discussed in a state known for political corruption, many people are still trying to make sense of yesterday's presidential pardon.

Disgraced former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who Donald Trump says suffered, quote, a terrible injustice.

Meanwhile, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a G's across the country in another lawsuit against the Trump administration.

This time having to do with cutting medical research funding.

Governor JB Pritzker signed a law aimed at protecting domestic violence survivors.

Here with all that and more is our spotlight politics team Amanda Vicki Sharon and Nick Bloomberg.

Welcome backing.

So let's start by hearing what ex Governor Rod Blagojevich standing alongside his wife Patty, in front of their North side, Chicago home had to say last night.

>> Terrible thing that they did to me.

A Democrat governor, even worse what they did to a Republican President.

President Trump.

And his resilience.

He's trained his fortitude, his unwillingness to give in is an inspiration.

>> Okay.

and above all it.

But but showing no remorse.

Last night.

He says he broke no laws.

He places the blame squarely on prosecutors.

You've been talking to folks today about his pardon.

What are you hearing?

A lot for starters people have a lot of reaction to this not necessarily one of surprise given that this is something of a of it in his wife clearly been working toward.

He was, of course, the Democratic governor turned full-on mega after his commutation and working up really until this pardon, who knows what may come perhaps in a mess on our ship.

We don't know.

I but I think there is a lot of frustration on the part of legislators who were working with him at the time or at least watch them work because he didn't necessarily have a great relationship with the General Assembly when he was serving.

Is Illinois's governor.

And there is frustration that he never showed any sort of contrition for what they truly believe are his crimes.

They say that Trump got it wrong.

Even of Republican down state lawmaker that I spoke with.

says that likes a lot of what Trump is doing, says that he got it wrong here and that this as very much the wrong message about corruption.

She's frustrated that the General Assembly still, she says, hasn't done enough to try and become more ethical and really take steps there.

And I'll add as well that there is frustration among Democrats that say he a second.

Look at, for former Congressman Jesse Jackson junior who did serve his time, has apologized for his wrongdoing.

Still waiting for a pardon and sort of the opposite.

Did that got him again?

Still waiting, whereas Blagojevich sort kissing the Trump bring in getting a reward for it.

Despite never apologizing for the harm these people about that many critics throughout Illinois believe that he cause for residents.

So when the president signed the pardon, he told a roomful of reporters that Blagojevich is now quote, cleaner than anybody in this room.

Nic, what prompted that?

Well, the president was responding to a question about some reporting in recent days that as Amanda mentioned, former Governor Blagojevich might be in line for an ambassadorship to Serbia.

>> Blagojevich is famously of Serbian dissent he visited there last year meeting with the gentleman who refers to himself as Crown Prince Alexander.

Although Serbia's monarchy has not been around since the 1940's.

But so you know this there has been speculation Trump was was asked about that reporting, you know, at the at the signing and said, no, I haven't been thinking about that, but maybe I should.

So clearly this could be something that doesn't just completely, you know, disappear.

You know, there's a lot of investor ships to fill out.

And clearly this is someone who has spent a lot of his time, you know, now campaigning on Trump's behalf hit a service for Trump event that going tend to during the RNC.

So we will see where this goes.

No doubt we'll be seeing more of him.

But Heather has he indicated whether he will run for office again?

Can he run for office again?

Well, he was asked about that last night outside his house.

He sort of a load his wife and said she'll to force me if I do so I guess not.

>> But the fact of the matter is, is that he was impeached and removed from office before he was even charged with a crime or convicted of a crime, I should say.

And that means that he is ineligible under state law to hold office in Illinois.

So that governs state local county, the whole rigmarole.

Now he's always been eligible before the pardon.

I guess, after he got out of jail to run for federal office.

So if you want reclaim his seat in Congress, he can see about challenging my quickly for that seat or if you know, he try to run.

You know, for you know, president, maybe he wants to just take the whole thing.

But local office completely off limits.

The suggestion by serve Trump Act like that he was going to run for mayor of Chicago.

It's just simply not based, in fact, but there are others that we could see him running for if he chose to pursue that Illinois politicians, of course, you know, busy trying to stay on top of the latest executive orders, as we've mentioned by the White House attorney General.

>> Partner, I joining other agencies from around the country in lawsuits against the Trump administration.

Amanda, can you bring us up speed Yeah, I mean, I just think what's really notable here is that first of all, that the whole nation is watching to see whether the president is going to abide by these various court rulings because there's already moves by the Trump administration.

>> To not do so to continue with federal funding despite court order pauses, Illinois is now defending itself against one lawsuit.

And that, of course, is the suit brought by Trump's Department of Justice for and Sanctuary Cities and interfering with immigration.

Arrests is the allegation there.

And Illinois is party to force suits against the administration.

So that pretty rapid speed.

Of course, that's to the first was filed the day after Trump's inauguration.

for students as of January 21st, and that is can check my notes.

I don't forget me here.

The federal funding pause the birthright citizenship.

The all unauthorized disclosure of data to Elon Musk and these do with employees and then also now, of course, this latest one that would really some of Illinois's premier universities when it comes to university funding.

So those are the the 4 state A lot of it is really uniting with other Democratic attorneys general across the nation.

I have to imagine we may see more of them.

I imagine it and dating the the justice system and the courts.

Okay.

Let's go to city Hall because Heather, there is news about a top secret gift closet or gift room.

>> Ethics board though, now calling for gift guidelines unwrapped Well, apparently there's been an unwritten, informal agreement that allowed the mayor to accept gifts of more than $50 on behalf of the city.

As long as he or she reported the monologue and stored them in that gift room at City Hall.

>> Now that informal arrangement, which dates all the way back to late 19 meetings is now over revoked.

Dunn's oh, says the board, the chair of the Chicago Board of Ethics, which means that the mayor like every other city employee, an elected official, is now prohibited from accepting gifts worth more than $50 in a single calendar year from a single person.

And that if he accepted gifts on behalf of the city, he asked to reported not just to the board of Ethics, but the comptroller, again, like any other city employee.

Now last week, the Mayor's corporation counsel said that she was going to take a video of this gift closet and share it with us.

That video has yet to be published in the mayor had started holding weekly news conferences on Tuesday.

He did not hold one today.

There's certainly a lot going on.

But that meant we didn't get a chance to ask about this.

New guidance from the Board of Ethics.

Nick, let's talk about public transit a little Labor-backed coalition is filing a bill to reform transit.

What a what's going on Well, this is an attempt to head off the fiscal cliff facing CTA, Metra and pace next year when COVID-19 relief money from the federal government runs out.

>> Some estimates have the cliff now up to 770 million dollars.

I believe up from 7.50 >> So this is obviously a huge matter of concern.

They're going to be major layoffs.

Major service cuts if they can't come up with some sort of effects.

A lot of lawmakers have said they want to see reforms to the governance of these transit agencies before they come up with any extra cash.

And there was, of course, that proposal we've reported on a lot to merge.

You know, basically all the different transit operations into a new entity.

This is a little bit more modest.

This would basically create some some governance reforms and some changes to the way, you know, the finances work there.

For example, a big piece is how much of the revenue for their operating costs have to come from passenger fares versus how much can come from public support, all sorts of other stuff in there about better coordination, about improved safety and transit ambassador type efforts.

What we don't know is how much this would cost.

They do not have.

They're not saying whether this is going to get any extra funding if it's just going to be sort of a funding patch to tie these agencies over a lot of unanswered questions.

But this is drawing some support, these more modest reforms from folks who had previously talked about a whole so merger.

So this could be it is definitely going to be a conversation starter, shall we in Springfield of the certainly those conversations