The musician Prince has died at 57, leaving a lasting legacy in Chicago and beyond. The musician famous for “Purple Rain,” “Kiss” and other hits made his Chicago debut at the Uptown Theatre in February 1980, returning and playing at the UIC Pavilion, United Center, Chicago Theatre and other spots throughout the years. Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell joined John to talk about Prince’s legacy as a music and pop culture icon. (Listen here)
The number of people shot in Chicago this year passed 1,000 this week. We’re on a pace to have the most shootings since the 1990’s. On Wednesday, 13 people were shot over 14 hours, including a 4-year-old boy hit in the foot as he walked with his mother in the Lawndale neighborhood.
Illinois Senator Mark Kirk joined John to discuss Iran, the Syrian refugee situation, his efforts to help combat gang violence in Chicago. Plus, Kirk discussed his decision to skip the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this summer. (Listen here)
Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin wants all 17 Cook County commissioners to voluntarily take an annual salary cut of $10,000 each. The money would be used to pay for a youth employment program. Boykin also recently made a proposal for taxpayers to pay an additional 4 cents per gallon at the gas pump to pay for a $50 million program for at-risk youth. Boykin joined John to talk about the proposal. (Listen here)
Last week it was reported that a British Airways flight arriving from Geneva collided with a small consumer drone at London’s Heathrow Airport. The plane suffered no damage, according to the BBC—and that may well have been the case because the so-called drone was possibly, in fact, a plastic bag. It’s just the latest incident for commercial flights. Aviation expert Pete Field joined John with reaction to the story and talking about just how much a problem drones are becoming. (Listen here)
Just when you didn’t think the 2016 election could get any more strange, today began the Great Bathroom Outrage of 2016. Donald Trump says transgender people should be able to use the bathroom of their choice, echoing the landmark thoughts of the Target corporation. Specifically, he agreed that Caitlyn Jenner could use whichever bathroom in Trump Tower she wants. Then Ted Cruz took to the stage later in the day, asking if we have gone “stark raving nuts.”
Trump also took aim at the planned changes to our currency. He said replacing Andrew Jackson with Harriett Tubman is “pure political correctness” Also, apparently reading from the same talking points as Ben Carson, he suggested that the $2 bill would be a better fit for the Tubby. Because apparently Thomas Jefferson is a less historically significant historical figure than Andrew Jackson.
Hot new prospect for the Bulls to take a look at: A star high school basketball player in Canada has been outted as a 30 year old. He’s actually an African refugee.
