The Chicago City Council gets a look at Mayor Emanuel’s improved proposed budget plan. Some budget items have been known for a while, but there are a number of surprises in store for closing the $297 million budget hole. We discuss where Chicagoans can expect cuts, and what payments will be pushed back to next year. 

Actor Alan Cumming has starred in movies, hit TV series, and stage classics including the role of the emcee in Broadway's “Cabaret.” He visits Chicago Tonight to talk about his life, new memoir, and discovering some truths.

Veteran Chicago actor Mike Nussbaum joins us on Chicago Tonight to talk about his long career that keeps going strong.

Geoffrey Baer visits the site of a famously tiny Loop restaurant, a suburban neighborhood endorsed by an Olympian, and those scary steel fire escapes on downtown buildings.

Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn and Republican challenger Bruce Rauner will debate for the second time ahead of the Nov. 4 election. Paris Schutz will have the latest from tonight's debate between the gubernatorial hopefuls, locked in a tight race.

The Vatican recently released a preliminary report calling for church leaders to reconsider their treatment of gay people, cohabitating couples, divorced and remarried couples, as well as children of less traditional families. Our panel discusses the draft report and its implications. 

Chicago charter schools underperform traditional schools, according to a study by the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity. We talk with the director of the institute about the study.

Chicago journalist Jonathan Eig talks about his new book, “The Birth of the Pill,” and the history of the development of the birth control pill.

Soprano Renée Fleming has performed a number of unforgettable roles at Lyric Opera of Chicago. But perhaps her most lasting legacy will be her influence behind the scenes.

City Inspector General Joe Ferguson goes in depth about his audit of the city's beleaguered red light camera program, which is found to have collected millions in tickets from drivers because of curious changes to protocols.

Toni Preckwinkle explains her proposed 2015 budget which contains no new taxes, fines or fees for the second consecutive year.

The Chicago Bears snap a two-game losing streak with a 27-13 win at Atlanta. James "Big Cat" Williams joins Ann Kreiter to recap the victory.

Chicago investor J.B. Pritzker talks about the Chicago Venture Summit, in which local tech entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to investors from around the country.