>> Good evening and thanks for joining us on the weekend review.

I'm Nick Lumber.

>> South West Siders cry out for help after multiple rounds of damaging storms and flooding.

>> We keep hearing the same question.

Why does keep happening to U.S.?

>> Officials say climate change is exacerbating already shoddy infrastructure on the city's south and west sides.

I think having an independent commission is a good idea.

It has to be done on a national basis with a new push for independent redistricting underway.

Governor JB Pritzker says Democrats would be unilaterally disarming themselves if Illinois goes it alone, every time visit airport.

And every time we invest in this airport.

>> We invest in jobs.

We invest in our neighborhoods.

>> Officials celebrate groundbreaking for a shiny new O'Hare concourse.

Plus, Senator Durbin demands answers about the axing 17 immigration judges.

The RTA, I stop gap funding to keep buses and trains in service early next year.

And a Chicago based group of pediatricians buck CDC recommendations urging COVID shots for kids.

>> And now to our week in review panel.

Joining us are Jon Platt's from Crain's Chicago Business Talia Soglin from the Chicago Tribune.

So if you Sherry from the Chicago Sun-Times and Michael from WBEZ, thank you all for being here.

Let's get right to it.

So we should mention first off tonight, we heard President Donald Trump earlier today using not for the first time that Chicago would probably be the next place he sends in troops as a police force, which many people, including the governor and the mayor say he has no authority to do so if you share, it's not the first time he's mentioned this to you think he'll actually go through with it?

>> Well, see, I mean, I think the mayor's right to, as you said a statement, take this seriously.

We're seeing what's playing out in DC.

I mean, residents are on edge.

There's been tense confrontations.

The administration's claim to rest over 600 people.

But we don't know much about those arrests.

Who's doing the arresting.

And I think a lot of those uncertainties should be cause for concern.

And, you know, we heard the president There's all sorts of outcry for this from Chicago residents.

I don't know that that's actually borne out it's not something that I feel like the reporting has right.

I don't know if that's what we're hearing on the streets.

I think risk or double down on that.

His statement said that's not what Chicago is asking for say people will keeping very close eye on this.

>> We'll make a Chicagoans have gotten slammed with thunderstorms and flooding in recent days, especially as we mentioned on the southwest side.

Why are some areas facing so much more of this issue than others?

You know, that's a good question because of the tunnel project with will to alleviate some of this.

And we're not really sure why.

And is just.

>> A lot of basements.

You do just have a lot of old infrastructure, right?

But you're getting more and more.

These torrential rains.

So you have people who know the system just can't handle.

I guess 5 inches to 8 inches of water and and just a short period of time.

So you've got.

>> lot of people just lost everything.

So they're hoping the the state and the federal government will to clear the area.

disaster area to get some >> needed funding.

But they're not confident about I mean, it especially given, you know, Trump's stance towards Chicago.

It could make it very difficult to get a federal.

That's absolutely right.

Exactly.

Because he might put in things like, oh, well, if you're undocumented and immigration status and you know, the city wants to help as many people as they can.

The state will probably kick in some money no problem.

Well, on the federal level, it was tough to get money even under the Biden administration.

Now you've got Trump the whole different ballgame.

Yeah.

We heard from, you know, West Siders in Austin that got hit in a couple years back took forever and ever to get the money so that relief >> may not be immediately forthcoming.

Exactly.

That's right.

Because they you've got to fill in all the surveys there's a time period, the which you have to do it.

>> they are not.

I mean, it's going to it's going to be a long time.

Meanwhile, you've got people who lost everything, furniture, clothing and school supplies.

Yeah.

about the worst time of year to to lose those were, you know, tell you, we heard the RTA passed a measure this week aimed at delaying service cuts for Chicago area transit.

What are the details there?

>> Yes, so with the RTA did this week was kind of the last thing it could do to move the fiscal cliff for CTA back at all.

Cta was set to hit its cliff before Metra and pace.

So what did was they took some discretionary money, 74 million dollars that would have gone to Matt Ryan Pace last year and they gave it to CTA.

The idea being that pushes serious, catastrophic, really unfathomable loss cuts in Chicago next year.

