AGAIN AS OUR SPOTLIGHT POLITICS TEAM, AMANDA VICKI, HEATHER, SHARON AND NICK BLUMBERG AND BACK IN STUDIO WITH OUR GUESTS FOR THE EVENING.

FORMER CONGRESSMAN LUIS GUTIERREZ AND ILLINOIS HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER TONY MACOMB.

BE THANKS, EVERYBODY FOR STICKING AROUND.

HEATHER, LET'S START WITH YOU, PLEASE.

GOP VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE, OHIO SENATOR JD VANCE TOOK AIM AT CHICAGO AS THEY DO SOMETIMES CALLING IT A WAR ZONE AND THE MURDER CAPITAL OF THE U.S. HOW DID MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON RESPOND?

WELL, HE SPOKE THIS AFTERNOON AND AN EVENT HOSTED BY CNN AND POLITICO AND HE DEPLOYED HIS TRADEMARK SENSE OF HUMOR, CALLING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY MORE USELESS THAN A ROOM.

KEY CARD AFTER YOU CHECK OUT OF THE HOTEL.

CHICAGO IS NOT THE MURDER CAPITAL.

IT IS NOT A COMBAT ZONE, BUT WE HEARD AND PARRA SAY THAT PELICANS FREQUENTLY YOU CHICAGO IS A PUNCHING BAG AND IT'S AN INDICATION THAT THE NEW VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE IS SINGING FROM THE SAME HYMN KNOWN AS THE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE.

DONALD TRUMP.

ALL RIGHT.

AND HEATHER POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING AN INCIDENT THAT TOOK PLACE THIS MORNING AT THE FAIRMONT HOTEL DOWNTOWN.

TELL US WHAT HAPPENED.

WELL, THAT HOTEL IS PLAYING HOST TO A NUMBER OF STATE DELEGATIONS, INCLUDING THE DEMOCRATIC DELEGATION FROM THE INDIANA, APPARENTLY 2 WOMEN ARE BEING SOUGHT WHO WERE SEEN SORT OF PLACING ITEMS THAT ARE BELIEVED TO BE BUGS EITHER.

CRICKETS ARE MAD.

IT MAGGOTS ON THE BREAKFAST BREAKFAST BUFFET AND THEN FLEEING ONE PERSON WAS TREATED AND RELEASED.

BUT OFFICERS ARE STILL TRYING FIND OUT SORT OF WHO DID THIS AND WHY THEY DID THIS.

AND IT'S NOT CLEAR WHETHER IT WAS A PRANK OR IT WAS SOME SORT OF ATTEMPT TO SORT OF STAGE SOME SORT OF PROTEST.

WE'LL KEEP CHECKING ON OKAY.

LITTLE BIT ALSO, NICK, THE ILLINOIS DELEGATION HOSTED A BEVY OF LABOR LEADERS THIS MORNING.

WHAT WAS THEIR MESSAGE?

YEAH, NO BUGS AT THE BREAKFAST THIS MORNING.

BUT LABOR LEADERS WERE VERY CLEAR THAT WORKING PEOPLE'S ISSUES ARE THE KINDS OF ISSUES THAT DEMOCRATS OUGHT TO BE RUNNING ON.

THEY SAY THEIR WOMEN'S ISSUES.

WE HEARD THAT THE LABOR MOVEMENT IS GOING TO MOVE HEAVEN AND EARTH TO TRY TO GET KAMALA HARRIS AND TIM WALZ ELECTED.

ECHOED WHAT WE'VE HEARD ALL WEEK CALLING DONALD TRUMP A SCAB.

ONE OF THEM SAYING HE WAS THE WORST PRESIDENTS OUT WITHIN HIS LIFETIME OF THOUGH HE USED MUCH MORE COLORFUL LANGUAGE THAN THAT.

I ALSO HEARD SOME, YOU KNOW, EXPRESSIONS OF SURPRISE.

YOU KNOW, FOLKS SAY THEY WERE TAKEN ABACK BY SEEING TEAMSTERS PRESIDENT SEAN O'BRIEN AT THE RNC LAST MONTH.

