WGN Radio 720 - Chicago's Very Own

Dr. Michael Bauer on COVID vaccines for kids: 'The benefit far outweighs any potential risk'

Posted: 28 Jun 2022 01:38 PM PDT

Dr. Michael Bauer, Medical Director at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins Jon Hansen to talk about where we are with booster shots, if we will see a combination flu / COVID vaccine, what COVID might look like in the fall, and what we know about COVID vaccines for children under 5.

All-male Mt. Carmel High School is considering going co-ed

Posted: 28 Jun 2022 05:27 PM PDT

Mt. Carmel High School president Brendan Conroy joins Lisa Dent on Chicago's Afternoon News to explain why one of Chicago's few remaining Catholic all-boys schools is considering a coeducational program.

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Is it okay to pray on the 50-yard-line?

Posted: 28 Jun 2022 05:52 PM PDT

Evan Bernick, assistant professor at the Northern Illinois University College of Law, joins Lisa Dent on Chicago's Afternoon News to explain the U.S. Supreme Court's latest ruling that a former Washington state high school football coach had a right to pray on the field after games.

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Tuesdays with Tom Skilling: Will we have perfect July 4th weather?

Posted: 28 Jun 2022 06:05 PM PDT

Bill Snyder, WGN-TV weather producer (filling-in for Tom Skilling), joins Lisa Dent on Chicago's Afternoon News to give us this week's forecast and discuss if the July 4th weekend will come with rain.

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Trump lunged at security detail, steering wheel to get to Capitol on Jan. 6, aide says

Posted: 28 Jun 2022 11:59 AM PDT

(The Hill) – Former President Trump lunged at his own security detail and at the steering wheel of the presidential vehicle when he was told he could not go to the Capitol to join his supporters on Jan. 6, a former top aide testified Tuesday.

Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide, told the Jan. 6 committee investigating the riot at the Capitol that Trump had been pushing to go to the Capitol after giving a speech on the Ellipse on Jan. 6. 

Hutchinson told the committee that then-deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato told her that Trump was "irate" when Robert Engel, the special agent in charge for Secret Service on Jan. 6, told Trump when he got into the presidential limo that going to the Capitol would not be possible. 

"The president had a very strong, a very angry response to that," Hutchinson testified. "Tony described him as being irate. The president said something to the effect of, 'I'm the effing president, take me up to the Capitol now.'

"To which [Engel] responded, 'Sir we have to go back to the West Wing,'" Hutchinson continued. "The president reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel. Mr. Engel grabbed his arm, said, 'Sir you need to take your hand off the steering wheel, we're going back to the West Wing, we're not going to the Capitol. 

"Mr. Trump then used his free hand to lunge towards Bobby Engel," Hutchinson testified. 

Hutchinson told the committee neither Engel nor Ornato disputed the description of what had happened. 

Trump ultimately did not go to the Capitol with supporters, who went on to breach the building and delay the certification of Joe Biden's electoral victory. Five people died in connection with, or as a result of, the insurrection. Multiple officers who responded during the rioting have since died by suicide.

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Former White House aide says Trump knew Jan. 6 attendees had weapons: 'They're not here to hurt me'

Posted: 28 Jun 2022 11:08 AM PDT

(The Hill) – Ex-White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson on Tuesday testified that former President Trump and his former chief of staff Mark Meadows were both told that attendees at a Jan. 6, 2021, rally had weapons, and that Trump was frustrated that those with weapons were turned away. 

Hutchinson, a former top aide to Meadows, told the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riots that Trump was "furious" that the Ellipse near the White House had not filled up to capacity for a rally on the morning of the Electoral College certification. 

"I was in the vicinity of a conversation where I overheard the president say something to the effect of, 'I don't f---ing care that they have weapons. They're not here to hurt me. Take the f---ing mags away,'" Hutchinson testified. 

Hutchinson was referring to the magnetometers used by Secret Service to scan for weapons. 

Her deposition about Trump's frustration and calls to overrule Secret Service was prefaced with testimony that former deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato had informed both Meadows and Trump that some of the attendees at the rally on Jan. 6 were carrying weapons. 