It back 2 or 3 months.

So that lawmakers who failed to pass any funding for transit during our spring session can hopefully do it during veto session October.

>> Well, you know, how about that with, you know, with state lawmakers, John, you know, not coming back for a special session to deal with transit.

They do say this is, you know, top of their list for the veto session in October.

We have good sense of how close they might be to a deal.

>> Well, Campbell, this week is one of co-chairs of that of the working group for Transit in the House said he thinks are really close.

But everybody thought they were really close right after the session ended.

You the governor also indicated that, you know, they think the fee to the veto session is the place this is going to happen.

I think one of the things that the RTA is action does is buys them a little bit more time in in terms of exactly.

When they have to get this done.

So you everybody seems to be, you know, suggesting they think they can get this done over 6 days.

And, you know, 2 weeks in October, we'll see if that happens over the course of several months.

They didn't people and one of the things kind discussed there things that they need 3 fifths to pass, something that will take effect before June of next year.

And then even if you pass something, it takes a lot of time.

You know, if you have a new tax, a new revenue stream to actually generate enough dollars.

>> Right.

And that's something that the various transit agencies have been pointing out.

>> In fact, I think that was the big reason that the RTA did what it did.

>> One of the board members said that without that, even though you don't hit he might not hit fiscal cliff or the CTA until 2026, those layoff notices would start going out in December.

So they they probably don't have as much time as they think.

And that may be part of the problem.

There was a real discussion among RTA board members.

doing what they did you know, kind stave off the problem.

They also, you know, keep kicking the can and perhaps.

At some point they need to light a fire under the legislators.

>> course, there's also the issue that they're going to have to start having public hearings about the potential impact of service I would imagine the agencies they still have to start preparing for those.

absolutely preparing for those.

there was also discussion at this meeting about how people aren't gonna believe this is real and till they know.

>> Exactly.

Which bus stops, which bus routes, which whole sections of the aisle are going to go away.

So that'll happen during hearings get that's not anything looking forward to.

think.

But it does.

It does change the conversation for everybody who's been waiting.

>> Wondering when is this going to happen?

Perhaps that's when things happens.

When you know, when you're up against the clock and you've got to do Yeah, it's nothing like a deadline to people as journalists.

well, speaking of, you know, another big fiscal cliff, Michael CPS, students back in school.

>> With more than half the school board calling for some big changes to the budget as proposed.

There's a vote on the 29th spending.

Authority runs vote on the 28th rather and then spending authority runs out on the 29th.

You know, the mayor said, you know, he thinks there's not going to be a stalemate.

There's not going to be a shutdown.

Is he projecting confidence or do we think this may have been some movement there?

You not exactly my area he's so I'm going be I mean, you have to think that he's got a, you know, he doesn't want.

>> Parents and students and families to think that this is just hanging over them without any potential resolution.

But, you know, about half the board opposed.

There's clearly going to be some changes in the office, right?

I mean, I'm sure it's ideal certainly to start school year with this 734 million dollar gap.

And it seems that we just keep hitting different climax points.

I mean, we had.

Ctu and protests are going back and forth this week about again, if there's going to be any sort of action down in Springfield.

I mean, it seems that puts your doesn't disagree that there should be with just that there isn't the means to do that.

Works.

President Stacy Davis.

Gates obviously thinks otherwise.

thing that's part of the problem is that all of these issues in schools and transit and, you know, Medicaid, if they're going to something about that, it's a lot of different pressures and they're kind of being put competition each other.

CBS, of course, not the only school district that's under funded by the state's on formula.

So.

>> We will see where that goes.

California lawmakers just passed a congressional rematch of their own trying to counteract Texas is that one needs voter approval.

I can others.

A bipartisan effort underway in Illinois to end gerrymandering of legislative districts for the General Assembly.

do think there's much of an appetite for that given how polarized things are right now.

I think there is because the even at that press conference that was led by Bill Daley.

>> We're talking about even though they want these fair maps onto the state legislative districts, they understand why California is going this route.

bill that Illinois probably would have the right to do it.

But let's face it right now.

We got, you know, a 14 to 3 lead of Democrat the Republicans and 3 districts, you know, run by pretty popular Republicans.

