Podcasts about d chicago

Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) joins Patrick to discuss transit funding, state budget negotiations, and ethics reform. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chicago Tribune reporter Ray Long joins Patrick to discuss ethics reform, the bribery trial of Sen. Emil Jones III (D-Chicago) and the reason the federal government is no longer seeking a $3 million forfeiture from former House Speaker Michael Madigan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jon Seidel, criminal courts reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times, joins Patrick to discuss the mistrial in the corruption case of Sen. Emil Jones III (D-Chicago)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Center Square's Greg Bishop talks with Illinois state Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, about his opposition to the Illinois Homeschool Act. Ford also discusses the witness slip and shell bill process.

Jon Seidel, federal courts reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times, joined Springfield's Morning News to discuss the corruption trial of Sen. Emil Jones III (D-Chicago).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey, soccer fans! It's always a better week when your team wins, and it's a much better week in the Windy City! The Chicago Fire won their first match of the season, a 3-1 victory over FC Dallas. The Men in Red keep the Brimstone Cup and show the grit and tenacity necessary to win when you're dealing with injuries. Tune in as Nick breaks down the key plays, stats, and tactics of the match. In the second half, Nick examines advanced goalkeeping statistics and compares Chris Brady to the rest of the league. The 21 year old 'keeper has a lot of growing to do in MLS, but he's well on his way to becoming one of the best in the league. Tune in and see how he stacks up against the competition. Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), one of the new state budget negotiators, joined Springfield's Morning News to discuss state finances, a tax increase, and whether Republicans should be at the table.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sen. Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) joined Springfield's Morning News for a deep dive into the need and challenges of changing Illinois' "Tier 2" pension system.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lawmakers are back home for the holidays after a quiet fall veto session in Springfield but lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are sizing up the challenge of dealing with a projected $3.2-billion budget shortfall for the state's new fiscal year starting July 1.Guests include Senate Caucus Appropriations Leader Elgie Sims, Jr. (D) of Chicago, Deputy Senate Republican Leader Sue Rezin of Morris, House Majority Leader Robyn Gabel of Evanston, and Deputy House Republican Leader Ryan Spain of Peoria. Capitol News Illinois reporter Peter Hancock provides an overview of the fall veto session's news with host Jak Tichenor.GUESTS:Sen. Elgie Sims Jr. (D-Chicago), Senate Caucus Appropriations LeaderSen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris), Deputy Senate Republican LeaderRep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston), House Majority LeaderRep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria), Deputy House Republican Leader ABOUT THE SHOW:“Illinois Lawmakers” is the longest-running television series offering continuing coverage of the Illinois General Assembly. Now in its 40th year of production, the series has found a new home with Capitol News Illinois. Learn more at capitolnewsillinois.com. Capitol News Illinois is a program of the Illinois Press Foundation.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heartland-newsfeed-radio-network--2904397/support.

Greg Bishop shares separate conversations with Illinois state Reps. Adam Niemerg, R-Dieterich, and La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, about the election of former President Donald Trump to be the next Commander in Chief.Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx

Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) an original 2019 supporter of Kamala Harris for President reflects on the convention, how she has changed the race, and the next three months.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) joins John Williams to share his thoughts on President Biden dropping out of the presidential race. Rep Buckner is a Democratic delegate and talks about why he’s supporting Vice President Harris as the democratic nominee at the upcoming DNC.

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) joins John Williams to share his thoughts on President Biden dropping out of the presidential race. Rep Buckner is a Democratic delegate and talks about why he’s supporting Vice President Harris as the democratic nominee at the upcoming DNC.

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) joins John Williams to share his thoughts on President Biden dropping out of the presidential race. Rep Buckner is a Democratic delegate and talks about why he’s supporting Vice President Harris as the democratic nominee at the upcoming DNC.

