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

I'm Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

At least 2 people are dead after tornadoes and severe weather hit the area.

>> In for them, it's a war for us.

we're going to be easier than we >> Breaking down the war in Iran with the president of Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

A look at Preservation, Chicago's list of 6 of the city's most endangered buildings for 2026.

>> We're never qualified to be courageous.

You know that is something you could do.

>> And she's 92 and still telling powerful stories we didn't offer preserving the history of the underground railroad.

>> First off tonight, neighbors in northern Illinois and Indiana are cleaning up after thunderstorms spawned numerous tornadoes killing 2 people in Indiana.

Survey crews are on the ground confirmed the total number of tornadoes as well as their strength.

Kankakee County took the brunt of one super cell thunderstorm which was tracked for 100 miles eventually crossing into Indiana.

That same storm also brought exceptionally large hail, including a 6 inch hail stone in Kankakee.

Another super cell dropped 2 to 4 inch hail on Chicago's Western and southern suburbs.

Nearly 20 Democratic governors, including Illinois, JB Pritzker, are calling on Congress to block President Trump from imposing any new tariffs on imported goods.

In a letter to congressional leadership of both parties, the governor say, quote, at this pivotal moment, action to clarify and limit the scope of presidential tariff authority under existing statutes is needed, including guardrails that allow for congressional review and approval before sweeping emergency tariff structures affecting the economy are set into motion last month.

The U.S.

Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 that the international Emergency Economic Powers Act did not give the president power to impose a broad array of tariffs without congressional approval.

Trump responded by invoking another law to impose 10% tariffs on nearly all imported goods.

Pritzker and other Democratic leaders have seized on the issue to highlight persistent inflation and growing concerns of affordability of everyday items.

Cta leaders are touting a new security plan, but some employees today are pushing back with complaints at the transit agency's monthly board meeting.

Officials discussed the new safety effort demanded by the Federal Transit administration over claims of security lapses.

The plan includes a 75% increase in police hours, including through a new partnership with the Cook County Sheriff's Office.

Other measures include bus ride alongs new barriers at stations and social service outreach efforts.

Cta officials say employees have been included in developing safety measures, but a group of bus operators and mechanics demonstrating outside the meeting today argue their concerns haven't been adequately addressed.

We've got much more of this story on our website.

One on one with a global affairs specialist about the fallout from the war on Iran.

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

The Pope Brothers Foundation.

And the support of these donors.

>> Well, today the war in Iran has left 7 U.S.

service members killed and about 140 injured.

It's reportedly resulted in more than 1300 casualties in Iran, including 175 people in a strike on a school.

The majority of whom were children as well as hundreds in Lebanon and at least 12 killed in Israel.

Several polls show a majority of Americans disapprove of the controversial war.

President Trump said Monday that the war will resemble a quote short-term excursion through, though Iran's blockade of the flow of oil in the Strait of Hormuz may extend the timeline.

Meanwhile, an Iranian official said, quote, Iran will determine when the war ends to help us analyze the situation.

We are joined by Leslie Binge, a Maury president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs among many other position.

She served as director of the U.S.

in the Americas program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs known Chatham House in London.

Thank you for joining us as appreciate it.

Thank you.

So in February, on the eve of the strikes eroding analysis of President Trump's strategy for the war in Iran and you called the tactics, quote, coercive diplomacy, which you describe as being conventional but difficult to execute define that strategy and how it's playing out for us.

Please course of diplomacy.

When you use the threat to use military force either in a limited way or in a more fulsome way in order to in a sense require the target of your coercion, Iran in this case to deliver on a clearly said set of articulated goals and objectives.

And so you know what?

It looked like was that President Trump had deployed a very large or moderate to the region during ongoing talks in Geneva and that he was in a sense what very clearly threatening to use some sort of military force.

We're Ron was around not to kind of step up and deliver on the articulated goals of of the talks.

I mean, this is a very hard thing to do in a perfect environment.

It's it especially hard to do when you have a president that sort of specializes in disruption, uncertainty, unpredictability, coercion, you know, requires you to clearly articulate what it is that you expect to see to credibly commit to a certain form punishment.

If you don't see that and certainly saw the punishment.

But what we're learning is that, you know, Iran was participating in the talks that they producing documents about what they would deliver and that the U.S.

and Israel clearly just decided that the time was now to strike.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been advocating for intervention in Iran for decades.

Israel has launched a bombing campaign against Hezbollah and left Lebanon.

>> Opening another front in this war moving several miles into a neighboring country.

What are Israel's goals for the region?

I mean, Israel clearly has a legitimate security concern.

