joining us on a special edition of Chicago tonight.

Brandis Friedman.

Tonight, we're revisiting some of our favorite conversations we've had this year.

Here's what we're looking at.

A historic life and career in politics.

Former senator from Illinois, Carol Moseley Braun on new memoir.

Illinois is getting some new neighbors as armadillos more.

What you should know.

How a group of young writers are breaking into the publishing world.

>> Run to the grocery store or make a trip to the hardware store.

Why a new car not so fast?

Not on Sunday.

>> And we explain why you can't buy car in Illinois on Sunday.

>> We kick things off right after this.

>> Chicago tonight is made possible in part why the Alexandra and John Nichols family.

The gym and K maybe family.

The Pope Brothers Foundation.

And the support these.

Don't >> Carol Moseley Braun is making waves in the push for more diverse leaders in politics.

Her historic election in 1993 as the country's first black woman senator shuttled her into the national and cultural spotlight from her stint in the Illinois General Assembly to serving as the ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa Moseley Braun made a journey through the ranks, but not without some obstacles along the way.

She reveals how she broke through barriers in her new memoir, Trailblazing Perseverance in Life and Politics.

Bless you.

Joining us now is the book's author herself, Carol Moseley Braun.

Ambassador, Welcome back.

Chicago Your Eyes is pleasure to be here.

Congrats on the book.

Of course, there have been decades of news coverage books chronicling your historic rise in politics.

Why did you want to toe your story this way?

People keep asking me when write a book, this is my first.

So and just made sense to do it.

Now.

I'm still here.

Are there other books in the works for you think?

Well, I don't think so.

I mean, lets question this which with this one and then you're right, a second wind to clear that up.

>> All you open up in this book, of course, about your own personal struggles from finding out and dealing with dyslexia in law school.

Not a great time.

>> And to growing up under an abusive alcoholic, father.

share those struggles now?

>> was part of my story about a journey actually out.

My dad was all but he was troubled troubled.

And and and it was a difficult childhood and that that is wouldn't tell the truth about all that.

Describe that childhood and how how that impacted you how that influenced you.

He would sometimes very violent and between my brother, my brother, this is just but primarily me because I was the oldest right.

And so >> you know, I'd survive that.

And that's when the reason for the subtext of perseverance, you know, survived being beat up as a child.

You know, truly the clearly that impact on you for the rest of your life.

But I came through that and maybe that was the grounding for all the rest of the you know, can you?

Well, I got to the >> Yeah.

He was a musician.

And you talk about, you him playing the piano and there are certain tones are certain certain pieces that you would hear him play that would sort of, you know, foretell what you and your siblings knew what was coming.

He became his family.

What family of musicians they came from.

New Orleans and and they played that He played 7 instruments and spoke 5 languages for the man was one way is doing is what on the other end he beat family.

Was Trump kept them.

You say in your book that, you know, those challenges at one point being, you know, they took a toll on your self-esteem and your confidence.

You know, the dyslexia as well.

>> How do you think you overcame all of that?

>> Perseverance sub takes of book, subtitle of Them.

And and So You just take one foot front of the net, the other and it just keep doing what you think is right.

And, you know, come come on time.

>> From reading the book, it seems to me like that perseverance comes from the people who raised you that the ancestors who came before you.

That's right.

>> My mother, my mother was great influence.

She she say do the best job you can where you plant it.

And so that was a became a really a signal for me.

Just 2 were hard at whatever it was that I was doing and tried to the best.

And that was best expression of who I was and and made a difference.

>> You came of age during the civil rights movement, of course, got involved in some of that activism.

What were some of the influences that shaped your involvement social justice at a young age?

You're even there that day at Market Park with Dr King right?

>> You know, back to end it right?

He he he was actually because he was such he's difficult man.

But he added a very keen intellect and among the things he did was injured Spain.

2, they did the principles behind the label may be a movement.

When I was coming up.

So between support for labor, support for civil rights and the other than less and that he imparted I was it was there was no that for me.

But be active.

>> Many people that, you know, for your, you know, decades long work in politics from the Illinois General Assembly to the Senate.

That's how people remember you a lot.

But you say in your book that your career in politics was actually accidental because you get into well as 2 parts.

Actually.

One was the bottling >> In Jackson Park and I joined protests because the park is going tear down trees but head air that has been a populated by little rice birds from South Carolina.

And I somewhere there's a picture of you.

I have bonded.

But anyway, Park district do by Billings.

So I was protesting trying to protect about wings and that was one.

But the second thing was that I had actually run for office before I'm on the Whaley added knows I was gonna be my future path.

But when I was in college, I ran because I was secretary of the day Action party running for.

>> The and the student government leadership.

And so I did that.

I did.

That had no idea at the time.

