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

I'm Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

Look, one McDonald's death sparked calls for change where police reform efforts stand.

10 years later.

And inside the courtroom during Donald Trump's hush money trial.

What one longtime journalist learned about the candidates in the state of America's democracy.

>> Now to some of today's top stories, Chicago has less than 300 million dollars in federal COVID relief funds remaining.

According to an analysis by W T Tw News City officials have until 2026 to spend all of the federal funds.

Chicago got to repair the damage caused by the pandemic.

However, the money must be budgeted by the end of this year.

It comes as city leaders are facing a budget gap of 223 million dollars this year and nearly a billion dollar deficit in 2025.

Mayor Brandon Johnson is set to lay out his budget plan on Wednesday.

The head of Chicago's 40 is stepping down.

Ceo Tracy Scott announces her departure amid growing criticism the CA J.

He's not done enough to address the city's affordable housing shortage.

Scott will leave the agency on Friday after more than 4 and a half years.

Angela, her locked share of the board will serve as the agency's interim CEO.

A spokesperson for Mayor Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Okay.

City Council committee is advancing Mayor Brandon Johnson's nominees to serve on the regional Transportation Authority Board.

The 5 nominees are Natasha Jenkins.

Thomas could Jurickson mid Medina Dennis Montero and Nora Kaye.

Ryan.

If confirmed by the full City Council, the nominees would represent Chicago on the 16 member board for 5 years.

The RTA which oversees finances for the CTA, Metra and Pace facing a 730 million dollar deficit in 20.

26.

The massive budget gap is sparking proposals to merge the Chicago area's 3 separate transit agencies.

Officials say without a solution to the fiscal crisis, agencies will have no choice.

to start planning for service cuts of up to 40%.

Nearly 80 employees who work at a Pepsi production facility on the South side might be out of a job at the end of the year.

That's because PepsiCo says it's planning to stop operations at its only Chicago location near 51st and Halsted Teamsters local 7.20, sevens as employees received the news this morning but say the company's move is unlawful.

In a statement, PepsiCo says the more than 60 year-old building has physical limitations and that the plan to shutter does, in fact, meet legal requirements.

The union says it's hoping to meet with the company this week to discuss the move.

Coming up, an update on the status of police reforms in Chicago in Jeannette Young joins us 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 donors.

>> Chicago, this month marks the 10th year since the murder of teenager Laquan McDonald by Police officer Jason Van in the days and weeks after his death was brought to light, community members pushed for reforms.

But advocates say efforts to hold the Chicago Police Department more accountable and to change the way officers interact with residents haven't shown much progress.

Here now with more is Anjanette Young founder of the Eye and her foundation in Jeanette.

Thank you for joining us.

Welcome to studio.

Thank you.

So first, it you know, we mention the 10 year anniversary of Laquan McDonald, a murder.

It was last week earlier this year was the 5th anniversary the anniversary.

But the 5th year since your own trauma, which was, of course, the raid on your home.

>> Have you seen CPD make improvements over these 5 to 10 years with regards to holding officers accountable?

Absolutely have him opportunity to speak on this matter.

>> But several officials around the city and one of things often share with them is that individuals like myself and other family members who are the ones that are being harmed by timing is an issue is with luck or McDonald.

It's been 10 years for myself now.

It's been 5 years.

And yet we're still waiting for some tangible action from the consent decree.

And we know that the police department says in monitor, the federally appointed monitor says that the department has met.

>> Fully met or isn't fully full compliance with just 7%.

I think it's a greater percentage with partial compliance and so on.

And of course, the consent decree it governs how the police department should make those reforms.

And it came in the wake of luck one's murder in 2017 and that entire scandal.

You know, the small amount of progress that has been made.

Do you think that's making any difference?

Not at all.

And I'm not really sure where they get the numbers from to say that there has been some crop progress at this point.

>> Because the community is not seen any changes at all.

When we think about and and and how he was murdered in the street and shot 16 times so aggressively by.

>> Chicago Police Department and then get even dish.

Just this year.

We had grief.

>> All right.

And in that young man was shot 96 times.

And 41 seconds that so excessive.

>> And so to see police officers still harming the community to the way they have.

The community is not seeing any chance tangible change, although there reporting in the data that there has been some some change in the data.

>> After the raid on know your home.

Of course, you called for reforms specifically with the way police execute a no-knock warrants.