Hutchinson said Meadows did not look up from his phone as he was informed about the security situation at the rally. 

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) also introduced audio of radio transmissions from law enforcement ahead of the Jan. 6 rally at the Ellipse. Officers can be heard relaying reports of attendees carrying AR-15 rifles and Glock pistols. The committee learned some attendees had brass knuckles, knives, tasers and other weapons confiscated after passing through the magnetometers. 

"President Trump was aware that a number of the individuals in the crowd had weapons and were wearing body armor. And here's what President Trump instructed the crowd to do," Cheney said, prefacing a clip of Trump telling the crowd on Jan. 6, "we're going to walk down to the Capitol." 

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The John Williams NewsClick: Have the congressional hearings changed your mind about the events of Jan. 6?

Posted: 28 Jun 2022 02:11 PM PDT

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Reducing your debt with finance expert and attorney Leslie Tayne

Posted: 28 Jun 2022 05:20 PM PDT

Leslie H. Tayne, a consumer finance expert and attorney at Tayne Law Group, joins Jon Hansen on Your Money Matters. She is also the author of Life and Debt which she wrote to help people learn to love their debt. Leslie explains methods to help pay down debt - some tackle the highest interest while others focus on the lowest balance.

For more information on Leslie, visit Tayne Law Group

Ukraine-Russia crisis update: Shopping mall in Kremenchuk targeted in airstrike

Posted: 28 Jun 2022 06:05 AM PDT

Journalist and editor of 'Ukrainian Freedom News' Joseph Lindsley joined Bob Sirott from Ukraine to deliver the latest news on the Ukraine-Russia crisis, including the attack on the shopping mall in Kremenchuk and what territory Russia has control over. You can find more updates on Joseph's website, ukrainianfreedomnews.com. To donate to Joseph and his team's efforts to distribute supplies throughout Ukraine, click here.

Ghislaine Maxwell sentenced to 20 years in prison for sex trafficking

Posted: 28 Jun 2022 12:13 PM PDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Ghislaine Maxwell, the jet-setting socialite who once consorted with royals, presidents and billionaires, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday for helping the financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls.

The stiff sentence was the punctuation mark on a trial that explored the sordid rituals of a predator power couple who courted the rich and famous as they lured vulnerable girls as young as 14, and then exploited them.

Prosecutors said Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial, sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, and couldn't have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime companion and onetime girlfriend who they said sometimes also participated in the abuse. In December, a jury convicted Maxwell of sex trafficking, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts and two conspiracy charges.

In this courtroom sketch, Ghislaine Maxwell, right, is seated beside her attorney, Christian Everdell, as they watch the prosecutor speak during her sentencing, Tuesday, June 28, 2022, in New York. Maxwell faces the likelihood of years in prison when she is sentenced for helping the wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Williams)

U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan, who also imposed a $750,000 fine, said "a very significant sentence is necessary" and that she wanted to send an "unmistakable message" that these kinds of crimes would be punished. Prosecutors had asked the judge to give her 30 to 55 years in prison, while the 60-year-old Maxwell's defense sought a lenient sentence of just five years.

Maxwell, wearing a blue prison uniform and a white mask to conform with coronavirus rules, looked to one side as the sentence was announced, but otherwise did not react.

"We will continue to live with the harm she caused us," said Annie Farmer, one of the four accusers who testified against Maxwell at trial, inside the courtroom before the sentencing.

When she had a chance to speak, Maxwell said she empathized with the survivors and that it was her "greatest regret of my life that I ever met Jeffrey Epstein." Maxwell called him "a manipulative, cunning and controlling man who lived a profoundly compartmentalized life," echoing her defense attorneys' assertions that Epstein was the true mastermind.

Maxwell, who denies abusing anyone, said she hoped that her conviction and her "unusual incarceration" bring some "measure of peace and finality."

Nathan refused to let Maxwell escape culpability, making clear that Maxwell was being punished for her own actions, not Epstein's. She called the crimes "heinous and predatory" and said Maxwell as a sophisticated adult woman provided the veneer of safety as she "normalized" sexual abuse through her involvement, encouragement and instruction.

