Welcome to the June 2025 edition of the Chicago Power Poll podcast with Thom Serafin. Our power pollers have spoken their minds on 5 new topics. Joining Thom, once again, is veteran Chicago political journalist Mike Flannery This month's special guest is Joan Esposito, a veteran television journalist for over two decades. Joan now guards the topics of the day, as the host of afternoon drive on WCPT Radio in Chicago.

This month, we asked our Power Pollers to answer these questions:

• Do you approve of President Trump's decision to call the California National Guard into federal service?

• How concerned are you about massive service cuts to public transit, since Illinois' new budget ingored the RTA's $771 million fiscal cliff?

• What do you think is the primary reason for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's declining popularity?

• Should taxpayers provide financial support to the Chicago Bears for their new stadium?

• The U.S. Justice Department has launched an investigation into Chicago's hiring practices. What do you think about the Mayor's hiring for city positions?
• Do you support the State of Illinois' new taxes on sports betting, tobacco, and other items as a means to balance the budget?

Thom, Mike, and Joan will share our Power Poll results and get into their analysis of the answers here on this month's episode.