Chicago Tonight, Monday, August 10 2026

for their leadership commitment to trusted news and public affairs program. America, built on promises of freedom, equality, and justice for all. Today, a new generation of creators are bringing their work into the modern age as we celebrate America's 250th anniversary. Tonight at 8.30 on WTTW. Hi, Chicago. I'm Patrick. You're watching WTTW. Hello, and thanks for joining Chicago tonight. I'm Brandis Friedman. Here's what we're looking at. Calls for a federal investigation as Cook County's medical examiner works to identify dozens of bodies at a funeral home in South Deering. A new kind of flu vaccine is approved for older adults. What you should know. And with cuts to Medicaid looming, we look at how Cook County Health is anticipating a rise in uninsured patients. First off tonight, nine Chicagoans who were shot or tear-gast by immigration agents during Operation Midway Blitz last fall are filing reports with the Chicago Police Department. The federal government has made clear. There will be no fair investigations into these ICE and Border Patrol shootings. It has been 10 months since Charles Exam tried to kill me. And federal government has failed to act or even disciplined Charles Exum. They have never contacted me for an interview to explain what happened that they. Marimar Martinez was shot by a Border Patrol agent five times in Brighton Park back in October. She and the others say they're hoping that with police reports, officers can investigate and present their findings to Cook County State's attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke. Burke, for her part, has maintained that her office is unable to bring charges unless first given evidence by law enforcement. Construction is on hold for Bally's hotel, concert venue, and restaurant projects in River West. The company halted construction crews today amid a dispute with the city of Chicago over its expansion of video gambling. But construction is still continuing on the casino. That's what you're seeing here. Bally says the city's decision last December to allow video gambling in bars and restaurants across Chicago violates their agreement with the city. City Council members voted to authorize video gambling over Mayor Johnson's objections in hopes of boosting the city's tax revenues while tossing a lifeline to struggling businesses. The city's budget relies on nearly $7 million in revenue from video gambling. None of that revenue has materialized so far in 2006 as state officials have only approved six licenses. Valley's casino is slated to open early next year. The family of a 43-year-old Chicago man shot and killed by police are suing the city over the officer's behavior. How can I tell you that I am not sleeping? I'm not sleeping. I'm not eating. And my family is. There is my child. And he didn't deserve to die the way he died.

Attorneys for the family of Derek Jim Jordan say Chicago officer Max Walzer immediately began yelling threats, including, I will kill you at Jim Jordan just before the shooting when it happened in March of this year. Jim Jordan had been approached by several plain clothes officers and uniforms in the Humboldt Park neighborhood when Walzer, within 20 seconds on the scene, fired six rounds through the passenger window into the car. The family's lawsuit is alleging willful and wanton behavior in the shooting and seeks a jury trial. Records show Walzer is 28 years old and has been on the force since 2022. A police report from the day of the shooting says Jim Jordan struck a pedestrian while attempting to flee and that a firearm was recovered from his car. Water babies and teens and grownups will get a little extra pool in beach time this summer as the Chicago Park District extends the season at a few spots across the city. Most pools will close starting this weekend as the high school and college age workforce heads back to class. But the district announced today that 20 neighborhood pools and 23 swimming beaches will stay open through Labor Day. The office says it took into account the city's heat vulnerability index in deciding which pools to keep open. The index identifies neighborhoods where residents face the greatest health risks during extreme heat. For key dates and pool schedules, you can visit our website. Up next, calls for an FBI investigation into the dozens of decomposing bodies found inside a Chicago funeral home. Our Matt Masterson with that story right after this. Chicago Tonight is made possible in part by the Alexandra and John Nichols family. The Polk Brothers Foundation, and the support of these donors.

