BRING IN OUR FULL SPOTLIGHT POLITICS TEAM TO JOIN US RIGHT NOW ARE SOME OF OUR SPOTLIGHT POLITICS TEAM RIGHT NOW.

HEATHER SHARON AND NICK BLUMBERG THERE LIVE IN MILWAUKEE WITH US.

AND WE'VE STILL GOT NORTHERN NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY'S HEATHER HENDERSHOT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE.

NICK, AS YOU KNOW, WE WRAP UP THIS FIRST DAY OF CONVENTION SPEECHES CHICAGO, THE NAME OF CHICAGO WAS INVOKED ONCE AGAIN.

TELL US ABOUT THAT.

WELL, BRANDON SAYS ANYONE WHO HAS WATCHED REPUBLICAN CONVENTIONS IN PAST YEARS KNOWS CHICAGO'S A PRETTY FREQUENT PUNCHING BAG FOR DONALD TRUMP AS WELL AS FOR PLENTY OF OTHER GOP POLITICIANS WHO SAY IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING THAT'S WRONG WITH CITIES UNDER THE CONTROL OF DEMOCRATIC POLITICIANS, LOOK NO FURTHER THAN CHICAGO.

SENATOR TIM SCOTT SET UP HIS REMARKS BY SAYING THAT LIBERAL ELITES HATE IT WHEN HE SAYS BUT THAT AMERICA IS NOT A RACIST NATION TO WHICH HE GOT A HUGE ROUND OF APPLAUSE.

HERE'S HOW HE FOLLOWED THAT UP.

LOOK ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO.

BLACK KIDS TRAPPED IN FAILING SCHOOLS.

SHOT EVERY SINGLE YEAR, INCLUDING ONE OF MY FORMER INTERN'S BIG ONE.

BUT THERE IS GOOD NEWS.

ITS CONSERVATIVE VALUES THAT RESTORES HOPE.

IT'S REPUBLICAN POLICIES THAT LIST PEOPLE NOW.

CERTAINLY A LOT OF DEMOCRATS AND, YOU KNOW, SCHOOL ADVOCATES WOULD SOME THINGS TO SAY ABOUT SCOTT'S COMMENTS WHEN IT COMES TO DEMOCRATIC EDUCATION POLICY IN CHICAGO AND OTHER CITIES.

YOU KNOW, TRUMP'S EDUCATION SECRETARY BETSY DEVOS WAS A LONGTIME ADVOCATE OF CHARTER SCHOOLS, WHICH PUBLIC SCHOOL SUPPORTERS SAY DRAINS MONEY FROM THOSE AS WELL AS A SCHOOL CHOICE VOUCHERS USING TAX DOLLARS TO, YOU KNOW, ALLOW PARENTS TO SEND THEIR STUDENTS TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS.

YOU KNOW, WHEN IT COMES TO THE ISSUE OF VIOLENCE, CERTAINLY CHICAGO IS ALWAYS GAMES FOR ITS RATE OF VIOLENT CRIME AND MURDERS.

BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT ON A PER CAPITA BASIS, THERE ARE OTHER CITIES THAT LESS POPULOUS THAN CHICAGO, BUT THAT HAVE HIGHER RATES OF VIOLENT CRIME IN RECENT YEARS.

THAT'S BEEN PLACES LIKE ST. LOUIS, BALTIMORE, DETROIT AND IN FACT, CHICAGO'S MURDER RATE HAS BEEN ON THE DECLINE.

THERE WAS AN 11 AND A HALF PERCENT DROP IN 2022.

AND A 13% DROP IN 2023.

SO CERTAINLY SOME CRUCIAL CONTEXT TO THOSE REMINDERS AND HEAD OF OWN WHEN IT COME BACK TO YOU IN JUST A SECOND BECAUSE I WANT TO I WANT TO BUILD ON SOMETHING WITH HEATHER HENDERSHOT ABOUT THAT.

TIM SCOTT SOUNDBITE THAT WE HEARD JUST A BIT AGO.

HE IS NOT THE FIRST PERSON ON THAT STAGE TONIGHT OF COLOR, PARTICULARLY A BLACK PERSON ON THAT STAGE TONIGHT WHO SAID THAT AMERICA IS NOT OR HAS NEVER BEEN A RACIST COUNTRY.

WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF OF HOW THEY ADDED STACK ALL THAT UP AND NUMBER OF BLACK SPEAKERS ALL IN A ROW AND I KIND OF FELT LIKE THEY WERE LIKE, LET'S JUST PUSH OUT THE BLACK SPEAKERS AND THEN WE'RE NOT REALLY GOING TO SEE THEM TOO MUCH MOVING FORWARD AND THEY CUT TO THE AUDIENCE'S REACTION SHOTS AND YOU'RE NOT SEEING BLACK PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE THERE WHICH I MEAN, I'VE WATCH.

