Advertise on podcast: Illinois in Focus

Greg Bishop talks live with Darren Bailey, a former state senator who was the Republican candidate for governor against Gov. J.B. Pritzker four years ago. Bailey is running in the Republican primary March 17 with early voting starting Feb. 5. 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) – According to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, Illinois’ population has risen for the third straight year. Data released on Tuesday showed Illinois with an estimated 12,719,141 people on July 1, 2025, up from 12,703,033 the previous year. The state’s number is 16,108 higher than a year ago but 76,207 lower than it was in 2020. 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.

The Center Square's Greg Bishop reviews some of the latest deadlines around work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and shares data on how much tax money goes to SNAP, and how much Illinois' error rate has increased in the last 10 years. 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 delves into the latest U.S. Census estimates for Illinois' population that shows a third year of growth, but international migration into the state continues to outpace the domestic migration out of the state. 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 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 for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.