The Heartland POD, Friday June 21, 2024Kansas Legislature passes incentive bill to lure Kanas City Chiefs and RoyalsRather than preside over clown show convention, IL GOP chair resignsIllinois families cheer $300 state Child Tax CreditDems confident, Republicans morose in ongoing IVF battleThis week in ‘unforced errors' Trump calls Milwaukee a ‘horrible city' causing his pollster to be… also morose. We're glad to have you with us. If you're new to our shows make sure you subscribe and leave a 5-star rating wherever you listen. You can also find Heartland POD content on Youtube and on social media @ THE heartland pod, and learn more at https://theheartlandcollective.comLots to do, so let's go! Kansas Legislature passes incentive bill to lure Kansas City Chiefs, RoyalsBY: ALLISON KITE - JUNE 18, 2024 3:26 PM   Brady Singer of the Kansas City Royals throws in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Kauffman Stadium in April. (Ed Zurga/Getty Images).TOPEKA — The Kansas City Royals and Chiefs could receive hundreds of millions of dollars in sales tax revenue to move from Missouri and build new stadiums across the state line under legislation passed Tuesday by Kansas lawmakers.The House voted 84-38 and the Senate voted 27-8 to approve legislation that would expand a state incentive program in an attempt to lure one or both teams from Kansas City. The bill now heads to Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, who said in a statement following the Senate vote that the effort to bring the teams to Kansas “shows we're all-in on keeping our beloved teams in the Kansas City metro.”“Kansas now has the opportunity to become a professional sports powerhouse with the Chiefs and Royals potentially joining Sporting KC as major league attractions, all with robust, revenue-generating entertainment districts surrounding them providing new jobs, new visitors and new revenues that boost the Kansas economy,” Kelly said.Neither team has promised to move to Kansas, though both actively lobbied for the legislation's passage. The Chiefs said in a statement that the team appreciated Kansas leaders reaching out for input on the legislation.“We look forward to exploring the options this legislation may provide,” the statement said. The Royals said the team was grateful to the legislature for its vote. “The Kansas City Royals look forward to additional conversations as we evaluate where we will play baseball in the future,” the team said. “We will always prioritize the best interests of our fans, associates and taxpayers in this process.”State Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Republican from Stilwell, said during debate in the House that Missouri had a history of losing professional sports teams and implored fellow House members to pass the legislation.“I ask you today, do you really want to put that type of an economic generation in the hands of the state of Missouri?” Tarwater said just before the vote.Rep. Sean Tarwater speaks on the floor of the Kansas House of Representatives in favor of expanding economic incentives in an attempt to bring the Kansas City Chiefs or Royals to Kansas. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)Passage of the bill represents a monumental step in Kansas lawmakers' attempts to court the teams. Both teams have signaled a willingness to move from their current stadiums at the Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City, Missouri.While neither team has announced a proposed site for a Kansas stadium, legislators speculated it could land in Wyandotte County near the Sporting KC soccer stadium, NASCAR track and outlet shops.“We have the history of building amazing projects that have brought in retail commerce, restaurants, hotels and have improved an area that was largely just a field and turned it into a tax-generating machine for our state,” said Sen. J.R. Claeys, a Salina Republican.The legislation, he said, would put Kansas in a “very good position to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals in the Kansas City metro area.”The bill, which was not voted on by any legislative committee, would expand the state's Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) Bond program, which is meant to help finance tourism and entertainment districts to help pay for a professional football or baseball stadium of at least $1 billion.A developer building a stadium under the program would be eligible to finance up to 70% of the project cost by issuing bonds and repaying them with the increased sales tax collections from the stadium site. The expansion would have initially allowed up to 75% of project costs but was tweaked before introduction. Debt on a stadium constructed under the expansion wouldn't have to be repaid for 30 years instead of the normal 20.The project could also receive a boost from liquor taxes generated in the STAR Bond district and revenues from a fund Kansas created when it legalized sports betting.During House debate, Rep. Paul Waggoner, a Hutchinson Republican, argued subsidized stadiums never generate the economic activity that they promise. He was alarmed by what he called “minimal transparency” in the deal-making process laid out in the legislation.The bill says any agreement between the state and a team would be confidential until after it has been executed.Waggoner called the legislation “bad public policy.”“This is not your mother's STAR Bonds,” Waggoner said. “This is a jacked up super-sized version of STAR Bonds.”Patrick Mahomes throws pass against the Buffalo Bills during the third quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 23, 2022. Kansas lawmakers could offer the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals millions of dollars in tax incentives to move from Missouri to Kansas. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images).The bill limits the eligibility to National Football League or Major League Baseball teams currently near Kansas. The financing mechanism could be used for both stadiums and training facilities.Both teams have pressed lawmakers in recent weeks to pass the bill with representatives from the Royals hosting dinner for Democratic lawmakers at a steakhouse Monday night and the Chiefs throwing a lunchtime block party Tuesday steps from the Capitol.Earlier this month, a nonprofit called Scoop and Score Inc. launched to advocate for a Kansas stadium deal. The organization, which does not have to disclose its donors, hired 30 lobbyists to advocate for the STAR Bond expansion legislation. In a statement, former Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., a lobbyist for Scoop and Score and the Chiefs, said the Legislature “stepped up in a big way, paving the path to make sure the Chiefs stay right where they belong — in Kansas City with their loyal fans.”“The votes show overwhelming bipartisan support because Kansas lawmakers know what the Chiefs mean to us and how big of an economic opportunity this is for Kansas,” Ryckman said.Just weeks before Republican National Convention, Illinois GOP chair announces resignationAfter 3 ½ years as ILGOP chair, Don Tracy cites intraparty fighting as reason for quittingBy HANNAH MEISELCapitol News Illinoishmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.comHalfway through the 2024 election cycle and just a few weeks away from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy on Wednesday announced his resignation as head of the state Republican Party.Tracy, who'd held the job since February 2021, explained his resignation in a two-page letter that cited intraparty “power struggles.” He also said he is concerned about the direction the party is taking under the current membership of the Illinois Republican State Central Committee – a 17-person body that steers the ILGOP, with one member elected from each congressional district.“In better days, Illinois Republicans came together after tough intra party elections,” Tracy wrote. “Now however, we have Republicans who would rather fight other Republicans than engage in the harder work of defeating incumbent Democrats by convincing swing voters to vote Republican.”Tracy was narrowly elected Illinois Republican Party chair in the wake of the 2020 election and Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection on the U.S. Capitol by those who sought to stop certification of the election for its winner, President Joe Biden, over former President Donald Trump. Even as Republicans publicly reckoned with the events of Jan. 6, hardline conservatives on the state central committee were pushing for a more ardent supporter of Trump and his politics than the previous chair, who was hand-picked by former Gov. Bruce Rauner.Instead, the party got Tracy, another Rauner ally who served as chair of the Illinois Gaming Board during the one-term governor's administration. Tracy had unsuccessfully run for lieutenant governor in 2010, and in 2002, he lost a bid for a state Senate seat – but as a Democrat.Tracy's electoral history, as well as his experience as an attorney and co-owner of his family's food distribution business, fit the mold of previous ILGOP chairs in a state where fiscally conservative and socially moderate suburban Republicans for decades were a political powerhouse.But as Republican politics have changed both nationally and in Illinois, Tracy's run as party chair proved tumultuous.Additionally, Tracy wrote that he was “concerned about the current infatuation” of some state central committee members “with certain individuals they call ‘grass roots' leaders.”One such self-proclaimed grassroots Republican, former state Sen. Darren Bailey, celebrated Tracy's resignation on social media Wednesday, calling it a “cleansing” of the state GOP.“Fake republicans got us into this mess,” wrote Bailey, who earlier this year lost a primary challenge to U.S. Rep. Mike Bost and unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2022. “Real Republicans standing firm will get us out!!!”Read more: Dems seek unity as new, former chair take no questions from media after party voteDemocrats panned the state GOP as “defined by a litany of electoral disasters, constant infighting, meager fundraising, and a strict adherence to a losing set of anti-choice, anti-worker, pro-Trump policies.”“While we don't expect new leadership to change any of that, we do wish the best of luck to the inevitable MAGA extremist who will succeed Don Tracy as Chair,” the party said.Tracy's letter indicated he would resign upon the election of a successor, “preferably no later than” July 19 – the day after the RNC is scheduled to conclude. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of newspapers, radio and TV stations statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.Illinois child tax credit: who gets it, how much is it?(Capitol News Illinois illustration by Andrew Adams)Thursday, June 13, 2024$50M tax credit program will provide up to roughly $300 for low-income familiesBy ANDREW ADAMSCapitol News Illinoisaadams@capitolnewsillinois.comIn the final hours of their spring legislative session, Illinois lawmakers approved a tax credit of up to about $300 for families with young children. The credit is available to Illinoisans with children under age 12 who qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. Although it has exceptions, that credit is generally available to married couples earning up to about $60,000 and single people earning up to about $50,000, depending on the number of children they have. For taxes on 2024 income, the tax credit will cap at just over $300 for tax filers with three or more children who meet certain income requirements. Taxpayers with two children face a cap of about $270 and taxpayers with one child face a cap of about $170. The child tax credit equates to 20 percent of the state's EITC, which allows Illinois taxpayers a credit equal to 20 percent of the federal EITC. Starting in tax year 2025, the state's child tax credit will double to 40 percent of the state EITC, meaning that it will max out at a bit over $600 for families with three children. Because the federal tax credit that determines its size is tied to inflation, the actual size of future years' child tax credits is yet to be determined. In its first year, the program is expected to cost the state $50 million, with a cost of about $100 million in subsequent years. The idea of a permanent child tax credit in Illinois has been floated for several years, with various proposals being put forward by legislators in the General Assembly as well as advocacy groups and think tanks. Gov. JB Pritzker pitched a child tax credit in his proposed budget earlier this year that was smaller than the version that passed in the final budget. It would have applied to children under three years old and cost about $12 million. Proponents of the idea say that in addition to helping low-income families, programs like this help local economies. “Every dollar we invest in the child tax credit is immediately spent locally,” Erion Malasi, the policy director for Economic Security for Illinois, told Capitol News Illinois. Researchers at the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, a labor movement-affiliated think tank, found in a January report that child tax credits have a higher economic impact than cuts to corporate income taxes or to capital gains taxes. That report also cited several research teams that found the temporary expansion to the federal child tax credit between 2021 and 2023 reduced child poverty in the U.S. by between 25 and 36 percent. That credit provided an additional $1,000 per child on top of an existing $2,000 credit, with increases for younger children. State Sen. Omar Aquino, D-Chicago, sponsored legislation that would have created a $300 million child tax credit program that was more expansive than the version that passed. Aquino told Capitol News Illinois he will be watching the rollout of the child tax credit to see if there is room for an “expansion” in future budget years or if there is a route for the credit to be automatically applied for qualifying taxpayers. The Illinois Department of Revenue is working on guidance for next year's filing season and will provide information about how to claim the child tax credit on its website. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of print and broadcast outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.Kansas' Davids lauds court decision on abortion pill; Marshall critiques Democrats' IVF billBY: TIM CARPENTER - JUNE 13, 2024 4:56 PM   U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, applauded a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to turn aside a lawsuit seeking to direct the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to significantly limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)TOPEKA — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas said the U.S. Supreme Court's rejection of an attempt to undermine the federal Food and Drug Administration's authorization of a widely available abortion medication wouldn't be the final act by opponents of reproductive rights.On Thursday, the Supreme Court said the plaintiffs, comprised of anti-abortion physicians and organizations, didn't have standing to pursue the lawsuit against the FDA aimed at curtailing access to the drug mifepristone. It's possible other plaintiffs capable of showing they were harmed by availability of the pill could challenge FDA approval of the drug. It is used in approximately half of all abortions in the United States.“I will always stand with Kansans who overwhelmingly rejected extremist attempts to limit reproductive health care access,” said Davids, the 3rd District Democrat. “Yet, for the second year in a row, a vital and safe reproductive health care medication was under attack, threatening to strip Kansans' ability to freely make health care decisions that are best for their families and futures.”Davids said the Supreme Court opinion was “a victory for our freedoms,” but the legal fight regarding abortion access was far from over. She vowed to continue opposing attempts to “interfere in our most private health care decisions.”U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, signed an amicus brief urging federal courts to rule the FDA overstepped its authority years ago in regard to use of mifepristone. U.S. Reps. Ron Estes, Tracey Mann and Jake LaTurner, signed a brief that argued the Supreme Court should reverse the FDA.These Kansas lawmakers said the FDA's action to deregulate “chemical abortion drugs” subverted Congress' public policy interests and patient welfare.Mifepristone, which is authorized for up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy, was part of two-drug regimen that included misoprostol as the second pharmaceutical.Meanwhile, both U.S. senators from Kansas, Republicans Jerry Moran and Marshall, voted Thursday to block legislation offered by Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois that would affirm the right of women attempting to become pregnant to seek fertility treatments that included in vitro fertilization or IVF.The Senate vote on that measure was 48-47, short of the 60 votes required to advance the measure.On Wednesday, Marshall said the Duckworth bill contained “poison pills” that violated the religious freedom of physicians and would unnecessarily broaden access to reproductive technology. He praised a piece of IVF legislation sponsored by Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.Marshall, a physician who delivered babies for 30 years in Kansas said, “The country needs to know that Republicans believe in IVF. I happen to believe IVF is a gift from God.”Sean: Unfortunately for Senator Marshall, he doesn't speak for all Republicans, many of whom are far out of the mainstream on whether they believe families should be able to access IVF.And today in unforced errors…Trump tells House Republicans Milwaukee is a ‘horrible city'BY: HENRY REDMAN - JUNE 13, 2024 10:51 AM   Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally on Wednesday, May 1, in Waukesha, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson | Getty Images)In a closed door meeting with Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, Donald Trump reportedly called Milwaukee, the location of this summer's Republican National Convention, a “horrible city.” Trump's comments were reported by Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman. “Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city,” Trump is reported to have said on Thursday. The former president visited Wisconsin in May, holding a rally in Waukesha. During that visit, he talked about the RNC coming to Milwaukee, making fun of Democrats — who planned to hold the 2020 Democratic National Convention in the city but canceled it due to the COVID-19 pandemic — for not showing up to the city. Wisconsin's House Republicans responded to the report with varying stories about what happened. Rep. Glenn Grothman told reporters Trump was talking about “election integrity” in large urban centers, Rep. Derrick Van Orden said the report was a lie and that Trump was talking about the city's crime rate and Rep. Bryan Steil denied that Trump made the comment at all.In response to the comment, Democrats said if Trump doesn't like Milwaukee, he doesn't need to come. “If Donald Trump hates Milwaukee so much, we have one message for him: don't come, we won't miss you — your campaign is barely here in the first place,” Democratic National Committee spokesperson Addy Toevs said in a statement. “In November, Wisconsinites will show Trump how the dislike is mutual and will reject him again once and for all.”Other Democrats touted Milwaukee's beer, food and sports teams while connecting the comments to regular Republican attacks against Wisconsin's largest and most diverse city.“Donald Trump attacking the great city of Milwaukee as a ‘horrible city' exactly one month before he shuffles out on stage at the Fiserv reflects the backward, twisted man Donald Trump has always been,” Wisconsin Democratic Party Vice Chair Felesia Martin said. “With entertainment, recreation and a quality of life that is unparalleled — to say nothing of a great basketball team — I am blessed to call Milwaukee home. We're used to Republican politicians like Donald Trump showing nothing but contempt for Milwaukee and the folks who live here: they know our power, and they're afraid of the city we are building here, together. Once again, Trump has demonstrated why he should not be elected to the highest office in the land. He does not possess the discipline, respect, thoughtfulness, nor the maturity necessary to lead our country.”Trump is expected to visit southeastern Wisconsin again next week, for a planned rally in Racine on Tuesday. Because he knows if he wants to be president again, he has to win there. Wild. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Threads)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