That was a What I was gonna go for that with my to be more running for you?

Yeah.

>> You know, later on, of course you you end up sort of struggling the balance of raising a family along with your dedication to public service, which is, of course, something that many working parents are familiar with.

Do you think that there are often no different expectations for women and mothers in particular in public service still are.

Absolutely footing to cause.

When my son met who I adore was little he was asked, what is your mother do?

He's he's as well she goes meetings and meetings, a party that So of but yeah, no, it was.

It was it was important to do.

>> Back to my mother.

Do the best you can.

planned it being a mother was important to me.

And so I want to do the I could with him.

How do you think you did that?

>> That accident my magnificent.

He is one I hope is that in Canada the link is not yet.

Now he's he's wonderful and he takes good care of me.

>> And he is he I could I mean, designs, cousin of blessed to have gotten this wonderful son and one of a family in spite of myself, I tried, but I I'm sure of bills >> As the first black woman senator, you were often scrutinized for your appearance for your personality.

But you, of course, want to be known for the subject of your work, the service that you're there for How did you navigate that scrutiny on Capitol Hill?

I didn't do very well.

I didn't win reelection, but I think along I think it out.

>> All I could do was my job.

And if focus in on doing that, I'd be fine.

And it turned out, I was I am you know, not crazy with That scrutiny was ever hurtful.

A lot of times.

Yes, But do on that.

That's part of perseverance them have to take that step and put it over there somewhere.

And Thompson stamp out into a goes away, if will.

You know, use Gavin, you can't let the naysayers.

You can bet that the negative things derail you after pat.

And so and I never did.

I just kept folks Well, it's going to take advice from Marge.

Simpson.

of and you know, as we mentioned, there are some bumps along the way.

Of course, there was the Medicaid disclosure just before your election to the Questions raised by your visits to Nigeria.

There was reporting about high staff turnover when you were in your Senate office.

>> How do you reflect on the mistakes you've made the lessons you learned, the criticism he received back Washington and then a job with my press relations one.

>> I mean, that's kind of fundamental.

I mean, that's pretty obvious because I didn't I did not do a very good job of.

Communicating what I was doing.

That was a focus on my job.

I was focused on passing legislation has focused being the best senator.

I could.

And I think yeah, I succeeded at that.

I passed most of the bills that filed and I was I represent my state.

It was job because in such diverse in such a a huge state with diverse everything from Chicago, too little town, Chicago to agriculture.

You got everything in the state and so I I had make sure that everybody got the attention they deserve and need.

And that's what attracted to.

>> There are I want to talk about today a little bit because there are 2 black women who are running for U.S.

Senate now, representative supported both of Representative Robin Kelly and of course, Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton.

What would it mean to you with either one of them, you know, should end up winning and becoming the second black woman to represent Illinois.

Well, the good news is that I'm, you know, field and you knew the first.

But you don't want to be the last.

>> So I would be wonderful we get a woman like from Illinois, a black woman like from the state, I'd be delighted.

What does it say that it will have been 20 plus years?

I'm not map incorrectly.

30 plus years.

Yes, the first woman did it you did, you know, and it says that and sometimes hard overcome and raise >> And I don't know why.

That's so it's just awful.

A man sitting for hours we could pour through the fact the matter is that that the idea electing a woman is harder for some people and the idea of electing a black person, our personal car by So it is historical and social and cultural, et But I think I think good thing for our state.

Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun, congrats on the book.

Thank you so much for joining us.

question.

>> Again, the book is called Trailblazer Perseverance in Life and Politics.

We're back with more right after this.

What do you picture when you think of Illinois, a wildlife, probably deer, raccoons, skunks come to mind surprise.

You can add armadillo to that list.

Michelle mammals have been working their way north from Texas for more than a century.

And they have already been spotted in southern Illinois and they reportedly have their sights set on the bright lights.

Big city of Chicago.

Our Patty Wet Lee is joining joining us now to give us those details.

Patty.

So we tend to associate armadillos with places like Mexico, Texas.

What are they doing in Illinois?

You know, ever since they arrived in Texas in roughly the 18 50's or what's now Texas, they have just continued to consistently it slowly move their way north.

And a lot of that has to do with climate change.

>> You know, this is an animal that doesn't hibernate doesn't like the cold.

Thanks for its food in the ground, but there's less and less snow cover and the winters are getting warmer.

So it's just kind of creeping up along with warmer winters, short legs, but they move quickly home because there's some evidence that they may have migrated as close as Kankakee.

What do we know about scientists at the field museum a couple years ago took a sample of water, analyzed the environmental DNA within that water from the Kankakee River.

And lo and behold, she was surprised to find armadillo.

Dna sequence turned up just a smidge under what she would consider 100% confidence.

But there was evidence of the armadillo there.