Several survivors described their sexual abuse, including Farmer, who said her sister and herself tried to go public with their stories about Epstein and Maxwell two decades ago, only to be shut down by the powerful couple through threats and influence with authorities.

Inside the crowded courtroom, three of Maxwell's siblings sat in a row behind her. Most of the others in attendance were members of the media.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe recounted how Maxwell subjected girls to "horrifying nightmares" by taking them to Epstein.

"They were partners in crime together and they molested these kids together," she said, calling Maxwell "a person who was indifferent to the suffering of other human beings."

Epstein and Maxwell's associations with some of the world's most famous people were not a prominent part of the trial, but mentions of friends like Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Britain's Prince Andrew showed how the pair exploited their connections to impress their prey.

Over the past 17 years, scores of women have accused Epstein of abuse them, with many describing Maxwell as the madam who recruited them. The trial, though, revolved around allegations from only a handful of those women.

Four testified that they were abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epstein's mansions in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands.

Three were identified in court only by their first names or pseudonyms to protect their privacy: Jane, a television actress; Kate, an ex-model from the U.K.; and Carolyn, now a mom recovering from drug addiction. The fourth was Farmer, the sole accuser to identify herself in court by her real name, after speaking out publicly.

They described how Maxwell charmed them with conversation and gifts and promises that Epstein could use his wealth and connections to help fulfill their dreams.

Then, they testified, she led them to give massages to Epstein that turned sexual and played it off as normal.

Carolyn testified that she was one of several underprivileged teens who lived near Epstein's Florida home in the early 2000s and took up an offer to massage him in exchange for $100 bills in what prosecutors described as "a pyramid of abuse."

Maxwell made all the arrangements, Carolyn told the jury, even though she knew the girl was only 14 at the time.

The allegations against Epstein first surfaced publicly in 2005. He pleaded guilty to sex charges in Florida and served 13 months in jail, much of it in a work-release program as part of a deal criticized as lenient. Afterward, he was required to register as a sex offender.

In the years that followed, many women sued Epstein over alleged abuse. One, Virginia Giuffre, claimed that Epstein and Maxwell had also pressured her into sexual trysts with other powerful men, including Prince Andrew. All of those men denied the allegations and Giuffre ultimately settled a lawsuit against Andrew out of court.

Federal prosecutors in New York revived the case against Epstein after stories by the Miami Herald in 2018 brought new attention to his crimes. He was arrested in 2019, but killed himself a month later.

Eleven months after his death, Maxwell was arrested at a New Hampshire estate. A U.S., British and French citizen, she has remained in a federal jail in New York City since then as her lawyers repeatedly criticize her treatment, saying she was even unjustly placed under suicide watch days before sentencing. Prosecutors say the claims about the jail are exaggerated and that Maxwell has been treated better than other prisoners.

Her lawyers also fought to have her conviction tossed on the grounds of juror misconduct. Days after the verdict, one juror gave media interviews in which he disclosed he had been sexually abused as a child — something he hadn't told the court during jury selection. Maxwell's lawyers said she deserved a new trial. A judge disagreed.

At least eight women submitted letters to the judge, describing the sexual abuse they said they endured for having met Maxwell and Epstein. Six of Maxwell's seven living siblings wrote to plead for leniency. Maxwell's fellow inmate also submitted a letter describing how Maxwell has helped to educate other inmates over the last two years.

Anne Holve and Philip Maxwell, her eldest siblings, wrote that her relationship with Epstein began soon after the 1991 death of their father, the British newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell.

They said Robert Maxwell had subjected his daughter to "frequent rapid mood swings, huge rages and rejections."

"This led her to becoming very vulnerable to abusive and powerful men who would be able to take advantage of her innate good nature," they wrote.

Before her fate was announced, Maxwell looked down and scribbled on a notepad as Sarah Ransome — an accuser whose allegations weren't included in this trial — spoke of the lasting harm to her life, gazing directly at Maxwell several times .

Ransome, who twice tried to die by suicide, finally drew a look from Maxwell when she said: "You broke me in unfathomable ways but you did not break my spirit."

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