The Crisis Cast

Chicago Tribune investigative reporter Ray Long makes a return visit to the Crisis Cast to prep Lissa & Thom for the upcoming trial of former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan. During this episode we take a deeper dive into the "minds" that surrounded Madigan, and his unparalleled career in state government. Long also unpacks the recent sentencing of former Madigan aide Tim Mapes, and lays out the remaining legal timelines for former Speaker Madigan. Ray Long is author of The House That Madigan Built: The Record Run of Illinois' Velvet Hammer, and a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist.

We celebrate the first week of Women's History Month by revisiting a conversation with the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate. Carol Moseley Braun was also the first woman to represent Illinois as a U.S. senator. Three years ago, the Chicago native visited with Lissa Druss & Thom Serafin the morning after attending the inauguration of President Joseph R. Biden. The Senator shared the details of her experience as a teen, marching with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through Chicago's Marquette Park. You'll hear why Carol Moseley Braun believes in the resiliency of democracy. Plus, we learn the truths revealed to her as a U.S. Ambassador, about the world's view of racism in America. Recorded: January 21st, 2021

On so many episodes, we've explored and dissected the peril of shrinking local news rooms. This conversation will feel different. Shamus Toomey is among the defining innovators in the growth of journalism. As publisher and co-founder of Block Club Chicago, Shamus has forged the unthinkable – a team of reporters that has tripled in size since November of 2017. During this episode of the Crisis Cast, Lissa & Thom get to the "DNA" of how Block Club found its footing and funding. Plus, Shamus shares the lessons learned as a young reporter for City News and the unlikely story that catapulted Block Club Chicago to being a household name for neighborhood news.