Would you like to Right now?

very disappointed in our current administration with our current mayor, Brandon Jensen, Lori Lightfoot was in office, she didn't do very to make reforms.

She put an executive order in place.

But for those of you who know what an executive order is, is just a document can be changed at any time.

It's It's not set in Stone is something anyone can come and change the rules around the executive order as well as we have not seen the police department make any reports about how the executive order is going or any other of the items that is in consent decree.

So I'm very disappointed at this time when I chose to support Brandon Johnson as a candidate for mayor, he and I specifically talked about what that would mean for me for me to publicly support him.

And and share with him, my desire in my passion, in my commitment to making change around the way the police interact with the black and brown community.

And things haven't happened yet in Mayor Johnson is now in his second year actually going into his 3rd year nothing tangible has happened.

And you initially had faith in Absolutely have faith in him.

When we talked about this and I've had several conversations with him with him personally and his office about my desire to continue to push for police reform and even this past year, I always speak on the anniversary of the rain and he came out publicly in put a statement from his office saying that he still supported it and was committed to working with me to make change.

But as of right now, those things haven't happened.

There were efforts to get an ordinance through city council.

It didn't make it.

Why do you think progress has been slow?

So the efforts and city council did go forward because they were there just people in the city council who are pro police.

They do not believe that to put the police did anything wrong.

Denies it.

They were in my home and they don't feel like the things that we were x and 4 in it.

ordinance were things that they could support.

And so it kind of died.

And city council.

And so that's why Mayor Johnson was a candidate, I went directly to him to say, okay, when you become mayor, we don't need a majority vote in City Council.

These are things that you could push yourself he was committed to a bit that time at that time.

But right now those things haven't happened.

And of course, anybody look, just to remind our viewers, you know, anybody who seen the video from the raid on your home, which was brought to light by our colleagues CBS 2.

It anybody watching would have had a visceral reaction to what you were experiencing and what you are going through being, you >> You know, your home is basically barricade, whatnot, barricaded, but the officers busting through your door basically on while you're changing clothes.

you know, when around your apartment for a while without without helping you and getting you something to cover yourself as you're pleading with them, letting them know that they were they had the wrong home, Do you think that, you know, the the consent decree expanding to include the war in searches?

Do you think that's helped or hurt your efforts?

I don't think either.

And so it's a positive that it was added into this consent decree, however, is a negative.

If we never.

>> we'd never hold a consent decree to tangible outcomes.

And as of right now, the can says consent decree is just a piece of paper because there are no tangible outcomes that has been produced to the public to say that the consent decree is a good you've also been in touch with CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling.

He's been on the job for just over a year.

Do you have?

>> Faith in his ability to make change on this?

So yes, I've had personal conversations superintendents knowing.

>> And he he verbalize is a commitment to work with me.

What it would look like to hold officers accountable.

Wanted to specific questions that text him is by him being the head of the police department wears his commitment in whatever the mayor and I could come to an agreement on because we know that he would have to have a commitment order for his officers to dance actually follow through on the things that we put in place.

And so he reported a commitment to work with me on those things.

However, that meeting with him was Spring.

So before the DNC and we all agreed that we needed to let the DNC, you know, go pass because there is so much going on and that we're going to be back at the table.

However, at this time as X for meetings and those meetings have happened at this time, you have a background in social work you have since started the eye and her foundation.

You said because you saw the parallels between your story.

>> And that of Breonna Taylor who was also killed by police in her apartment in Kentucky.

What are the parallels that you saw so the way, Brianna, Taylor was murdered in her home the way the police came to her home and kicked the door the way they.

>> They shot up her home.

I felt same parallel when when and what happened in my home and what was Disheartening for me is that my home had been raided 13 months prior to Breonna Taylor and no one really heard of my story.

And this wasn't because I wasn't telling my story is because we didn't have body-cam footage.

So no one was really taken story seriously.

And that's a lot to be said about how media reports as well.

So they didn't have a video to show.

So nobody really took my story that seriously.

However, when I saw Breonna Taylor store, I was like that just happened to me last year.

And so I started wearing a T-shirt.

With Breonna Taylor's face on it.

So when ideas start to make some public speaking and unable to get in front of the public, I wore t-shirt and they just said I am her because I wanted people to know that they very thing that happened to Breonna.

Taylor had happened to me as well.

Did you think your story could have gone differently?

totally think my story could have differently is anybody did have followed the from the very beginning.

It happened in February of 19.

We initially did a story in November of 19.

