The Chicago Bears come into the 2025 NFL season with a new coaching staff, new offensive line and new playmakers – but will it lead to more wins? Will Ben Johnson’s offense turn Caleb Williams into an elite quarterback? Heading into Week 1, these are just two of many questions fans have about what to expect from the 2025 team. The Bears finished the 2024 season with a 5-12 record, featuring a 10-game losing streak in the middle of the year. With so much to fix and so many new pieces on this team, former Bears head coach Dave Wannstedt joined The Takeaway with Alex to discuss what he wants to see from the offense and defense, what real progress looks like for a team that finished 5-12 last year, and what will determine this season being a success or failure. Wannstedt, who spent six seasons on the sidelines for the Bears, breaks down how Johnson’s offense will help Williams in year two under center.

President Donald Trump's threat to send the National Guard to Chicago has Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and other Democrats outraged in opposition. They say there are better ways to address the crime that the president hopes to solve. But is the move even legal? If troops hit the streets, what can they do? On this episode of The Takeaway with Alex, NBC Chicago Political Reporter Mary Ann Ahern and law professor Harold Krent dissect the legal and political angles of the president's plan. The president says the guard will help quickly cut down on Chicago's crime problems. Democrats dismiss the idea as authoritarian theater. Ahern also discusses how the issue animates Democrats and a path to a possible Pritzker presidential run in 2028. Krent also notes the differences and similarities to National Guard deployments in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles earlier this year.

Months after voting out former Mayor Tiffany Henyard, Dolton is looking for a new school superintendent. Kevin Nohelty was the highest paid school superintendent in the state of Illinois, making over $500,000. Then he suddenly retired, after Regina Waldroup started digging into Nohelty’s past performance as a school administrator. She found Nohelty had a pattern of alleged financial problems – both professionally and personally. She also found that in the years Nohelty has been in charge, Dolton School District 148 has gone from solid finances to now being on a “watch list,” the lowest financial rank the Illinois State Board of Education can give to a district. In this episode of The Takeaway with Alex, Regina talks about Nohelty’s administrative record and what it means for taxpayers in the south suburbs.