption charges against New York's mayor up is this the end of the U.S. attorney's office going after politicians.

When you have president sees this as the weaponization of the Department of Justice.

I don't think it'll be the end, but we'll see probably changes and how it's done.

I was down.

It was very interesting that the Madigan trials going on while these >> changes are happening in Washington and just to see a federal prosecution go this way they might not look like this for quite awhile with a lot U.S. attorneys prosecuting these types of cases are looking into corruption cases like like the dropped charges against Eric.

>> Adams in New York, possible there's less of these cases.

I don't think they'll ever be 0 of that.

Now.

>> All right.

Let's move on because Trump, of course, been very busy otherwise in he Oval Office, he's already held up some federal money promised to organizations and 2 governments.

And that has Illinois leaders, including Governor JB Pritzker, wary.

So Adrianna over to you.

The governor now stalling the project that is meant to keep invasive carp from reaching the Great Lakes.

What is this project?

This project going to be located at Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Joliet.

idea is to lay are some technologies to stop invasive carp from going upstream.

And that includes a bubble barrier sound barrier a couple bubble and found barriers but also flushing lack.

So a lot of different things to really have that like last.

>> Sort of line of defense against them because currently we're relying on electric barriers, barriers in Romeoville that are not very reliable in these carper.

Kobe is Illinois has renamed them.

>> Are particularly dangerous.

Yes, well, the problem with Kobe is Silver Carp specifically is that they are bottom feeders.

So they feed off of playing time, mostly.

And that means that they can out compete and starved native fish and mussel populations, which would be would a lot of negative impacts on the fishing industry in the Great Lakes.

The other problem is that something that biology got scary easily?

When there's a loud noise from like boats.

So I actually had the chance to go to downstream inland Illinois River to the village Bath where they already are infested with silver carp and when you got boats, they really fly out of the 8 like the jump.

They can jump as high as 5 feet and they can hurt people.

I too have been good at that.

masks and that there.

>> Really big in Hardin spiking, although events what does this signify to you that Illinois is going to hold up other projects that this is this is one but more federal funding could be either held or that Illinois is going to be fearful of I think that's the question mark.

For every federal outlay to the state of Illinois, that's already been.

>> Appropriated and approved by the Congress to be spent in the state of Illinois.

And we talk about the Asian carp mitigation, but also >> the red line expansion to 100 30th Street.

That's another big question you know, Metro got some federal money to buy those a self-propelled battery powered railcars.

What's going to happen with that?

They're supposed to be delivered in 2028.

So until we got a handle or until the courts make rulings on some of the questions regarding the funding spigot from Washington.

There will be a lot of question marks about nearly every federal out late to the state.

Adrienne, why this project the many areas of certainty and wear state government depends on federal money flowing down.

>> Why do you suppose this Brandon Road, cart?

It projects was the one that was chosen to be paused while it's my understanding from the governor's office that currently the Illinois Department of Natural Resources doesn't have access to.

>> 170 million dollars of federal funding for different infrastructure projects across the state.

So it's like 70 projects in terms of like cleaning up old mines.

And in this case, it has an itself halted the Brandon Road project.

It's probably one of the most expensive infrastructure products at the IDNR has been involved in and the thing is that right now the funding for the first phase of the project is located.

It is already available.

issue is that because there's no certainty that the next few rounds of construction, we'll get the necessary.

Federal funding has already been allocated by Congress.

the concern from JB Pritzker is that there's they're not gonna be able get it and the future you now and when it's I was already approved for project.

So their pass saying right now any kind of property closing.

So the state doesn't own some of the property where need to do some construction so they can't pass it on to the federal government to.

Continue that first phase of construction.

All right.

From the shores of Juliet.

Now to the marble floors of City Hall.

Mayor Brandon Johnson this week said that.

>> His biggest regret was keeping on disloyal holdovers.

He said if you ate with us, you got to go rabbit punch to that.

>> Well, in the that there are so many different ways of saying trouble the administration and I guess having a hard reboot have at the halfway point is not going to disabuse anyone of the notion that they're not entirely in control of things at City Hall and which is which is so bizarre about this statement now is that normally new administration, you're bringing your own people and it I think there may be a lot of a lot of analysts, myself included.

thought that maybe bringing on some people who had experience in the Lightfoot administration or the Emanuel Administration even the Daley administration was a sign that maybe was conciliatory.

Maybe he was reaching out to the Chicago ones who didn't vote for him or didn't vote at all.

But clearly he feels now that 14, 15% approval that some of these to be blamed for it.

And it's the people he inherited when he came in.

