What A Day – "Chicago Fights Back" (November 4, 2025)

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This episode, hosted by Jane Coston, dives into the political battles surrounding Chicago in 2025, focusing on the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies, federal intervention in cities, and local leadership challenges. Jane’s central interview is with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who discusses Chicago’s response to federal crackdowns, crime, affordability, and the broader narrative war over America’s cities.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Federal Immigration Crackdown & Supreme Court Drama

• ICE Raids & Federal Intervention

  • Amid ongoing court hearings about whether Trump can send the National Guard to cities like Portland, Jane notes that Chicago has already experienced the ramifications of expanded ICE activity since September.
  • Reports of violent ICE raids on apartment buildings and detainment of immigrants (and even citizens) in overcrowded, unsanitary facilities ([01:20 - 02:25]).
  • Recent incident: Tear gas deployed by federal officials canceled a Halloween parade in Chicago ([01:55]).

• Trump’s Response

  • On “60 Minutes,” Trump asserts ICE hasn't "gone far enough":

    “No, I think they haven't gone far enough because we've been held back by... judges, by the liberal judges that were put in by Biden and by Obama.”
    (Donald Trump, [02:28])

2. Interview with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson

[Starts at 02:33]

Responding to Trump’s Narrative on Crime

• Chicago’s Crime Trends

  • Mayor Johnson refutes Trump’s designation of Chicago as "the most dangerous city in the world":

    “Since I've taken office, violent crime has gone down every single year. It's my top priority.”
    (Brandon Johnson, [03:17])

  • Notes personal stake: raising his family on the city's West Side, a disinvested community.

• Federal Undermining of Crime Prevention

  • Details Trump's withholding of $800 million for violence prevention and a 30% cut to ATF budgets ([03:44]).
  • Points to gun trafficking from Trump-supporting states like Indiana, and describes a lawsuit that pushed a gun manufacturer to discontinue a product convertible to a machine gun ([04:00]).

• Investment as Solution

  • Highlights local initiatives:
    • 31,000+ summer jobs for youth
    • Expanded mental and behavioral healthcare
    • Lawsuit success to rein in illegal weapons
  • Criticizes Trump's investment in ICE, calling it a "privatized police force to enact fear, anxiety and terror" ([05:10]).

Structural Challenges Facing Chicago

• Root Causes of Violence

  • Emphasizes poverty, chronic disinvestment, and eroded community resources (schools, clinics, housing):

    “There's a direct correlation... between the lack of schools, the lack of job opportunities and poverty. That's the issue.”
    (Brandon Johnson, [06:08])

  • Outlines Chicago’s effort to build 10,000 affordable homes, prioritize youth, and demand higher taxation from corporations and the wealthy ([06:32]).

• Long-term Investments

  • $1.25B bond for Green Social Housing and sustainable, affordable housing – reducing reliance on federal action ([07:56]).
  • Reinvestment of TIF (Tax Increment Finance) surplus in education, parks, and public spaces ([08:55]).

Memorable Quote:

“What Donald Trump is describing about Chicago, he is way off. It's a beautiful city. It's a diverse city... We are battling the way Chicagoans know how, through our solidarity.”
(Brandon Johnson, [09:50])

Leadership, Approval Ratings & Learning from Crisis

• Public Sentiment & Tough Choices

  • Jane presses the mayor on low approval ratings (31%) and public skepticism ([10:03]).
  • Johnson stresses that transformation is difficult, and cites his response to a migrant crisis inherited upon taking office—expanding shelter beds by 126%, $40M in shelter upgrades ([10:59-11:43]).
  • Focuses on investment metrics over polls: youth jobs, affordable housing, education ([11:44]).