So will they be able to use, you know, gerrymander these maps enough to get Democrats in there?

It seemed like a long shot.

You know, especially when you talk about, you know, you're trying to get away from this gerrymandering.

you know, it may be something that Illinois, California, New York decide to do.

I mean, Governor Pritzker, we heard said, you know, he's all for ending gerrymandering, but it has to be done nationwide.

Otherwise, Democrats are kind of >> putting themselves on the back foot.

Is that a fair way to describe That's right.

That's You know, if they're they're saying that >> You know is that Texas is not going to play fair.

Then Democrats have no recourse than to reciprocate on that.

But California is going to have a tough time to do to them past it.

Voters still have to approve it.

Illinois's, you know it out.

It's also very expensive to do that.

Call a special session.

Whatever you want to do, then were the voters in all this, the voters or should be the ones who are selecting their elected officials.

So they just may lose confidence in the entire system.

And if that happens, maybe you'll see even lower voter turnout, which is really not worth.

Sophie, a top lieutenant in Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill, Burke's Office.

Leave.

>> After just 8 months it has about that was unexpected move.

You know, read a bit of a shakeup in office.

>> Burke says it was unexpected move.

She says she brought in her top her first Assistant state's attorney and a team accomplished on to help sort of right the for the start of her tenure.

And it was always their understanding that she would leave once that work been done and as of Monday, Burke says those necessary restructurings have been completed sodium accomplices returning to private practice.

And what do we know about her successor?

Her successor crying Engel, Brett's comes the office.

He's also a 20 year veteran And most recently served as the chief of the juvenile Justice Pier over there.

So similar accomplish came in with obviously a ton of experience in and around that courthouse 15 years as a judge, 20th the prosecutor.

But a similar veteran of the office stepping up to the top post yet.

Clearly someone who knows way around the hallways there.

>> We also heard this week O'Neill Burke with celebrating that Governor Pritzker signed into law a measure that she had pushed for nonviolent low-level gun cases, kind of a diversion program.

Tell us a little bit about that.

Yeah, this was a measure championed by her office.

Also supported by state police and the Cook County Public defender's.

And it aims to make it easier for a certain group to get those licenses to legally own firearms and as you mentioned, this measure is going to apply to first-time nonviolent offenders were facing lowest level of gun possession charges and they'll be able to apply FOID card while completing a court-approved diversion program and hopefully if meeting all the requirements receive that card completion.

Well, John, the construction finally underway on a new O'Hare concourse adding 19 additional Gates.

>> First announced back in 2018.

Any idea took so long here in a couple of they need to do some work on Terminal 5 before they to because some people are moving from one terminal to another.

You had a pandemic in which you pretty much brought air travel to a home.

And then you also had you know, a real discussion coming out of the pandemic between the airlines and the city about what what was going to get billed when.

So all that together.

Yeah.

You you get several years down the road.

The good news is that this is the first of 3 major projects that are part of this overhaul and O'Hare.

And I think people are pretty eager.

The airlines, certainly Scott Kirby, the mayor and everybody else watching was with I think pretty happy to see it start to move forward You really won't see major work going on until next year.

The above ground work.

There's a lot of work going on.

Sort of behind the scenes are underground this year.

Italians, John just mentioned, you know, this big 8.2 billion dollar redevelopment program at the airport.

>> Who's footing the bill for that?

>> Here are the airlines are paying for a lot of it.

And that was part of the conflict.

Is fear, you know, that they were going to run out of money basically before they can build beautiful, you know, main Jeanne King terminal.

So they ended up their building concourse t first and then well, they can start on the global terminal and faces and what are some of the major pieces there that we're looking for in terms of the redevelopment, some of the upgrades.

>> If you've seen the renderings there pretty pretty.

I don't think we've seen updated renderings not of the global term.

we've got we've got another look at what and what seems to be the final drawings for Concourse D, you know what was previously known the satellite terminal next to terminal one.

>> And they are striking really are what we haven't seen are any updated.

Looks at.

The biggest part of that project, which is a global terminal.

It replaces term onto that connects united and Americans terminals.

