Author: WBEZ Chicago

President Trump’s massive tax and spending bill signed into law on July 4 enshrined his 2017 tax cuts and cut federal funding for clean energy, food assistance programs and Medicaid in part by shifting costs to states. This comes as local food pantries say they’ve been at capacity the past few years due to inflated grocery prices and increased demand as a result of the COVID pandemic. Reset hears how this could affect Chicagoans with SNAP recipient Cody Martin, Pilsen Food Pantry director Dr. Evelyn Figueroa and Greater Chicago Food Depository CEO and executive director Kate Maehr. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The story of how a neighborhood theater became a church struggling to install a new roof says a lot about how buildings evolve over time. Reset talks to architecture expert Dennis Rodkin. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Democratic Illinois lawmakers have slammed their Republican colleagues in the U.S. Senate for passing President Trump’s tax and spending plan. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has named a new running mate. Meanwhile, Chicago alderpersons are scrutinizing the Chicago Police Department for its response to a recent ICE raid. Reset goes behind those headlines and more in our Weekly News Recap with WBEZ city politics reporter Mariah Woelfel, Chicago Sun-Times reporter Mitchell Armentrout and WCIU reporter/anchor Brandon Pope. Note: this conversation was recorded before the House passed the tax and spending bill. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chicago has more lead water pipes than most U.S. cities, and nearly two-thirds of children under 6 are exposed to lead in drinking water. Efforts to make the city's water lead-free have been sluggish. A Biden-era mandate requires cities to replace 20,000 lead pipes a year by 2027. Chicago is set to replace less than half of that number this year, and estimates suggest the city’s water systems won’t be lead-free until 2076. Reset discusses with Inside Climate News reporter Keerti Gopal, WBEZ environment reporter Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco and Natural Resources Defense Council senior policy advocate Chakena Perry. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Trump’s policy bill includes various cuts to Medicaid, implementing stricter requirements that will affect if people with disabilities receive health care coverage. Reset learns more about how this legislation could affect local Chicagoans with disabilities with Access Living policy analyst Sebastian Nalls and disability right activist and Medicaid recipient David Gayes. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Charles Leto, a 55 year old lifeguard from Lakeview who worked at Douglass Park pool, allegedly shot two teens on Thursday evening, killing Marjay Dotson, 15 and critically wounding Jeremy Herred, 14. Reset gets the latest in this case with WBEZ investigative reporter Dan Mihalopoulos. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

President Trump’s tariff threats and warnings about turning Canada into a 51st state have left many Canadians wondering about the future of cross-border relations. Reset asks three Canadians to share how they’re feeling about living in the U.S. right now. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The Supreme Court last week ruled in favor of religious parents who demanded they should have the choice to pull their children out of lessons that included topics such as same-sex marriage. The 6-3 decision reversed a lower-court ruling that sided with the school system. Reset spoke with Pierce School of International Studies elementary school teacher Josh Lerner about what the ruling could mean for workload, academic freedom and classroom dynamics. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

In a 6-3 decision Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court limited the power of lower-court judges to block a president’s executive orders. The decision prevents those judges from issuing what are known as “nationwide injunctions” and means that 28 states can begin to enforce President Trump’s order to end birthright citizenship, at least temporarily. Reset spoke with Immigrants’ Rights Clinic director and clinical law professor Nicole Hallett, UIC law professor Steven Schwinn, Midwest Regional Counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund Susanna Sandoval Vargas, Illinois Venezuelan Alliance co-founder Luciano Pedota and Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.