We didn't have body camera footage at that time.

And so the story really didn't do very far.

And so I'd gone all of these months, you know, agonizing fighting with the city through my team to get some traction on my story.

And it's unfortunate that it wasn't until we got the video and December of 20, any war really paid attention to what it happened to and how would you say your life has changed since this rate?

Everything about my life is change my ability to trust and in our police department system has completely changed the work that I do as a social worker has changed before this rate.

I was a social worker that primarily did direct practice working with families around mental health in direct services.

And now my work is more of advocacy policy change.

So this The way I live my life and who I my personal circle.

All of those things have changed.

My life would never be the same as it was before this.

Of course, there's trauma that you experienced and I imagine has an impact.

But you're going to turning your pain into purpose.

We've got just a few seconds left.

Tell me about the work that the I am.

Her foundation does.

So the purpose of the eye and her foundation is to provide resource, reduce barriers and provide resources to therapy.

I understand that nor my time to go into therapy was a key component to my healing journey at after the trauma.

And so I want to be able to give back to others who have those same experiences.

We understand that in the black community to access to therapy is a huge, for many people.

And so with and her foundation, I want to be able to able to to get access to that within the support that they need because everybody can afford it.

Absolutely.

They're OK, Anjanette Young.

Thank you so much that I am her foundation.

Thank you so much for joining us.

We appreciate it.

Thank you.

And up next, Amanda Vicki with a front row seat to history as a journalist takes us inside the courtroom for Trump's hush money trial.

Stay with >> America has a big and historic choice to make.

Who will be the next president.

>> The first woman or the first convicted felon earlier this year.

Author Jonathan Alter who grew up in Chicago was among a small group of journalists in the courtroom for former President Donald Trump's conviction for illegally concealing hush money payments to adult film star.

Alter wrote a book on it called American Reckoning Inside Trump's trial and my own and he joins us now with more.

Jonathan, thanks so much.

Snow.

You grew up again in Chicago.

He says a blue block, but really much of Illinois otherwise.

And of course, we've got battleground states as our neighbors, heavily Republican.

So outside of the candidates themselves, do you feel like we are at a point in America where there is a divide and is there a risk of it becoming irreparable?

Well, I wouldn't that far, but we're clearly tremendously divided.

And this is a national moment of truth.

This is the most significant election.

I would argue.

>> Since another Illinois native Abraham Lincoln ran for re-election in 18, 64.

That's how big the stakes are.

It's really about what kind of country do we want to be when you have?

Donald Trump's former chief of staff, retired general and his former top military commander, the chair of the Joint Chiefs.

Both saying he is a fascist, does not believe in our system of government and he's this close to going back to the presidency.

And that's what they learned for morning.

Was there the last time this is a a crisis is an American crisis.

So the question becomes.

What do all of us do about it?

And in the book, in addition to covering the trial, I write about when Franklin Roosevelt was president and he he had people at the depths of the depression, hang decal in the window and and a blue eagle on it.

And it said underneath we do our part.

So what does each of our part?

So for me, it's bearing witness writing.

That's what I can Other people they can do all kinds of things beyond just voting.

They can use these Cole tools to call in the battleground states from the comfort of their own home.

They can go over the border into Wisconsin and help get out the vote.

There's a lot that people can do.

You need to stop wringing hands and start ringing doorbells to save our Republic.

You know, I think that you write in your book is well I guess it should be a point that American reckoning for you.

It's a double meaning.

It is that the reckoning and trumpet your own reckoning.

>> With what it means to be an American You write that you believe that there's an assault on your assumption that most Americans have common sense.

So is this beyond It's way beyond partisanship.

I mean, this is.

>> This is not shouldn't be about, you know, whether you want taxes to go up for the wealthy are down for whatever those are minor issues compared Our system of government.

I mean, we have a a candidate, Donald Trump who wants to use the military or the National Guard against American citizens.

>> Why do we have about half the country behind with?

This is the great puzzle that I try to sort through in the book.

And and I think that my reaction to what's happened in this country and to Trump's criminality.

I think it patterns reaction of a lot of people out there.

Not just Democrats, by the way, look at Liz Cheney.

Now there's quite a number of Republicans, including many conservative Republicans who don't believe Trump is a conservative, budget.

He's protectionist.

Also, he He doesn't at American values of freedom and democracy.

He wants to be a strong man.

He wants to be an American who so we have to ask ourselves.

