After the Illinois Supreme Court ruled a pension reform plan unconstitutional, lawmakers have failed to come up with a solution to a problem that worsens with each passing day. Could some form of federal bailout or bankruptcy restructuring be the answer for Illinois? 

Gov. Bruce Rauner delivered his second State of the State address Wednesday as Illinois continues to see an unprecedented budget impasse. How will Rauner appeal to the Democratic-controlled General Assembly and how will Democratic leaders respond? Amanda Vinicky joins us to share reactions from lawmakers.  

To say that former Defense Secretary Robert Gates has seen a lot is undoubtedly an understatement. He's served under eight presidents of both major parties (2006-2011), led the CIA and Texas A&M, and been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Now, he’s the president of the Boys Scouts of America. He joins us to talk about his new book.

The state's oldest and largest social service agency announces it will eliminate 30 programs and 40 percent of its staff. We bring you more on this and other news out of Springfield with Amanda Vinicky.

The top Democrat in the Illinois Senate says he's willing to make a deal with Gov. Bruce Rauner on pension reform and other items in the governor's so-called Turnaround agenda. Is the budget impasse finally thawing out?

As Gov. Bruce Rauner and Mayor Rahm Emanuel face crises at the state and city level, crisis management specialists tell us about the importance of leadership and image.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel joins “Chicago Tonight” on Thursday, Jan. 28 to discuss Chicago Public Schools’ financial collapse, the city’s search for a new Chicago police superintendent and the increasingly bitter state budget standoff. What are your questions for the mayor? Share them with us.

Joel Weisman and his panel discuss Gov. Bruce Rauner’s power play to take over the financially broken Chicago Public Schools, Democrats’ response to his proposal and the lack of bipartisan support of the governor’s pension plan. 

Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Thursday announced a pension deal to reform Illinois' troubled state retirement system, but Democratic leaders in the legislature quickly pushed back on the plan. A panel of lawmakers discusses the proposal and whether it has any chance of passing the General Assembly.

Gov. Bruce Rauner says he and Senate President John Cullerton have a deal on major pension reform, but it fell apart as the day went on. What happened? Paris Schutz has details.

A nonpartisan coalition aims to wrestle political mapmaking out of the hands of lawmakers and into the hands of the people. Cindi Canary, the organization’s executive director, joins us to discuss the citizen initiative Independent Maps.

Republican state leaders want to take away mayoral control of the cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools. Instead, they want the nation's third largest school district under the purview of a state emergency board. Democratic legislative leaders in Springfield immediately opposed the plan, with some calling it "dead on arrival." We speak with state legislators from both parties.

"Chicago Tonight” has learned that Gov. Bruce Rauner and top Republican leaders are planning to introduce legislation aimed at an emergency financial takeover of the city of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools. Paris Schutz has details.

Illinois is in an unprecedented budget stalemate that's lasted more than half a year and has sucked up much of the oxygen in Springfield. On Wednesday, Republican lawmakers plan to unveil legislation that would take away mayoral control from Chicago Public Schools. We speak with a panel of legislators.

State's Attorney Anita Alvarez faces critics and opponents in a contentious forum to answer the question of whether a special prosecutor should handle police shootings. Paris Schutz brings us the latest.

Tensions are rising between Gov. Bruce Rauner and one of Illinois' largest unions. We discuss what that could mean for the state with Anders Lindall, public affairs director for AFSCME Council 31; and John Tillman, CEO of the  Illinois Policy Institute.