The Heartland POD, Friday June 21, 2024Kansas Legislature passes incentive bill to lure Kanas City Chiefs and RoyalsRather than preside over clown show convention, IL GOP chair resignsIllinois families cheer $300 state Child Tax CreditDems confident, Republicans morose in ongoing IVF battleThis week in ‘unforced errors' Trump calls Milwaukee a ‘horrible city' causing his pollster to be… also morose. We're glad to have you with us. If you're new to our shows make sure you subscribe and leave a 5-star rating wherever you listen. You can also find Heartland POD content on Youtube and on social media @ THE heartland pod, and learn more at https://theheartlandcollective.comLots to do, so let's go! Kansas Legislature passes incentive bill to lure Kansas City Chiefs, RoyalsBY: ALLISON KITE - JUNE 18, 2024 3:26 PM   Brady Singer of the Kansas City Royals throws in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Kauffman Stadium in April. (Ed Zurga/Getty Images).TOPEKA — The Kansas City Royals and Chiefs could receive hundreds of millions of dollars in sales tax revenue to move from Missouri and build new stadiums across the state line under legislation passed Tuesday by Kansas lawmakers.The House voted 84-38 and the Senate voted 27-8 to approve legislation that would expand a state incentive program in an attempt to lure one or both teams from Kansas City. The bill now heads to Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, who said in a statement following the Senate vote that the effort to bring the teams to Kansas “shows we're all-in on keeping our beloved teams in the Kansas City metro.”“Kansas now has the opportunity to become a professional sports powerhouse with the Chiefs and Royals potentially joining Sporting KC as major league attractions, all with robust, revenue-generating entertainment districts surrounding them providing new jobs, new visitors and new revenues that boost the Kansas economy,” Kelly said.Neither team has promised to move to Kansas, though both actively lobbied for the legislation's passage. The Chiefs said in a statement that the team appreciated Kansas leaders reaching out for input on the legislation.“We look forward to exploring the options this legislation may provide,” the statement said. The Royals said the team was grateful to the legislature for its vote. “The Kansas City Royals look forward to additional conversations as we evaluate where we will play baseball in the future,” the team said. “We will always prioritize the best interests of our fans, associates and taxpayers in this process.”State Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Republican from Stilwell, said during debate in the House that Missouri had a history of losing professional sports teams and implored fellow House members to pass the legislation.“I ask you today, do you really want to put that type of an economic generation in the hands of the state of Missouri?” Tarwater said just before the vote.Rep. Sean Tarwater speaks on the floor of the Kansas House of Representatives in favor of expanding economic incentives in an attempt to bring the Kansas City Chiefs or Royals to Kansas. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)Passage of the bill represents a monumental step in Kansas lawmakers' attempts to court the teams. Both teams have signaled a willingness to move from their current stadiums at the Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City, Missouri.While neither team has announced a proposed site for a Kansas stadium, legislators speculated it could land in Wyandotte County near the Sporting KC soccer stadium, NASCAR track and outlet shops.“We have the history of building amazing projects that have brought in retail commerce, restaurants, hotels and have improved an area that was largely just a field and turned it into a tax-generating machine for our state,” said Sen. J.R. Claeys, a Salina Republican.The legislation, he said, would put Kansas in a “very good position to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals in the Kansas City metro area.”The bill, which was not voted on by any legislative committee, would expand the state's Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) Bond program, which is meant to help finance tourism and entertainment districts to help pay for a professional football or baseball stadium of at least $1 billion.A developer building a stadium under the program would be eligible to finance up to 70% of the project cost by issuing bonds and repaying them with the increased sales tax collections from the stadium site. The expansion would have initially allowed up to 75% of project costs but was tweaked before introduction. Debt on a stadium constructed under the expansion wouldn't have to be repaid for 30 years instead of the normal 20.The project could also receive a boost from liquor taxes generated in the STAR Bond district and revenues from a fund Kansas created when it legalized sports betting.During House debate, Rep. Paul Waggoner, a Hutchinson Republican, argued subsidized stadiums never generate the economic activity that they promise. He was alarmed by what he called “minimal transparency” in the deal-making process laid out in the legislation.The bill says any agreement between the state and a team would be confidential until after it has been executed.Waggoner called the legislation “bad public policy.”“This is not your mother's STAR Bonds,” Waggoner said. “This is a jacked up super-sized version of STAR Bonds.”Patrick Mahomes throws pass against the Buffalo Bills during the third quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 23, 2022. Kansas lawmakers could offer the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals millions of dollars in tax incentives to move from Missouri to Kansas. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images).The bill limits the eligibility to National Football League or Major League Baseball teams currently near Kansas. The financing mechanism could be used for both stadiums and training facilities.Both teams have pressed lawmakers in recent weeks to pass the bill with representatives from the Royals hosting dinner for Democratic lawmakers at a steakhouse Monday night and the Chiefs throwing a lunchtime block party Tuesday steps from the Capitol.Earlier this month, a nonprofit called Scoop and Score Inc. launched to advocate for a Kansas stadium deal. The organization, which does not have to disclose its donors, hired 30 lobbyists to advocate for the STAR Bond expansion legislation. In a statement, former Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., a lobbyist for Scoop and Score and the Chiefs, said the Legislature “stepped up in a big way, paving the path to make sure the Chiefs stay right where they belong — in Kansas City with their loyal fans.”“The votes show overwhelming bipartisan support because Kansas lawmakers know what the Chiefs mean to us and how big of an economic opportunity this is for Kansas,” Ryckman said.Just weeks before Republican National Convention, Illinois GOP chair announces resignationAfter 3 ½ years as ILGOP chair, Don Tracy cites intraparty fighting as reason for quittingBy HANNAH MEISELCapitol News Illinoishmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.comHalfway through the 2024 election cycle and just a few weeks away from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy on Wednesday announced his resignation as head of the state Republican Party.Tracy, who'd held the job since February 2021, explained his resignation in a two-page letter that cited intraparty “power struggles.” He also said he is concerned about the direction the party is taking under the current membership of the Illinois Republican State Central Committee – a 17-person body that steers the ILGOP, with one member elected from each congressional district.“In better days, Illinois Republicans came together after tough intra party elections,” Tracy wrote. “Now however, we have Republicans who would rather fight other Republicans than engage in the harder work of defeating incumbent Democrats by convincing swing voters to vote Republican.”Tracy was narrowly elected Illinois Republican Party chair in the wake of the 2020 election and Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection on the U.S. Capitol by those who sought to stop certification of the election for its winner, President Joe Biden, over former President Donald Trump. Even as Republicans publicly reckoned with the events of Jan. 6, hardline conservatives on the state central committee were pushing for a more ardent supporter of Trump and his politics than the previous chair, who was hand-picked by former Gov. Bruce Rauner.Instead, the party got Tracy, another Rauner ally who served as chair of the Illinois Gaming Board during the one-term governor's administration. Tracy had unsuccessfully run for lieutenant governor in 2010, and in 2002, he lost a bid for a state Senate seat – but as a Democrat.Tracy's electoral history, as well as his experience as an attorney and co-owner of his family's food distribution business, fit the mold of previous ILGOP chairs in a state where fiscally conservative and socially moderate suburban Republicans for decades were a political powerhouse.But as Republican politics have changed both nationally and in Illinois, Tracy's run as party chair proved tumultuous.Additionally, Tracy wrote that he was “concerned about the current infatuation” of some state central committee members “with certain individuals they call ‘grass roots' leaders.”One such self-proclaimed grassroots Republican, former state Sen. Darren Bailey, celebrated Tracy's resignation on social media Wednesday, calling it a “cleansing” of the state GOP.“Fake republicans got us into this mess,” wrote Bailey, who earlier this year lost a primary challenge to U.S. Rep. Mike Bost and unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2022. “Real Republicans standing firm will get us out!!!”Read more: Dems seek unity as new, former chair take no questions from media after party voteDemocrats panned the state GOP as “defined by a litany of electoral disasters, constant infighting, meager fundraising, and a strict adherence to a losing set of anti-choice, anti-worker, pro-Trump policies.”“While we don't expect new leadership to change any of that, we do wish the best of luck to the inevitable MAGA extremist who will succeed Don Tracy as Chair,” the party said.Tracy's letter indicated he would resign upon the election of a successor, “preferably no later than” July 19 – the day after the RNC is scheduled to conclude. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of newspapers, radio and TV stations statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.Illinois child tax credit: who gets it, how much is it?(Capitol News Illinois illustration by Andrew Adams)Thursday, June 13, 2024$50M tax credit program will provide up to roughly $300 for low-income familiesBy ANDREW ADAMSCapitol News Illinoisaadams@capitolnewsillinois.comIn the final hours of their spring legislative session, Illinois lawmakers approved a tax credit of up to about $300 for families with young children. The credit is available to Illinoisans with children under age 12 who qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. Although it has exceptions, that credit is generally available to married couples earning up to about $60,000 and single people earning up to about $50,000, depending on the number of children they have. For taxes on 2024 income, the tax credit will cap at just over $300 for tax filers with three or more children who meet certain income requirements. Taxpayers with two children face a cap of about $270 and taxpayers with one child face a cap of about $170. The child tax credit equates to 20 percent of the state's EITC, which allows Illinois taxpayers a credit equal to 20 percent of the federal EITC. Starting in tax year 2025, the state's child tax credit will double to 40 percent of the state EITC, meaning that it will max out at a bit over $600 for families with three children. Because the federal tax credit that determines its size is tied to inflation, the actual size of future years' child tax credits is yet to be determined. In its first year, the program is expected to cost the state $50 million, with a cost of about $100 million in subsequent years. The idea of a permanent child tax credit in Illinois has been floated for several years, with various proposals being put forward by legislators in the General Assembly as well as advocacy groups and think tanks. Gov. JB Pritzker pitched a child tax credit in his proposed budget earlier this year that was smaller than the version that passed in the final budget. It would have applied to children under three years old and cost about $12 million. Proponents of the idea say that in addition to helping low-income families, programs like this help local economies. “Every dollar we invest in the child tax credit is immediately spent locally,” Erion Malasi, the policy director for Economic Security for Illinois, told Capitol News Illinois. Researchers at the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, a labor movement-affiliated think tank, found in a January report that child tax credits have a higher economic impact than cuts to corporate income taxes or to capital gains taxes. That report also cited several research teams that found the temporary expansion to the federal child tax credit between 2021 and 2023 reduced child poverty in the U.S. by between 25 and 36 percent. That credit provided an additional $1,000 per child on top of an existing $2,000 credit, with increases for younger children. State Sen. Omar Aquino, D-Chicago, sponsored legislation that would have created a $300 million child tax credit program that was more expansive than the version that passed. Aquino told Capitol News Illinois he will be watching the rollout of the child tax credit to see if there is room for an “expansion” in future budget years or if there is a route for the credit to be automatically applied for qualifying taxpayers. The Illinois Department of Revenue is working on guidance for next year's filing season and will provide information about how to claim the child tax credit on its website. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of print and broadcast outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.Kansas' Davids lauds court decision on abortion pill; Marshall critiques Democrats' IVF billBY: TIM CARPENTER - JUNE 13, 2024 4:56 PM   U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, applauded a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to turn aside a lawsuit seeking to direct the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to significantly limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)TOPEKA — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas said the U.S. Supreme Court's rejection of an attempt to undermine the federal Food and Drug Administration's authorization of a widely available abortion medication wouldn't be the final act by opponents of reproductive rights.On Thursday, the Supreme Court said the plaintiffs, comprised of anti-abortion physicians and organizations, didn't have standing to pursue the lawsuit against the FDA aimed at curtailing access to the drug mifepristone. It's possible other plaintiffs capable of showing they were harmed by availability of the pill could challenge FDA approval of the drug. It is used in approximately half of all abortions in the United States.“I will always stand with Kansans who overwhelmingly rejected extremist attempts to limit reproductive health care access,” said Davids, the 3rd District Democrat. “Yet, for the second year in a row, a vital and safe reproductive health care medication was under attack, threatening to strip Kansans' ability to freely make health care decisions that are best for their families and futures.”Davids said the Supreme Court opinion was “a victory for our freedoms,” but the legal fight regarding abortion access was far from over. She vowed to continue opposing attempts to “interfere in our most private health care decisions.”U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, signed an amicus brief urging federal courts to rule the FDA overstepped its authority years ago in regard to use of mifepristone. U.S. Reps. Ron Estes, Tracey Mann and Jake LaTurner, signed a brief that argued the Supreme Court should reverse the FDA.These Kansas lawmakers said the FDA's action to deregulate “chemical abortion drugs” subverted Congress' public policy interests and patient welfare.Mifepristone, which is authorized for up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy, was part of two-drug regimen that included misoprostol as the second pharmaceutical.Meanwhile, both U.S. senators from Kansas, Republicans Jerry Moran and Marshall, voted Thursday to block legislation offered by Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois that would affirm the right of women attempting to become pregnant to seek fertility treatments that included in vitro fertilization or IVF.The Senate vote on that measure was 48-47, short of the 60 votes required to advance the measure.On Wednesday, Marshall said the Duckworth bill contained “poison pills” that violated the religious freedom of physicians and would unnecessarily broaden access to reproductive technology. He praised a piece of IVF legislation sponsored by Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.Marshall, a physician who delivered babies for 30 years in Kansas said, “The country needs to know that Republicans believe in IVF. I happen to believe IVF is a gift from God.”Sean: Unfortunately for Senator Marshall, he doesn't speak for all Republicans, many of whom are far out of the mainstream on whether they believe families should be able to access IVF.And today in unforced errors…Trump tells House Republicans Milwaukee is a ‘horrible city'BY: HENRY REDMAN - JUNE 13, 2024 10:51 AM   Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally on Wednesday, May 1, in Waukesha, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson | Getty Images)In a closed door meeting with Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, Donald Trump reportedly called Milwaukee, the location of this summer's Republican National Convention, a “horrible city.” Trump's comments were reported by Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman. “Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city,” Trump is reported to have said on Thursday. The former president visited Wisconsin in May, holding a rally in Waukesha. During that visit, he talked about the RNC coming to Milwaukee, making fun of Democrats — who planned to hold the 2020 Democratic National Convention in the city but canceled it due to the COVID-19 pandemic — for not showing up to the city. Wisconsin's House Republicans responded to the report with varying stories about what happened. Rep. Glenn Grothman told reporters Trump was talking about “election integrity” in large urban centers, Rep. Derrick Van Orden said the report was a lie and that Trump was talking about the city's crime rate and Rep. Bryan Steil denied that Trump made the comment at all.In response to the comment, Democrats said if Trump doesn't like Milwaukee, he doesn't need to come. “If Donald Trump hates Milwaukee so much, we have one message for him: don't come, we won't miss you — your campaign is barely here in the first place,” Democratic National Committee spokesperson Addy Toevs said in a statement. “In November, Wisconsinites will show Trump how the dislike is mutual and will reject him again once and for all.”Other Democrats touted Milwaukee's beer, food and sports teams while connecting the comments to regular Republican attacks against Wisconsin's largest and most diverse city.“Donald Trump attacking the great city of Milwaukee as a ‘horrible city' exactly one month before he shuffles out on stage at the Fiserv reflects the backward, twisted man Donald Trump has always been,” Wisconsin Democratic Party Vice Chair Felesia Martin said. “With entertainment, recreation and a quality of life that is unparalleled — to say nothing of a great basketball team — I am blessed to call Milwaukee home. We're used to Republican politicians like Donald Trump showing nothing but contempt for Milwaukee and the folks who live here: they know our power, and they're afraid of the city we are building here, together. Once again, Trump has demonstrated why he should not be elected to the highest office in the land. He does not possess the discipline, respect, thoughtfulness, nor the maturity necessary to lead our country.”Trump is expected to visit southeastern Wisconsin again next week, for a planned rally in Racine on Tuesday. Because he knows if he wants to be president again, he has to win there. Wild. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Threads)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