Iran does recognize the right of Israel to prior to prior to the last year or or so.

Iran had a lot more power across the region.

It was using.

>> Proxies to to all sorts of campaigns that were not in Israel's interests that were a threat to its security.

So given the positioning of Israel, given that threat is real is clearly wanted to get rid of the risk that that Iran might have a nuclear weapon at some point take out.

stick missiles and but also reduce ability to provoke and commit terror across the region.

The question then is what were they also adamant desiring regime change?

I think the answer regime change.

And I think the answer is clearly yes to that question.

How much of the U.S.

has diplomatic interests have been tied up in and dictated by those of Israel, the United States for a long time has wanted to see 0, 0, capacity on the part of Iran to produce a nuclear weapon.

The question of whether it was willing to expand those goals that, you know, clearly the United States is not like the ballistic missiles program.

It hasn't liked the regional activity, but the question of regime change is a whole nother step.

And there is, you know, there is a sense that the United States and were sort of pulling together on this, that Israel's.

Clear interest and commitment and conviction have shaped President Trump's decisions in the region.

But there's a real ambiguity here.

You know how closely are the United States and Israel aligned right now?

Are they pulling apart?

Some many people think they're pulling apart on their goals and this matters right now because if the United States were to decide game over, we're done, we're sort of withdrawing.

It's not at all clear that Israel will will follow suit.

It its own ambitions right now in it and it in a tremendous amount of strength.

think a lot of folks are wondering how long is this conflict likely to go?

The president's administration has not given a very clear picture on that.

Only to say, you know it, it'll be over soon.

>> Based on similar interventions that we know that in the region.

How long can this go This could go on for a very long time.

I mean, I think the the problem is that you go in with one objective, your objectives, change the situation on the ground changes the the war has widened.

It has escalated Iran's retaliation has been very significant attacking American interests across the Gulf, attacking the Qataris, the Saudis and their interests across the Gulf.

And so you see the potential for the U.S.

getting pulled further and further in.

And it's not clear.

You know, I think the concern that so many of us have, certainly I have is that that that the U.S.

government and its component parts parts haven't really been working together.

Commuting tick, communicating to the president.

The risks of escalation the and intended consequences that were likely to flow from the initial strikes and having a set of objectives for how to manage those, how to limit them and what at what point the U.S.

would retreat.

So it's entirely possible that President Trump sort of calls a day says says enough is enough.

It's not at all clear that Israel would follow suit.

It's not at all clear that Iran would follow suit.

I think that the U.S.

doesn't control this war right now.

It's a dominant player, but it is one of several in the region.

It's not clear what the Gulf States will do.

They're sort of being asked provocatively and under under coercion to take to join in.

So this this could end quickly or it could go on for a long time.

But even if ends, the problem is now fundamentally different than what the U.S.

faced before the strikes and it and it is going to be very significant, very dangerous, very risky.

And we've heard from today.

The idea that Iran wants to retaliate with drone strikes on the West coast of the United States of America.

Mean this is just quite shocking briefly, before we let you go, there's an ongoing investigation of the U.S.

Tom McCall, Tomahawk missile that struck near a primary school in Iran.

And as we mentioned, 175 people 110 of them killed.

>> Could this be a violation of international law?

>> You on the technical, very important legal question.

A lot of it will have to do with intention.

But in the broader in a couple of things, one is we tend to focus on how wars are fought when it comes to legal question.

There is a question of whether the entire operation is legal.

It is an illegal war.

There wasn't an imminent threat to the United States.

There was a there was a decision to use force while negotiations were ongoing.

You then get to the question of the devastating tragic loss of lives, the killing of a lot of young girls in the school.

The scary part is, you know, whether it's determined after this investigation is concluded to have been looted, the legal or illegal.

It's so far been determined to be the responsibility of their states.

President Trump needs to acknowledge this needs to take responsibility, needs to apologize to the Iranian to the people from the grave humanitarian crisis.

There's also a larger question.

Was that we lose the hearts and minds of people around the world when we don't take responsibility.

yeah, a very tragic situation.

Unfortunately, we have to leave it there.

>> My thanks to Leslie Benton.

Murray, thank you so much for joining us.

Thank you thank you for having Up next, efforts to preserve some of Chicago's architectural gems.

>> A >> The 14th Childhood Church, the Chicago Stock Exchange trading room at the Art Institute, the Bridge's and tender houses along the Chicago River.

These are some of the preservation, Chicago's Twenty-twenty 6 list of the city's most endangered buildings since 2003, the organization has released an annual list highlighting historic sites at risk of deterioration or demolition in hopes of building public support to save them.