Cook County's medical examiner is working to identify dozens of bodies that were discovered last week inside a South Deering funeral home. It comes as a local activist is calling for a federal investigation into the funeral home, South Chicago Chapel. Our Matt Masterson joins us now with more. Matt, remind us what was discovered last week at South Chicago Chapel. Yeah, Brandis, the remains of 56 people in what officials said was various states of decay as they were left improperly stored. areas and they were left decomposing within the building here. State officials were identified about this incident. previous week, they sent some officials in. They identified evidence of misconduct and deplorable conditions. They said that included rodent infestation and maggot infestation inside the facility. They contacted Illinois and Cook County officials who sent in forensic pathologists and their own investigators last week to start removing some of these bodies as the investigations have gone on. Matt, what do we know about the operator? It's a husband and wife, Joanna and Clark Morgan. They had their license to operate this facility suspended last week, and it's actually not the first time that they've run into. to an incident like this. Susanna Mendoza, the state comptroller, her office last year shut down another crematorium that this couple had been running in Chicago Heights. Her office said that there were several improperly stored bodies identified at this facility, cremated remains that were never returned to their families. Some of these bodies have been left stacked on top of each other and not properly refrigerated, similar allegations as to what was found in this latest incident as well. And what's being done to look into this now? So the Chicago Police Department, have opened up an investigation, a criminal investigation, though no criminal charges have yet been filed against either of the operators. The Cook County Medical Examiners Office, they are still investigating. As of today, we also heard from a local community activist, Rabbi Michael Ben Yosef, who called for a federal investigation. He wants the FBI to look into not only the Morgans, the operators, but also the oversight processes that allowed them to continue running this facility in Sal Deering after their previous one had been shut down for these types of allegations last year. And Matt, what should... families do if they think they have a loved one whose remains might be at south chicago chapel so as the cook county medical examiner's office is still looking into identifying these bodies that were discovered here they're asking for families who believe one of these bodies may be of a loved one to reach out to them to contact them and provide them with their own name and information their relationship to the person the decedent who was left there so that they can hope to connect these families with the the remains that were identified there okay certainly a disturbing case there matt masters and And you can read Matt's full story on our website. It's all at WTTW.com slash news.

a new tool in the fight against influenza as the U.S. nears another flu season, believe it or not. Last week, the FDA approved an mRNA-based flu vaccine for adults 50 years and older, marking the first time the same technology used in COVID-19 vaccines has been approved to prevent the seasonal illness. The vaccine could be available within weeks, but it also arrives amid renewed debate over the technology and federal funding's role in researching it. Joining us to discuss the new vaccine is Dr. Richard Novak, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Welcome back, Dr. Novak. Thanks for joining us. Thank you. How significant is this approval from the FDA? It's very significant because the vaccine is very promising. It looks like it's more immunogenic, more effective at preventing infections. And it's also more easily changed if the viruses that are circulating are different, then this vaccine can more rapidly be changed to the newer viruses that are circulating. Right, because the typical flu vaccine for the season is based on what we know about last season's flu. Yeah, they usually make the decision about what's in the vaccines. in the late winter or early spring like this year was March they make the decisions and then they make the vaccines and so if something changes with the virus between or any time after the vaccines are are made, then they really can't do anything about it. And that happened last, not this past season, but the season before. The vaccines were made, and then a new strain of type of influenza A started to circulate. And there's not much they could do about it. It's type of give the same vaccine, and it was much less efficacious. A lot of us remember, you know, the science lesson that we got during the pandemic about MRNA vaccines and how they work. Remind us what exactly is an MRNA vaccine? Well, MRNA is a code for a protein that usually they select a protein antigen or a component of the virus that they want the body and make an immune response to. So instead of giving the protein, they give this code, the RNA code. as an injection and it goes, enter cells, and then the cells are instructed by this code to synthesize the protein and express it on the surface of the cells, which is how our immune system recognizes a foreign substance or foreign antigen, we call that. So it's just turned out to be in a very effective way to administer a vaccine, and it tends to generate much more potent immune responses than a straight protein vaccine. So the new MRNA flu vaccine, then, how different is it from, you know, the other flu vaccines that we've been getting? Do we think because of this that it will have the chance it will be more effective? Well, they've done trials already, and so we do know, actually, that it is somewhat more effective than the existing vaccines. They did several comparative trials, actually, with this vaccine against what we're currently using. And these vaccines were about...

