The 21st Show

The Food Pyramid was introduced to the public in 1992 by the federal government to serve as a guide for a healthy and balanced diet. The current Food Pyramid is now inverted. Two nutrition experts discuss present day nutrition guidelines.

The penny is history, and retailers across the country are trying to figure out how to adapt. Meanwhile, a settlement between credit card companies and merchants could mean new fees, or even declined cards, at the checkout. We'll talk about what it all means for the way we pay.

Here in the Midwest, many of the landscapers who mow our lawns, trim our trees, and rake our leaves are Mexican immigrants. Anthropologist Sergio Lemus writes about his experience with that work, and the stories and struggles of those who come to America seeking a better life. His new book “Los Yarderos: Mexican Yard Workers in Transborder Chicago.”

Canada geese are a fact of life in many parts of Illinois. But the creatures can be a safety risk and a danger to public health. We'll talk with the creator of the Goosinator, a device that aims to get rid of geese (in a humane way), and the head of parks and rec in Moline, Illinois.

With the weather getting warmer again, it's time to consider spring and summer travel plans. We'll talk about popular destinations in the 21st state and beyond with Illinois-based travel content creators Jay and Himani Patel, known on social media as “Couple of Patels.”

Money from super PACs flooded into Illinois for the Democratic primary — much of it aimed at defeating progressives by misleading voters about their records. We'll hear from a candidate on the receiving end of such an attack: congressional candidate Robert Peters, whom a crypto PAC labeled a “corporate pawn” despite being endorsed by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. We'll also put these kind of attacks into a broader national context with Dave Weigel of Semafor.

Customer service is increasingly the domain of AI chatbots. What impact is this having on security and how are consumers engaging with this service?

Christian Mitchell served three terms in the Illinois House and four years as Deputy Governor. Now he's Governor Pritzker's running mate in the November elections.

Self-driving cars were once a vision of the future. Now, the company Waymo is hoping to put its autonomous rideshares on the streets of Illinois. A panel of experts weigh in on what's happening with self-driving cars in the state, how they work, and why some people have concerns with the technology.

Roughly 1,000 Black men were trained in Tuskegee, Alabama to serve as Army aviators in World War II. Nearly 100 were killed — and of those, 27 went missing. Most were never recovered, leaving a trail of unresolved grief that would haunt their families for decades. Their stories are the subject of a new book called “Forgotten Souls: The Search for the Lost Tuskegee Airmen" by Cheryl Whitlow Thompson. An award-winning investigative journalist, Thompson is currently a reporter and editor at NPR. She's also a native of Chicago and earned two degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Spring has officially begun. At Eckert's Farm in Belleville, visitors can find an upcoming season dedicated to the colorful flower, check out the Tulip Trail and enjoy a stroll along through thousands of different pigments of tulips.

Saunas have always been around in some form, but there's more and more sauna businesses opening up, and content creators online are sharing all sorts of health claims associated with saunas. A health expert offers some tips.

He was sentenced to five years in federal prison — but now he's back in business and has collected more than $1.5 million from the same state agency he defrauded.

It's the official policy of the U.S. government to work toward putting people on Mars. Debates about that usually focus on cost and national priorities. Less considered is what life on Mars would do to the people who go there. That, however, is the subject of a new book by scientist Scott Solomon. It's called Becoming Martian: How Living in Space Will Change Our Bodies and Minds. Solomon was raised in Champaign, attended University High in Urbana, and earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

We are talking to some of the athletes that represented Team USA in the 2026 Winter Olympics with ties to the 21st state. Speedskater Ethan Cepuran is originally from the Chicago suburb of Glen Ellyn. He joins the program today.

There's been a lot of focus on how the ongoing war with Iran has affected gas and oil prices, but fertilizer prices have also severely risen. A market analyst explains what this means for the agriculture industry and farmers in Illinois.

Small businesses often turn to non-bank lenders to borrow money, but hidden terms mean those businesses often have to pay back more than what they borrowed in the first place.

A political writer discusses the results of many big races across the state last night and what they mean for the general election in the fall.

