In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

Americans will meet around the table tomorrow when they gather for Thanksgiving. But this year, the nation is still reeling from an election season that continues to divide many immediate and extended families alike. So how can you navigate a day spent with family members who voted for the other candidate? We ask some experts.

According to AAA, 3.7 million Americans will be flying to their destinations over this Thanksgiving holiday. If you’re one of them, you may in store for some changes, depending on where you’re headed. That’s because in recent years, airports across the country have been squeezing more retail space onto their floor plans. Morning Shift talks to Mark Rosenbaum, professor of retail marketing at Northern Illinois University, about how having more high-end retail and dining is affecting the traveler experience at the nation’s airports.

On the 395th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving, Morning Shift wanted to know: Who were the first Chicagoans? “They were, of course, American Indians.” Ted Karamanski is a professor of American history at Loyola University. He focuses on Native American history, and gives us an overview of Native American struggles during the arrival of Europeans and discusses the awareness being raised today at Standing Rock.

The Kesner Building, as it's officially called, was an incubator of 20th-Century businesses and cultural figures. Among those who started or spent an early stage there are Wrigley gum, Jewel grocery stores, Carl Sandburg and Bob Newhart. Even that partial list is pretty impressive. There are very few buildings in Chicago that can claim links to as many businesses, writers and others. Even Mr T has a tie to the Kesner Building, at 5 N Wabash.

One concept--whether real or perceived--is CPD’s “code of silence” which critics contend allows injustice as officers protect their own. CPD Board President Lori Lightfoot says it isn't that simple.

During the election season, a phrase popped up that you might not have heard previously: “white nationalists.” And as Donald Trump chooses his Cabinet appointees, some--particularly Steve Bannon and Jeff Sessions--are being connected with the white nationalist movement.  But what are white nationalists exactly? And how are they different from white supremacists? Is it part of the alt-right? And why do they feel Trump’s victory gives their movement a jolt and a potential seat at the table? Morning Shift talks to Washington Post political reporter David Weigel to break down what are white nationalists and what they want from a Trump administration. 

WBEZ’s new podcast, “Making Oprah,” traces the 25-year history of the Oprah Winfrey Show. Today, the success of the show feels inevitable. However, when you pull back the curtain you find successes and missteps, reinventions, and moments when it all could have fallen apart. The podcast captures a time when one woman and one show was able to capture about 40 million viewers across the world each week. Chances are that’s not going to happen again. 

It’s been nearly a year since the release of the video showing a Chicago police officer shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times. Morning Shift talks to retired CPD officer Richard Wooten about how the fatal shooting forced the department to open up about its inefficiencies and needs for reform. Wooten say it’s a change that both citizens and officers should welcome.

The media is having a moment. Many news organizations telegraphed that Hillary Clinton would win the presidential election, but that did not come to pass. Meanwhile, so-called “fake news” is on the rise. So much so, that in the months before the election, more people clicked on fake news on Facebook than on real news. Furthermore, Americans’ trust in mass media is at an historic low, according to a September Gallup poll. So, what’s a news organization to do? Morning Shift talks with NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik and Micheline Maynard, Forbes contributor covering the media and Donald Trump, about the future of the fourth estate at a time when the incoming President of the United States has lied repeatedly and lambasted the press at every turn.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has reported more than 430 instances of what it calls “hateful intimidation and harassment” since Nov. 9. They include anti-immigrant, anti-black and anti-LGBT incidents, as well as swastika graffiti and attacks targeting women. The intimidation and harassment has occurred everywhere from public parks to businesses to elementary schools and high schools. roup Hollaback, about what it calls the four Ds of bystander intervention: Direct, distract, delegate and delay.