• Communication & Narrative Control

  • Reflects candidly on learning to communicate better, not assuming “the work would speak for itself” ([12:17]).
  • Plans more direct community outreach—town halls, door-knocking, public meetings ([13:11]).
  • Biblical Allusion:

    "If you allow people who oppose you to tell the story, they're not going to tell the truth. And furthermore, those untruths spread like yeast... So now I'm doing a much better job of taking the message directly to the people..."
    (Brandon Johnson, [13:33])

Lighthearted Moment:

Jane jokes, “So you're not gonna hide your light under a bushel basket.”
Brandon, laughing: “Oh, check you out. Come on, speak the word. Yes, exactly.” ([14:23])

Other Major Political Stories

3. National Political Updates

• Government Shutdown

  • Now at day 35 – could set the record for longest stoppage ([17:16]).
  • Clips from House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries highlight political impasse.
  • Trump hardens position:

    “Obamacare was a disaster from day one... I can fix it and make it good. I'd really rather start with a fresh plate. But if it's required to keep it, we can make it much better.”
    (Donald Trump, [18:22])

• Emergency SNAP Funds & Shutdown Impact

  • Trump administration will fund half the normal SNAP (food assistance) benefits for November due to court rulings; Senate hopes for a deal soon ([18:32-19:00]).

• Election Day

  • Reminder to vote; spotlights key races in Virginia, New Jersey, and New York ([19:05–20:37]).
  • Shows the national stakes for responses to Trump’s agenda.

• Supreme Court and Tariff Powers

  • Upcoming hearing on Trump’s use of emergency powers (IEEPA) to impose tariffs ([21:05]).
  • Potential limits to executive trade authority hanging in the balance.

• Student Loan Forgiveness Fight

  • 20+ Democratic states suing over new PSLF rule that could let the Trump administration block debt forgiveness for certain nonprofit or public service workers ([22:28]).
  • Critics argue language is vague and could target organizations supporting immigrants, LGBTQ youth, etc.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Federal Violence & ICE
  Jane:

  “Chicago historically does have a higher crime rate than other cities, but what's your response to the president's claims?” ([02:58])

• On Crime and Poverty
  Brandon Johnson:

  “That's the issue, that's the challenge. And that's why I'm demanding that the large corporations and the ultra rich pay their fair share in taxes after receiving the greatest tax break in American history by President Trump.” ([06:25])

• On Shifting the Narrative Jane:

  “I think it's so important to recognize how much of this, in my view, […] is Trump's view of cities writ large. […] These are all, worth mentioning, largely majority-minority cities...” ([05:27])

• On Learning to Lead Brandon Johnson:

  “I should have communicated more earlier in my administration. I think I took it for granted that the work would speak for itself...” ([12:17]) “People will know what you're doing, but people have to know why you're doing it.” ([13:47])

Important Timestamps

• 00:02 – Jane sets context: Election Day, Trump's SCOTUS hopes, immigration enforcement
• 01:20 – ICE crackdowns in Chicago, Portland judge's injunction
• 02:28 – Trump defends ICE raids
• 02:33 – Interview with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson begins
• 03:17 – Johnson details drop in violent crime under his leadership
• 05:10 – Johnson: "ICE is... his privatized police force to enact fear, anxiety and terror"
• 07:56 – Green Social Housing initiative explained
• 10:03 – Jane on Johnson's poll numbers; Johnson responds with leadership philosophy
• 12:17 – Communication lessons and biblical reference
• 14:23 – Jane and Brandon’s lighthearted scriptural exchange
• 17:16 – Coverage of ongoing government shutdown
• 19:05 – Election Day races and significance
• 21:05 – Trump, tariffs, and pending Supreme Court case
• 22:28 – Student loan forgiveness policy changes and legal challenge

Summary

“Chicago Fights Back” explores the battle between local vision and federal aggression. Jane Coston’s conversation with Mayor Brandon Johnson paints a portrait of a city under siege—not by crime as sensationalized by the White House, but by policy neglect, disinvestment, and fear-mongering federal tactics. The episode is as much about the facts of Chicago’s struggles and successes as it is about the power of controlling the narrative—Johnson's candid reflections on communication, accountability, and investing in community set the tone.

Listeners walk away with a nuanced view of national-local dynamics, urban policy, and the real-life stakes of today’s political fights for American cities—plus a reminder, with Jane's characteristic wit, that being well-informed is itself an act of solidarity.