In the Loop

The Chicago Fire has hired a brand new manager and retooled its squad in order to leave the bitter memories of last season behind. We talk to Guillermo Rivera from the blog Fire Confidential about why you should be following the Fire as well as taking a look at this exciting summer of soccer with the Copa America in town.

Illinois’ former governor has always been a proponent of what he calls direct democracy: the referendum and ballot initiative. Quinn joins the Morning Shift to talk about these efforts.

Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Robert Plant are in a Los Angeles courtroom this week defending their famous hit "Stairway to Heaven." They’re being sued by the estate of the founder of the niche 1960s rock band Spirit for alleged music plagiarism.  Music geek and author Tim English has taken a deep dive into music plagiarism with his book Sounds Like Teen Spirit: Stolen Melodies, Ripped-off Riffs, and the Secret History of Rock and Roll. He provides examples of stolen riffs and how the Led Zep case fits into all of this.

Morning Shift talks to listeners about whether the mass shooting in Orlando has made them think differently about security in public spaces and venues like nightclubs, restaurants and theaters

When we started to learn Monday who was murdered in the Orlando mass shooting, it quickly became evident which community had been hit the hardest. All you need to do is read the surnames: Fernandez, Vielma, Ocasio-Capo, Guerrero, Ortiz-Rivera. The list goes on.  The revelers at the Pulse nightclub were there for Latin night, dancing to salsa, bachata, and merengue, and many of the dead are Latino and Latina, many of them from Central Florida’s sizable Puerto Rican community. Morning Shift talks to WBEZ’s Yolanda Perdomo about how Chicago’s Latino LGBT community is processing the tragedy and honoring those who were lost. She also provides an update on how people in Boystown are feeling about their security and personal safety since Orlando.

When the 47th Annual Chicago Pride Parade takes place later this month, there will be extra security measures in place as a result of the mass shooting in Orlando.  Organizers say the parade will have a moment of silence and other elements to honor the victims, but that the event will still be a celebration.  Morning Shift talks with parade coordinator Richard Pfeiffer about how Chicago Pride is adapting in the wake of the Orlando attack.

In one of the biggest technology mergers of all time, tech giant Microsoft has agreed to acquire the social networking site LinkedIn for a whopping $26.2 billion.  LinkedIn serves as a sort of digital business card for more than 400 million users. In recent years, the site has also transformed into a clearing house for content of interest to people in the business world.  But the news comes as a big surprise to the millions of LinkedIn user who only use LinkedIn when they are looking for a new job, if at all.  Morning Shift talks with Washington Post technology reporter Brian Fung about the details of deal, what it means for consumers and how LinkedIn compares with other social networks.  We also talk to John Nemo, author or Linkedin Riches, about how people actually use LinkedIn, which is a mystery to people who visit the site, say, once a year to update their resumes.

A day after an attack on a nightclub in Orlando left 50 people dead, we look at the political issues that rise to the front when the U.S. faces a mass shooting. Morning Shift speaks to Illinois Rep. Robin Kelly, who has called gun violence an American public health epidemic, about how this event will affect the national conversation on gun control.  Dig Deeper:From NPR News: Orlando Sees Worst Mass Shooting On U.S. Soil: What We Know MondayFrom WBEZ News: Chicago Mourns With Orlando

In the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S., Morning Shift looks at the history of gun control in the U.S. with Adam Winkler, a UCLA professor who specializes in constitutional law. From NPR News: Orlando Sees Worst Mass Shooting On U.S. Soil: What We Know MondayFrom WBEZ News: Chicago Mourns With Orlando

On Sunday morning, Americans woke to the news of the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.  Morning Shift opens the phones to hear reactions from our listeners. Dig Deeper:From NPR News: Orlando Sees Worst Mass Shooting On U.S. Soil: What We Know MondayFrom WBEZ News: Chicago Mourns With Orlando