Author: WBEZ Chicago

Reset checks in with a police accountability expert following State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s decision not to file criminal charges against the officers who shot and killed 13 year-old Adam Toledo and 22-year-old Anthony Alvarez. GUEST: Craig Futterman, Clinical Professor at University of Chicago Law School; founder of Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project of the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill into law, which would limit discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary schools. And now, similar measures are being introduced in at least seven other states. Reset uncovers the effects these restrictions could have on queer youth across the U.S. GUESTS: LaSaia Wade, founder and CEO of Brave Space Alliance Dr. Joseph Mello, political science professor at DePaul University

Russia attacked a military base just outside Lviv, Ukraine, near the Polish border this weekend, killing at least 35 people. Reset checks in with freelance journalist Julian Hayda, who’s reporting on the ground in Lviv, about the aftermath of that attack and the latest developments in the war in Ukraine. Guest: Julian Hayda, freelance journalist, 3rd generation Ukrainian-American, former WBEZ producer (Three Holy Hierarchs Kyiv Theological Seminary)

Chicago schools remove its mask mandate. Mike Madigan pleads not guilty. Plus, actor Jussie Smollett is sentenced to 150 days in jail and 30 months of probation. Reset goes behind the week’s headlines on the Weekly News Recap with Crain’s Chicago Business government and politics reporter A.D. Quig and Chicago Sun-Times reporter Nader Issa. GUEST: Nader Issa [NAY-der EE-suh], Chicago Sun-Times reporter, GUEST: A.D. Quig, government and politics reporter at Crain’s Chicago Business

Hazel M. Johnson founded People for Community Recovery to address tenant issues at Altgeld Gardens, including concerns about asbestos, lead contamination and high rates of cancer among residents. She died in 2011. In honor of Women’s History Month, Reset checks in with Johnson’s daughter, and current executive director of the People for Community Recovery, to hear more about her legacy and the work that continues. For more Reset interviews, subscribe to this podcast. And please give us a rating, it helps other listeners find us. For more about Reset, go to wbez.org and follow us on Twitter @WBEZReset

In the latest round of economic sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday a ban on U.S. imports of Russian oil. The move comes as the country is already seeing record-high gas prices. GUEST: Ryan Kellogg, professor and deputy dean for academic studies at the UChicago Harris School of Public Policy, Molly Hart, AAA spokesperson

It has taken more than 100 years and 200 tries for congress to pass a bill that would make lynching a federal hate crime. But, on Monday, the Emmett Till Antilynching Act passed the Senate unanimously. We heard from Reverend Wheeler Parker, Emmett Till’s cousin, and Alvin Tillery, an associate professor at Northwestern University, about why this bill took a century to pass and what it means for racial justice activists. GUEST: Professor Alvin Tillery, Director of the Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy; and Associate Professor of Political Science and African American Studies, GUEST: Rev. Wheeler Parker, cousin and last witness to Emmett Till

From Issa Rae to Jonelle Monae and from Stacey Abrams to Kamala Harris, there is no shortage of the amazing Black women who shape, inspire and change us. In honor of them, Chicago artist Harold Green III aims to honor and celebrate trailblazing Black women through art and poetry in his upcoming book Black Roses. Guest: Harold Green III, author

Former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan faces federal racketeering charges. Plus, Illinois and Chicago lift their mask and vaccine mandates as the state’s public health director announces she’s stepping down. Reset goes behind the headlines on the Weekly News Recap. GUEST: Rachel Hinton, Better Government Association reporter, Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune state government reporter