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

I'm Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

The country turned 250 years old this month.

A look at how views on the American dream have changed over time.

The stars are out in Chicago for WNBA All-Star weekend.

A look at what to expect as the week shoots for increased viewership.

>> people love to share this game with other people.

>> And Chicago Slice sounds like the city's newest pizza restaurant, but it's actually a sports team.

Meet the city's professional footballers.

First off tonight, a federal judge is ordering Chicago's recently retired top cop Larry Snelling to answer questions under oath.

>> Snowing will have to sit for a deposition as part of an ACLU lawsuit alleging the Chicago Police Department targeted black and Latino drivers in a massive campaign of traffic stops.

Lawyers for the city had asked Judge Mary Roll into blocks knowing deposition arguing that his schedule was too busy and that other CPD officials could provide the same information since knowing retired last week, Roland ordered him to answer questions for 6 hours and put no limits on what he can be asked.

Despite pleas from city attorneys.

A state ethics panel says it will release a report outlining investigation into the conduct of former state Representative Harry Benton.

Benton resigned earlier this month amid allegations of harassment, Benton and his accuser are both given a chance to review the report suggest redactions which the Legislative Ethics Commission will consider and provide a response that will be published with the report.

The commission expects to have the report completed by July 31st.

Democratic U.S.

senators are calling on President Donald Trump to increase access to in vitro fertilization.

Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth who conceived her daughters with the help of IVF is one of the lawmakers pushing to the president for help passing the right to IVF Act.

It will lower costs expand coverage for military families and federal employees.

>> It will help ensure that hopeful parents don't go bankrupt when they're just trying to start a family.

So Trump actually believes he's the father of IVF.

My Republican colleagues actually support IVF, like they say they do when they're on cable news.

Then this bill is a chance to prove that their claims are just lies.

The push comes almost 2 years after Trump promised that IDF would be free for all Americans if he were elected.

>> This Saturday would have been the 85th birthday of Emmett Till the Chicago boy lynched in Mississippi.

71 years ago.

Instead, the 25th will honor the event.

14 year-old boy who became a civil rights icon by marking Illinois's first ever him until day.

>> Every time I saw his mother, feel like.

I have a survivor's guilt.

she think?

I came back and he didn't come back.

never talked about it in.

About 2003 of the rules before she died, she said, I want you.

They're my wife to carry on his legacy.

>> Till's cousin, Reverend Wheeler, Parker was present today as Governor Pritzker signed the legislation designating the commemorative day Parker, 16 years old.

At the time of his cousins.

Lynching is the last living witness to kidnapping.

The bill signing was held at Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ where his mother Mamie Till Mobley allowed mourners to view the boys mutilated body at his open casket funeral thus galvanizing the civil rights movement.

A Stanley Cup star is returning to Chicago, the Blackhawks and Patrick Kane have agreed to a 16 million dollar two-year contract.

The 37 year-old future Hockey Hall of Famer spent his first 15 plus seasons with the Hawks helping lead them to 3 championships.

The number one overall pick in the 2007 draft has the most NHL points by a player born in the United States.

He has more than 50 career goals and nearly 900 assists.

He was the league MVP in 2016 and the Black Hawks will be trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020, the new NHL season begins September 29th.

The new documentary explores the meaning of the American dream.

That's right.

After this.

>> Chicago tonight is made possible in part by the Alexander and John Nichols family.

The Pope Brothers Foundation.

And the support of these donors.

>> America's 200 50th anniversary brings up one timeless question.

What is the American dream?

The team behind a new documentary airing on W t Tw traveled all 50 states to posed that very question to 1000 people.

Here's a look at The search for the American dream.

>> We as the American dream.

I've been looking Between the promise that had worked be enough.

What happens when hard work simply isn't enough anymore.

Over 2 years across this country.

In east to West, knocked us out.

And listen to the voice of hundreds and hundreds of everyday working Americans.

Families and farmers teaches in truck drivers, students and service workers.

