In the Loop

By WBEZ ChicagoNews

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Typical duration
32 min
per episode

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In the Loop episodes

March 05 Community Members Want More Input On Chicago Fire’s New Stadium
Real estate developer Related Midwest bought the 62-acre site (known as The 78) back in 2016. On Tuesday, it broke ground for the Chicago Fire’s new soccer stadium.The project’s developers have made many promises to the city from affordable housing, economic growth and developed riverfront. But some residents of neighboring communities still have concerns.To find out what these concerns are and how developers, sports organizations and neighbors can all work together, In the Loop hears from Sarah Tang with the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community and Roderick Wilson with Lugenia Burns Hope Center. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
34 min
March 03 Chicago Reader Is Still Free, Still Freaky – Now, Once A Month
Chicago’s premiere alt-weekly has been a hub for art, music, and local investigations since the 1970s. Following a brief hiatus from print, the Chicago Reader is returning to print with a fresh approach to its locally-rooted writing and reporting. We check in with the Reader’s editor-in-chief Sarah Conway, and features writer Katie Prout, on how its team is building on the legacy of the Reader to create a renewed vision for community-focused journalism. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
31 min
March 02 With So Many Failed Prosecutions Against Protesters, Was The Process The Punishment All Along?
About 17 of the 32 people charged with nonimmigration crimes during Operation Midway Blitz have had their cases dropped with no convictions. Regardless, the toll that comes with federal prosecution doesn't just disappear as soon as the case does. In the Loop talks to Jocelyne Robledo, a defendant of one of the 17 failed prosecution cases and with Jon Seidel, Chicago Sun-Times federal courts reporter. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
30 min
February 27 WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap: Feb. 27, 2026
Six Illinois Democrats boycott President Trump’s State of the Union address. Meanwhile, Governor Pritzker demands a $8.6 billion refund for Illinois taxpayers after the Supreme Court rules against Trump tariffs. In the Loop breaks down those stories and more with Axios Chicago reporter Monica Eng, WTTW anchor and host Brandis Friedman and WBEZ investigative reporter Dan Mihalopoulos.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
47 min
February 26 Is American Citizenship A Myth?
Who gets to be an American citizen? And what rights does citizenship afford? Those questions are explored in the new book, “Citizenship: Notes on an American Myth.” Local author Daisy Hernández blends personal stories with a retrospective on how citizenship was initially constructed and how it’s changed over time. In the Loop sits down with the author to discuss.For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
33 min
February 25 The Chicago Roots Of ‘Sinners,’ Plus: That BAFTAs Moment
A racial slur at the British Film Awards is the latest of several recent public racist incidents that have left Black people feeling dehumanized and disrespected. Today on In the Loop, how much longer will Black and Brown people be asked to extend grace that they are often not afforded? We talk about healing from racial trauma with Pilar Audain, associate director of Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Greater Chicago; Brandon Pope, president of the Chicago chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists; and Danielle Robinson Bell, associate professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
51 min
February 24 Why Dems Decided To Go All In On ‘Ice Out’ Strategy This Midterm
In 2024, Republicans won on an anti-immigrant platform. Vice President Kamala Harris had a “tough on the border” message. Now, Democratic candidates for Congress and Senate are rallying around an anti-extreme immigration enforcement message, while some pundits warn that immigration could cost Republicans in the midterm.In the Loop discusses what changed and how strategists make calculations of what will move voters. Our panel today: Jason DeSanto, senior lecturer in the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and Democratic debate strategist, and Diego Morales, organizer, PUÑO (Pilsen Rapid Response Network). For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
37 min
February 23 A Toymaker From Illinois Just Won In The Supreme Court
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court decided that President Trump’s global tariffs on imported goods were unconstitutional. With Trump promising to find other ways to impose his tariffs, small business owners are unsure of how or if they’ll get their entitled refunds.In the Loop spoke with Stephen Woldenberg, Senior Vice President of Sales for Learning Resources, the Vernon Hills-based business that led the charge to bring the legal case to the country’s highest court. Plus, we talk to Cécile Shea, nonresident senior fellow on security and diplomacy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
34 min
February 20 WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap: Feb. 20, 2026
The Chicago City Council fails to override the mayor’s veto of an ordinance banning intoxicating hemp products, Gov. JB Pritzker blasts President Trump in his State of the State address and Illinois reports its first measles case of 2026.
In the Loop goes behind the headlines in the Weekly News Recap. Today’s panel: Christian Farr with NBC-5 Chicago, Simone Alicea with City Cast Chicago, and Alden Loury of WBEZ.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
48 min
February 19 The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Progressive Politics And LGBTQ+ Allyship
It took years for U.S. leaders to address the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. One public figure that wasn’t afraid to bring the challenges the LGBTQ+ community were facing to the forefront was the Rev. Jesse Jackson. In the Loop reflects on Jackson’s work pushing progressive ideas and being an avid supporter of the LGBTQ+ community with Northwestern professor Martha Biondi and Equality Illinois CEO Channyn Lynne Parker.For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
31 min