25% more immunogenic than the existing vaccines. And they also resulted in when they did clinical trials to prevent flu. They showed a reduction in hospitalizations, about half of what we see and people are receiving the standard vaccines. And so it looks very promising. And do we think this one will be available for this flu season? It should be. It's now on the market. It took a while for the FDA to come around to approving it, but now it's approved. So a manufacturer of the vaccine, as I said before, is generally much quicker than with other flu vaccines. So they should be able to have a supply ready. And approval for now is just for adults 50 and over. Why start with that age group? Well, it's because they... They did, the clinical trial I'm talking about, was done in people over the age of 50. People over the age of 50 are at greatest risk of having complications of the flu, ending up in the hospital or even dying of the flu. And so it's probably the right population or the age groups to target with a vaccine. These vaccines, like all vaccines, have side effects. The side effects are a little bit more common than young people. And it turns out... probably not much more efficacious than young people than it is with the standard vaccines. But in the age group they tested, the 50 and over, there's definitely an advantage. Is there likelihood then that in the future, I mean, is it likely that those of us under 50 for now anyway, will still, will eventually be able to access the MRNA vaccine? Is that approval being sought down the road? It is. I mean, they need to do. Actually, what the plan is to collect ongoing data in people who are receiving the vaccine to make sure it's safe and efficacious in the real world, in a real world population. And they will do other clinical trials to make sure that it's useful for younger populations. Now, this approval comes after what we know, the reduced federal support for MRNA vaccine research. How might that lack of support affect research that's, you know, currently in the works or in the future? Well, this vaccine is a Moderna vaccine. Moderna actually is funding the research themselves, so they're not relying on federal dollars to do their studies. They do require the federal government to approve it, of course, which did happen the FDA approved this vaccine. But for smaller startup companies, it's a bigger problem because they don't have the resources to... to conduct clinical trials. They really do rely on the federal government to do those studies. And so if the government's not there to support them, we will not see smaller companies come forward. And they may have very novel ideas on new vaccines. Smaller companies, but universities as well. Did any of them receive MRNA research funding?

Honestly, I don't know. I know that funding has been cut back significantly, so. Okay. We'll find out if and when the next mRNA vaccine is on the market. That's where we'll leave it. Dr. Richard Novak, thanks so much. Appreciate you. Thanks so much. Up next, we check in with the leader of Cook County Health. Stay with us. I'm Two hospitals, 16 community health centers and inside Cook County Jail. Cook County Health aims to provide health care to patients regardless of their ability to pay. But with Medicaid work requirements looming, the health system's budget is facing new challenges. In 2027, Cook County Health is anticipating a $138 million drop in patient revenue. At the same time, Charity care costs are expected to rise by $100 million. Joining us now is Dr. Eric McHydes, CEO of Cook County Health. Welcome back, Dr. Thanks for joining us. Thank you for having me. So what are some of the federal policy changes that are expected to impact Cook County Health? So there's a few, and there are some that have already gone into play. At the beginning of 2026, there was an enhanced tax subsidy for our Affordable Care Act adults. that was taken away. So people saw anywhere from 25 to 30% increased out-of-pocket expenses. And in Illinois, we've already seen over 90,000 people forego their coverage. because of that increased cost. Now, looking forward on October 1st, there's going to be a redefinition of who qualifies for Medicaid in the immigrant population, essentially victims of human trafficking and domestic violence and qualified asylum seekers will no longer be eligible. In fact, they won't even be insurable. And then in January, as you mentioned, work requirements are going to go into effect. That's going to require that... The ACA adults will prove up that they are working, volunteering, or in school 80 hours a month. But there's also one more piece that's in policy change, and that is for that same population. They're going to double the cadence of redetermination. That's the process whereby people prove up that they're still eligible. Right now, it's once a year. That group is going to have to start doing that twice a year. Oh, boy. Okay. So how many residents are we expected to lose health care? Yeah, in Illinois, we're anticipating 400,000 people will lose their coverage. And that's outside of the 92 that's already. That's the upcoming changes in policy about 400,000 and half of them live right here in Cook County. Okay. And how is county care keeping patients up to date on these changes? Because it sounds like with all of these rules, it's a lot of paperwork for you all to make sure that, you know, your patients are in compliance or not. It is, yeah.

