In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons - WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap: March 13, 2026

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker surveys the destruction left behind after a series of wild storms rip through Kankakee County, destroying homes and buildings. Plus, the Illinois primary election is next week, and all eyes are on the tight race to replace longtime retiring U.S. Senator Dick Durbin. We also talk about campaign finances and the use of AI in technology in political ads. In the Loop breaks down those stories and more with Axios Chicago reporter Carrie Shepherd, WBEZ politics editor Dave McKinney and local journalist Leigh Giangreco. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Marketplace All-in-One - Can Congress tackle housing affordability?

The Senate passed a bipartisan bill yesterday that aims to take on housing affordability by increasing the housing supply and cutting red tape. But it has a tough road ahead in the House and possibly the White House. This morning, we'll dig in. Also on the show: GDP growth was revised down to just 0.7%. Plus, China's latest five-year plan aims to transform the country into a tech-driven global power, while boosting domestic demand.

Marketplace All-in-One - Tariffs come for the Friday fish fry

Some Christians observe the weeks of Lent leading up to Easter by not eating meat on Fridays. That means that we’re in the thick of fish fry season. Thing is, tariffs have raised the price of seafood. We head to one local fish fry near Akron, Ohio, to learn about the impact. But first, the war in the Middle East is threatening critical water desalination plants, which many Gulf countries rely on to make seawater potable.

Marketplace All-in-One - Bytes: Week in Review – Amazon and AI, YouTube tops the media market and Meta buys an AI-only social network

This week, the AI chatbot social network Moltbook finds a new home. Plus, YouTube dominates the media landscape. But first, a look at AI-related site outages at Amazon.


Marketplace’s Stephanie Hughes spoke with Jewel Burks Solomon, managing partner at Collab Capital, about all these headlines for this week’s “Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

PBS News Hour - World - Iran’s new supreme leader vows continued retaliation across Gulf and oil routes

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed in a written statement that Iran's retaliation throughout the Persian Gulf will continue. The widening conflict has pushed oil back above $100 a barrel, rattling global markets. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen reports from Qatar. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

PBS News Hour - World - Middle East analysts on what the Iran war has accomplished and how it might end

For an assessment of where things stand with the war in Iran, Geoff Bennett sat down with Alan Eyre and Behnam Ben Taleblu. Eyre was part of the Obama administration's negotiating team for the nuclear deal with Iran and is now at the Middle East Institute. Taleblu is at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, where he is the senior director of their Iran Program. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

PBS News Hour - World - Middle East analysts on what the Iran war has accomplished and how it might end

For an assessment of where things stand with the war in Iran, Geoff Bennett sat down with Alan Eyre and Behnam Ben Taleblu. Eyre was part of the Obama administration's negotiating team for the nuclear deal with Iran and is now at the Middle East Institute. Taleblu is at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, where he is the senior director of their Iran Program. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

PBS News Hour - World - Lebanese Christian villages caught in Israel-Hezbollah war

The Israel Defense Forces issued evacuation orders for downtown Beirut ahead of airstrikes, as well as a second, sweeping evacuation order for southern Lebanon. That means around 10% of Lebanese territory is now subject to Israeli evacuation notices. This latest war has killed nearly 700 Lebanese and forced 800,000 more from their homes. Special correspondent Simona Foltyn reports from Beirut. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Marketplace All-in-One - Refineries brace for crude drought

President Trump’s war with Iran continues to provoke economic consequences. With the Strait of Hormuz closed, Middle East crude oil will be blocked from reaching refineries, including those in California. In this episode, what happens if those refineries run out of oil. Plus: Single-family home construction slows as costs rise, winter Paralympians face unique obstacles, and fickle weather reshapes the ski resort business model.


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Marketplace All-in-One - The economic ripple effects of ICE in Minnesota

ICE may have wound down its operations in Minnesota, but the state is still facing the economic consequences of Operation Metro Surge. This has fueled concerns that an eviction crisis could take hold, particularly in the Twin Cities. On today’s show, Kimberly joins MPR News correspondent Dana Ferguson in St. Paul, Minnesota to discuss measures the state legislature is taking to provide economic relief to renters, and what life has been like since she last checked in with us on “Make Me Smart.”