In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

If you want to wow your family and friends with a tasty twist on Thanksgiving classics, look no further. In the Loop gets tips for celebratory desserts and sweets from Martin Sorge, winner of the 6th season of “The Great American Baking Show.” For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

If the new “Wicked” movie makes you wish you could be whisked off to the Emerald City, you might want to visit Chicago’s Driehaus Museum. Their latest exhibit showcases rare items from the 1939 musical “Wizard of Oz,” replica costumes, and gives visitors an inside look at how L. Frank Baum’s beloved classic was adapted from book to screen. We talk with the museum’s executive director Lisa Key...

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget proposal took a hit this week when the Chicago City Council’s Finance committee voted down $600 million in taxes 25-10. One of the major sticking points? A corporate head tax that would charge large employers $21 per employee per month. The mayor and alderpersons now head back to the drawing board. In the Loop checks in with Johnson for our monthly “Ask the...

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says the withdrawal of Texas National Guard troops from Chicago represents “unconditional surrender” by the Trump administration. Meanwhile, alders hand the mayor a massive defeat by rejecting his budget plan. Plus, Illinois debuts digital driver’s licenses. In the Loop dives into those and other top local stories with WBEZ city government and politics reporter...

In October, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order that bans the use of city property by federal immigration enforcement. Since that move, many neighboring cities and municipalities have followed suit. ‘In the Loop’ hears from Toni Preckwinkle, President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, and Hammond, Ind. Mayor Tom McDermott, Jr., to learn...

Terminally ill residents with a prognosis of six months to live could get physician prescribed drugs to end their lives if Governor Pritzker signs a bill that passed the Illinois legislature Oct. 31. Advocates say it gives people suffering and near death a choice, but some disability rights activists are concerned it could pressure disabled people to end their lives. In the Loop hears Amber...

As Chicago’s City Council prepares to vote on Mayor Johnson’s latest budget proposal ahead of the city’s Dec. 31 deadline, In the Loop hears a critique from Civic Federation president Joe Ferguson, a former city watchdog and public finance expert. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Chicago is suing the Trump administration again. In the Loop looks at that latest lawsuit and what voting to end the government shutdown could mean for senior Senator Dick Durbin’s political legacy. Plus, time for a retail reality check following a presidential post dissing Chicago’s shopping mecca, Michigan Avenue. In the Loop breaks down those stories with David Greising of the Better...

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history came to an end Wednesday. The bill signed by President Trump provides back pay for federal employees and funds some federal agencies until September 2026. What it doesn’t do is extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, which are set to expire at the end of the year. Some can expect to see their insurance premiums rise to the point it's...

Journalists of color are being laid off at alarming rates as DEI commitments waver. In the Loop digs in with local journalists about the how the erasure of Black perspectives in news impacts communities. Our panel today: Brandon Pope, president of the National Association of Black Journalists Chicago chapter, Natalie Moore, director of audio journalism programming at Northwestern University, and...