Author: WBEZ Chicago

In October, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order that bans the use of city property by federal immigration enforcement. Since that move, many neighboring cities and municipalities have followed suit. ‘In the Loop’ hears from Toni Preckwinkle, President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, and Hammond, Ind. Mayor Tom McDermott, Jr., to learn more about their efforts to combat aggressive immigration campaigns by ICE, DHS and CBP. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Terminally ill residents with a prognosis of six months to live could get physician prescribed drugs to end their lives if Governor Pritzker signs a bill that passed the Illinois legislature Oct. 31. Advocates say it gives people suffering and near death a choice, but some disability rights activists are concerned it could pressure disabled people to end their lives. In the Loop hears Amber Smock, vice president of advocacy for Access Living and Khadine Bennett, director of advocacy and intergovernmental affairs for the ACLU of Illinois. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

As Chicago’s City Council prepares to vote on Mayor Johnson’s latest budget proposal ahead of the city’s Dec. 31 deadline, In the Loop hears a critique from Civic Federation president Joe Ferguson, a former city watchdog and public finance expert. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Chicago is suing the Trump administration again. In the Loop looks at that latest lawsuit and what voting to end the government shutdown could mean for senior Senator Dick Durbin’s political legacy. Plus, time for a retail reality check following a presidential post dissing Chicago’s shopping mecca, Michigan Avenue. In the Loop breaks down those stories with David Greising of the Better Government Association, Sophie Sherry of the Chicago Sun-Times and Mack Liederman of Block Club Chicago. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history came to an end Wednesday. The bill signed by President Trump provides back pay for federal employees and funds some federal agencies until September 2026. What it doesn’t do is extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, which are set to expire at the end of the year. Some can expect to see their insurance premiums rise to the point it's unaffordable to have health insurance. In the Loop sits down with Community Health CEO Stephanie Willding and UIC health policy professor Justin Markowski to hear how skyrocketing insurance premiums could impact the work of people providing healthcare. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Journalists of color are being laid off at alarming rates as DEI commitments waver. In the Loop digs in with local journalists about the how the erasure of Black perspectives in news impacts communities. Our panel today: Brandon Pope, president of the National Association of Black Journalists Chicago chapter, Natalie Moore, director of audio journalism programming at Northwestern University, and Morgan Elise Johnson, co-founder and publisher of The TriiBE. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Veterans gathered in cities across the country to protest federal immigration enforcement, cuts to SNAP and National Guard deployment in American cities. In the Loop hears from veterans about why they decided to protest and how what one veteran saw outside of the Broadview immigration processing center changed his perception of the government’s immigration enforcement actions. Our panel today: Brad Beaulieu, Navy veteran, and Arti Walker-Peddakotla, U.S. Army veteran and board member of About Face. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.