And 23.

>> And so within days of that, we have seen some turnover.

A lot of people paying attention to aviation commissioner, Jamie Rhee, who is supposedly retiring and >> folks not its yet.

It's all a coincidence.

Everyone was intending on retiring before this announcement was made earlier this week.

The aviation, departure is comes at a very critical time for the O'Hare Airport expansion project.

They were able to get the buy-in from United and American late last year.

So that was a crucial turning point.

But you're not there yet.

And this is also a very curious departure, a given that that United Airlines Denver story got some traction earlier this week.

United Airlines Building a pilot training facility in Denver, Denver, one of their major hubs and the plans for this pilot training facility could potentially be built out for office buildings to accommodate 5,000 people.

The same 5,000 people who currently work at the Willis Tower.

there is it's it's a pretty precarious moment for aviation in the city that the commissioner go away be a huge loss for Chicago, of course, to lose.

United know.

Speaking of >> Matt changeover, CPS, Chief Pedro Martinez fought so hard to keep his job.

But now we hear that he is in the running for another lead and position as the superintendent's, another holdover from the wife administration, who's now been forced out.

He his time in Chicago is coming to an end.

I think whatever fighting he wanted to do and his lawsuits going to keep going on against the city and school district in the he knows he's moving on.

So this is another job in Nevada that he's looking at.

He has experience out there in the past.

He's fight so hard to keep his job if he was going to he had lost it And I think it only makes sense to have another thing.

And he's has 6 months now of where he's going to be paid east on the to look elsewhere, to make sense to do that.

If he wants to leave early, he could do that as well.

Of course, there's some major, major work left to be done in Chicago with CPS and the teachers union contract that needs to be finalized.

>> If that's done before he leaves, that remains to be seen.

But it's a natural jumping spot for a place history.

And we said his kids were born in Nevada out there.

So it's another spot where he's going to go and have a similar job, slightly smaller district.

But it may make sense.

>> Something else that is spelled trouble for the Johnson administration is questions over letting the inspector general into this apparent gift closet where folks that want to give something to the Mayor Johnson or prior administrations as well could do so.

We got a glimpse into that closet this week.

Me I asked Dave, what is the point of showing a video letting folks >> Well, I guess to show some level of transparency, but that certainly, you know, does it do it for you?

It does not clicked for me, but but, you know, looks like they need good graphs ale when I when I see pictures there.

>> It does not.

Rob.

This inspector general.

And there's also a new cataloging that the got.

The mayor has said that he is going to We also the inspector general pushing back on both Johnson and his predecessor, the late for the ministrations working with them, but apparently trying to obstruct investigations.

Yeah, I think the inspector general believe that the mayor's office was trying to put its thumb on the scale and certain investigations by having.

>> A representative of the city's law department sit in on certain investigative interviews and that this person from the law department was not representing the interviewee, but just kind there representing the city.

So they weren't.

So there was a that the it is obvious that there was a chilling effect by having the city lawyer there and that would influence the interviewee on what they were trying to say.

And as to what some of those they weren't hinted that specifically.

But you could you could take a look at the language and I guess one of them pointed directly to the valleys contract for the casino.

>> Evidently, these were investigations that the mayor might find We're going to leave it there.

This was anything.

But and they're we are, however, out of time.

Our thanks to Dave McKinney, Adriana Perez, Rob Heart and Matt Masterson.

We will be back to wrap things up right after this.

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

The Pope Brothers Foundation, additional support is provided by.

>> And that is our show for this Friday night.

Join us Monday night at 5, 30 10 for the launch of firsthand peacekeepers.

We talk with local residents and stakeholders working to create peace in Chicago's neighborhoods.

>> Now for the weekend in Divinity.

Thanks for watching.

Stay healthy and safe happy Valentine's Day.

Alright, Adriana over to you.

Because we are all talking about the price of eggs.

But of course, there's something behind that next.

The avian flu and fears that it could transfer to humans.

What it concerns you have in Chicago, particularly now with a secretary of health and Human Services doesn't believe in vaccine mandates.

>> That's a very good question.

I think that's still to be seen.

There's now >> documented cases I think the bird going from person to person.

But so is a concern to with hats, you know, and when a lot birds and Red Crescent and answers kind washed ashore on like that and the other day weeks ago, lot of pets nearby.

You know, we have a lot of people walk their dogs, which is, you know, making sure that they're not getting close to the dead birds and that, you know, you're clean their feet.

When you go back home and they also don't pick them up.

You reported on the list virtual.

Yeah, there, you currents of matter is that.

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