There are deep divides in American politics, but one thing a lot of people agree on is their distaste for white liberals. Conservatives think they're left-wing nut jobs, progressives think they're corporate shills, and many people of color are suspicious that they're at best tepid allies. All this is the subject of a new book by UIC historian Kevin M. Schultz: “Why Everyone Hates White Liberals (Including White Liberals).”

The annual NCAA Division 1 Men's and Women's Basketball tournament is back. Can AI beat the odds and make a better bracket than humans?

Tomorrow is Primary Election Day in Illinois. Voters will decide who will represent the major parties in this fall's elections, from county boards to the governor's race. Two journalists covering local politics and the statehouse outline the keys races and candidates.

It's been 10 years since The 21st Show first went on air, on March 14, 2016. We'll listen back to a decade of the program and reflect on what's happened in that time — in Illinois, in America, and around the world.

“The Onion's” news satire has become a staple of American culture. Christine Wenc's book, “Funny Because It's True: How the Onion Created Modern American News Satire" looks at the history of the publication and how it's still relevant today.

Illinois' Primary Election Day is less than a week away as voters decide who will represent Democrats and Republicans in the race to succeed retiring U.S. Senator Dick Durbin. In the second of a two-part series, we'll bring you recaps of our interviews with the candidates.

Illinois' Primary Election Day is one week away. In the first of a two-part series, we bring you recaps of our interviews with the candidates.

In March 1956, Thurgood Marshall visited the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. A modern-day civil rights leader and Black Studies professor reacted to Marshall's speech.

Philip A. Wallach is the author of the book "Why Congress", which was released in 2023 and is still relevant today. In the book, Wallach argues that the future of American constitutional democracy depends not on better presidential candidates or more ethical judges, but on Congress getting its act together.

We spoke with an archivist for an oral history project and a longtime member of Danville's Jewish community.

The United States and Israel went to war with Iran in conjunction with Israel early Saturday morning. A panel of political and foreign affairs experts including two Iranian-Americans discuss the possibility of regime change in Iran, the legality and necessity of the military assaults, and the role of Israel in all of this.

The Trump administration is continuing to ramp up pressure on Iran — with what's said to be the biggest buildup of American naval power in the region in decades. Last summer, the president claimed a “spectacular military success” after bombing nuclear sites there, but last week, Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, went on Fox News and said the country was “probably a week away from having industrial-grade, bomb-making material.” What is the truth here? What is happening in Iran? Did the ayatollah really order the killing of more than 36,000 people? And ultimately, are we going to war with Iran?

Two candidates vying for the GOP nomination in the 1L-13 congressional race discuss many issues surrounding domestic policy including the economy, healthcare, ICE agents, and a potential national ban on abortion at the IL-13 Republican Candidate Forum sponsored by Illinois Public Media, the Champaign County NAACP, and the League of Women Voters.

Steve Botsford is seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate race. He's worked in the world of finance and in government. Botsford shares his views on reforming ICE, Medicare for All, and how AI should be regulated by the government.

Jesse Jackson was one of the last living connections to the Civil Rights era of the mid-20th century. He died last week at the age of 84 in Chicago. Despite his national prominence, he was also involved in causes in Illinois. A panel of Illinois-based Black leaders discuss their personal connections with Jackson and his role in the Civil Rights movement and in politics.

How did Evangelical Christians come to not only vote for Donald Trump, but embrace him as a heroic figure? Historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez says it was a long time in coming, and that Trump is not a betrayal of evangelical values, but a fulfilment of them. We'll talk with Du Mez ahead of delivering the annual Thulin Lecture this week in Urbana.

If you are among the tens of millions of people who caught Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show, you might've noticed a moment when the jumbotron featured a toad. Turns out it's the Puerto Rican Crested Toad, which is native to the island and an endangered species. It's also the subject of conservation efforts at the Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington. We'll talk with them about their work on Bad Bunny's favorite amphibian.

