CHICAGO - The U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy wrote to the Chicago Transit Authority last week, requesting information on its efforts to reduce crime while threatening to take away federal funding.

In a letter dated Sept. 11, Duffy wrote to acting CTA President Nora Leerhsen urging the agency to "ensure a secure and clean environment, reduce crime and fare evasion, and maintain a safe operating system."

What we know:

In a press release announcing the request, the U.S. Department of Transportation cited not only recent violent incidents on the CTA system, but also the attack of Iryna Zarutska , a Ukrainian refugee who was fatally stabbed on a train in North Carolina last month.

The secretary also wrote a similar letter to the head of the Massachusetts Bay Transportatio

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