>> And joining us now to talk more about the documentary are husband and wife filmmakers, David McCourt, writer, narrator and co-producer of And Julie McCord, co-producer of Thanks to both for joining us.

Welcome to Chicago tonight.

to be Thank So why did you want to create this documentary?

David, start with you.

Everybody was celebrating America's 200 50th birthday in.

>> They seem to be looking backwards.

We want to create film look forward in asked ourselves.

want America to look like for the next 2, years.

And we've had the best way to do that.

to ask Americans what do they want America to look like going forward to the film isn't our point of view.

The point is the film is America's point of view.

We need going forward.

>> 2 weeks in question you won't want to make this.

You know, it started as a conversation between us and then that conversation we realize really had to be had publicly.

So it's an unscripted.

Nobody was cast weekend.

Very good.

It just reaching out to strangers.

actually we are really good at stake in excuse me.

We just wonder what you think of the American dream.

Process to get just life altering because we talked so many different people.

We have the opportunity to really listen to stories from all over the country.

And overall, it's a conversation we want to keep going.

I mean, people talking to one another about what's on their mind, unmitigated by, you unused he or prompted by a very simple question.

What's your hope for the future?

Yeah.

>> So you know, as Americans we often think about home ownership.

And we heard a lot about the white picket fences.

And we also often think about home ownership is sort of reflecting achievements of the American dream is owning a home is apparently the American dream how why is that?

David had added we get to that.

>> I think home ownership is really embedded in America from the very beginning, even with the Homestead Act.

We gave a big piece of America to people that they would build a home and contribute to the community.

So it's an embedded what it means to be an American.

We've sort of set rules out to say if you work hard.

And you contribute community, you get to own all some people get on a big home.

Some people in a small.

But if you work you should be able to afford a home in America and Well, to the 1970's, the average home in America 3 times the average income.

And that was affordable for everyone at that level.

Today, it's 8 times the average income, but its 16 times agendas So it's not affordable for half of Americans.

And I don't.

think that's personally.

It is hard to live a dignified life.

If you know, you can never afford to own kind piece of America, the country that you love the country that you willing to work from continuing to fight for the country, willing to contribute to community for to volunteer for helps changes for you.

Can do a tiny piece of the itself.

I don't think that's a good policy personally.

you know, like you said you asked participants like what we're literally called man on the street and he you, ask them, what is the American dream?

Were you surprised by their answers?

>> And where the conversations led.

Often often.

I mean, really divers really many answers 1000 1000 people 1000.

Different answers right?

>> I was.

They're optimistic.

People have quite candid pictures into this country.

I was surprise perhaps that younger people felt less idealistic about own home ownership as a possibility.

There was a there was that was a little upsetting because in our generation, we all have a path.

We understood that we would work hard.

We may be weakened.

A small a weed.

Get to sell it and move like that cycle of it, you know, moving up economic possibilities impossible.

Now, it seems really rough.

And not to David's point, you know, their statistics that show this is not as possible is that what was and we feel that's wrong.

>> You know that conversation about home ownership, of course, that Segways into conversations about money and greed in economics.

Also technology and social media.

Some people spotting the Internet, you know, wholesale for all of our problems, the loneliness epidemic.

So you've got to know a lot of different themes and in conversations to be had here.

And it's a complicated subject for a lot of people.

The American dream has for some people.

They feel they have been denied.

What gives you hope to Lee?

>> You know, and I think we are intrinsically resilient.

I think Americans feel.

That we are, you know, we are Americans.

And so the hope there is that we will start talking to one another that we will build community, that we will stop starting allies instead of.

Bound, you know, rejection another.

I think that's a real hope for the future.

And I think there is a groundswell of people are starting to say.

Wait a minute, I want back what I felt maybe ahead as a child or maybe what my parents had and I it I do think didn't have very optimistic that the future this very possible.

But let's all get on board.

You know, let's let's try very hard to talk to one another.

then we go back to the conversation.

Can we start a conversation?

