The 21st spoke to an Illinois man, born to an American serviceman in Vietnam, who connected with his birth father through DNA testing — only to find out they'd been living less than 100 miles away from each other. They joined The 21st to speak about meeting after 48 years.

With Father's Day around the corner, The 21st spoke to two fathers across Illinois to hear about what fatherhood means to them in 2021. 

In today's deep dive, a conversation with John Hanlon, who is retiring. Hanlon is the director of the Illinois Innocence Project who helped change the state of Illinois.

Through fragmented notes left on scraps of paper, Lincoln aimed to document his best thoughts that could later come in handy when he needed to write a speech or lay down his arguments in debates. Over 100 of these notes have been archived and are considered the closest thing to a diary by author Ronald C. White. White joined The 21st to further discuss Lincoln's documented thoughts. 

The internet is full of memes poking fun at how often McDonald’s ice cream machines seem to be broken — but there may be some truth to the McBroken stereotype. The 21st spoke to a technology reporter about this cold case of failing ice cream machines and what’s behind it. 

In today's deep dive, with nearly half of Illinoisans fully vaccinated against COVID-19, some people are relishing a return to normalcy, while others are struggling with anxiety. A psychologist explains where this anxiety might come from and ways to cope with it. 

Black soldiers who fought in the World War were hopeful that their efforts fighting for the country would be enough to finally grant them equality, but instead they were greeted with a sweeping of racial violence and riots across the country in 1919, a period known as the Red Summer. 

Rasomware attacks have become increasingly common and to discuss the proliferation of ransomware attacks in Illinois, The 21st was joined by the CEO of a cyber reconnaissaince company, a reporter covering cybersecurity and Chair of the Department of Information Technology and Management at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

In today's deep dive, most states don't allow trans people to correct their names on marriage certificates, even after going through a legal name change. But legislators and advocates hope to make Illinois the second state to permit marriage certificate name changes.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Major Gen. Gordon Granger of the Union Army, informed enslaved people in Texas that they were free. It happened years after the Emancipation Proclamation. The 21st was joined by three guests to talk about Juneteenth celebrations across Illinois.