Chicago Public Schools officials are facing criticism for their handling of a sexual abuse lawsuit. State Rep. Curtis Tarver, D-Chicago, joins Lisa Dent to discuss the bill that he introduced in the final days of the spring session this week to protect child sex abuse victims in court. The two also discuss the sexual abuse […]

State Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) joins Lisa Dent to talk about if the Bears and White Sox should share a new stadium.

When we take the definition of ecosystem in application, simply it refers to all the elements and organisms that create a sustainable and healthy environment for all of its community to exist and function successfully. Now take this same perspective in the lens of a creative entrepreneur. What creates a healthy ecosystem for the creative entrepreneur? How are you gaining more professional development, knowledge and experience in your industry? How do you keep yourself grounded internally? How do you nurture and protect your health? What are goals you want to accomplish financially, and how are you currently working towards reaching your goals? Tap in with us for the seventh season of INVISIBLE Podcast Radio for the essentials to creating your entrepreneurial ecosystem. Season 7, Episode 2 Mike D Chicago, Chicago, IL www.instagram.com/mikedchicago Featured Music Artist Mike D Chicago Song: “Claim It” This episode was recorded in person on Friday, April 5, 2024. Hosted and audio engineering by Cey Sincerray (@215imgs). IMPORTANT: *INVISIBLE Podcast Radio DOES NOT OWN the rights to the music played in this episode.* *Peace and thank you all for listening to INVISIBLE Podcast Radio!*

State Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) and WGN Radio News Director Ryan Burrow join Lisa Dent to explain why Ford introduced a bill that would require accredited newspapers and FCC licensed broadcasters access to police scanners in real-time. Follow The Lisa Dent Show on Twitter:Follow @LisaDentSpeaksFollow @SteveBertrand Follow @kpowell720 Follow @maryvandeveldeFollow @LaurenLapka

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) joins John Williams to talk about his resolution that urges CDOT and IDOT to transform DuSable Lake Shore Drive into a true boulevard and to be creative and forward-thinking in their redesign of DuSable Lake Shore Drive. And as a former Illini football player, Rep. Buckner also shares his memories of legendary […]

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) joins John Williams to talk about his resolution that urges CDOT and IDOT to transform DuSable Lake Shore Drive into a true boulevard and to be creative and forward-thinking in their redesign of DuSable Lake Shore Drive. And as a former Illini football player, Rep. Buckner also shares his memories of legendary […]

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) joins John Williams to talk about his resolution that urges CDOT and IDOT to transform DuSable Lake Shore Drive into a true boulevard and to be creative and forward-thinking in their redesign of DuSable Lake Shore Drive. And as a former Illini football player, Rep. Buckner also shares his memories of legendary […]

State Representative La Shawn K. Ford (D-Chicago) joins John Williams to discuss how the interpretation of the Safe-T Act is being used to prevent former Cicero police Officer Zenna Ramos, who was charged with a misdemeanor 15 years ago for stealing a T-shirt, from becoming a police officer in Riverside.