We still don't really know what what that looks like.

So we're you know, we're told it's TBD on the cost side.

One of the interesting questions will be.

Whether they build the second satellite foreigners.

you know, the airlines were were pretty firm that they said, well, if there's money, when all this is over, great filled it.

The city was very clear this week that they said were building it no matter what, we are going to build it.

We'll keep it on budget.

It's going to happen.

And we heard a lot as well for Mayor Johnson that they expect this to be a really big revenue generator.

>> Yeah, they do.

And I think what will be really interesting, though, is exactly what you're saying about the budget.

They said, you know, we've realize you know, cost savings and kind of utility system.

So things like heating and cooling storm water systems.

But this is, you know, going back to these discussions is there was, you know, some reporting last year may be their 1.5 billion, 2 billion over budget.

And if they've done that and what impact that would have on a final the other issue in terms of building that that last piece, the last satellite.

>> They're going to be the You're adding 19 new >> With with one concours, you have another.

24 with the second Concours.

At some point.

Terminal 2 is, you know, 40 odd games that that they're replacing.

You may very well need those those extra gates at some point.

>> because nobody likes in O'Hare DeLay and they are not shy about being vocal when it Will Michael, we heard from Senator Durbin this week demanding some answers from Attorney General Pam Bondi about 17 immigration judges who were fired, of course, because of the way the system is structured, the DOJ does oversee those judges and can fire them.

You know, Durbin looking for here, is he really, really expecting much from an attorney general who is also not a big fan Well, I think he seen that there's politics in play.

They want to put pressure on the enemy.

There should be some semblance of fairness.

>> When you go to these immigration courts, right, and the judge, is it supposed to be there even though they are employed by the Justice Department?

I e the Trump administration, you should feel like you're getting a fair shake and we're seeing a lot of some of the judges who are pushing back on having some of these clients show up and getting arrested right then and there when they're obligated to show up in court.

I've talked of attorneys who worked in immigration court, even a former immigration judge, a had a chance to speak with.

So their feeling the pressure to almost bypass due process and and I think Durbin just wants to put some of the pressure on there that 3rd, this is not happening in a vacuum.

This is very real that the Justice Department is pushing out.

Judges.

And we've heard from some of those judges as well who are saying, you know, I wasn't given cause for my firing or this what you know, there.

>> And some of them are pushing to get their jobs back.

That Absolutely.

All right.

I mean, there are some issues there with clients there.

>> The it's a very convoluted, complicated process.

When some of the defendants go in there, they're scared.

They're worried.

Some of them are trying to do it by video phone.

But when they go in there, they're doing they're playing everything by the book.

People say, well, you got to do it by the right way to come in tie the United States.

A lot of them are doing that right.

And they're defending themselves being arrested and some of the judges are pushing back on so they're not taking the direct directives by the Trump administration or Pam Bondi to do it a certain way.

So that's why a lot of them are facing firing now.

>> Well, Sophia, we heard this week about the autopsy results from Officer Crystal Rivera who was accidentally shot and killed on the job would be learned there.

>> Yeah, well, we learned a summit of assume that that a bullet struck her in the back and became locks or torso.

As you mentioned, we know that that bullet came from her partner on the 2 were pursuing a man into an apartment building when they encountered another man with a rifle.

This is the first Chicago police officer shot by a fellow officer and nearly 40 years and although we have the autopsy results, there's still a lot of unanswered questions that remain family attorney been asking for greater transparency throughout the process and have raised concerns about bias the investigation.

>> And of course, you know, we saw the officer who fired on her stripped of his police powers for an unrelated incident.

So have to imagine there's a lot of frustration with the family there that the process.

Yeah, no, absolutely.

I think that that's just added.

I mean, they were already calling for greater action from CPD.

Obviously he was stripped for in on somewhat unrelated incident.

But yeah, still calls from to be more included in this process and have greater accountability from the CPD leadership.

Well, John, there was a report out about the the high environmental cost of these massive data centers springing up to support that the booming AI industry.

>> Early warning that they could deplete water supplies.

What are the concerns there?

>> issues that, you know, they use as much as much water almost electricity.

