In the Loop

In some arenas, the 2016 GOP platform has moved significantly to the right since the last time around in 2012.  Morning Shift talks to Wall Street Journal reporter Richard Rubin about what’s new in the platform when it comes to trade, LGBT issues, the economy, transportation and more.

In the latest installment in our series What’s That Building? Dennis Rodkin of Crain’s Chicago Business brings us the story of the Gary Aquatorium, a beach pavilion in Gary’s Marquette Park that’s been there since before the town in Northwest Indiana was incorporated. The building has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1994 due to its rich history.

The song says “the blues had a baby and they called it rock ‘n roll.” But the blues really had triplets: rock ‘n roll, jazz and of course, soul. And when you talk about a city as steeped in these traditions as Chicago, you know there are a ton of artists that put some soul into their blues, and some blues into their soul. Ayana Contreras digs up a stack of the latter-local soul artists that leaned toward the blues.

There’s a common thread among the big name preachers supporting Republican nominee Donald Trump. Many of them come from a booming Christian movement known as prosperity gospel. The televangelist-led faith is even playing an important role in this week's Republican National Convention with one of its own, Pastor Mark Burns, speaking. Morning Shift talks to Kate Bowler, author of Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel, about what prosperity gospel is and how it's influencing this year’s election.

For every beer that sells itself on the small number of calories it has per bottle, there are dozens that outright avoid telling us how many calories they have. This is not due to beer having a particularly high caloric content, though some do. Due to regulations placed at the end of prohibition, alcohol manufacturers in the U.S. have been able to loophole their way out of sharing the nutritional facts on their labels. That is about to change. A new voluntary program from the Beer Institute will lead some of the biggest American brewers to start listing nutritional facts by 2020. Morning Shift talks to Beer Institute CEO Jim McGreevy.

So far, the Republican National Convention has focused on how to make America safe again and how to make America work again. At the midway point in the four-day event, Morning Shift checks in with WBEZ political reporter Tony Arnold who provides a behind-the-scenes account of how the party is positioning itself and working to come together at a time when Republicans are divided on the best path forward.

In the latest edition of our series: The Movie That Made Me, we talk to Chicago renaissance man Lee Bey. Lee Bey sat down with WBEZ’s Jenn White to explain why the movie that made him is Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life). ​

Professor Joel Goldstein has been studying the vice presidency for years. His new book looks at how an office that was considered a joke for much of American history has become a critical part of our government. He joins us to talk about VP picks and their relationships with the presidential candidates.

At this crucial inflection point for the Republican party, Morning Shift talks to Republicans about what “Republican” means to them. We speak with three guests:Pete Wehner is senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and recently penned an op-ed in the New York Times called “Can We Find Our Way Back to Lincoln?”David Harris (R-Arlington Heights) is a state representative and delegate for Ohio governor John Kasich. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) is a state representative and delegate for Texas senator Ted Cruz.

We check in with WBEZ’s Lauren Chooljian in Cleveland immediately after a breakfast where Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider reminded the attendees that the party is unified behind Trump, despite talk of division in the party. We also get reaction from the Illinois Trump delegates she and Tony Arnold have been following to hear how Day 1 of their first convention is shaking out.