In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

On Friday afternoon, the Obama Foundation officially announced that the Obama Presidential Library will be in Jackson Park, adjacent to the Museum of Science and Industry.  Morning Shift talks to Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin about the pros and cons of the site, what it will mean for the current park and the Woodlawn neighborhood to its west.

They used to be known as ambulance drivers. These days those first responders are called paramedics.  Their days can vary from the mundane to the extraordinary.  For more than 30 years, Marjorie Bomben has been a Chicago paramedic. Her first call involved a drag race gone wrong. Bomben shares stories of her career in her new book It's Not the Trauma, It's the Drama: Stories by a Chicago Fire Department Paramedic. Bomben is the focus of the latest installment of our series Working Shift.

The Chicago Public Media family lost a longtime member on Friday.  Robert Lifton, better known to us as Bud, took calls during our pledge drives, championed WBEZ as a member of our board of directors, and helped shape this organization into the community resource it is today. Thanks Bud.

WBEZ reporters Tony Arnold and Lauren Chooljian were in attendance last night as Hillary Clinton accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for president. They speak to us about the mood, the disruptions, and their view from the rowdy convention floor.

If the Republican and Democratic National Conventions ate up much of your TV-watching time over the last two weeks, it’s time to recalibrate.  One show that’s electrifying viewers and quickly turning into water cooler talk is new sci-fi/horror drama Stranger Things. It’s been streaming on Netflix for less than two weeks, and it’s already impossible to go to work or look at Facebook without someone bringing it up in conversation.  Morning Shift host Tony Sarabia sits down with Erik Adams, TV critic for the A.V. Club, to talk about different elements of the show that are resonating with viewers, like the 1980s nostalgia, the sci-fi storyline and performances by Winona Ryder and a band of goofy kids with bad haircuts.

Several of the biggest names at this year’s Lollapalooza festival are EDM artists. The electronic dance music craze is lighting up the charts, but there is a noticeable lack of female artists wooing the crowds with their turntables.  The festival this weekend only includes one female artist in the entire four-day lineup at Perry’s, the EDM stage. Morning Shift talks to Lyndsey Havens, staff writer at WXRT and EDM artist DJ Psycho Bitch about why so few women are finding success on the EDM scene and what’s being done to solve the problem.

Music plays an important part in American political races. Candidates want to be associated with familiar, positive, uplifting songs. The practice of pairing politicians and music has been around almost as long as the country.  But how did it all begin? How has it evolved? And who’s behind some of the odd musical choices linked to those seeking office, including Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump?  We find out from Eric Kasper, co-author of the book Don't Stop Thinking About the Music: The Politics of Songs and Musicians in Presidential Campaigns.

So, how much credibility does his ability to speak Spanish lend to the Clinton-Kaine ticket, especially when it comes to different groups of Hispanic voters?

The Democratic National Convention definitely has a different vibe than last week’s Republican National Convention. It’s a “Who’s Who” of politicians, but most of the state’s elected officials and big names didn’t even make the trip to Cleveland. On Monday, we hosted a live-and lively-discussion about the conventions and the campaigns so far. Hip hop artist and activist Che “Rhymefest” Smith and Former Illinois Republican Chairman Pat Brady kicked off the night dissecting the flaws in both the parties-especially their own.

Not all Democrats may be dancing to Hillary Clinton’s tune this week in Philadelphia. But over here at WBEZ, we’re groovin’ to the City of Brotherly Love’s legendary brand of soul music. Reclaimed Soul’s Ayana Contreras just returned from a trip to the east coast with an armful of fresh Philly Soul, and she breaks it out on the Morning Shift.