The 21st Show

Does this budget address issues faced by low-income families, immigrants, and Black Illinoisans?  Two advocates who work on behalf of communities that are often most affected by state budget decisions give their take. 

John Curran, who leads the Senate Republican caucus, joins the program to talk about the Republican perspective on the recently passed budget.

Chris Welch, Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives shares his thoughts on the budget. 

Two statehouse reporters discuss the big takeaways from the recently passed Illinois budget.

The Illinois General Assembly session wrapped up over the weekend with the passage of a state budget. House Minority Leader Tony McCombie shares the Republican perspective on the session.

One of Illinois’ top Democrats gives his take on the recently passed budget.

Summertime means music. We outline the biggest shows and music festivals coming to Chicagoland and downstate this summer and advice for how to get tickets for big shows and concerts that can be costly. A music journalist fills us in.   

This week in our Politics Roundup, the Illinois General Assembly closes in on a state spending plan as the spring legislative session is scheduled to end this weekend. In national politics, we discuss what's next for the Department of Government Efficiency as Elon Musk announces his departure, and the State Department's threat to revoke visas for some Chinese students.

In this week's Reporter Roundtable segment, we discuss how federal funding cuts will impact the Quad Cities and what's going on with big businesses in the area such as John Deere and Amazon. A local newspaper reporter has the latest. 

Sheryl Weikal’s parents were deeply conservative, and for many years she and her sisters were homeschooled. At eight years old, she had never heard the word “transgender,” but she understood that there was a disconnect between who she was and what she saw in the mirror. She tried to come out to her family as a child. In the years that followed, her parents reacted negatively … often, violently. She talks about that experience and more in her upcoming memoir, “I Was An Abomination: A Story of Trans Survival in Conservative America".

On Memorial Day, we learn about the ongoing work to identify missing soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines from America's past wars. That includes Illinoisans who've finally been accounted for, like Marine Sgt. Robert F. Van Heck of Chicago, killed at age 25 during the Battle of Tarawa in World War II. Plus, we'll talk about the enduring symbolism and mythology of soldiers thought left behind in Vietnam.

A conversation with Illinois U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth. The former Army National Guard helicopter pilot and disabled veteran talks about President Trump's plan to accept a $400 million luxury jet from the royal family of Qatar, serious questions about the safety of American aviation, and plans for mass layoffs at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Habemus papem — we have a new pope, and he is from Illinois! Pope Leo XIV — born Robert Francis Prevost — was raised in Dolton, in the south suburbs of Chicago. We'll talk about what his selection means for Catholics around the world, and back home in the 21st state.

Renowned Urbana thereminist and pianist Joy Yang, Ph.D, has a new album, "Live On." It's a live concert recording featuring original jazz compositions and arrangements of standards. The group describes the album as "a journey through time, space, rain and pain, emerging joyously in a dance that celebrates life." Yang is also the founder of the Interdisciplinary Institute, which facilitates a laboratory, or hub for creative play and art-science interchange.  Guest:   Joy Yang, Ph.D Pianist, Theraminist Founder, Interdisciplinary Institute Doctoral candidate in Musical Arts and Jazz Performance