What do we do it like how do we respond?

So let's affect you because you were one of the few people that had a window into this trial.

He got close to him.

What did you learn during the trial that?

>> Most Americans don't know.

It didn't have the opportunity to see because there were not cameras in the court.

The extent of his criminality he, you know, he was guilty on 34 counts and was 34 counts of the same offense.

But during the trial, we saw a picture of criminal operation.

And you know that they they they basically.

We're undertaking a conspiracy to change the 2016 election.

Everybody knows that he tried to stage a coup to overturn results of the 2020 election.

But this trial is about the 2016 election.

I barely scratched the surface.

The New York Times of the drama of this trial, like just imagine seeing this jury foreperson go guilty, guilty, guilty 34 times and they see Donald Trump.

He looks like he's been punched in the gut before he puts on his game face for the cameras and witnessing all of this.

and have witnessed a lot of stories 40 years in journalism.

This was a hugely dramatic moment.

And so I try to take the readers into the courtroom and really paint a picture of what was like in a very entertaining trial as well.

>> Your story and sort of your career is also connected to your mother broke barriers in Cook County politics.

And of course, this is a potentially historic election with the chance to see the first woman elected president of the United States.

No.

Let's look at a clip of a woman candidate >> in Cook County, it talking about the importance of representation.

This is from 1990.

>> I think it's important for our political establishment and our elected officials reflect our society.

And when we can put up and ticket completely man, Sheriff States, attorney, president of the County Board Assessor.

All men were not reflecting our society.

Now there are women who are qualified to run for higher office.

And I believe I'm one of those.

And I think that it's important for men and women to understand that we have to have a representative government and representative means young and old and black and white and men and women and presenting a ticket without any women on it is a disgrace.

I think in 1990.

>> There, of course, is your very own mother tear to What did you learn from her about sort of the travails of breaking gender barriers and what does that have for this race now just to be accurate, she lost that race for county that what she had previously 18 years.

Earlier in 1972.

>> She became the first woman elected to office in Cook County commissioner of district called the water Reclamation district and she broke barriers.

I kind of thought of her as like the Jackie Robinson of gender politics in Chicago.

But you know what I learned from her and she learn from a very brief meeting with Eleanor Roosevelt when she was in college is that you have to?

Think about how you're going to try to make a better world.

And that it's not enough to just.

Send it out and sure other things that you can do and people are very busy, but they have to take some time trying to work for social progress and some at least some time right now, if you are alive, she would be saying it's all hands on deck to try to save our democracy.

>> Now in your book briefly is well, speaking of another powerful woman, Nancy Pelosi, you had the opportunity really learn from her.

Her role in getting as a vice President Harris to be the Democratic Party nominee.

>> The story that I tell book, which is all new, does not come directly from her, but it comes from somebody very close to her and somebody very close to Joe Biden.

And it tells what I think is a very dramatic and historically important story of how she maneuvered Joe Biden off the ticket this past summer.

she did so with great skill.

It was a very deft operation at first she thought that the men, Schumer, you know, Jeffries Clinton.

Obama, that they were kind that the women had more courage to step forward and do it.

The Democratic Party needed, which was to get a candidate who could win and she achieved that.

It was it was very tough going and it cost her her 40 year friendship with Joe Biden.

If it wasn't for COVID.

I report for the first time in this book, Joe Biden would probably at the nominee today COVID I was told by somebody very close to him was the last straw and he was ready play out the clock and stay on the ticket.

You really did not want Bow out.

We will leave it there.

Thank you so much.

Once again, that is Jonathan Alter.

>> The book called American Reckoning Inside Trump's trial.

And Mayo.

And we're back to wrap things up right after this.

>> And that's our show for this Monday night.

Be sure to check out our W T Tw News Voter Guide.

It is a one-stop shop for everything you need to know before voting.

You'll find candidate profiles and questionnaires as well as key dates to know and how to find out if you're registered to vote.

It is all it W t Tw dot com slash voter guide and join us tomorrow night at 5, 30 10 Election Day is a week away.

Our spotlight politics team on what you should know before you cast your ballot and a Hail Mary.

Heartbreaker, aside a midseason look at where the Chicago Bears there it is.

Right there now for all of us here at Chicago tonight.

I'm Brandis Friedman.

Thank you for watching.

Stay healthy and safe.

>> We have a good night.

>> A close caption.

He's pass.

Why Robert?

A cliff and Clifford lull.

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