In the Loop

Seventy former U.S. Senators — 48 Democrats, 18 Republicans and four Independents — published a Washington Post op-ed Tuesday calling on incumbent Senators to form a bipartisan caucus committed to making the Senate function as the framers intended. Reset sits down with one of the co-signers: Illinois Democrat Carol Moseley Braun, who served in the Senate from 1993 to 1999.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson’s speeches have moved and inspired audiences around the world for more than 50 years. Acting as editor, Prof. Grace Kim has gathered many of Jackson's most famous oratorical moments in book form for the first time. We talk with Jackson and Kim about Keeping Hope Alive: Sermons and Speeches of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.

From keeping safe on the EL to using carbon credits while flying, Reset contributor Mary Wisniewski has a full slate of transportation news. Plus, what the suburbs are doing to lure companies back after so many have made the switch to new digs in the city.

In the first round of our series “Closing The Gap”, we look at the disparities in life expectancy across Chicago. Here in part 2, we take a closer look at Englewood, the neighborhood with some of the lowest life expectancies not only in Chicago, but in the country.

Two Illinois governors grabbed the biggest headlines this week. The former one is a convicted felon. The current one is trying to get a budget passed. WTTW’s Amanda Vinickey, the BGA’s David Greising, and WBEZ’s Dave McKinney break it all down.

Find out how Chicago Police District 7 in Englewood is gaining the trust of the community. And a UIC researcher breaks down how the diets of various racial groups are affecting the environment.

Gov. Pritzker talks about the state of the state’s economy, and his plans and priorities for the budget. You'll hear the entire speech, and analysis from WBEZ's Tony Arnold

President Trump commuted the sentence of former governor Rod Blagojevich. We’ll hear parts of Blago’s press conference and analysis from WBEZ’s Dave McKinney

Chicago Native Nusrat Choudhury is excited about coming back to her hometown to fight injustice as new top litigator for ACLU Illinois. She outlines the types of cases she’s interested in taking on as the ACLU celebrates a century of defending civil liberties in the U.S.

We talk to one of the finalists for the Chicago Prize. It’s a $10 million grant given out to a group or groups working on innovative solutions to make their neighborhoods safer, or greener, or creating more opportunities or have better amenities for their residents.