So county care specifically, our team does a lot of work to make sure that we have very frequent redetermination events. So we offer one-on-one support for people to stay, and that's open to all covered people's, not just county care. Everybody's welcome to come to continue getting re-enrolled. So they do a lot of work there. However, we did implement a broader effort called the Medicaid Impact Work Group, and that's across the whole health system. And from that group, we actually invited people inside and outside of health care. So we've had business leaders, academic leaders, philanthropic and community organizations. We have had technology leadership all come together to have a more meaningful conversation about how we mitigate these impacts. And one of the big outputs from that is a communication effort. We've launched the website, Get Medicaid. FACTS.com to really try to help people understand what all these changes are going to be. So there's actually two areas of focus, one for the patients who might be impacted. There's an FAQ on the website. There's a link out to HFS, which is the state's Medicaid administrator, where people can validate their insurance and make sure that it's up to date. And then there's the schedule of our redetermination events. The other focus is for our community partners. There's a free-to-download toolkit that helps with standardized... messaging and we intentionally didn't brand it to any organization. We're encouraging the organizations that choose to use it to brand it to their organization. We think that's going to add an extra layer of trust for the community members that receive it from the organization that's using the tool. It's available in 14 languages, and again, it's free to download. Yeah, and all that said, right, like you can do as much work as you can to make sure that folks know about the redeterminations and all of that, but some folks are still going to lose their coverage. The 2027 budget anticipates providing $485 million in charity. How does that compare to current or previous budgets? Yeah, so it's a $100 million increase from this year and over the last few years just for perspective at the height of the pandemic when redetermination was paused, we were in the low $100 million. So we've gone from about $125 million now to close to $500 million in the last five or so years. Okay, a significant increase. I take it that is a reflection of the need. Yeah. It is. Okay. Where's the health system looking to save money? So we've actually been doing a lot of work. After the election in 2024, we knew we probably had to prepare for some leaner times. And we started work then to reduce expenses, to really improve our operations. And I'm really proud of the team. They've actually been able to remove $315 million out of expenses during that time frame while at the same time improving our revenue cycle operations so that for the cases where we can get paid, that we're making sure we're not leaving any revenue on that. the table and then improving operations so we make sure that we're maximizing access for our patients. Have you already started to notice an increase in the charity care that you're giving and the care that people need? Absolutely. Not necessarily the care that people need yet, but we have seen at the beginning of the year when the tax subsidies went away, we went from 21% uninsured to almost 25% uninsured within a month. So we're anticipating now with the future. changes, the cuts that are coming, that will probably grow next year to 30%, and then we'll have to see after that it'll probably continue to increase into 28. What does that mean for patients? What kind of choices are they making before they end up in your offices, your ED? That's exactly why I said we haven't seen the problems yet. Unfortunately, we know when people don't have health insurance, they avoid preventative care. You know, they'll ration medications not see their doctor. So I kind of use the simple analogy of instead of managing high blood pressure and diabetes in a clinic, we'll see them down the road in the emergency room.