DECADES AND DECADES OF TV COVERAGE OF CONVENTIONS, REPUBLICANS HAVE A PROBLEM FINDING BLACKS IN THE AUDIENCE TO HAVE THE CAMERAS CUT TO.

IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, IT'S AN UNDERREPRESENTED CROWD THERE.

SO THIS IS A PATTERN THAT WE'VE SEEN OBVIOUSLY OVER TIME AND IT WASN'T SHOCKING TO SEE EACH BLACK SPEAKER MAKE A REFERENCE TO AMERICA NOT BEING A RACIST COUNTRY.

AND SOMETIMES IN THE CONTEXT OF, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THEM SAID I GREW UP IN THE JIM CROW SOUTH.

MY PARENTS MY PARENTS GREW UP.

HERE IS MY PARENTS GOT JIM CROW SOUTH IN.

THEY SPECIFICALLY TOLD AMERICANS THAT RAISES COUNTRY AND I THOUGHT.

WERE THEY ABLE VOTE.

AND BUT THEY TOLD YOU IT'S NOT RACIST THAT WE CAN VOTER.

THERE'S VOTER SUPPRESSION.

IT SEEMED LIKE THERE WAS PRETTY COMPLICATED BACK STORY THERE.

AND WE WERE GETTING A STRANGE SOUND BITE TO SORT OF TAKE AWAY FROM AND THEY ALL SAID SORT OF THE SAME THING WE'VE HEARD BEFORE, WHICH STRIKE SOME SORT SORT TALKING POINT, RIGHT, THAT THE PARTY LINE TALKING AND I SHOULD ALSO BUT WHAT WE'RE GOING BACK TO A HEAD SHARON IN MILWAUKEE BEEN A KEY.

WE'RE HAVING SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE SATELLITE THERE BECAUSE OF THE SEVERE WEATHER THAT'S HAPPENING TONIGHT.

SO THAT IS WHY WE'RE NOT HEARING FROM A AND OF IN A KEY RIGHT NOW.

BUT WE'RE GLAD THAT NICK AND HEATHER ARE VERY SAFE.

HEATHER, WOULD YOU CONSIDER THIS FIRST DAY OF SUCCESS FOR THE ILLINOIS REPUBLICAN PARTY?

WELL, YOU KNOW, THEY DID SORT OF WHAT THEY HAD HOPED TO DO, RIGHT?

THEY GOT TOGETHER.

THEY HAD BREAKFAST.

THEY SAYING A FEW VERSES OF KUMBAYA.

THERE IS A VERY PUBLIC SORT OF RAPPROCHEMENT BETWEEN DARREN BAILEY AND MIKE BOST BITTERLY IN THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY TO GO TO CONGRESS.

NOW, DARREN BAILEY HAS SAID THAT HE MIGHT RUN AGAIN AGAINST MIKE BOST.

BUT YOU KNOW, FOR TODAY, AT LEAST THEY WERE ALL SINGING FROM THE SAME HYMNAL AND THAT HYMNAL GET JOE BIDEN DEFEATED IN NOVEMBER.

THERE'S A LOT THAT DIVIDES THE ILLINOIS REPUBLICAN PARTY AND BUT THEY ALL AGREE THAT THEY WANT JOE BIDEN TO BE A ONE TERM PRESIDENT AND THEY WANT DONALD TRUMP TO GET A SECOND TERM THAT AT LEAST FOR TODAY AND PERHAPS THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK IS ENOUGH TO SORT GET THEM ON THE SAME PAGE.

IT'S TO BOTH OF YOU CAN HEAD OR GOVERNOR PRITZKER WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE MADE A STOP IN MILWAUKEE THIS WEEK DURING THE RNC.

WHAT HAPPENED?

WELL, YOU KNOW, IT WAS THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT THAT IS REALLY ROILED EVERYTHING.

AND IT REALLY SORT OF MADE THE DEMOCRATS ARE TO THINK TWICE ABOUT.

HOW THEY WERE GOING TO CAMPAIGN IN THE AFTERMATH.

I THINK THAT WE WILL START TO SEE THAT STRATEGY COME IN A LITTLE BIT MORE FOCUSED BECAUSE NOW WE'VE SEEN FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP WITH OUR OWN EYES THROUGH MAGIC OF TELEVISION.

IF YOU WEREN'T IN THE CONVENTION HALL, WE CAN SEE THAT HE'S MOSTLY OKAY.

YES, HE'S BANNED AGE JUST HE WAS WOUNDED BUT KEEP DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE SERIOUSLY HARMED.