So, you know, they're here.

They're here research to be done on that.

I'm sure another scientists that you spoke with the field museum said armadillos could appear in Chicago within the next 5 to 10 How might their presence disrupt the local ecosystem?

And yes, scientists are saying, you know, it's not a matter of if they show up.

It's when.

>> And the short answer is we don't know how they're going to affect the local ecosystem.

That's where they're kind of trying to get a baseline.

Now.

And they're asking people in central and northern Illinois to report their sightings.

So we want to know what's the status of certain species of birds now and then what happens when armadillos come along and maybe start disrupting the NES that they have on the ground when they start competing with reckons for resources, they don't really have predators here that we know of at least as long as Jaguars.

Stay south.

So, you know, we don't really know they're not supposed to be here.

We don't know what their impact will be, OK.

So it sounds like we should probably get used to seeing them want what should we know about them?

Well, there are about the size of a cat.

So if you see a giant armadillo online, which is about the size of me, that is not the ones that were expecting here.

The only species in North America is the 9 banded armadillo.

That was when you get like 9 flexible bands, kind of like a bendy straw that allows it to bend does not roll up into a complete ball.

Only the 3 banded do that.

And mamas out there will be interested to know that they have and to go quadruplets every Every time.

Every time have, they reproduce.

It's a identical quadruplets, little armadillo, Patty, what we thank you so Thanks, Prentiss.

And you can read patties full story all about the armadillo babies, the one to roll up into a ball on our website.

It is all the W T Tw dot com slash news.

>> The teenage years are full of firsts, perhaps driving for the first time getting your first paycheck or your first kiss.

But publishing your first book probably isn't on a lot of teenagers list of accomplishments.

But our next guest did just that at 16 years old, 18 brands wrote his first book exploring the year 2020 from a teenager's point of view and brands didn't stop there.

He wrote a springs into the plot by starting his own publishing company.

Joining us now with more are Aden brands, author and owner of Aden Brands Books and your reads, 80 author of the Short Kid from Pakistan.

Welcome.

Thanks for joining us.

Thanks for having grass on things.

You all published books.

I haven't published book.

So you've you've got something on us.

>> I mean, it's really fun to do what we're doing.

And I'm so glad we get to talk about it here.

Awesome.

So you wrote your first novel, a ton at 16, 2020 from a teenager is P o V what made you want to write that?

Well, you know, back in 2020, I stayed up all night and >> I was just kind of processing everything that was going on in the world.

And I was drinking a lot of coffee saw as kind of like really energetic.

And I just randomly decided to open a Google document and just start writing what I was feeling and what people my age were going through because at that time, there really wasn't a lot of people talking about the teenage perspective of everything that was happening in 2020 and we can both admit that was a crazy year.

So I just wanted to do something kind of unique and put something out that I really wasn't saying.

And that was really what started it all just from one crazy night you go from, like writing, getting it all out.

You know, in that first crazy night to all of those thoughts becoming a book.

>> Well, I worked on it a little Has the has the weeks and months past and I kind of format it to be more like a story instead of just like a giant rant and I put the I put the book out on my own in early 2021.

And it took a took a little bit of time and it was a process, you know, trying to figure out how to do all this stuff.

But once I did, it was like really amazing.

And I got such a good reception from people, especially at my school and in my community in Palatine.

And it was just like a really crazy experience just to go through all of that.

Eventually you got in some of your peers like you read sitting next to whose book the Short Kid from Pakistan, you published.

>> Yuri, tell us about your book.

It's about to show it could from back.

It's about.

>> They showed kid who is with a fictionalized character.

But if Tories, my story and it's being put on and he experiences up to learn a new language.

move across the world and just like.

Follow new traditions not used road conditions like it.

Just learning everything new.

All I want.

And if I really really good story and I've had people who are not from Foxconn, but they fed immigrant.

If that I really, really to story because I went to same thing.

>> What was it like sort of telling your own personal story that way?

>> And with and with knife, I feel like from the moment I just needed to get off my chest.

fog pretty good.

But also like being able to share my story, which I don't feed them much the media at all about boxed on being represented at all.

I feel like It's a very good opportunity for me to represent my country and my story.

>> Done.

Why was it important for you to start your own company?

What it what did you think was missing in the publishing industry?

So I really wanted to just see more authentic stories be told because you look in the mainstream publishers and they're not really doing what we're doing and the whole subtitle of my book, the First One teenager's Poe V I wanted to expand upon that idea.

And I really realize like the world is just bigger than my point view.

And that's why I wanted to give someone like you read chance to share his point of view of the world.

And that's really kind the whole idea.

Just showing a different perspective that people don't really see or they don't really hear and doing that has been such a amazing honor because we're able to tell he's great stories that people are connecting with.