State Representative La Shawn K. Ford (D-Chicago) joins John Williams to discuss how the interpretation of the Safe-T Act is being used to prevent former Cicero police Officer Zenna Ramos, who was charged with a misdemeanor 15 years ago for stealing a T-shirt, from becoming a police officer in Riverside.

State Representative La Shawn K. Ford (D-Chicago) joins John Williams to discuss how the interpretation of the Safe-T Act is being used to prevent former Cicero police Officer Zenna Ramos, who was charged with a misdemeanor 15 years ago for stealing a T-shirt, from becoming a police officer in Riverside.

@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85  (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp   (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO   (Twitter and Post)https://heartlandpod.com/JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS:Illinoi Governor JB Pritzker signs bill aimed at ending homelessnessWednesday, July 26, 2023Task force brings multiple agencies together to focus resourcesBy PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.comSPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation Wednesday that seeks to effectively end homelessness in Illinois by marshaling the resources of multiple agencies into one effort.House Bill 2831 codifies an executive order Pritzker signed in 2021 that established the Illinois Interagency Task Force on Homelessness and the Community Advisory Council on Homelessness. It centralizes programs across 17 state departments and agencies to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to combat homelessness. At a bill-signing ceremony at Featherfist, a homeless services organization in Chicago, Pritzker said the goal of the initiative is to bring homelessness in Illinois to “functional zero.”Pritzker said “For those who don't know and who may be listening, it's a measurable metric of success that reduces homelessness to something that's brief and rare and nonrecurring.”The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless estimates that more than 100,000 people in Illinois experienced homelessness for all or part of 2020. Christine Haley, the state's current chief homelessness officer and chair of the interagency task force, said Black people and other people of color are disproportionately affected by homelessness.She said “We stand here in one of the few Black-led homeless services organizations in our state. And as we stand here, we know that this housing crisis before us is rooted in housing injustice, is rooted in segregation, is rooted in racism. We know this because in our city of Chicago, where now less than a third of its residents are Black, 73 percent of individuals and 90 percent of children and their parents who are experiencing homelessness are Black.”State Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, D-Chicago, who was the lead sponsor of the bill in the House, said that on any given night, an estimated 4,500 people in Illinois are without shelter and the average wait time for someone to receive housing services is 802 days. She also noted that in Fiscal Year 2022, 9,800 people were turned away from emergency shelters.She said “Ending homelessness and ensuring every neighbor has access to shelter and supportive services has long been possible in Illinois and across the nation, but we haven't had the collective political, economic – and I say this with love – the bureaucratic will to make it happen until now.”In his State of the State address in February, Pritzker highlighted the state's “Home Illinois” plan, which calls for increased spending for homelessness prevention, crisis response, housing units, and staffing.On Wednesday, he noted that the budget lawmakers passed this year includes more than $350 million for homeless services, an increase of $85.3 million over last year.That includes $50 million in rapid rehousing services for 2,000 households; $40 million to develop more than 90 Permanent Supportive Housing units that provide long-term rental assistance and case management; and $37 million in Emergency Shelter capital funds to create more than 460 non-congregate shelter units.Governor Pritzker said “No stone will be left unturned in this endeavor,”  Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of newspapers, radio and TV stations statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.TENNESSEE LOOKOUT:Evolution of the Christian right in TennesseeMiddle Tennessee, and Williamson County, in particular, as the buckle of Christian nationalismBY: DEVON HEINEN - 6:00 AM     Part of the far right in the U.S. is the Christian far right. According to Philip Gorski, chair of Yale University's sociology department — political sociology and social movements, as well as religion, are areas of interest for him — the Christian far right in the U.S. has evolved over hundreds of years. Its basic principles, though, date back to the country's birth, as do its two main groups: “God and country” and “God over country.”“'God and country' people believe that America was founded as a Christian nation and that the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are inspired by the Christian Bible,” Gorski explains. “They believe that America is especially blessed by God, and America has a special mission in history. And they worry that all these blessings and all that power will be taken away if it doesn't remain a Christian nation. And, for most of these people, the term ‘Christian' also kind of implies ‘white.'”“Even further to their right is what I would call the ‘God over country' people,” Gorski adds. “And these are people who don't believe that America is a Christian nation or that it ever was, but they're determined to make sure that it becomes one, and that usually involves destroying the American government and replacing it with some form of Christian government and Christian law.”Gorski says the U.S. Christian far right has grown over the last 15 or 20 years. One reason, he says, is that there's been an erosion of authority from older Christian leaders.“I think there are a lot of conservative white Christians out there who've learned a lot more of their ‘theology' quote-unquote from Rush Limbaugh” — a former Republican media personality who Trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom before dying in 2021 at 70 years old — “and Tucker Carlson, than from Jerry Falwell or Billy Graham.”The U.S. Christian far right has grown a lot since the start of Obama's presidency, Gorski says, both in terms of numbers and power, but especially in power. When it comes to sheer size, a conservative guess by Gorski puts the percentage of current U.S. Republican voters who are either “God and country” or “God over country” Christian far right at 25 or 30 percent. In terms of power, he says the U.S. Christian far right has grown so much that it's among the loudest voices in the GOP.Why has the Christian far right grown in the country? Gorski credits social media for being, probably, the biggest reason: social media has let once-small fringe groups interact with each other as well as work on influencing mainstream opinion.The U.S. Christian far right is also becoming authoritarian. He says it wasn't like that 10 or 20 years ago.When it comes to Middle Tennessee, Rev. Kevin Riggs runs down a list of examples showing the region's power in Christianity. It's home to several denominational headquarters. Williamson County houses the majority of the Christian music industry. There are a number of Christian publishing houses in the Middle Tennessee area. And a lot of the executives who work in Christian publishing live in Williamson County.Riggs is 57 years old. For the past 33, he has been a pastor at Franklin Community Church. He's currently a senior pastor there. When RIggs talks, you hear a Southern drawl. Originally from Nashville, the fourth-generation ordained minister has lived in Franklin for more than three decades.“Almost anything that gets put out in the quote ‘Christian world' and ‘Christian culture' is going to come through Middle Tennessee before it goes out to the world, and a lot of that is going to come through Williamson County,” Riggs says.There's more on his list. Middle Tennessee has so-called Christian celebrities. And it has organizations that have large preaching circuits. Plus, it has Christian institutions of higher education.And Middle Tennessee's power doesn't end there. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research tracks the number of megachurches in the U.S. - megachurches being those with average weekly attendance of at least 2,000 people. With 67 megachurches, Tennessee is 5th in the U.S. But on a per-capita basis, Tennessee had the most.One thing Riggs wants to make clear: Not every Christian is far-right. But he says the Christian far right is definitely present.He said “You hear the South oftentimes referred to as the ‘buckle of the Bible Belt' — sometimes that's Tennessee, sometimes that's Arkansas — but I'm convinced that Middle Tennessee, and Williamson County, in particular, is the buckle of Christian nationalism.” Riggs doesn't know if the non-violent end of the far-right spectrum makes up the majority or the minority in Williamson County's Christian community. It's too close to tell.Extremism hits close to home for Riggs. He used to have Christian far-right views.He said “I know what I'm talking about. I know how Evangelicals think. I know how that far right thinks,” Riggs says. He lets out a chuckle. “You know, I don't need to read it in a survey. I mean, I know.”If Trump wins the presidency in 2024, Riggs thinks the situation in Williamson County will get worse. There will be more divisiveness. The Christian far right will be even bolder.Elizabeth Madeira decided to run for local office in the 2020 election cycle. Before eventually losing her bid for the Tennessee House of Representatives' 63rd district, Madeira encountered the far right numerous times. The most memorable experience came about six to eight weeks prior to election day. That's when she got a phone call. The caller had a question: Was Madeira running as a Democrat? Yes, she answered.Then the caller “went on a long ramble about how Democrats support killing babies, pedophilia, support killing police officers — it was a long, very angry tirade, in which she disparaged the college that I attended- ” which is a Christian college. “And then she said that her daughter attends that college, and, now, she thinks she might have to take that daughter out of college because she was gonna turn into a Democrat like me.”A little later in the conversation about that phone call, Madeira adds: “It was basically a litany of QAnon conspiracy theories for at least five minutes, and then she hung up on me.”There were 733 far-right hate groups in the U.S. in 2021, according to the human-rights non-profit Southern Poverty Law Center. In Tennessee, the SPLC tracked 28 hate groups.These consisted of two anti-LGBTQ groups, three white-nationalist, four neo-Nazi, nine general hate groups, one antisemitic, four Ku Klux Klan, two anti-Muslim, one Christian identity, one neo-Confederate and one racist skinhead group. Eleven of Tennessee's 28 far-right hate groups in 2021 were statewide organizations. Of the remaining 17, six were in Middle Tennessee.MISSOURI INDEPENDENT:Over one million Missourians on Medicaid will have their eligibility checked between now and next May. Many have never undergone the process beforeBY: CLARA BATES - AUGUST 3, 2023 5:55 AMIn June, 72% of Medicaid dis-enrollments in Missouri were due to "procedural" reasons, meaning the state could not determine eligibility — generally because of paperwork issues (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).Missouri has begun checking the eligibility of everyone on its Medicaid rolls — a review process that was paused for three years because of pandemic-era federal protections. Advocates hope that continuing to get the word out about how to navigate what is, for many, an unfamiliar process, will help those who are eligible retain coverage.About one-quarter of the state's population was enrolled in Medicaid - called MO HealthNet in Missouri - in June of this year.The state has 1.5 million Medicaid enrollees on the books, up from around 900,000 in March 2020 — in part because Missouri implemented voter-approved Medicaid expansion for low-income adults in late 2021 and in part because of the federal rules providing continuous coverage. Now, hundreds of thousands of Missourians are projected to lose coverage. Nationally, more than 3.7 million enrollees already have been disenrolled from Medicaid coverage.Brandi Linder, community health coordinator at Missouri Ozarks Community Health, a federally-qualified health center that assists with Medicaid renewals said “A lot of people got Medicaid during the public health emergency during COVID that had never had it before, so they've never had to go through the annual renewal process,”Linder said the focus has been ensuring that those who are new to the renewal process understand the stakes: “That if they don't do it, they could possibly lose their coverage.”Here are some of the things advocates and state officials want participants to know.1. Renewal month is typically the anniversary month of your first enrollment.Missouri's process of evaluating the eligibility of each person on its caseload will unfold over the next year— the state began in June and will end with those due in May 2024. Participants can view their renewal date on the Department of Social Services' new online portal, but need a smartphone and an active email address to sign up for the required multi-factor authentication.2. Participants should update their contact information with the state, especially mailing addresses.The social services department “strongly encourages” all participants to keep their address up to date — notifying the state if they've moved in the last three years;check the mail regularly;and/or verify your renewal date in the Family Support Division Benefit Portal.Participants can update their contact info online, in-person, or by phone.3. The participant will likely need to return paperwork to the state.If the state doesn't have sufficient data to renew a participant's coverage, the participant will need to provide additional information.That paperwork will be sent to the participant by mail and will be a yellow form.The participant should receive the form 55 days before their annual renewal is due.The state sends forms already partially completed with information it has about the participant. The participant should, in addition to filling out any blanks in the form, be sure to Review the pre-populated information the state filled out;Cross out anything that is not accurate and correct it;And be sure to sign the document before submitting it.5. If there are paperwork issues, eligible participants could lose coverage.The state can end coverage for two reasons. If the participant is found to be ineligible — because their income exceeds the allowed maximum, for instance, they will be deemed ineligible and lose coverage.A participant can also lose coverage for what are called “procedural” reasons, meaning the state couldn't determine the participant's eligibility, generally due to paperwork issues. For instance, a participant could be procedurally disenrolled if they did not return the required paperwork, or did not receive the paperwork — perhaps because of a change in address or lack of a stable address. In June, the first month of reviews, more than 32,000 Missourians – half of them children – lost Medicaid coverage with 72% of terminations were due to procedural reasons. That means around 23,000 Missourians disenrolled were not directly found ineligible but their eligibility couldn't be determined. Enrollees have 90 days after the termination to submit required paperwork for reconsideration  — rather than filling out an entirely new application for Medicaid. If they're found eligible, they can get coverage reinstated.So if you're in this situation, it's “very important to turn that paperwork in as soon as possible,” Oliver said. “It's not too late.” 8. Those who lose coverage may be eligible for plans through the Affordable Care Act.There is a special enrollment period for those who lose Medicaid from now until July 31, 2024. If you're a Missourian interested in speaking to a reporter about your experience with the Medicaid renewal process, please contact cbates@missouriindependent.com.And finally, the bad joke nobody asked for: Did I ever tell you about my grandfather? He has the heart of a lion. And, a lifetime ban from the zoo.Welp, that's it for me. From Denver I'm Sean Diller, original reporting for the stories in todays show comes from the Missouri Independent, Capitol News Illinois, and the Tennessee Lookout. Thanks for listening, see you next time.