You might've heard of doulas — usually women who support other women in getting through the process of childbirth. But there are also doulas whose work focuses on the opposite end of our lifespans. They're called death or end-of-life doulas. We'll talk with two of them about their work. Darnell Lamont Walker is based in Georgia and Michigan; his new book is Never Can Say Goodbye: The Life of a Death Doula and the Art of a Peaceful End. Kim Burgess was a nurse practitioner before becoming nn end-of-life doula. She's with Comforting Transitions in O'Fallon, Illinois.

The 21st Show is Illinois' statewide weekday public radio talk show, connecting Illinois and bringing you the news, culture, and stories that matter to the 21st state. Have thoughts on the show or one of our episodes, or want to share an idea for something we should talk about? Send us an email: talk@21stshow.org. If you'd like to have your say as we're planning conversations, join our texting group! Just send the word "TALK" to (217) 803-0730. Subscribe to our podcast and hear our latest conversations. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PT6pb0 Find past segments, links to our social media and more at our website: 21stshow.org.

Governor JB Pritzker addressed a variety of topics in his 2026 State of the State Address. Two policy experts share their takeaways and analysis of the speech.

Governor JB Pritzker is delivering his annual State of the State address in which he plans to share his vision for taxes and spending in government. It comes after an intense year in which Illinois saw the Trump administration make multiple attempts to cut funding for programs in blue states.

Jeannie Evans is an antitrust enforcement lawyer and one of the Republicans running in next month's U.S. Senate primary in Illinois. She talks about her Christian upbringing, advocating conservative viewpoints during her time at Harvard Law School, and AI and technology. 

NPR Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep talks about his new book on Abraham Lincoln and how he's preparing to cover a fraught year in American politics. 

Cairo, Illinois, spent seven years as a “food desert” — until 2023, when residents banded together to open a co-op grocery store. But as of January, the store is closed. We'll talk about what went wrong, and what lessons organizers are taking from the experience.

Trans people have been much discussed in American politics — from sports to bathrooms to health care. But their representation in elected office has been minimal. We'll talk with several Midwestern trans women looking to change that by running for office themselves.

We continue our conversations with candidates in the primary elections for U.S. senator from Illinois. Today is our tenth interview, with attorney Sean Brown, who's running in the Democratic primary.

In 2023, NPR's Aisha Harris joined The 21st Show to talk about the culture that shaped her, the intersection of her identities as a Black woman and a critic, and more. Her book, “Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me” is now available in paperback.

Tristan Ahtone is a member of the Kiowa Tribe and editor-at-large at Grist. His award-winning investigation “Land-Grab Universities” revealed how the 1862 Morrill Act turned nearly 11 million acres of Indigenous land into seed money for land-grant universities — including the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Allen C. Guelzo has written many books about the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. The most recent is “Our Ancient Faith: Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment,” which explores Lincoln's ideas about democracy and how they led America through the Civil War. Guelzo is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the Abraham Lincoln Association's annual banquet this Thursday in Springfield, Illinois. He's also scheduled to talk with fellow Lincoln scholar Michael Burlingame on Friday.

Another conversation with a candidate for the U.S. Senate: R. Cary Capparelli is seeking the Republican nomination. He works in marketing, teaches geography, and is the son of a longtime Illinois Democratic state legislator. He's previously run (unsuccessfully) for offices ranging from the Illinois House to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District — as both a Democrat and a Republican. We'll talk with him about domestic policy, foreign affairs, and what it's like running as a legacy in Illinois politics.

In 2023, researchers from the Middle West Review asked 11,000 people from 22 states their perceptions of Midwestern identity. Almost 94 percent of Illinoisans who responded said yes, they live in the Midwest. But Midwestern identity stretches farther than that. For example, more than half of the people from Wyoming who responded said yes, they too live in the Midwest and consider themselves to be Midwesterners.

In the spring of 2025, Chase Bandolik ran 416 miles from Cairo, Illinois north to Beloit, Wisconsin (near the northern Illinois border). We talk with him about the journey.

Global warming is continuing to make big changes to our weather, and the ways we experience the seasons. This winter, we've been seeing wild swings in the temperature already. We'll talk about what this means, what's going on, and how Midwesterners are reckoning with change.