Joining us to discuss this year's list is Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago.

Welcome Back.

Ward.

So you want thank you so much hosting us.

You released the most endangered list every year.

What is the goal of putting these buildings in the spotlight and how do you decide which buildings to spotlight?

>> Well, that's exactly the goal to spotlight these buildings and encourage the preservation bringing this list public really does make general public aware of of these buildings that are facing an uncertain future.

Oftentimes cornerstones of our community.

So it's really important that we do this it's a it's a it's a long effort and we should get about 70 candidates and we pulled it down to 7, 7, Chicago, 7 candidates.

>> What are the biggest threats to historic buildings in Chicago today and neglect, redevelopment pressure or just deterioration?

What else?

>> A combination of all the above.

Really.

You know it.

We have a this was bad actors out there.

But we also have a lot of buildings that are just falling into disrepair that people are not aware of.

And goal here is not only to make the public aware of it, but to encourage that we find good stewards for troubled buildings.

>> So let's get into the list.

One of the featured site says the Chicago Stock Exchange trading room, which is inside the Chicago Art Institute.

Give us a history of that room and why you all believe it's endangered.

>> Sure.

So this room was originally part of it learn Sullivan Building.

I will sell Street 30 reckless Elsa will sell in Washington during its demolition, it was it was saved by a group of preservation led by John Vinci and and Richard Nicoll, who lost his life in the building and it was relocated to the Art Institute in 1972, in open to the public in 1977.

To tick up.

It was a 5 year effort to build this new way to the Art Institute, Skidmore Owings and Merrill will turn was involved in that.

and now stock exchange almost 50 years later is facing potential demolition threat by a new addition to the Art Institute.

And we think that the Art Institute should be.

It said the motion the roads are these rooms facing an uncertain future to build in the railroad translate?

We did a millennium park across the street.

It actually add to the art Institute rather demolish significant Roman space.

Also make unlike order that you to full garden that we all love sitting And I mean, it was jazz concert in long ago is also in the crosshairs of an uncertain future.

>> Another building on the list is the Saint Mary of the Assumption Church and School on Chicago's far South side.

Of course, that you're the church took on a new significance after Robert Francis Prevost who attended church as a kid became the pope.

Pope Leo, the 14th.

Give us that story in the condition that the church is in now.

>> Right.

So as you mentioned, this is Pope Leo's Childhood Church in school.

Is families involved there you're really a significant site in the area Chicago neighborhood of Riverdale, which is different than the summer Riverdale, which is located just across the street.

One direction fell to the other.

So this is far south corner of the city in a neighborhood that you may not even troopers, 2 per visit because it is you know, a quarter of the of the far south side of the city.

church was closed due say Saint Mary of the Assumption Roman Catholic Church.

It was closed in 2011.

It's it's going a couple of people on the rig.

Most recent gentleman, Joe Hall has been committed to Re story building and uses a workforce development site as well could be rebuilding.

And we just noticed that the the buildings there 5 total with additions are in fortunately not so great shape and really facing an uphill battle to restore them.

So we think this could be an amazing sight, a transformational site for the Riverdale community of Chicago.

We've just seen so much this investment over the last 50 years and this would be potentially excited, great pilgrimage, maybe an Aurora Tory.

There's all sorts of ideas that might be able to happen here.

If we and I have the right kind of funding.

And if we really attention to church and school complex.

>> Another one on the list.

And, you know, anybody who goes downtown, you know, we traverse the bridges and passed by the tender houses and probably don't think about this.

But Chicagoans go walk or drive past them all the time.

Summer built as early as the 19th century.

Tell us about the bridges and of course, the tender houses as well and what the challenges they're facing now are.

>> Sure these are iconic to Chicago.

You know, we have the amount of basketball bridges anywhere in the world.

And, you know, those bridges won opener almost like a welcoming arms to shoot city and what we're finding is 100 houses in bridges are really in not so great shape.

some them are being demolished like better House and Chicago Avenue, which was one of the earliest along with Portland Avenue, which is being restored as we speak.

And of course, the Michigan Avenue Bridge Islam or that they're all showing signs wear and tear distress.

lot of the stonework used to be tough pointed received, checking components to to the stone work, which is really unfortunate and need to you know, scraping and painting.

But, you know, that's just the surface upper really concerned about.

just simply want to see a CDOT.

That's the Chicago Department of Transportation and Illinois Department of Transportation work together with the city, preserve these buildings, restore in great structures and also give a Chicago landmark designation, too many of them on the main channel of the Chicago River in the North and South branches.

