Podcast
In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons
Hosted by WBEZ Chicago · EN
We’re unpacking the headlines and making the news make sense. Get connected with local experts, your neighbors and the stories shaping Chicago.
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Local Queer Elders On LGBTQ+ Pride In 2026
3d ago00:34:04Tap to summarizeThe LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dialogue Project and the Gerber/Hart LGBTQ Library and Archives are hosting a panel of elders who will share their slices of Chicago’s queer history. In the face of federal attacks against the gay and trans community, hearing the stories from community leaders who helped pave the way for queer rights is more important than ever. To hear how queer elders are reflecting on Pride this year, In the Loop sits down with Karen Morris, co-founder of the LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dialogue Project; Equality Illinois’ Norma Seledon and queer elder history panelist Jay Myers.For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Transcribe →Plot Twist: Bears Take Serious Step Toward Indiana
4d ago00:31:15Tap to summarizeIs Indiana the inevitable new home for the Bears, or is the leap toward Hammond just a stealthy negotiation tactic to put pressure on Illinois? The team announced Friday that its board of directors has voted to push forward with developing a stadium in Hammond, Ind., even though an exact site has not been selected yet. So are Chicago and Arlington Heights really out of the running? Will the fans follow the team to Hammond? How did we get here? In The Loop digs in. Our panel today: Indiana State Rep. Earl Harris, Jr.; Cheryl Raye-Stout, WBEZ sports contributor; Prof. Deborah Carroll, director, UIC’s Government Finance Research Center. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Transcribe →WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap: June 5, 2026
1w ago00:49:42Tap to summarizeICE agents sparked chaos in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood, crashing into a woman’s car and threatening residents as they chased and detained a man. Media outlets got a preview of the Obama Presidential Center campus. Developers break ground on a $7-billion project around the United Center. In the Loop breaks down those stories and more in the Weekly News Recap with WBEZ senior statehouse reporter Mawa Iqbal, Chicago Tribune government reporter A.D. Quig and Block Club Chicago reporter Quinn Myers.For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Transcribe →Is The New Parental NICU Leave Enough?
1w ago00:36:44Tap to summarizeOn June 1, Illinois’ Family Neonatal Intensive Care Leave Act went into effect. The law entitles eligible parents with babies in the NICU with up to 20 days of unpaid leave.For more on what this new law could mean for families, In the Loop sits down with three Illinois mothers: Francennett Llamas of The Little Warriors Project, Amanda Santoro with The Little Giraffe Foundation, and Chicago resident Areli Flores.For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Transcribe →Eliminating Chicago’s ‘Pharmacy Deserts’
1w ago00:32:16Tap to summarizeAs big box pharmacies continue to disappear from Chicago’s South and West sides, thousands of Chicagoans are having to travel miles outside of their neighborhood for medication. Some residents are even forgoing their prescriptions.Today on In the Loop, Alderman William Hall of the 6th Ward shares his plan to fill the gaps left behind. Plus, Edwin Muldrow, a second-generation pharmacist, explains the importance of having an independent, local pharmacy.For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Transcribe →Illinois Makes Strides In Regulating A.I: ‘No Technological System Is Inevitable’
1w ago00:32:49Tap to summarizeJust before the legislation session wrapped in Springfield this week, Illinois lawmakers passed landmark legislation regulating artificial intelligence. Senate Bill 315 requires developers to publish reports explaining the capabilities and risks associated with its technology. It also mandates third-party audits. Illinois is one of just a handful of states pushing through laws that regulate AI. But in the absence of federal governance, the growing patchwork of state laws may not be enough to protect consumers as AI technologies rapidly evolve and expand. For more on the growth of A.I. and what enforcement of regulation could look like in Illinois, we hear from Illinois State Rep. Daniel Didech (D-Buffalo Grove) and AI expert Michael Bennett, associate vice chancellor for data science and AI strategy at University of Illinois Chicago.
Transcribe →Chicago’s Efforts To Make Housing Affordable
2w ago00:32:37Tap to summarizeHome prices in Chicago are rising at more than five times the national average, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s BUILD plan — aimed to streamline housing development — didn’t pass during Springfield’s spring legislative session. So what will it take to make housing more affordable and homeownership more attainable in Chicago? In the Loop checks in with Lissette Castañeda, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Housing.For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Transcribe →WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap: May 29, 2026
2w ago00:47:23Tap to summarizeThe Obama Presidential Center announces the schedule for its grand opening. Chicago’s U.S. Attorney’s Office says it’s instituting reforms after the high-profile case against a group of ICE protesters falls apart because of prosecutorial misconduct. Plus, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson visits Pope Leo XIV in Rome. In the Loop breaks down those stories and more with freelance journalist and City Cast Chicago contributor Brandon Pope, Illinois Answers Project reporter Alex Nitkin and Chicago Sun-Times reporter Violet Miller. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Transcribe →Building Intersectional Solidarity In Chicago: ‘We Don’t Live Single-Issue Lives’
2w ago00:34:29Tap to summarizeIntersectional solidarity is an approach to activism where different identity groups join together to fight oppressive forces. In honor of Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, In the Loop explores how other marginalized communities can show up for Asian Americans and how Asian Americans can stand arm-in-arm with them. To find out more about ways Chicagoans can work toward unity, In the Loop sits down with HANA Center executive director Danae Kovac, Latinos Progresando chief programs officer Nubia Willman, and the Rev. Jaime Fluker, the executive director of Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Transcribe →‘Stone Soup Chicago’ And Storytelling For The Common Good
2w ago00:31:28Tap to summarizeA centuries-old folktale about community, empathy and shared meals gets the Chicago treatment in a kids book from the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Stone Soup Chicago is part of a campaign by the food bank to combat hunger at a time of widespread food insecurity. In the Loop sits down with author and comics creator John Jennings, illustrator and multidisciplinary artist Sam Kirk and Greater Chicago Food Depository Chief Operating Officer Jill Rahman. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
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