Author: WBEZ Chicago

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.

Climate change is big, overwhelming and scary, and can make us go numb. But there is very real grief to process. Reset sits down with playwright Rozina Kanchala to hear how she used her art and storytelling to help audiences process the enormity of climate change. Her play Come Along for the Ride: A Journey Through Climate Grief is playing in Chicago this weekend. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

A Midwest heat wave continues, Gov. JB Pritzker launches his campaign for a third term, hundreds rally for trans rights, and more. Reset goes behind the headlines of those stories and much more in our Weekly News Recap. Our panel today: Monica Eng, Axios reporter; Cindy Hernandez, Chicago Sun-Times general assignment reporter; Mack Liederman, Block Club Chicago reporter. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.