In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons - Rep. Robin Kelly Makes Final Pitch For Senate Ahead Of Primary

In the race to replace veteran U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, analysis from the New York Times shows Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Congresswoman Robin Kelly and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton are leading in the polls. During this final week before Primary Day in Illinois, candidates are making their final pitches to voters, and the process can be a 24/7 grind of glad-handing, raising money and not sleeping. In The Loop checks in with the leading candidates on the campaign trail. First up: Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02). We’ll bring you our conversations with Lt. Gov. Stratton and Rep. Krishnamoorthi on Tuesday and Wednesday on this podcast. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

1A - ‘If You Can Keep It’: How ready are American security agencies for Iran?

Days before the United States dropped its first bombs on Iran, FBI Director Kash Patel fired members of a team that monitored threats from the Islamic Republic. The reason? They had investigated President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents.

That move came amid a year of layoffs, budget cuts, resignations, and shifting priorities across America’s national security agencies — including the FBI, the CIA, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Now, as U.S. officials warn that Iran could retaliate with cyber attacks or terror attacks on U.S. soil, some experts are asking if the United States still has the capacity to defend itself.

That’s the question we try to answer in this edition of “If You Can Keep It,” our series exploring the biggest stories of the day and what they mean for our democracy.

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Global News Podcast - Iran war: Oil prices soar

The benchmark oil price has passed $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022. But Donald Trump says the economic fallout from the US-Israel war with Iran is "a very small price to pay" for world peace. After Iran named a new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, heavy explosions have continued to rock the capital Tehran. The Turkish opposition leader Ekrem Imamoğlu has gone on trial in Istanbul for corruption, in a case he describes as politically motivated. We report from South Sudan, where the world's youngest nation is grappling with instability and fears of a return to civil war. The Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelensky has said he is sending drone experts to the Middle East this week to help Gulf states under attack from Iran. There is concern about the safety of the Iranian women's football team after they refused to sing their national anthem at the first game of the Asian Cup in Australia. Scientists have discovered an ancient Egyptian equivalent of correction fluid.

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

Newshour - As the price of oil surges, markets tumble

As the US and Israel's war on Iran enters its second week, concerns are rising about surging oil prices.

Crude has jumped above $100 a barrel and stock markets slumped over the escalating US-Israeli war with Iran. What are the effects likely to be?

Also in the programme: We'll profile Iran's new Supreme Leader, the son of the former cleric; we'll hear how the war is affecting daily life in the Gulf state of Qatar; and how the master artists of ancient Egypt may have invented correction fluid.

(Photo shows smoke rising following a strike on the Bapco Oil Refinery on Sitra Island in Bahrain on 9 March 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Focus on Africa - Women’s Month: Leadership and Africa’s Economy

In recognition of International Women’s Month, we speak to Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman and first African to lead the World Trade Organization. We discuss women representation in leadership, the impact of the latest Middle East conflict on African economies and the shifting balance of global trade and Africa’s place in it.

And, we also look at LGBTQ rights on the continent. In much of Africa, homosexuality remains criminalised in 33 out of 55 countries, according to the Institute for Security Studies. While South Africa recognises same-sex marriage, most African countries do not. In Botswana, two women are now challenging the government in court for the right to marry, despite same-sex relationships being decriminalised.

Presenter : Nkechi Ogbonna Producers: Keikantse Shumba and Chiamaka Dike Technical Producer: Jonathan Mwangi Senior Producer: Bella Twine and Blessing Aderogba Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla

The Commentary Magazine Podcast - Manufacturing Dissent

Today we discuss the media's eagerness to declare the Iran war a failure a mere eight days into the conflict, the failed IED attack on protesters in New York City, and Zohran Mamdani's wife's online support for the October 7 attack. Plus, John recommends the film It Was Just An Accident by Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi.

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Marketplace All-in-One - Oil prices and war in the Middle East

Oil prices came close to hitting $120 a barrel yesterday. This morning, they're hovering around $100 a barrel. Gas prices are also up 27 cents in a week, a price increase that'll pinch consumers and could dent consumer spending. In response to the spike in oil prices, some nations are discussing releasing oil reserves from their stockpiles. Then, we'll head to the Texas-Mexico border, where a parasitic fly poses a threat to the cattle industry.

Bad Faith - Episode 556 Promo – Big Tech’s Attack on Anonymity (w/ Taylor Lorenz)

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They're calling it "age verification" and touting it as a measure to protect children. But, as is the case with most moral panics, the children are a pretext. New laws are being implemented around the globe to require citizens to provide identification to use the internet, meaning anonymity is dying and the risk of being targeted for one's formerly-anonymous beliefs or "likes" are growing. This is a largely bipartisan effort that has the potential to lead to a Minority Report-style crackdown on "pre-crime" based on online expressions of belief. Tech journalist Taylor Lorenz is ringing the alarm bell. Will the public resist before it's too late?

Subscribe to Bad Faith on YouTube for video of this episode. Find Bad Faith on Twitter (@badfaithpod) and Instagram (@badfaithpod).

Produced by Armand Aviram.

Theme by Nick Thorburn (@nickfromislands).

Marketplace All-in-One - An eye on labor force participation

Economists are still digesting last Friday's jobs report, which showed a loss of 92,000 jobs in February. The labor force participation rate — the percentage of working-age people who are either working or looking for work — fell to 62%. That's the lowest since December 2021 and means some people are giving up even looking for a job. We'll dig into the importance of that figure. Also on the show: oil prices and existential threats.