And, for example, if someone doesn't connect with what I write, that doesn't mean they can't connect with what he reads writing or maybe even someone like Evelyn, we're just trying to do new things and push the limits to be honest and be unique and embrace our uniqueness.

And you published 6 books, 9 books, 6 offers like we've done a bunch the know that I'm sure that you can which is great.

>> You read what would you say were some of the challenges with being a package?

Some pockets, Sunny author.

And what did you feel like people didn't understand about your experience?

I believe some people definitely do tradition over there.

>> give a lot of different conditions.

Light from on and more think the deflect a car holidays, too.

But like that, people didn't understand, but also like, what's it like living in a 3rd world country that poverty and like just like Beth, going around you net out control.

>> And also what it's like moving from that to this to hear.

Yeah, we didn't see a moving across the globe learning a new language learning how Have new mentors.

you guys really warms.

shock.

Yeah, very much.

I'm sure.

>> So according to the National Center for Education Statistics, there been long-term declines in the share of 13 year-old who reported reading for fun almost every day in 2012, it was 27% to 13 year-old falling to 17% in 2020 15% in 2023.

And, you know, we've got the 2 of you.

You are currently community college students, but you started doing this when you were in high school.

You know, what do you think needs to be done to encourage the younger generation to read more a tunnel?

Start with you.

>> I think that we got to get our young people to read books that they want to read that they can connect with, because I think sometimes in schools, you know, you know, a lot the students are kind of forced to read these books that they don't really want to read or they can't really relate to it and they can't connect with what's on the page.

I think that's that's a big aspect of it.

I think there's there's a lot of things that need to be done.

I think I it's an issue that's bigger than just me.

And you read.

I think it's like it's a group effort.

A lot of people are going to have to come together and think of ways to raise those numbers because it's honestly concerning.

I encourage reading.

I think everybody should agree no matter what your age is.

don't know your review.

>> now, I mean, I just wonder what my my point to be the same.

What what's next for you?

Read you plan on your state.

You're studying radiology right now.

they plan on writing anywhere books.

Yeah, but you haven't new book coming out soon is a publishing that won't forget publishing.

is going to be called Apollo DART into and then titles not well.

It's a sequel to book that he did called Apollo Darwin.

>> And it's about a convicted felon getting out of jail.

And just I'm trying to rebuild his life and it kind of shows how society it kinda, it's hard for people get out of the prison system to kind move forward.

And it's really it's a it's kind of different from what we do.

But it still shows appeal.

The that I think is super important that well, I look forward to reading it when when that when he's ready to go because I was on the website, I read a couple of pages of some of them and they were paid starters.

I want to see the rest of it.

>> We'll have to leave it there, though.

grand jury JT, thank you so much for joining us.

for so much.

>> Weekends >> never seem to be long enough between the endless Aaron's social gatherings in just getting some rest and relaxation.

But while you're working to fit all that into your next weekend, there is one thing you'd better do on Saturday.

And that is because you cannot buy a car of any kind in Illinois on Sundays.

Our Nick Lambert Blumberg has the story in our latest edition of WT Tw News explains.

>> The weekend, the perfect time to knock a few items off field to do list, run to the grocery store or make a trip to the hardware store buy a new car.

Not so fast.

Not on Sunday.

Since the 1980's, it's been illegal for car dealerships to operate on Sundays in Illinois.

Why?

Well, some owners and employees wanted to shut down to spend time with their families or for religious reasons, but and pay attention.

This is the key.

They didn't want their competitors to pope and have a chance to steal business.

>> The first attempts to close down dealerships on Sundays date back to the 50's and 60's.

But those laws never made it off the lot.

They were veto struck down courts.

But since 1984, Illinois car dealers must close their doors on Sundays.

Illinois isn't alone a dozen other states don't allow Sunday car sales either.

It's a vestige of so-called blue laws barring certain activities on the basis of religion like, say, buying a sports car on the 7th.

The religious angle is one reason Illinois's ban has been challenge multiple times.

One alternate proposal still restricted car sales to 6 days a week.

But a lot of dealerships to which day they take off since, for example, Jews and Muslims don't observe day of rest prayer on Sunday, some pro business groups argue the law restricts free commerce.

But so far, Illinois this Sunday car sale ban on the books would be test drives off the roads.

So if you're looking for a hot deal on a new set of wheels, you'll have to look day.

>> And you can watch more in our W T Tw News explains series on our website.

And that's our show for tonight.

Be sure to sign up for our free email newsletter.

The Daily Chicago and W T Tw Dot Com Slash newsletter.

Now for all of us here Chicago Brandis Friedman, thank you for watching.

Stay healthy and safe and have a good night.

>> Closed captioning is made possible by Robert, a and Clifford law offices, a