@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85  (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp   (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO   (Twitter and Post)https://heartlandpod.com/JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS:Illinoi Governor JB Pritzker signs bill aimed at ending homelessnessWednesday, July 26, 2023Task force brings multiple agencies together to focus resourcesBy PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.comSPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation Wednesday that seeks to effectively end homelessness in Illinois by marshaling the resources of multiple agencies into one effort.House Bill 2831 codifies an executive order Pritzker signed in 2021 that established the Illinois Interagency Task Force on Homelessness and the Community Advisory Council on Homelessness. It centralizes programs across 17 state departments and agencies to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to combat homelessness. At a bill-signing ceremony at Featherfist, a homeless services organization in Chicago, Pritzker said the goal of the initiative is to bring homelessness in Illinois to “functional zero.”Pritzker said “For those who don't know and who may be listening, it's a measurable metric of success that reduces homelessness to something that's brief and rare and nonrecurring.”The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless estimates that more than 100,000 people in Illinois experienced homelessness for all or part of 2020. Christine Haley, the state's current chief homelessness officer and chair of the interagency task force, said Black people and other people of color are disproportionately affected by homelessness.She said “We stand here in one of the few Black-led homeless services organizations in our state. And as we stand here, we know that this housing crisis before us is rooted in housing injustice, is rooted in segregation, is rooted in racism. We know this because in our city of Chicago, where now less than a third of its residents are Black, 73 percent of individuals and 90 percent of children and their parents who are experiencing homelessness are Black.”State Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, D-Chicago, who was the lead sponsor of the bill in the House, said that on any given night, an estimated 4,500 people in Illinois are without shelter and the average wait time for someone to receive housing services is 802 days. She also noted that in Fiscal Year 2022, 9,800 people were turned away from emergency shelters.She said “Ending homelessness and ensuring every neighbor has access to shelter and supportive services has long been possible in Illinois and across the nation, but we haven't had the collective political, economic – and I say this with love – the bureaucratic will to make it happen until now.”In his State of the State address in February, Pritzker highlighted the state's “Home Illinois” plan, which calls for increased spending for homelessness prevention, crisis response, housing units, and staffing.On Wednesday, he noted that the budget lawmakers passed this year includes more than $350 million for homeless services, an increase of $85.3 million over last year.That includes $50 million in rapid rehousing services for 2,000 households; $40 million to develop more than 90 Permanent Supportive Housing units that provide long-term rental assistance and case management; and $37 million in Emergency Shelter capital funds to create more than 460 non-congregate shelter units.Governor Pritzker said “No stone will be left unturned in this endeavor,”  Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of newspapers, radio and TV stations statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.TENNESSEE LOOKOUT:Evolution of the Christian right in TennesseeMiddle Tennessee, and Williamson County, in particular, as the buckle of Christian nationalismBY: DEVON HEINEN - 6:00 AM     Part of the far right in the U.S. is the Christian far right. According to Philip Gorski, chair of Yale University's sociology department — political sociology and social movements, as well as religion, are areas of interest for him — the Christian far right in the U.S. has evolved over hundreds of years. Its basic principles, though, date back to the country's birth, as do its two main groups: “God and country” and “God over country.”“'God and country' people believe that America was founded as a Christian nation and that the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are inspired by the Christian Bible,” Gorski explains. “They believe that America is especially blessed by God, and America has a special mission in history. And they worry that all these blessings and all that power will be taken away if it doesn't remain a Christian nation. And, for most of these people, the term ‘Christian' also kind of implies ‘white.'”“Even further to their right is what I would call the ‘God over country' people,” Gorski adds. “And these are people who don't believe that America is a Christian nation or that it ever was, but they're determined to make sure that it becomes one, and that usually involves destroying the American government and replacing it with some form of Christian government and Christian law.”Gorski says the U.S. Christian far right has grown over the last 15 or 20 years. One reason, he says, is that there's been an erosion of authority from older Christian leaders.“I think there are a lot of conservative white Christians out there who've learned a lot more of their ‘theology' quote-unquote from Rush Limbaugh” — a former Republican media personality who Trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom before dying in 2021 at 70 years old — “and Tucker Carlson, than from Jerry Falwell or Billy Graham.”The U.S. Christian far right has grown a lot since the start of Obama's presidency, Gorski says, both in terms of numbers and power, but especially in power. When it comes to sheer size, a conservative guess by Gorski puts the percentage of current U.S. Republican voters who are either “God and country” or “God over country” Christian far right at 25 or 30 percent. In terms of power, he says the U.S. Christian far right has grown so much that it's among the loudest voices in the GOP.Why has the Christian far right grown in the country? Gorski credits social media for being, probably, the biggest reason: social media has let once-small fringe groups interact with each other as well as work on influencing mainstream opinion.The U.S. Christian far right is also becoming authoritarian. He says it wasn't like that 10 or 20 years ago.When it comes to Middle Tennessee, Rev. Kevin Riggs runs down a list of examples showing the region's power in Christianity. It's home to several denominational headquarters. Williamson County houses the majority of the Christian music industry. There are a number of Christian publishing houses in the Middle Tennessee area. And a lot of the executives who work in Christian publishing live in Williamson County.Riggs is 57 years old. For the past 33, he has been a pastor at Franklin Community Church. He's currently a senior pastor there. When RIggs talks, you hear a Southern drawl. Originally from Nashville, the fourth-generation ordained minister has lived in Franklin for more than three decades.“Almost anything that gets put out in the quote ‘Christian world' and ‘Christian culture' is going to come through Middle Tennessee before it goes out to the world, and a lot of that is going to come through Williamson County,” Riggs says.There's more on his list. Middle Tennessee has so-called Christian celebrities. And it has organizations that have large preaching circuits. Plus, it has Christian institutions of higher education.And Middle Tennessee's power doesn't end there. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research tracks the number of megachurches in the U.S. - megachurches being those with average weekly attendance of at least 2,000 people. With 67 megachurches, Tennessee is 5th in the U.S. But on a per-capita basis, Tennessee had the most.One thing Riggs wants to make clear: Not every Christian is far-right. But he says the Christian far right is definitely present.He said “You hear the South oftentimes referred to as the ‘buckle of the Bible Belt' — sometimes that's Tennessee, sometimes that's Arkansas — but I'm convinced that Middle Tennessee, and Williamson County, in particular, is the buckle of Christian nationalism.” Riggs doesn't know if the non-violent end of the far-right spectrum makes up the majority or the minority in Williamson County's Christian community. It's too close to tell.Extremism hits close to home for Riggs. He used to have Christian far-right views.He said “I know what I'm talking about. I know how Evangelicals think. I know how that far right thinks,” Riggs says. He lets out a chuckle. “You know, I don't need to read it in a survey. I mean, I know.”If Trump wins the presidency in 2024, Riggs thinks the situation in Williamson County will get worse. There will be more divisiveness. The Christian far right will be even bolder.Elizabeth Madeira decided to run for local office in the 2020 election cycle. Before eventually losing her bid for the Tennessee House of Representatives' 63rd district, Madeira encountered the far right numerous times. The most memorable experience came about six to eight weeks prior to election day. That's when she got a phone call. The caller had a question: Was Madeira running as a Democrat? Yes, she answered.Then the caller “went on a long ramble about how Democrats support killing babies, pedophilia, support killing police officers — it was a long, very angry tirade, in which she disparaged the college that I attended- ” which is a Christian college. “And then she said that her daughter attends that college, and, now, she thinks she might have to take that daughter out of college because she was gonna turn into a Democrat like me.”A little later in the conversation about that phone call, Madeira adds: “It was basically a litany of QAnon conspiracy theories for at least five minutes, and then she hung up on me.”There were 733 far-right hate groups in the U.S. in 2021, according to the human-rights non-profit Southern Poverty Law Center. In Tennessee, the SPLC tracked 28 hate groups.These consisted of two anti-LGBTQ groups, three white-nationalist, four neo-Nazi, nine general hate groups, one antisemitic, four Ku Klux Klan, two anti-Muslim, one Christian identity, one neo-Confederate and one racist skinhead group. Eleven of Tennessee's 28 far-right hate groups in 2021 were statewide organizations. Of the remaining 17, six were in Middle Tennessee.MISSOURI INDEPENDENT:Over one million Missourians on Medicaid will have their eligibility checked between now and next May. Many have never undergone the process beforeBY: CLARA BATES - AUGUST 3, 2023 5:55 AMIn June, 72% of Medicaid dis-enrollments in Missouri were due to "procedural" reasons, meaning the state could not determine eligibility — generally because of paperwork issues (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).Missouri has begun checking the eligibility of everyone on its Medicaid rolls — a review process that was paused for three years because of pandemic-era federal protections. Advocates hope that continuing to get the word out about how to navigate what is, for many, an unfamiliar process, will help those who are eligible retain coverage.About one-quarter of the state's population was enrolled in Medicaid - called MO HealthNet in Missouri - in June of this year.The state has 1.5 million Medicaid enrollees on the books, up from around 900,000 in March 2020 — in part because Missouri implemented voter-approved Medicaid expansion for low-income adults in late 2021 and in part because of the federal rules providing continuous coverage. Now, hundreds of thousands of Missourians are projected to lose coverage. Nationally, more than 3.7 million enrollees already have been disenrolled from Medicaid coverage.Brandi Linder, community health coordinator at Missouri Ozarks Community Health, a federally-qualified health center that assists with Medicaid renewals said “A lot of people got Medicaid during the public health emergency during COVID that had never had it before, so they've never had to go through the annual renewal process,”Linder said the focus has been ensuring that those who are new to the renewal process understand the stakes: “That if they don't do it, they could possibly lose their coverage.”Here are some of the things advocates and state officials want participants to know.1. Renewal month is typically the anniversary month of your first enrollment.Missouri's process of evaluating the eligibility of each person on its caseload will unfold over the next year— the state began in June and will end with those due in May 2024. Participants can view their renewal date on the Department of Social Services' new online portal, but need a smartphone and an active email address to sign up for the required multi-factor authentication.2. Participants should update their contact information with the state, especially mailing addresses.The social services department “strongly encourages” all participants to keep their address up to date — notifying the state if they've moved in the last three years;check the mail regularly;and/or verify your renewal date in the Family Support Division Benefit Portal.Participants can update their contact info online, in-person, or by phone.3. The participant will likely need to return paperwork to the state.If the state doesn't have sufficient data to renew a participant's coverage, the participant will need to provide additional information.That paperwork will be sent to the participant by mail and will be a yellow form.The participant should receive the form 55 days before their annual renewal is due.The state sends forms already partially completed with information it has about the participant. The participant should, in addition to filling out any blanks in the form, be sure to Review the pre-populated information the state filled out;Cross out anything that is not accurate and correct it;And be sure to sign the document before submitting it.5. If there are paperwork issues, eligible participants could lose coverage.The state can end coverage for two reasons. If the participant is found to be ineligible — because their income exceeds the allowed maximum, for instance, they will be deemed ineligible and lose coverage.A participant can also lose coverage for what are called “procedural” reasons, meaning the state couldn't determine the participant's eligibility, generally due to paperwork issues. For instance, a participant could be procedurally disenrolled if they did not return the required paperwork, or did not receive the paperwork — perhaps because of a change in address or lack of a stable address. In June, the first month of reviews, more than 32,000 Missourians – half of them children – lost Medicaid coverage with 72% of terminations were due to procedural reasons. That means around 23,000 Missourians disenrolled were not directly found ineligible but their eligibility couldn't be determined. Enrollees have 90 days after the termination to submit required paperwork for reconsideration  — rather than filling out an entirely new application for Medicaid. If they're found eligible, they can get coverage reinstated.So if you're in this situation, it's “very important to turn that paperwork in as soon as possible,” Oliver said. “It's not too late.” 8. Those who lose coverage may be eligible for plans through the Affordable Care Act.There is a special enrollment period for those who lose Medicaid from now until July 31, 2024. If you're a Missourian interested in speaking to a reporter about your experience with the Medicaid renewal process, please contact cbates@missouriindependent.com.And finally, the bad joke nobody asked for: Did I ever tell you about my grandfather? He has the heart of a lion. And, a lifetime ban from the zoo.Welp, that's it for me. From Denver I'm Sean Diller, original reporting for the stories in todays show comes from the Missouri Independent, Capitol News Illinois, and the Tennessee Lookout. Thanks for listening, see you next time.