DISAPPOINTED IN THAT BECAUSE THEY SAY THE GOP IS NOT ON THE SIDE OF THE UNION MEMBERS.

MANY, MANY OF WHOM ARE DEMOCRATIC VOTERS IN ILLINOIS, BUT CERTAINLY BY NO MEANS A ALL RIGHT.

SO AMONG THE SPEAKERS TONIGHT, NICK, YOU MENTIONED EARLIER THAT PETE BUTTIGIEG MADE AN APPEARANCE THIS MORNING.

HE HAD A PRIMETIME SLOT TONIGHT.

WE KNOW WHAT WE HEAR FROM HIM.

WELL, HE CAME OUT AND HE SAID HERE'S A SENTENCE.

I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD SAY I'M PETE BUTTIGIEG AND YOU MAY KNOW ME FROM FOX NEWS SORT OF WINKING AT HIS ROLE AS KIND OF A REPUBLICAN WAS FOR.

HE SAID HE'S WILLING TO GO ANYWHERE TO SPREAD THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S MESSAGE, WHICH HE BELIEVES CLEARLY SOME OF HIS COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS COME FROM PRACTICE.

HE HAD A LINE TONIGHT JOKING THAT JD VANCE'S, YOU KNOW, JUST AN AWFUL VICE PRESIDENT FOR THE VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE.

AT LEAST MIKE PENCE IS NICE HEAR THAT LINE AT BREAKFAST.

BUT YOU KNOW, ANY GOOD COMEDIAN WORKS THEIR MATERIAL, BUT HE SAYS THE POLITICS THAT JD VANCE AND DONALD TRUMP ARE OFFERING OUR POLITICS OF DARKNESS AND THAT'S NOT SOMETHING AMERICANS ARE LOOKING FOR RIGHT NOW.

HE ALSO SHARED HIS PERSONAL STORY SAYING THAT HIS FAMILY, YOU KNOW, HE'S TOO YOUNG TWINS THAT HE SHARES WITH HIS HUSBAND IS THE KIND OF FAMILY THAT WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE.

JUST 25 YEARS AGO, IT WAS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH PROGRESS.

AND THAT'S THE KIND OF PROGRESS HE THINGS.

KAMALA HARRIS AND TIM WALZ CAN BRING.

SHOULD THEY BE ELECTED IN NOVEMBER?

OKAY.

DEMOCRATS, WE KNOW THAT THEY FEATURED A NUMBER OF DISAFFECTED REPUBLICANS AT THE DNC, INCLUDING TODAY FORMER LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF GEORGIA, JEFF DUNCAN.

HERE'S A LITTLE OF WHAT HE HAD TO SAY.

FOCUS MY ATTENTION ON THE MILLIONS OF REPUBLICANS AND INDEPENDENTS THAT ARE AT HOME THAT ARE SICK AND TIRED OF MAKING EXCUSES FOR DONALD TRUMP.

INTELLECTUALLY HONEST WITH OURSELVES.

IT IS NOT CIVIL OR CONSERVATIVE.

IT'S CHAOTIC AND CRAZY.

AND THE ONLY THING LEFT TO DO IS DUMP.

WE DON'T CALL ME.

I'M A COME TO YOU ON THIS ONE.

HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THE KIND OF CRITICISM FROM REPUBLICANS, FORMER REPUBLICANS WHO FEEL THAT THE GOP HAS LOST ITS WAY UNDER FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP.

WELL, THAT WHOLE LAST BIT WAS REALLY TOUGH, YOU TO SAY THAT REPUBLICANS DON'T LIKE CHICAGO, CHICAGO'S ONE OF THE PREMIER CITIES OF THE WORLD.

AND SO TO BE LUMPED IN WITH THAT, I THERE ARE SOME REPUBLICANS THAT DEFINITELY HAVE LOST THEIR WAY IN BECAUSE THEY'VE THEY'RE NOT THINKING ABOUT OUR CORE VALUES AND AND THIS THIS DNC, THEY TALK ABOUT BEING, YOU KNOW, PULL ITS, YOU KNOW, REPUBLICANS ARE THAT FILLED WITH HATE AND TRUMP'S FILLED WITH HATE AND WORD THE POLARIZING ONE.

