Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot has launched her "ICE Accountability Project. How effective will her effort be and what is behind it? The trial of an alleged gang member charged with orchestrating an attempted assassination of ICE Commander Greg Bovino suffers a defeat. AFter a contentious budget debate, Mayor Johnson warns layoffs could come to city government by summer. Is this possible? We'll discuss.

A BOE meeting in late December, board members voted overwhelmingly to raise the levy limit to take in another $40M. Why was the levy limit raised after the CPS received $552M in TIF funds? Following the vote, BOE president Sean Harden fumed over leaks to media over the vote. An investigation was launched.

After federal agents fatally shot a woman interfering with immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, Mayor Johnson issued a brief video denouncing the incident and rebuking Trump.

Why is Johnson seemingly more concerned with violent incidents outside the city over which he presides as mayor? In an insightful essay, Patrick Dent profiles several progressive aldermen in the City Council and state lawmakers representing the city in the IGA.

The thread which binds them together, Dent says, is none have any real, meaningful accomplishments prior to taking office.

Chicago finally reaches a budget deal, but Mayor Johnson refuses to sign. Why is the mayor refusing to endorse a budget deal which gave him 98 percent of what he sought? Cook County Board of Review's Samantha Steele is at the center of another controversy.

Steele's challenger, Liz Nicholson has leveled the accusation Steele attempted to lure Nicholson to drop her bid in exchange for a County job. Nicholson has filed a complaint; Steele denies the charge. Who is telling the truth?

Cook County property taxes are outrageous. Complicating matters is the network applied to overhaul of the property tax system has been riddled with problems. Who is to blame? We'll discuss.

In a rebuke to Mayor Johnson, aldermen have passed a budget counterproposal without the Head Tax. Will Johnson veto the budget and shut down city government? Long-time County Board president Toni Preckwinkle released her first campaign video attacking Ald. Brendan Reilly as a MAGA Republican and Trump ally.

Will the charge dog Reilly? After a ghastly attack on the CTA, the Trump White House threatened to withhold federal aid until Chicago creates a safety plan for the city's public transit system. The CTA announced dozens of additional CPD will work CTA platforms and private security would be added. Is this sufficient to thwart a dangerous transit system? We will discuss.

Now stretching into its sixth week, the budget stalemate is dragging on. Which side will blink first? Will aldermen with a budget counterproposal cave and allow the mayor to prevail? Can aldermen avoid any defections to prevent the job-killing Head Tax? A federal judge has ruled Cook County's sale tax was unconstitutional.

Will Cook County now be on the hook for a massive settlement? The NAARPR held its annual convention in Chicago in November. The radicals, including Mayor Johnson, didn't hold back any inflammatory language. We;ll discuss.

The embattled Chicago Teachers Union is facing new scrutiny. After five years of refusing to release the Audit Reports, the U. S. House Committee. The Education and the Workforce Committee is requesting that the CTU turn over the long-sought reports. The CTU has pledged to cooperate. Will the union comply with the House? It's been one year since Eileen O'Neill Burke took over as Cook County State's Attorney. We will discuss her record and progress over the last year.

Another mass shooting downtown, Chicago's 62nd, ruins the annual Christmas tree lighting event. Chicago leaders were aware of the teen gathering for the event. Did political leaders do enough to prevent the shooting? How did Mayor Johnson react? The good folks at WBEZ published an article revealing an increase in Chicago Police pointing their weapons at people.

Is this a problem? With CPD suffering an increase in attacks with a firearm, is it a surprise officers are forced to remove their firearms more often?

Rob Reiter, who heads the Chicago Federation of Labor, is calling on aldermen to consider an increase to property taxes to solve the budget impasse. Is Reiter thinking out loud or is this part of City Hall's strategy to move budget discussions forward?

Mayor Johnson suffered a humiliating defeat when the Finance Cmte. overwhelmingly rejected his tax package. The mayor was defiant after the loss and placed the onus for a solution on aldermen. Will aldermen cave, find a compromise, or will there be a stalemate? After a horrific crime on the CTA, questions about a secure, safe public transit system have reemerged.

The mayor insists a repeat offender setting a woman on fire is an isolated incident. Is the CTA safe? What is the mayor's solution to save the CTA after this crime? A fixture in Chicago politics, Maria Pappas, has thrown her hat into the ring for mayor. What does Ms. Pappas bring to the table? Our venerable panel will discuss.