IL state Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago joins Lisa Dent to discuss proposed legislation that would require automobile insurers to get prior state approval for rate hikes and ban “excessive” insurance increases. Follow The Lisa Dent Show on Twitter:Follow @LisaDentSpeaksFollow @SteveBertrand Follow @kpowell720 Follow @maryvandeveldeFollow @LaurenLapka

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) joins guest host Jon Hansen to talk about his Chicago Tribune Op-ed that calls attention to the role we all play in the success of our young people. Rep. Buckner also shares his thoughts about State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announcing she is not running for another term.

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) joins guest host Jon Hansen to talk about his Chicago Tribune Op-ed that calls attention to the role we all play in the success of our young people. Rep. Buckner also shares his thoughts about State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announcing she is not running for another term.

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) joins guest host Jon Hansen to talk about his Chicago Tribune Op-ed that calls attention to the role we all play in the success of our young people. Rep. Buckner also shares his thoughts about State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announcing she is not running for another term.

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about Rep. Kelly Cassidy’s (D-Chicago) bill that would legalize human composting in Illinois. Eric also tells us about another bill sponsored by Rep. Cassidy that would prohibit cat declawing in Illinois. Eric also gives us on update on his Tweet Madness bracket.

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about Rep. Kelly Cassidy’s (D-Chicago) bill that would legalize human composting in Illinois. Eric also tells us about another bill sponsored by Rep. Cassidy that would prohibit cat declawing in Illinois. Eric also gives us on update on his Tweet Madness bracket.