You I think people are well aware of the electricity being used by data centers.

What you've heard less about is the water.

And as the data centers get bigger, the question is no are how much water you're going to Paul.

What's happening, though, is that the data are getting much more efficient.

They're getting bigger.

But the company's building them are also and they we'll focus on trying to eliminate, trying to cut down on electricity, use but also the water usage.

But, you know, gives you want.

It's one more thing to think about, as you know, states like Illinois.

Look at.

You know, just how how many of these you want to attract?

Because the electricity issue that we've all seen.

Israel strain.

And now you've also got to think about the water resources gives you a lot to think about it, saying, you know, do you really want to bet that heavy on data centers says as economic development tool.

Well, and, you know, one of the things that ice on some of the reporting is that it can be hard to find out exactly how much water they're using because >> some of them have confidentiality agreements with, you know, municipalities.

It is that some like particularly good governance.

If giving away the store to trying to track them.

Yeah, I mean, that's one of the problems is you don't really know how much water they're using.

>> And, you know, to be fair, some of the some of the systems that are used in data centers, our closed loop systems.

It's not like you're, you know, you're you're constantly drawing a ton of water in and pushing it back out.

But, you know, this is this has been a an economic development question for a long time, whether it was steel mills, refineries, you know, manufacturing facilities, battery plants.

Take your pick That's always a concern.

It's something that you need to think about.

But people are now starting to highlight in the very same way that we started talking about the energy usage of data centers.

You know, in the last 4 or 5 years.

Yeah.

Kind of a catch.

22 there.

>> tell you a national group of pediatricians based here in Chicago.

They're going against rewritten federal guidelines and recommending COVID vaccinations for children.

A confusing as.

This conflicting guidance for parents or do you think most folks just kind of have their mind made up one way or another?

>> I mean, I would I would guess so.

I feel like if you look to history and to science, we know that vaccines are good and prevent children from dying.

So I wasn't surprised to see that come from, you know, group of doctors.

I don't know terms of a personal decision, you know, it seems like people get pretty locked in.

>> Yeah, but I mean, you have to think with the Trump administration pulling back on a lot of this sort of established science.

Imagine we might see more and more of these sort you know, organizations, you medical organizations coming out and trying to counter man, some of that.

Absolutely, Nick.

I mean, it's very confusing, especially if you're a parent parent of a small children, you want to get the right information on there.

>> But it's just been sold.

A drastic pulled back by this administration on all kind of vaccine that cancer research, a medical research.

You just not.

No, you're not knowing where is this going?

House is making America great again.

So it's leaving parents, parents who are already very scared about giving anything to their children.

Now they're confused on It's it's tough for them.

>> Well, you did not confuse us.

You are a great panel.

But that is all the time that we have for tonight.

So hour, thanks to.

Jon Platt's.

Talia Soglin.

So if you Sherry and Michael and we're 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's our show for this Friday night.

You can stream that we can review and Chicago tonight on our W T Tw YouTube channel every evening and catch up on any programs you may have missed now for the weekend review.

I'm Nick Blumberg.

Thank you for watching.

Stay healthy, stay safe and stay informed.

Have a great weekend.

>> All right.

City council committee, they have launched a survey on everybody's piece of city life and that is first.

>> Speed what do you what do you think looking to learn their?

You think they're going to get an earful on this?

like you have to imagine that no one wants to see more of these.

But, you know, the argument that I've heard from all the people is that this is a fair way to to try and and reduce people speeds on the roads that if you think that argument necessarily breakthrough, no crowdsourcing speed cameras as a and you have to see that there's going to be a lot of people that say this is OK, just don't put it on my place on my back Yeah.

Exactly.

survey results from It might get some salty and to >> Okay.

We also heard this week, speaking of speeding, NASCAR will be back but they will be in Joliet.

Why didn't they just go there in the first place in such setting downtown town?

>> does seem like an awfully long, expensive journey to get right back where they started anybody excited anybody planning that's check out the races when they're one of the few people actually enjoy the street race downtown Chicago.

I don't live down there about night that it was a cool experience.

But I think what it for NASCAR that there is a strong market for NASCAR for auto racing in the Chicago.

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