BUT ALL WE'VE HEARD IS NEGATIVITY OUT OF THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A A PEP RALLY AND PEP RALLIES ARE FUN AND THIS HAS REALLY BEEN KIND OF TOUGH TO TO LISTEN TO AND NOT NOT COME BACK WITH REACTIVE, YOU KNOW, COMMENTS RIGHT BACK EARLY.

SO YOU TAKING A LOT OF NOTES AS WE WERE LISTENING TO THE SPEECH.

OBVIOUSLY, GOT A LOT OF THOUGHTS ON IT.

LUIS GUTIERREZ WANT TO GET YOU IN HERE AS WELL BECAUSE WE HEARD FROM FORMER PRESIDENT CLINTON TONIGHT.

YOU KNOW, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF CONTINUING TO INVITE HIM TO SPEAK?

DO YOU THINK THE PARTY HAS SORT OF MOVED ON FROM IT ONCE UPON A TIME, OF COURSE, BEING THE PARTY OF CLINTON.

OF COURSE, HIS CONTINUED PARTICIPATION IN A POST ME TOO ENVIRONMENT.

I HAVE KIND OF SOFT PLACE IN MY HEART FOR CLINTON.

I STARTED IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES WITH HIS PRESIDENCY.

WHEN DEMOCRATS.

VOTED TO PUT 100,000 MORE POLICEMEN ON THE STREETS OF OUR COUNTRY WHEN.

DEMOCRAT WERE FIGHTING CRIME AND BEING VERY CLEAR AND VOCAL ABOUT IT.

I ALSO HAVE TO SAY THAT TONIGHT.

IT WAS A LOT OF JOY THAT I FELT COMING.

WOMEN'S RIGHTS FOR RIGHTS, ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS, FOR CIVIL AND VOTING RIGHTS.

WE SAW THAT ON DISPLAY THAT FILLS MY HEART WITH JOY.

I WAS A LITTLE SAD AND TAKEN ABACK BECAUSE I THINK THE GOVERNOR OF MARYLAND HAS SUCH GREAT FUTURE AND HE MENTIONED HOW THE RICH COLLAPSED AND BALTIMORE.

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?

HE FAILED TO MENTION.

THIS.

THAT OF 6 PEOPLE.

6 IMMIGRANTS TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ALL OF THEM FROM LATIN AMERICA.

WHY ISN'T THAT SPOKEN ABOUT ANDRES?

WHY IS THAT THE DEMOCRATS JUST YEAR?

AND SO WHEN I GO KNOCK ON DOORS ACROSS THIS COUNTRY AND AS PEOPLE TO COME OUT TO VOTE, THEY SAY, WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO SPEAK ABOUT WHEN I'M I GOING TO BE CITIZENS LIKE FLORIDA'S DEMOCRATIC CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVEN'T AND WE'VE GOT 30 SECONDS.

I KNOW YOU ILLINOIS'S YOUNGEST DELEGATE TODAY.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THEM AND WHAT GOT THEM INTERESTED IN POLITICS IN A FEW SECONDS.

IN A BRAND-NEW DO THAT IN JUST ONE SECOND.

BUT I WANT TO POINT OUT MINNESOTA IS SO EXCITED ABOUT GOVERNOR WALZ RUNNING TO BE VICE PRESIDENT FIT.

IT'S BEEN ABOUT A HALF AN HOUR AT LEAST SINCE HIS SPEECH ENDED IN THE DELEGATION IS STILL CHANTING ON THE FLOOR.

BUT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT 19 YEAR-OLD THE AND A CLEAR SECOND WITH JUST BUTCHERED HER LAST NAME PA BUT SHE SAID THAT SHE'S ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN POLITICS FROM HIGH SCHOOL ON.

IT WAS INTERESTING BECAUSE SHE SAID SHE REMEMBERS WATCHING OBAMA IN 2012 ON HER IPAD AND IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE HIM LIVE ON STAGE AS ILLINOIS'S YOUNGEST DELEGATE AND THIS WILL BE HER FIRST ELECTION VOTING, MINNESOTA AND A FRENZIED BACK THERE.

IT SOUNDS LIKE AMANDA, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

AND THANKS TO OUR