We want to get to a million voices were continuing to film.

Still working on it.

There's more to come within few 5,000. we went to 5,000 made the film 1000.

>> But we've continued turned into an entire project like an anthropological study is let's all.

Look at each other.

Let's talk to each other.

Let's engage one another.

Listen.

The benefit for us is the I was life changing to talk to mandate that many people.

It really was.

David, you also you shared some of your own family history in this documentary.

Why was that important for you to include and how do you think your family's history and story are reflected in the American dream?

>> Well, it was important for me because my family is a very typical.

American family.

There's nothing special.

I mean, we all love each other, but those nothing special.

My grandfather came in at 16 identify the didn't have education work as a janitor, which means clean.

Buildings.

toilets from the oven.

really didn't find life.

I never remember a birthday or Christmas.

What I did have a little something He owned his own home.

He raise my mother and then another 5 and raise me.

He died debt free in dignified life.

And I was able to stand on his shoulders and I'm a little bit worried.

But the year-old version of me.

I was a special night, got to live the American dream myself as my fav, the didn't.

My grandfather did.

I just hope that possible for the 18 year-old version of And that's what I hope this film does allow us to talk about that?

And if there are issues, that's all that together.

Okay.

That's a good place to leave it rats on the film and its really state injuring the court.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Thank you.

Have great to be here.

air go airs Monday, July 27th at 09:00PM on WTTA W.

>> Up next, what to expect from WNBA All-Star weekend.

Chicago will be the center of the women's sports world this weekend as the WNBA All-Star game returns to the city after being held here back in 2022. and those 4 years have made quite a difference.

Player, salaries, TV ratings, even the number of teams in the league are all up and excitement seems to be at an all-time high.

The All-Star game will take place Saturday, but events happening all weekend long are set to show what the league has grown into.

Joining us with more on what to expect our Maggie Hendricks reporter at the 9 sports Alyssa Hearst Chicago Sky Beat reporter Beat writer at the Chicago Sun-Times and Carissa Flores, founder and CEO of Level Sporting Club and a former college basketball player at Northwestern Ladies, thanks for joining us.

Happy to be here.

So Maggie, remind us what 2022 All-Star Weekend was like.

>> It nowhere near what we're having this weekend.

It was only announced to be in Chicago.

couple months before the event.

It was a lot smaller.

The game was at Wintrust as opposed to this year.

It's at the United Center, the three-point and Skills contest.

We're at McCormick Place and it basically felt like it was on a sound stage.

The public wasn't invited.

There are maybe 5, 6, 100 people there watching.

And Allie Quigley like broke a 3 point contests record that that time and it's still like.

>> It looked cool on TV, I think.

But it did not look cool when you are there because it just it literally felt like they had a sound stage, OK?

What a difference.

4 years makes clear us of what is the atmosphere like around the city this year?

I mean, the city is absolutely buzzing.

>> It started on Monday.

You know, we did a WNBA all-star, a golf tournament.

The sky put on and it's everything the restaurants are busy.

Hotels are busy.

Everything about the city.

You could feel the energy versus 2022.

And I couldn't be more excited for that.

I'm not sure some folks even knew what was happening in 2022.

Let alone this weekend.

Folks are like this is going on and there's lots to do with it.

Besides the game itself, what else is happening this weekend?

Oh, my goodness.

We have so much going on on level sporting Club along.

You know, we have a trivia night tonight.

We have a watch party on Saturday with you know, several brands that we're doing this amazing watch party.

And we've got an amazing brunch party that we're doing on Sunday.

But aside from that, there are events going on.

There's about 20 by today going on.

You know, I've already made about 4, 5, stops before I got here.

there's so much to look forward to.

And the game itself at the United Center is definitely the highlight, obviously, A list of the sky.

They don't have any All-Stars this year.

Instead, fans will have to watch several players that the team missed out on.

Tell us what went down there.

>> Yeah, disappointed that sky don't have any of their own players, but fans will get to see some favorites from the past.

