In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

According to a 2015 study from Ernst & Young, 1 in 4 U.S. workers said maintaining a work-life balance was getting tougher. So how do we unplug and achieve the ideal balance?

Gov. Bruce Rauner joined WBEZ’s Morning Shift on Friday to answer questions from listeners about the long-running budget stalemate, President Donald Trump’s controversial ban on refugees and immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries, and Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s lawsuit to stop paying state workers because the state has no budget. 

In a few years, that lakefront could look very different.

A new house bill that is coming under fire has proposed a restriction on pharmacist hours, implementing break time during their shifts, and whistleblower protection if they expose safety issues. It comes after a recent Chicago Tribune investigation discovered half of 255 pharmacies tested in the Chicago region did not warn consumers about prescriptions for potential drug interactions that could be harmful or fatal. Morning Shift talks to Ray Long, one of the Tribune reporters behind the series.  

The recent film Hidden Figures has made millions of people aware of the racism and sexism a group of African-American women overcame while they worked for NASA to put the first person into space. Closer to home, Dorothy Glinton was a “hidden figure”, breaking down barriers in the auto industry. We hear her story, and the impact it had on her son, Sonari, an NPR reporter covering that very same industry.

Many people are allergic to trees, pollen and other allergens that show up during the spring and summer, but plenty of us also experience so-called “winter allergies.” Morning Shift spoke to allergist Dr. Baiju Malde, a clinical instructor with Northwestern Medical Group, about what causes allergic reactions during the winter and how to best diagnose, prevent and treat those allergies.

In this age of fake news, alternative facts and a political leadership that has lied to the media and the public, lies and deception are part and parcel to the daily lives of millions of Americans. So, how do we navigate a world that’s gone topsy-turvy? Morning Shift talks with Harvard philosopher Tim Scanlon about what makes a lie, when it’s appropriate to lie and what’s at stake when false statement and stories carry so much weight in our politics and culture. We also take calls from listeners.

As the majority of the public and the media concentrates on President Trump’s immigration order, his SCOTUS pick, and his cabinet selections, The man he put in charge of the FCC has already made several moves that could be described as anti-consumer. From ‘net neutrality to breaking free from the cable box, we’ll talk with technology reporter Brian Fung from The Washington Post about what’s ahead for your cable, phone, and internet under the Trump administration.

After President Trump’s executive order last week barring immigrants from seven countries, Democrats wasted little time responding. Republicans weren’t so quick to publicly disagree. But when they did release statements, some were open about their dismay with specific parts of the order. Congressman Randy Hultgren of Illinois’ 14th District released a statement calling it, among other things, quote overly broad. And, in his new role as Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, the Congressman released a statement saying this role means he will protect refugees. He joins us now from Washington...welcome Congressman Hultgren.

Police in Chicago Public Schools are nothing new. But after several months of investigating, City Bureau and the Chicago Reader found no specialized training for school police, and little in the way of oversight from either the Chicago Police Department or CPS. Morning Shift talks to Yana Kunichoff, reporter for City Bureau, about her findings.