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about Rep. Kelly Cassidy’s (D-Chicago) bill that would legalize human composting in Illinois. Eric also tells us about another bill sponsored by Rep. Cassidy that would prohibit cat declawing in Illinois. Eric also gives us on update on his Tweet Madness bracket.

Bishop talks live with state Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, about the status of the state's gun ban and how to stem violence, the ongoing revelations from secret recordings of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and several bills he's sponsoring at the Illinois statehouse.

Bishop talks live with state Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, about the status of the state's gun ban and how to stem violence, the ongoing revelations from secret recordings of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and several bills he's sponsoring at the Illinois statehouse. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bishoponair/support

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) joins John Williams to talk about a number of different issues including, Gov. Pritzker signing a law that guarantees five days paid leave for Illinois workers, why he believes we should start the conversation about lowering the voting age to 16, if adopting ranked choice voting would be good for Illinois, and when he […]

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) joins John Williams to talk about a number of different issues including, Gov. Pritzker signing a law that guarantees five days paid leave for Illinois workers, why he believes we should start the conversation about lowering the voting age to 16, if adopting ranked choice voting would be good for Illinois, and when he […]

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) joins John Williams to talk about a number of different issues including, Gov. Pritzker signing a law that guarantees five days paid leave for Illinois workers, why he believes we should start the conversation about lowering the voting age to 16, if adopting ranked choice voting would be good for Illinois, and when he […]

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), a candidate for Chicago mayor, joins John Williams to talk about Mayor Lightfoot’s campaign sending an email to CPS teachers asking them to encourage their students to work on her reelection campaign. Rep. Buckner also talks about how he will reduce crime in the city and if he believes Illinois’ assault weapons ban […]

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), a candidate for Chicago mayor, joins John Williams to talk about Mayor Lightfoot’s campaign sending an email to CPS teachers asking them to encourage their students to work on her reelection campaign. Rep. Buckner also talks about how he will reduce crime in the city and if he believes Illinois’ assault weapons ban […]

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), a candidate for Chicago mayor, joins John Williams to talk about Mayor Lightfoot’s campaign sending an email to CPS teachers asking them to encourage their students to work on her reelection campaign. Rep. Buckner also talks about how he will reduce crime in the city and if he believes Illinois’ assault weapons ban […]

Bishop talks with state Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, about the early morning passage of a ban on certain semi-automatic guns and magazines of more than 12 rounds.

Bishop talks with state Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, about criticism of the the proposed measure in Illinois, House Bill 5855, to ban the sale of nearly 100 semi-automatic guns and magazines of more than 10 rounds.

State Representative La Shawn K. Ford (D-Chicago) joins John Williams to talk about House Bill 5855, which would ban the sale of assault-style weapons in Illinois.

State Representative La Shawn K. Ford (D-Chicago) joins John Williams to talk about House Bill 5855, which would ban the sale of assault-style weapons in Illinois.

State Representative La Shawn K. Ford (D-Chicago) joins John Williams to talk about House Bill 5855, which would ban the sale of assault-style weapons in Illinois.

State Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) joins Lisa Dent on Chicago’s Afternoon News to discuss why he met with officials in Forest Park to share ideas about cutting crime and stopping the number of overdoses on CTA trains. Follow Your Favorite Chicago’s Afternoon News Personalities on Twitter:Follow @LisaDentSpeaksFollow @SteveBertrand Follow @kpowell720 Follow @maryvandeveldeFollow @LaurenLapka

Another Illinois state lawmaker faces bribery charges related to the red-light camera industry. The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois released a three-charge indictment of state Sen. Emil Jones III, D-Chicago, Tuesday. The first charge states Jones accepted benefits in exchange for “opposing legislation that required the study of automated traffic enforcement systems located outside of Chicago, and would limit any legislation regarding [Illinois Department of Transportation's] study of and recommendations concerning” red light cameras. Read More: https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/state-sen-emil-jones-iii-charged-with-red-light-camera-bribery-lying-to-fbi/article_b27c5510-391b-11ed-b1b1-5b3f31a9fb0a.html --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/illinois-in-focus/support

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), a candidate for Chicago mayor, joins John Williams to talk about the Bears revealing their plans if they were to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights. Rep. Buckner does not believe any state money should be used to help the team finance a new entertainment complex. 

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), a candidate for Chicago mayor, joins John Williams to talk about the Bears revealing their plans if they were to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights. Rep. Buckner does not believe any state money should be used to help the team finance a new entertainment complex. 

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), a candidate for Chicago mayor, joins John Williams to talk about the Bears revealing their plans if they were to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights. Rep. Buckner does not believe any state money should be used to help the team finance a new entertainment complex. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot “has a personality that a lot of folks don't like” and it's getting in the way of solving Chicago's intransigent problems of violent crime and public education, the chairman of the Illinois Black Caucus told the Chicago Sun-Times.State Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, said he will decide soon after the scheduled April 8 close of the spring legislative session whether to challenge Lightfoot in the race for Chicago mayor now less than one year away.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bishop On Air on WMAY News talks with State Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, about what to expect with lawmakers heading back to the state capitol this week.

State Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) joins Anna to explain why the state of Illinois is ramping of its efforts to get more electric vehicles on the road by 2030. Rep. Williams tells us what we need to know about electric vehicle incentives, the goal of getting Illinois to be the best state in the U.S for manufacturing […]

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) joins Anna to talk about the “Springfield Surprise” that greeted him this morning and what other bills have passed through the General Assembly during the fall veto session. Rep Buckner also talks about why he believes the Bears should continue to play football in Chicago.

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) joins Anna to talk about some recent shootings outside of Chicago high schools, and what needs to be done to combat the violence that seemingly has overtaken parts of the the city. [audio https://serve.castfire.com/audio/3885108/3885108_2021-10-13-222908.64kmono.mp3}

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) joins Anna to talk about the Bears possibly moving to Arlington Heights and why he wants to make sure taxpayers are not on the hook for paying the bill for any new stadium.

Illinois lawmakers are poised to make leadership term limits of no more than ten consecutive years state law. Before he resigned from the House earlier this year, Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, served in the state legislature for more than 50 years. Madigan served as House Speaker for 24 consecutive years from 1997 to 2021. For two years when Republicans had the majority in the House, Madigan was the Minority Leader. Before that, he served as Speaker for 12 years from 1983 to 1995. House Bill 642 puts a limit of ten consecutive years on legislative leadership roles like the Illinois Senate President, Senate Minority Leader, House Speaker and House Minority Leader. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/illinois-in-focus/support

The Illinois State Board of Education has approved the proposed “Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards” amendment, and on February 16, JCAR (Illinois' Joint Committee on Administrative Rules) will vote on its ratification. Dr. Eric Wallace joins Monte Larrick to explain why adopting these “standards” will shift the focus from teaching foundational academics and fostering critical thinking skills to promoting Critical Race Theory and “woke” perspectives that dismiss objective truth. Additionally, they discuss how Illinois parents and taxpayers can most effectively stand against the leftist agenda of student indoctrination. After the break the conversation turns to the debunked, but still flourishing, 1619 Project; the need for Republican Party to intentionally reach out to Black voters; the criminal justice system and challenges facing law enforcement officers; the issue of racial disproportionality; and the proposed redesign of the twenty-dollar bill. Take ACTION: It is vital that the members of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) hear from all Illinois taxpayers. Please click HERE to send a message to this committee urging them to vote against any proposal that would mandate all Illinois teachers be indoctrinated with left-leaning “woke” beliefs. The Democratic Co-Chairman is Illinois Senator Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago). His office number is (773) 445-8128. The Republican Co-Chairman is Keith Wheeler (R-North Aurora). His office number is (630) 345-3464. More ACTION: Here is a list of all the members of JCAR, and their individual contact information. It is imperative that we respectfully contact these state lawmakers to urge them to reject these new divisive “standards” by the ISBE. Dr. Eric Wallace is the founder and president of Freedom's Journal Institute and a candidate for Township Supervisor of Rich Township in the April 6th 2021 Consolidated Election. To learn more about the election visit RTRO.org.

Written by David E. Smith After almost a year of gubernatorial mandates masquerading as law, it should come as no surprise that another legislative group in Illinois is attempting to do an end run in order to avoid following the accepted, standard procedure of presenting a bill for debate and vote by the General Assembly. Laurie Higgins, IFI's cultural affairs writer, joins Pastor Calvin Lindstrom and Pastor James Pittman, Jr. for a podcast, featured on Here I Stand Radio, examining the continuing revolution in education in Illinois. They discuss the leftist tactics that would force teachers to teach “progressive” ideas that have their genesis in identity politics and Critical Race Theory/Critical Theory, and detail the ludicrous standards set forth in the “Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards” amendment. This interview also describes disturbing changes to Illinois' current sex education policy. Please listen and share! Here I Stand Radio, a ministry of the Christian Emergency League, can be found on Facebook. More information on the proposed amendment and action steps can be found here and here. Pastor Calvin Lindstrom is the pastor of the Church of Christian Liberty and Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Pastor James Pittman, Jr. is the senior pastor of New Hope Community Church in Palatine, Illinois. Take ACTION: It is vital that the members of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) hear from all Illinois taxpayers. Please click HERE to send a message to this committee urging them to vote against any proposal that would mandate all Illinois teachers be indoctrinated with left-leaning "woke" beliefs. The Democratic Co-Chairman is Illinois Senator Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago). His office number is (773) 445-8128. The Republican Co-Chairman is Keith Wheeler (R-North Aurora). His office number is (630) 345-3464.