with strokes and heart attacks, which is obviously much more burdensome to the patient. It's much more costly to provide that care, not to mention the impact on families and the communities that they come from. Right, and the outcomes that can happen when it gets that serious. So Cook County Health operates Stroger and Provident Hospitals. How will next year's budget affect those services? So again, proud to say, we have not had to do any service reductions or layoffs. We've done a lot of the belt tightening and, you know, that fiscal discipline. We do have right now $40 million additional that we are asking the county to supplement so that we don't have to consider reductions in the coming year. Okay. And is that enough? Do you feel like that $40 million? will meet your needs unless there's a surprise. Well, I think it'll get us through 2027. The question will be what happens in the out years. Got it. Okay. Okay. What happens if that doesn't come through? What choices do you have to make? Well, we'll have to start. making some difficult decisions around what services we want to reduce and potential positions that we eliminate. Other hospitals in the area, they have shut their doors this year because of financial struggles. How do you expect those closures to impact the change in demand at Cook County Health? I think that's the big unknown. We've already seen two hospitals close in the last year or so, and we know that several more are struggling right now. So the question then becomes what happens to the broader safety net as all of these federal cuts come. into play, I anticipate we'll probably see more closures in the coming year or so. What that means, I think, for the broader community is people still need care, right? So they're still going to have to go find new hospitals to receive that care. So potentially, as access diminishes, it's going to be longer waits for everybody. Have rising costs of drugs, materials, you know, has that impacted your bottom line, right, in what you can provide? Yeah, in terms of supplies and pharmacy, we've done a lot. That's part of the reductions that we were working through as being, you know, better stewards of those resources. But, you know, costs you continue to increase across the board. What about hiring? Will that be affected by the budget? So we've... Well, we did have to freeze some vacant positions, but again, no one lost their job with us. But we have done a lot of work in that regard as well in reducing our reliance on agency staffing, which comes at a premium and costs more to do that. So we've actually reduced those costs by about 50% over the last year and a half. Any planned capital investments, upgrades, equipment, that kind of stuff that you would like to do at hospitals that might have to be put on pause. How are you making those decisions? We have had to pause a few things, kind of delay it out to see just how deep. these cuts are going to be, you know, MRI machines, those types of things. Right. Services at correctional facilities, how will that be impacted at, you know, Cook County Jail and CIRMAC? Yeah, so that's a piece that I think maybe is worth delving into a little bit more. We, before the ACA, the health system, got about 50% of its budget from the county. It was a tax allocation.

After the ACA, we opened county care, and that allocation dropped to 30, and we've landed now to kind of 8 to 12% of our budget being supplemented by the county. And that is essentially our unfunded mandate, the work that we do that doesn't generate revenue. So the care at the jail is an example of that. Similarly, we're responsible for operating the Cook County Department of Public Health, which sees the public health needs of the roughly 2.5 million suburban residents in Cook County. Okay. That means you've still got to pay to care for those patients, right? And they're definitely not insured. Right, that's right. Okay, all right. So a lot of work for you, Dr. McItis. Thank you for joining us. We appreciate it. Good luck. Thank you. Thank you. You bet. And that's our show for this Monday night. You can stream Chicago Tonight on our WTTW YouTube channel every evening and catch up on any programs you may have missed. And join us tomorrow night at 5.30 and 10. Scientists are forecasting a super El Nino this winter, what that could mean for the Midwest and the rest of the country. Now, for all of us here at Chicago tonight, I'm Brandis Friedman. Thank you for watching. It's to healthy and safe and have a good night.

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I'm Jeff Bennett. I'm the Navaz, is away. On the news hour tonight, a powerful earthquake shakes Colombia, collapsing buildings and trapping residents under the rubble. Yemen's civil war threatens to reignite between the government and Iran-backed Houthi forces. We examine the risks of further destabilization in the region. Secretaries of state from across the country meet with the Trump administration to discuss voting security with only a few months remaining until election day. And meta releases an open source version of its most powerful artificial intelligence model, potentially changing the technology's landscape. This kind of flooding the zone with open source software and allowing anyone to use it is a kind of way for them to catch up. Major funding for the PBS NewsHour has been provided by the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. And Friends of the News Hour, including Leonard and Norma Glorfein and the Judy and Peter Bloom-Kovler Foundation.