So Kaliyah copper, Marina Mabry Angel Reese, the most recent and these are all players that the sky have had.

And unfortunately, let go.

>> more but they let them go.

I'm Maggie.

Then there's also the skies practice facility wasn't ready in time for the weekend.

And you've written about how that's a missed opportunity for the sky.

Yeah, I mean, this really could have been an opportunity to show some of the league's best players.

>> Hey, look at this board or just practice facility.

We have look at all that we have done to grow and change.

Our reputation is not perhaps the best team in the league and they missed it.

And we know, obviously it's construction in Chicago.

We know how that's going to go, but that they made it's a promise that they made it what they we're going.

They're going to have so many events at the practice facility.

And now I mean, the Obama center.

Fantastic.

Don't get me wrong.

excited to go there tomorrow.

But they are definitely just missing out on some chances.

Yeah.

How important is, you know, good shining, you know, practice facility to to the the organization, but also to the city.

>> I mean, it's a huge deal in attracting the best players because the salaries you can only do so much winds.

I mean, that's changed a little bit with the last CBA.

But still there's only so much you can do with the salaries, but in showing how a player will be treated like a professional, how they'll get to recover.

Well, how they'll get to just have a great place to hang around hang out with their teammates.

That's what a lot of the other best teams are offering.

So if the sky right to compete, they have to offer that as well.

>> Clear.

So how does the growth of the WNBA has that sort of changed the landscape for players at the college level?

Even high school?

I mean, just from when I played, you know, I mentioned earlier, you know, I played in 97 my city championship game against Marshall High School.

I went to a neon.

>> And I played in front of 7,000 people.

You know, at that time the phantom was there has it grown?

It's grown exponentially.

But the difference now I believe is like, you know, when I played, I knew I could not make a career out of basketball.

So I had to pivot and I got him tossed You know, the younger generation now can look at the game, say, hey, I can make a career out of basketball.

I can do that.

I can make a profession like my life can be sustained from women's sports.

And I think that's the biggest difference, right?

And we're looking at a few pictures from an event that the sky did where they were at painting from 3 point line, I think on basketball court for for younger players.

I'm Alyssa for Sky fans.

What are some of the bright spots this season to look So as usual, the sky actually do have some really great players.

Their record is not necessarily reflect that.

And I think fans have had to >> suffered the disappointment of seeing great players walk away.

we do have right now, Ricky Jackson, Sydney, Taylor and Camilla Cardoso 3 very exciting young players that could potentially foundation for this team for the future.

Okay.

So this this isn't the big year for the something we're doing.

team building clear.

So what is behind the growing interest in the WNBA?

Yeah, I mean, I think the latest.

>> And the Chicago sky are finally starting to invest in the players.

And that's a big if biggest thing they're investing, their players as we know, visibilities equity.

So with that think the game is growing and also received experiencing a cultural shift in women's sports.

And Chicago's at the heart of that, you know, not only Chicago known as a sports mecca of the world, in my opinion, but now we're going to be known as a sports.

The women's sports mecca of the world.

You know it all starting here with WNBA All-Star.

We're highlighting the city.

You know, I had a chat with the matter on son who's one of the co-owners of the Chicago Sky.

And I asked what's next for you and what what is next is aside from the practice facility is building their own stadium.

And I believe that that is something that she wants to do, not only for the league, but for the city and for the Chicago sky.

>> So one of those investments, Maggie, is, you know, it's another change since 2022.

And that's the collective bargaining agreement between the players and the league signed this spring.

>> Tell us about that and what it does.

I mean, the biggest thing is that it allowed for much bigger salaries.

The players, salaries, I believe, quadrupled the highest amount of players who are millionaires.

Now and they couldn't they could not become millionaires from playing in the WNBA in the past.

So I mean, obviously that's a big change.

But also things like investment into teams.

Players wanted that codified things like having a massage therapist having good recovery items having nutritionist, all sorts of chiropractor, all kinds of things that make them healthier and better players unable to have longer careers.