>> So before we let you go, the Chicago Loop Synagogue is another historic site on the list with fewer people commuting, you know, downtown attending morning service, a post pandemic.

Tell us about this location and what you all see forward to the building.

>> It's in the heart of the little bits and 16 self Clark.

So Clark and Madison basically, it's always a compliment, if you will, to Saint Peter's Saint Peter's Roman Catholic Church.

It was going look at the same time.

As for both ends of the of the good book, so to speak.

But you know, same was in 93.

It was built in about the same time.

And then Loop synagogue came just a little bit later, 9 to 57 by locals last Mont Hackel and great great in building we know if we don't.

>> Yes, he's got that beautiful stained glass window that you can see in the photos.

Also on the list, several union halls as well as the Yukon Building.

Folks can go to our website to learn about more of those.

But we're going to have to let word Miller Preservation, Chicago, go.

Thank you so much for joining Thank you so much for hosting U.S.

Up next, a local offer helping keep history alive.

Stay with us.

>> A 92 year-old offer proves it's never too late to keep telling powerful stories voice many people may not know but one that has worked tirelessly to preserve the history of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad.

She's written several books with a passion to educate others and encourage readers of all ages to keep learning Joanna Hernandez introduces us.

>> Harriet have been born in Dorchester County and Maryland's Eastern.

Sure.

>> Tilly Turner has admired Harriet Tubman for as long as she could remember.

>> Well, there's so many things about her.

She really couldn't read.

She couldn't write.

And yet she knew how to navigate by the stars.

>> We're sitting in the home.

She's lived in since 1968.

House.

She and her late husband bought in weed in as fair housing laws are reshaping DuPage County.

>> There had been community here one person that Colin Hill and the other they call the bottom because the near trains tech and then had been the area.

They've been so limited to African-Americans.

They wasn't even mail delivery and the streets paved.

>> Now at 92 years old, Billy Turner has a lifetime of accomplishments behind her.

But her journey to this moment began years ago, writing alongside her father who inspired her to stay curious.

>> He loved to tell family stories and stories African American history, particularly about inventors and them.

He end every story the same way.

Say now when you grow up, you should write this She did.

She went on to teach second grade in along the way her curiosity grew more for Harriet Tubman.

>> One day and neighbor mention the Underground railroad operated and we didn't.

>> Tight.

so I some are free.

And I thought, go to the DuPage County Historical Museum improved of us out.

There is no to this.

And instead I found just enough.

You're like a one-line reference era footnote.

There that convinced me there was some truth to it.

>> Her research led her to write 2 books about the Underground Railroad in DuPage County.

In the many railroad sites, freedom seekers travel through in Illinois.

>> It was really very significant and they'll know it was quite pivotal.

Not only in the underground railroad.

And so for the Illinois senator's, you know, were involved.

>> Her decades of work have earned widespread recognition for a lifetime spent preserving the stories.

>> Illinois State historical says say to your good name with a lifetime achievement award DePaul University me with an honorary doctorate.

So I really felt like a big girl.

You know, Harry, the already risked her own life to get north.

>> She was prepared to risk it again.

Her latest work is her 13th book.

>> A children's book, The Gift of Freedom.

How Harriet Tubman rescued her brothers.

>> my first life and I think participatory things are best, you know, actually underground Maryland's itself to every aspect of the school curriculum.

You math science, art, everything.

>> Are you proud of yourself?

I am.

just, you know, feel like, fact, contribute to the anything to not only the quality of my own life with the quality of other people's legs, you know, twice as nice.

>> Growing up during the civil rights era, she says her parents encourage education and the importance of understanding the role black leaders played in shaping history.

>> It's never too late or or you're never on qualified to be courageous.

You know that there's just something you could do and you just keep tended to problem.

Solve it.

>> For Chicago tonight on Joy, I have known this.

>> Harriet Tubman Day was just yesterday.

Her age has not stopped her.

Billy Turner has even started a business giving bus tours of the Underground railroad in DuPage County.

We're back to wrap things up right after this.

>> Reflecting the people and perspectives that make up our communities.

This story is part of Chicago tonight.

Black voices.

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

Stay connected with our reporters and what they're working on by following us on Instagram at W T Tw Chicago and join us tomorrow night at 5, 30 10 now for all of us here at Chicago Brandis Friedman, thank you for watching to healthy and safe and have a good night.

>> Woes caption he's made possible by Robert a cliff and Clifford law offices, a Chicago personal injury and wrongful death.

That is a multi-lingual ball providing