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© The Center Square
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The podcast bringing you the most important stories out of Illinois from TheCenterSquare.com. Join us as we dive into the top headlines and provide insightful commentary and analysis.
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Greg Bishop shares a conversation with Statehouse candidate Bailey Templeton about her latest findings through public records requests showing a 725% increase in the amount of Medicaid spending on children without Social Security Numbers. Read the story here: https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_5d99f9cb-5413-4907-86df-de9e92a73b85.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
(The Center Square) – Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul says his office has endured 365 days of chaos with President Donald Trump back in the White House. Raoul held a press conference in Chicago on Tuesday to mark the one-year anniversary of Trump’s return to the Oval Office. “Today marks 365 days of chaos, 365 days of attacks on civil rights, on the rule of law and on the Constitution itself,” Raoul said. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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Greg Bishop discusses the status of several Second Amendment challenges in the federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court still considering whether to take a challenge from Illinois calling the state's gun and magazine ban unconstitutional.Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Greg Bishop, Illinois editor for The Center Square, hosts Illinois In Focus Daily, a review of some of the top Illinois headlines with timely and relevant news and interviews. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Greg Bishop discusses some of the highlights President Donald Trump provided from his first year in office of his second non-consecutive term. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Trump's first year has been a "failure," while Republicans in Illinois say Pritzker's policy are not making the state safe or affordable. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
(The Center Square) – As Illinois state senators return to Springfield, Democrats and Republicans disagree over the level of transparency in the state’s budget process. The state Senate’s first meeting of 2026 is scheduled Tuesday afternoon at the Illinois Capitol. A reporter asked Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, about lawmakers routinely passing the state budget in the middle of the night with line items stuffed into a shell bill. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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Greg Bishop talks live with Jeanne Ives from Breakthrough Ideas about her investigations into state spending on non-government organizations, how to shore up the state's budget and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Greg Bishop discusses the status of Illinois' budget, and shares comments from Gov. J.B. Pritzker about the impacts to state spending if federal taxpayer funds are frozen. Legislators discuss the prospect of tax increases with a proposal being floated to have a surcharge on millionaires. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Greg Bishop discusses the latest lawsuit Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed against the Trump administration over public safety around immigration enforcement. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Greg Bishop shares recent comments from Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul about a lawsuit he's joining with other states like New York and California challenging the Trump administration's freezing of federal taxpayer funds for certain welfare programs. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
(The Center Square) – Illinois state Rep. Martin McLaughlin argues lawmakers in Springfield only look in the mirror to come face to face with the source of the state’s dwindling appeal. A new Atlas Van Lines report details how Illinois’ outbound migration levels in 2025 again topped the number of new move-ins to the state, marking the 17th straight year that trend has festered. While this year’s ratio reflects the smallest gap between new move-ins and those leaving the state since 2008, staffers nonetheless found 54% of the company’s clients last year were on the move out of Illinois. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Greg Bishop shares conversations about fighting welfare fraud with Truth In Accounting founder and CEO Sheila Weinberg and HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill and how Illinois could be impacted and how the state can rectify a funding freeze. Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_64464fdd-b310-4260-aefb-5e0c8bfbed6f.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Bishop delves into the news that the Trump administration is freezing $10 billion in federal funds to five different states including approximately $1 billion to Illinois as concerns continue about potential fraud in the welfare system stemming from findings in Minnesota. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Greg Bishop shares the latest in the ongoing scrutiny of taxpayer spending on child care subsidies with President Donald Trump saying he's not going to pay states like Illinois for child care fraud. Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_eba67e20-474d-46e1-bee7-6a0c92eac4f6.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Greg Bishop talks with Jared Strong with The Center Square's investigative unit about his ongoing investigation of the taxpayer cost for the state's diversity contracting goals. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
(The Center Square) – A new Chicago budget is set to take effect, even though the city’s mayor refused to sign it. Flanked by Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates and several aldermanic allies, Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday he would not sign or veto the budget passed by the city council last Saturday, but he would let it take effect to avoid risk or speculation of a government shutdown. The $16.7 billion spending plan includes higher taxes on cloud computing, liquor and plastic bags, along with rideshare surcharges and a roughly $1 billion sweep of tax-increment financing funds to Chicago Public Schools.Read more:Chicago mayor refuses to sign or veto budget at 'not a campaign event'Chicago council, 'starting to legislate,' sends $16.7 billion budget to mayorIL rep: As if Bears 'had a plan to rob the bank' before considering IndianaGas prices drop, but taxes make Illinois pricier than Midwest neighborsDOJ lawsuit against Illinois draws support from election integrity advocates Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
This special edition of Illinois in Focus looks back at the biggest stories of 2025. From Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s controversial budget address to Illinois DOGE’s findings on billions flowing to NGOs, federal enforcement actions in Chicago, and new gun laws set to take effect in 2026. We revisit the moments that shaped Illinois politics this year. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed $1.5 billion public transit-funding legislation, but Illinois consumers are expected to pay the price with higher taxes and tolls. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 2111 Tuesday at Union Station in Chicago. The measure establishes the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) to replace the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) and oversee the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace. The governor promised that Illinois is on the verge of a world-class transportation network. “This new law not only averts the cliff but preserves affordability and makes transit safer and more reliable,” Pritzker said. The bill passed after more than two years of discussion centered around an estimated $770 million transit “fiscal cliff” looming in 2026, but the number was revised last summer to around $250 million. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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Greg Bishop discusses the enactment of a bill Gov. J.B. Pritzker says ushers in a world class mass transit system. Opponents say the measure allows for increased taxes and tolls, while also diverting road fund money away from downstate. Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_6e028b31-4a06-402e-9da3-0ceac33bdf41.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Greg Bishop reviews a recent Office of Executive Inspector General annual report showing a record-breaking number of complaints against Illinois state employees and Gov. J.B. Pritzker's reaction to the growing trend of cases of wrongdoing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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