>> Alyssa, the team also has several new teams.

How has that growth, you know, change the league?

I think it's added to the culture you teams and temp disco, Toronto in Portland.

Those cities are so excited to have women's basketball like I think it I somewhat clear, so is talking about like there's always been this interest and desire to watch women play.

And now you've added 3 new teams that are just putting an amazing product on the floor and have like the support that has always been there from their cities.

All right.

Alyssa, what are you gonna be watching for this weekend?

This weekend?

The point guards page backers, Caitlin Clark, Olivia Miles, are like the new generation of point guards in this league.

I also played Bass was a point guard.

So that's for me watching, right?

10 seconds.

watching for Crescent all the 3 point contest.

We're talking about that before we got on.

I think that's gonna be an exciting one.

I think we've got a few bets going on as to who's going to win.

But definitely, I'm just kind excited to see the goofiness and the camaraderie that you have been an All-Star game that you can't have a real game.

So, you know, T for merchant about her son, Alan apartment units, the by are, you know, that's my favorite part of All-Star Game.

All right.

Looking forward to it.

Maggie Hendricks, Elisa Alyssa Hearst.

Clarissa Flores, thanks to all of you for joining us.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Up next, professional athletes playing on different kind of court.

>> Chicago has the Bears.

Bulls sky.

Cubs Sox Stars Fire and Blackhawks.

>> But did you know also it's home to professional pickleball team.

They're called the Chicago Slice and they're part of major league pickleball, which is hosting a four-day tournament in suburban Northbrook beginning today, Joanna Hernandez stopped by an exhibition match earlier this week in Wrigleyville to learn more.

>> If you think pickleball is these players are ready to change your mind.

It's a sport, some say part Ping-Pong, park tennis and all skill.

>> It's really hard and you can't so hard.

It is until you can see it live and in person you see these guys out here playing their incredible their reflexes, their speed, their athleticism.

>> It's also one of the few pro sports where men and women compete side by side battling it out in doubles and mixed doubles matches.

>> playing since 2013.

Hardly anybody was playing at that point.

It was all old people.

Now you've got plenty of younger people coming in.

The new generation is is living in something more people playing that, Zain, every time former world number one in men's singles, he won 3 Wisconsin State tennis championships in high school.

>> Now he's become one of the most recognizable faces and professional pickleball and he's on slice.

>> It's so exciting to see just how people are are fired up about it.

I mean, talking about young kids.

We got a couple of them on our Major League Baseball team like they're really changing the way that this game is being played.

>> One of the Chicago slices, youngest players.

This 13 year-old Elsie had just shot.

The Utah native turned pro in 2025.

>> I family.

Then I kind of moved on to like junior pro.

And I started doing really well on those kind of moving up a level.

And then I was able to get times I got dropped its own.

I'm here ahead of the tournament.

Chicago sliced the people, a taste of what they're bringing to.

The I colleague goal for us is to win a championship in a couple The four-day tournament brings the major league pickleball top teams to Northbrook with the Chicago Slice hoping home-court advantage.

>> gives him an edge.

>> Its like any other pro sport were trading for players, signing them.

Free agency waivers.

Anything you can think of another sports.

We're doing the same thing Chicago is certainly known as a sports town.

Now the Chicago slights are hoping to carve out a place of their own.

>> When you come in, you watch the pros.

You can really appreciate how amazing they for Chicago tonight, I'm joined on this.

>> And it's kind of slice play against the Atlanta bouncers in the first match today.

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

Be sure to sign up for our free e-mail newsletters, the Daily Chicago in and Urban Nature both at W T Tw Dot Com Slash newsletter and join us tomorrow night at 5.37, for the week in review.

Now for all of us here at Chicago Brandis Friedman, thanks for watching.

Stay healthy and safe and have a good night.

>> Closed captioning is made possible by Clifford and Clifford Law offices, Chicago, personal injury and wrongful death for that contributes to