In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

From soaring COVID-19 cases to another police-related shooting in Waukegan to Tony LaRussa returning to Chicago to manage the White Sox, Reset’s Justin Kaufmann sits around the virtual table this week with Pro Publica’s Mick Dumke and A.D. Quig of Crains to talk about the biggest local and state stories for WBEZ’s Weekly News Roundup. For more Reset interviews, please subscribe CMBS/8 c to this po...

Reset checks in with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot about COVID-19 restrictions, the city budget and schools. For more Reset interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a rating. That helps other listeners find us. For more about the program, you can head over to the WBEZ website or follow us on Twitter at @WBEZreset .

COVID-19 numbers and hospitalizations are rising at an alarming rate in Chicago and Illinois. But as Gov. Pritzker moves to shut down indoor dining in parts of the state, restaurants are pushing back. UChicago Medicine infectious disease expert Dr. Emily Landon explains how dire the situation is, while restaurateur Rohini Dey describes how she’s trying to save her business. For more Reset intervie...

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx won office four years ago with a mandate to reform the criminal justice system. She makes the case for why she deserves another term while her challenger, former judge and prosecutor Pat O’Brien, lays out why he thinks he should take over the office. For more Reset interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a rating. That helps other listeners f...

The pandemic, a lack of trust in the health system and misinformation are leading to a drop in the number of Chicago kids getting vaccinated for preventable diseases like the measles, mumps and rubella. We check in with community health clinics and a reporter to hear more about the situation and what’s being done to reverse the trend. For more Reset interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and...

Dr. Mia Taormina, infectious disease specialist at the DuPage Medical Group, explains the latest coronavirus science and the precautions to take to navigate the pandemic. Look for our latest interview with her in your podcast feed every Sunday. For more  Reset  interviews, head over to the  WBEZ website . You can also follow the show on Twitter at  @WBEZreset .

From Mayor Lightfoot’s new budget plan, to a fresh round of Covid-19-related business closures to no sitting on Santa’s lap this year at Macy’s, Reset’s Justin Kaufmann sits around the virtual table with Heather Cherone and Laura Washington for the best wrap-up of Chicago and Illinois news on WBEZ’s Weekly News Roundup

Illinois Gov. George Ryan shocked the nation when he commuted the death sentences of more than 150 inmates three days before he left office in 2003. In this interview, the Republican details his personal evolution from staunch supporter of capital punishment to ardent opponent. He also discusses his complicated legacy as a Nobel Peace Prize nominee who also served years in federal prison on corrup...

This is Chicago Mayor Lightfoot’s full budget address from the morning of Oct. 21, 2020. The mayor outlines the fiscal challenges faced by the city due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures she would like to take to right the fiscal ship. For expert analysis and to hear two key aldermen’s reaction to the speech, look for the other Reset podcast that dropped in your feed today.

With Chicago already facing difficult pension problems, the COVID-19 crisis has dealt an even bigger blow to the city’s economy. WBEZ city politics reporter Becky Vevea and two Chicago aldermen break down and react to Mayor Lightfoot’s budget address as she tries to navigate some very choppy fiscal waters for 2021.

With a recent uptick in COVID-19 across Illinois, Gov. Pritzker has begun talking about a return to Phase 3 restrictions. Reset talks to infectious disease specialist Dr. Emily Landon about what a resurgence of  cases means for local residents, and gives you advice on best practices to curb the spread of the virus.

New York Times political reporter Peter Baker discusses his new book on the unlikely rise of James A. Baker III, and how his influence over Washington, the White House, and global politics spanned a generation. 

The writer and director behind The West Wing and A Few Good Men talks about his new film, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and how today's protests harken back to the anti-Vietnam war protests of the late 1960's. And Lee Weiner, one of the actual defendants in the trial, tells us how close the movie came to reality.  

Decades after the Apollo 11 mission, NASA is now laying the groundwork to send its first woman and next man to the moon’s surface by 2024. Reset talks to Kathy Lueders — the first-ever woman to lead NASA’s human spaceflight programs — about its Artemis plan and what the new mission might mean for women interested in space.

A shocking lawsuit is filed against the former head of the Chicago Police Department, plus the latest on Covid-19 in Illinois, Chicago public schools announce a re-opening plan, and more. Go inside the biggest local and state stories of the week with WBEZ's Weekly News Roundup. Guests this week are WBEZ's criminal justice reporter Patrick Smith and WTTW correspondent, anchor and host of "Chicago T...

For soldiers, getting a good night’s sleep is crucial. Fatigue can impact decision-making and sometimes lead to disaster. To address that problem, the Army is embracing “ strategic napping ” as part of a new holistic approach to health.  Reset learns more about the policy change and talks to a sleep researcher about the benefits of napping.

What is it like to have autism throughout your entire life and never have it diagnosed until you are an adult? Rolling Meadows-native Jeff Ullrich explains how his world has changed after finding out he was autistic at the age of 45. GUEST: Jeff Ullrich, co-founder of the Earwolf podcasting network; founder of Midroll

John Brennan has served 6 presidents as a member of-and ultimately head of-the CIA. Brennan chronicles his rise as the son of an immigrant growing up New Jersey to a man making decisions that will affect millions of lives.

Covid cases blowing up in neighboring states, the dire financial situation facing Mayor Lightfoot, Governor Pritzker's push to get his fair tax amendment, and the sale of Second City are just some of the stories we cover with WTTW's Paris Schutz and the Better Government Association's David Greising on our Weekly News Roundup 

From the current state of our covid-ravaged economy to what the future looks like to the state of the restaurant industry in Chicago, Chris Farrell of Marketplace and chef/entrepreneur Rick Bayless weigh in on how bad things are, and what we need to do to turn it all around.

Millions of people and thousands of businesses are desperate for some help from the federal government because of the pandemic, but congress and the president can’t seem to get a package together. Later, Internationally recognized jazz vocalist Kurt Elling rolls out a series of livestreamed shows to mark the 25th anniversary of this first album’s release. We’ll talk about his quarter century in ja...

The documentary “The Social Dilemma” shows how social media causes addiction, impacts mental health, and spreads misinformation. Tristan Harris, a former Google engineer now working against big tech and one of the key voices in the film, joins to explain how it all works and what we can do about it.

Some parents want their kids back in the classroom. So does Chicago Public Schools. So do teachers. But the teachers union is concerned that the district hasn’t taken the necessary steps to keep faculty and staff safe. Reset brings you the latest on CPS’ reopening plan.

Mayor Lightfoot relaxes restrictions on bars and restaurants, suburban parents are demanding their schools reopen, and House Speaker Mike Madigan is refusing the governor's request to tell a panel of lawmakers what he knows about the Com Ed allegations swirling around him. Those are some of the stories we unpack with our panel of journalists this time around on WBEZ's Weekly News Roundup &nbs...

The U.S. is reckoning with growing calls to rethink and reform American policing, particularly around practices that use force on civilians. We talk to  two policing experts to discuss factors that lead to undue force and some possible alternatives.