In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

The Democratic National Convention this week has a larger Illinois presence than the Republican National Convention did last week. As WBEZ’s Tony Arnold and Lauren Chooljian reported from Cleveland, many elected officials and Republican power players skipped the RNC to show their displeasure with Donald Trump. The DNC has had a much bigger turnout. Everyone from Illinois House leader Michael Madigan to Alderman Ed Burke. Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle had a pretty prime seat on the first night, sitting next to former President Bill Clinton. We check in with Lauren Chooljian to learn more about other key differences she’s seeing between Philadelphia and Cleveland.

Michael Jordan took an unusual step this week when he said he was “deeply troubled” by the recent deaths of black men at the hands of police. In the past, the Chicago Bulls legend has shied away from activism and political statements. But black athletes have a rich history of standing against racism and discrimination dating back decades and the tradition continues to the present day.

Politicians tend to use some pretty fiery language. The aim is to inspire, to convince you to get up and vote for their platform. However, most everything a politician says is measured, a carefully picked set of words handpicked by a group of experts behind the scenes. Hillary Clinton fits into that model, while Donald Trump seems to be tossing traditional political rhetoric out the window.  Morning Shift talks to Ben Zimmer, language columnist for the Wall Street Journal, about some of the keywords we are seeing pop up in this election cycle.

Morning Shift talks with Mike Sula of the Chicago Reader to get a sense of whose voice we should listen to as well as Bo Peabody, founder of a new restaurant review app called Renzell. He has a lofty goal: To change the way restaurants are reviewed online.

Hillary Clinton is referred to as Mrs. Clinton, Madame Secretary, Former Secretary of State, Senator, Former Senator, and Former First Lady. Which is correct? Which is the most accurate? And if she wins the presidency, how should the American people refer to her and Bill?  We get answers from a man who literally wrote the book on the subject. Robert Hickey is the Deputy Director of the Protocol School of Washington and author of Honor & Respect: The official Guide to Names, Titles, & Forms of Address.

The news highlighted the divisions in the party between Sanders and Clinton supporters and showed, yet again, how email does not seem to be on the side of the Democratic party in this election cycle. So, what does being a ‘Democrat’ mean at this complicated time for the party? Morning Shift talks to Georgetown history professor Michael Kazin about the emergence of the American left, its influence on the Democratic party, and where the Democratic party stands at this moment in history.

Now that the Republican National Convention in Cleveland is over, we shift our focus to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Morning Shift talks with Carol Ronen, Democratic committeewoman from the 48th Ward about the gameplan for this week’s convention and how Democrats from our region are planning to unify to take on Republicans in November.

Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson has never played for the Cubs or the White Sox, but the 13-year MLB veteran has always had a close relationship with Chicago. He was born in Blue Island, went to Thornton Fractional South High School in Lansing and attended college at UIC. Granderson even lives here during the off-season.  When he returned to town for the Mets series against the Cubs, the guy they call “The Grandy Man” talked with WBEZ sports contributor Cheryl Raye-Stout about his work with kids and how he’s able to translate his love for the game to young people.

Curtis Granderson has been in the big leagues for 13 years. Alberto Almora Jr. hasn’t even been in “The Show” for 13 weeks, but he arrived from the minors with incredibly high expectations. Cubs leadership expect he’ll be one of the core members of this team competing for championships for years to come. WBEZ sports contributor Cheryl Raye-Stout talked with Almora about everything from the fact that he’ll soon be a first-time father to the long process of getting to the majors after being drafted right out of high school.

On Sunday, a thousand supporters of Sanders protested Hillary Clinton’s candidacy in Philadelphia on the eve of the Democratic National Convention. As the DNC kicks off, Morning Shift sits down with U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois to talk about all of that and more.