AND I THINK THAT WILL HELP ENCOURAGE THE DEMOCRATS WERE ALREADY HEARING CALLS FROM THEIR MOST STRIDENT SUPPORTERS TO GET BACK ON THE AND I EXPECT AS SOON AS TOMORROW WE'RE GOING TO SEE A RENEWED FOCUS ON WHAT IT WOULD MEAN FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP TO BE ELECTED TO A SECOND TERM AND WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN FOR THE DEMOCRATIC BLACK PEOPLE, LATINO PEOPLE, WOMEN AND IMMIGRANTS.

AND THAT I THINK WILL BE THE BUSINESS OF TOMORROW.

YEAH, I DON'T EXPECT THAT.

WE'RE GOING TO SEE GOVERNOR JB PRITZKER.

WE'VE HEARD THAT HE WON'T BE MAKING AN APPEARANCE HERE THIS WEEK HAS HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN PLAN, BUT CERTAINLY THE DEMOCRATS ARE FEELING MUCH MORE LIKE THEY CAN TAKE THE FIGHT TO REPUBLICANS HERE IN MILWAUKEE.

YOU KNOW, THEY'RE PLANNING TO HAVE AN EVENT TOMORROW WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO DISCUSS REPUBLICAN RECORDS ON ABORTION RIGHTS ON, YOU KNOW, UNIONS, ALL THESE THINGS THAT ARE REALLY RED MEAT FOR, YOU KNOW, THE DEMOCRATIC BASE OF VOTERS AND THINGS WHERE THEY SEE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PUT THEIR MESSAGE OUT THERE AND, YOU KNOW, CREATE SOME DIVISIONS BETWEEN TRUMP AND BIDEN REALLY TRY TO LAY OUT FOR VOTERS, ESPECIALLY THOSE KEY UNDECIDED SAYS, WELL, YOU KNOW, AND SAY, HEY, THIS IS WHAT'S AT STAKE IN NOVEMBER.

YOU KNOW, WE HEARD FROM TEAMSTERS PRESIDENT SEAN O'BRIEN, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, A PRETTY SURPRISING DEVELOPMENT TO SEE, YOU KNOW, A MAJOR LABOR UNION LEADERS SPEAKING AT THE RNC.

AND OF COURSE, HE HAS ASKED TO SPEAK AT THE DNC AS WELL.

HE SAID HE'S NOT GOING TO BE ENDORSING, BUT THAT IS A HUGE ISSUE FOR CERTAINLY VOTERS IN ILLINOIS, ALTHOUGH NO ONE PARTICULARLY EXPECTS TRUMP TO WIN BUT YES, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT AT STAKE HERE.

AND I THINK THE DEMOCRATS SEE THAT NOW THAT THE TEMPERATURE HAS COOLED A BIT THAT WE'VE SEEN THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP IS NO SAFE ABLE TO GET UP AND, YOU KNOW, GET AROUND THAT HE'S INJURED BUT RECOVERED, YOU KNOW, SIGNIFICANTLY THAT THEY CAN START TO GET A LITTLE MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH THEIR MESSAGING.

YEAH.

THANK YOU.

GO AHEAD.

STAFF FROM STAFF.

I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY THAT SPEECH FROM SEAN O'BRIEN.

I THINK THERE WAS A REAL MOMENT WHERE HE SORT DECRIED THE INFLUENCE OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, WHICH, OF COURSE, IS HISTORICALLY BEEN ALIGNED WITH THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND SORT OF SAID THEY WERE BASICALLY INVOLVED GETTING WELFARE FOR BUSINESS THAT DID NOT GO OVER.

WELL, WE'LL HAVE TO SEE HOW IT PLAYS.

ALL RIGHT, NIC, YOU SAID THOSE 2 WORDS THAT I WAS GOING TO GET TO READ.

MEET HEATHER HENDERSHOT.

WE'VE GOT ABOUT 20 SECONDS LEFT.

DO YOU THINK WILL GET SOME MORE OF THAT?

THIS WEEK'S THAT SO-CALLED RED MEAT?

WE'RE GOING TO BE A LOT MORE AND I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT TO POINT OUT THAT THAT THE DEMOCRATS ARE GOING TO DIG INTO ABORTION ISSUES, WOMEN'S HEALTHCARE ISSUES AND TRY TO AMPLIFY THAT AND THE REPUBLICANS ARE GOING TO KEEP SORT OF SETTING THAT ASIDE AND NOT DIGGING INTO THAT, ALTHOUGH IT TONIGHT, TALKING THE BIDEN FORCING YOU KNOW, GIRLS TO PLANT SPORTS TEAMS ACCORDING TRANSGENDER, YOU KNOW, GREAT.

IT WAS NOT A