Illinois State Comptroller Leslie Munger announced over the weekend that she won’t be paying lawmakers for the time being because of the budget battle. She says there isn’t enough money to pay the state’s bills and that other services should come first. The comptroller’s office will still process the paychecks, estimated at $1.3 million a month, but lawmakers won’t get the money right away because the payments will be thrown onto the state’s huge pile of unpaid bills. She joined John to talk about the decision. (Listen here)
There are three different proposals out there for youth employment programs in Cook County. One proposal involves a new gas tax and the others are a little more nebulous when it comes to funding. County Commissioner Sean Morrison from the 52nd district joined John with reaction to the ideas. (Listen here)
With the budget battle continuing to rage on in Springfield, people are looking for anyway possible to save money in the state government. Illinois State Representative David McSweeney is proposing that one way to save money and streamline business at the state level is to get rid of the office of Lt. Governor. He joined John to talk about his proposal. (Listen here)
Donald Trump is once again crying foul on the Republican Party primary process. He continues to say he should be given the nomination if he has a plurality of delegates rather than the majority that’s required. Now he is once again saying there could be violence if he is not given the nomination. Bret Baier the host of Special Report on Fox News Channel joined John to talk about the fight on both sides of the political aisle. (Listen here)
The Chicago Blackhawks now find themselves trailing the St. Louis Blues in their playoff series 2 games to 1 after a loss on Sunday. Is it time to panic? ABC 7 Sports Reporter Dionne Miller joined John with reaction. (Listen here)
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has had a change of heart and will leave Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill and replace Andrew Jackson with a woman on the $20 bill. Hamilton is enjoying a new surge in popularity thanks to the hip hop musical about his life. Meanwhile, Jackson was a slave owner who wasn’t very nice to out Native American neighbors.
According to a new poll, no one out there trusts the news media anymore. Just 6 percent of people say they have a lot of confidence in the media, putting the news industry about equal to Congress. But if the media are the ones reporting the poll, can we actually trust it?
SNL brought back Larry David for another run as Bernie Sanders. There are some great moments, including when Elaine Benes shows up and Sanders “yada yadas” his way through policy.
SNL is also taking some flak for their parody ad for “Heroin AM”. It’s for heroin users who still want to get things done.
A video posted to YouTube appears to show a woman making a questionable decision all for the sake of a hat. It appears a woman jumped over a protective barrier at the Toronto Zoo separating zoo-goers from a tiger’s fence to recover a hat from the ground. A few seconds later, she jumped back over the barrier to the sidewalk. All while an enclosed tiger paced back-and-forth behind a fence, following her every move.
The campaigning has come to an end, and the votes have been tabulated. No, it’s not the New York Thunderdome, that’s on Tuesday.“Boaty McBoatface” has officially won the contest to name a new arctic research ship. Now it’s in the hands of the Natural Environment Research Council to let the will of the people stand.