Greg Bishop, Illinois editor for The Center Square, hosts Illinois In Focus Daily, a review of some of the top Illinois headlines with timely and relevant news and interviews.

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Greg Bishop, Illinois editor for The Center Square, hosts Illinois In Focus Daily, a review of some of the top Illinois headlines with timely and relevant news and interviews.

Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx

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A Chicago economics professor has questions about the potential effectiveness of the city’s new budget restrictions. City Budget Director Annette Guzman outlined the changes this week, after Mayor Brandon Johnson projected a budget deficit of nearly a billion dollars in 2025. Guzman said a citywide hiring freeze would take effect immediately. Frances Lee is an economics professor at Loyola University of Chicago. Lee said economists have a saying when it comes to hiring. “We can achieve full employment if we hire half of the population to dig a hole and the other half to fill it. If we are eliminating these kinds of government jobs, then, yes, by all means do the hiring freeze,” Lee said. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan doesn't want the word "corruption" mentioned at his upcoming corruption trial. Madigan laid out a litany of things he wants excluded from his upcoming racketeering trial in October. The words Madigan's defense team doesn't want the jury to hear are "patronage," "political machine," "Shakman Litigation," "corrupt politicians," "corruption," and "Public Corruption Task Force," and their derivatives, according to a motion pending before Judge Manish Shah. Those words are too prejudicial, the defense argued. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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Defense attorneys for the four former Commonwealth Edison executives and lobbyists convicted of bribing one of the state's most powerful politicians have asked a judge to drop the case. The four defendants, who have not be sentenced, want Judge Manish Shah to dismiss the indictment against them and issue an acquittal after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the federal bribery statute. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down part of a federal bribery statute that makes it a crime for state and local officials to accept gifts valued at over $5,000 from a donor who had previously been awarded contracts or other government benefits thanks to the official's efforts. The 6-3 decision could affect how prosecutors across the country pursue public corruption cases. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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Greg Bishop reviews the response from the Illinois State Board of Election to concerns raised by the Illinois Election Integrity Project.

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With the national parties’ conventions over, it’s a mad dash to the general election finish line. Leaders from both of Illinois’ major political parties are laying out their get-out-the-vote efforts. Democrats officially nominated Kamala Harris for president last week in Chicago. Republicans nominated Donald Trump in Milwaukee last month. The Illinois State Board of Elections certified the ballot Friday that included keeping independent candidate Robert Kennedy on. Kennedy has now endorsed Trump, taking his name off battleground states’ ballots while staying on in states like Illinois where it could negatively impact Harris.

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Greg Bishop reviews some of the themes heard around last week's Democratic National Convention, including reaction from party leaders to concerns about the economy and border security.

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While Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker didn’t get selected to be Kamala Harris’ vice presidential candidate, he did get a primetime spot on the stage of the Democratic National Convention Tuesday. Chicago plays host to the convention this week where an array of speakers addressed Democratic delegates. Among the speakers on the national stage was former President Barack Obama. Before that and shortly after the states’ roll call giving Harris the official nomination, Pritzker took the stage and said Democrats are for lower taxes, higher wages, less inflation and more business growth. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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Greg Bishop reviews some of the moments from the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago featuring several Illinois politicians on the main stage.

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