The 21st
Monday - Friday from 11am to Noon CST
An hour-long discussion with the people most informed about the political, social and cultural issues affecting the State of Illinois with host Brian Mackey. Listen to The 21st each weekday at 11am.
-
We talked about the Illinois State men's and women's basketball teams, which competed in the 2026 National Invitation Tournament.
-
For the first time in 21 years, Illinois Men's Basketball is playing in the NCAA Final Four Tournament after beating the Iowa Hawkeyes last weekend.
-
Is the U.S. facing an “epidemic of loneliness?"
-
Tax season is looking a little different this year, because of new tax policy created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
-
The Food Pyramid was introduced to the public in 1992 by the federal government to serve as a guide for a healthy and balanced diet. The current Food Pyramid is now inverted. Two nutrition experts discuss present day nutrition guidelines.
-
The penny is history, and retailers across the country are trying to figure out how to adapt. Meanwhile, a settlement between credit card companies and merchants could mean new fees, or even declined cards, at the checkout. We’ll talk about what it all means for the way we pay.
-
Here in the Midwest, many of the landscapers who mow our lawns, trim our trees, and rake our leaves are Mexican immigrants. Anthropologist Sergio Lemus writes about his experience with that work, and the stories and struggles of those who come to America seeking a better life. His new book “Los Yarderos: Mexican Yard Workers in Transborder Chicago.”
-
Canada geese are a fact of life in many parts of Illinois. But the creatures can be a safety risk and a danger to public health. We'll talk with the creator of the Goosinator, a device that aims to get rid of geese (in a humane way), and the head of parks and rec in Moline, Illinois.
-
With the weather getting warmer again, it’s time to consider spring and summer travel plans. We’ll talk about popular destinations in the 21st state and beyond with Illinois-based travel content creators Jay and Himani Patel, known on social media as “Couple of Patels.”
-
Money from super PACs flooded into Illinois for the Democratic primary — much of it aimed at defeating progressives by misleading voters about their records. We’ll hear from a candidate on the receiving end of such an attack: congressional candidate Robert Peters, whom a crypto PAC labeled a “corporate pawn” despite being endorsed by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. We’ll also put these kind of attacks into a broader national context with Dave Weigel of Semafor.