Since the earthquake in Turkey and Syria and its aftershocks, groups and organizations from around the world are springing to action to help in any way they can, including groups in Illinois. The 21st was joined by a member of a charity organization based in northern Illinois and a journalist who's been following the story.

Democrat Robin Kelly represents Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District, which stretches from the south shore of Chicago 124 miles south to Danville. She joined us to discuss issues ranging from maternal health and COVID-19 to police brutality and hyper-partisanship.

To talk about what's in the FDA's draft guidelines for men who have sex with men, the science behind them, and the stigma they have caused, we were joined by a doctor, an LGBTQ advocate, and a representative from a blood bank.

We were joined by a professor of law to discuss the foundations of our justice system and how children and marginalized communities are affected by the operations of that system.

There’s been a 1,375% increase in pediatric edible cannabis exposure over the past five years. To talk about preventing children from accidentally ingesting edible cannabis, we were joined by the medical director of the Illinois Poison Center.

To talk about the role of Black police and the ongoing debate around police policies, we were joined by a Chicago police detective and a professor of criminal justice.

Businesses in Illinois are paying lots of money to settle class action lawsuits thanks to an Illinois law called the Biometric Information Privacy Act.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth joined The 21st for a discussion that ranged from policy issues like reproductive rights and the war in Ukraine to larger picture items like generational turnover in politics and how to get things done while Congress is divided.

Around 285,000 households in Illinois had their utilities shut off in the first 10 months of last year. To discuss the impact of those shutoffs and who is most affected, The 21st was joined by some of the authors of a report on energy injustice.

The 21st is starting a new series highlighting mayoral races happening across Illinois, starting with Springfield. Both candidates and a journalist who's been following the story joined us to discuss policy platforms, how people in Springfield are talking about the election, and more.