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A homeless man sits in a doorway as snow falls in this file photo from January 2025.
AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

The 21st Show

The challenges of combating homelessness in Illinois

15,000 Illinoisans are facing homelessness on any given day, according to a report released by the Illinois Department of Human Services. The scale of homelessness has grown in recent years even as states like Illinois embrace active efforts to bring it down. That increase in homelessness has also strained some of the organizations who are trying to help.

The 21st Show is Illinois' statewide weekday public radio talk show, connecting Illinois and bringing you the news, culture, and stories that matter to the 21st state. Have thoughts on the show or one of our episodes, or want to share an idea for something we should talk about? Send us an email: talk@21stshow.org. If you'd like to have your say as we're planning conversations, join our texting group! Just send the word "TALK" to (217) 803-0730. Subscribe to our podcast and hear our latest conversations. 

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PT6pb0... 
Find past segments, links to our social media and more at our website: 21stshow.org.

Weather Realness

The Palisades Fire: Don’t Call Us Heroes

Wildfires are a natural reality in Southern California, but is mass destruction an inevitability? We look at if the program worked and how it could reshape life with wildfire in Los Angeles and beyond.

AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File

The 21st Show

What to know when filing 2026 tax return

Tax season is looking a little different this year, because of new tax policy created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. 

The 21st Show is Illinois' statewide weekday public radio talk show, connecting Illinois and bringing you the news, culture, and stories that matter to the 21st state. Have thoughts on the show or one of our episodes, or want to share an idea for something we should talk about? Send us an email: talk@21stshow.org. If you'd like to have your say as we're planning conversations, join our texting group! Just send the word "TALK" to (217) 803-0730. Subscribe to our podcast and hear our latest conversations. 

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast…
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PT6pb0... 
Find past segments, links to our social media and more at our website: 21stshow.org.

Elle, 18 months, and her mother Claire Dooley stands by the revised food pyramid, after an announcement by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., about nutrition policy, at Health and Human Services Headquarters, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Washington.
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

The 21st Show

The new Food Pyramid and constantly changing dietary guidelines

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 21st Show is Illinois' statewide weekday public radio talk show, connecting Illinois and bringing you the news, culture, and stories that matter to the 21st state. Have thoughts on the show or one of our episodes, or want to share an idea for something we should talk about? Send us an email: talk@21stshow.org. If you'd like to have your say as we're planning conversations, join our texting group! Just send the word "TALK" to (217) 803-0730. Subscribe to our podcast and hear our latest conversations. 
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PT6pb0... 
Find past segments, links to our social media and more at our website: 21stshow.org.

Christine Hatfield/Illinois Public Media

The 21st Show

Vying for GOP nomination, U.S. Senate candidate Pamela Denise Long talks abortion, trans healthcare, and income tax

Pamela Denise Long is seeking the Republican nomination in Illinois' U.S. Senate race. She discusses her nuanced perspectives on many topics including abortion rights, healthcare for transgender people, and high-income taxes for Illinoisans.

 

The 21st Show is Illinois' statewide weekday public radio talk show, connecting Illinois and bringing you the news, culture, and stories that matter to the 21st state. Have thoughts on the show or one of our episodes, or want to share an idea for something we should talk about? Send us an email: talk@21stshow.org. If you'd like to have your say as we're planning conversations, join our texting group! Just send the word "TALK" to (217) 803-0730. Subscribe to our podcast and hear our latest conversations. 

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PT6pb0... 
Find past segments, links to our social media and more at our website: 21stshow.org.

AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

The 21st Show

Trump, Greenland, and America’s new role in the world

It’s been one year and one day since President Trump returned to office. A political science professor and a former U.S. ambassador weigh in on America's place in the world from recent rhetoric around Greenland to policies toward Russia and Ukraine.

The 21st Show is Illinois' statewide weekday public radio talk show, connecting Illinois and bringing you the news, culture, and stories that matter to the 21st state. Have thoughts on the show or one of our episodes, or want to share an idea for something we should talk about? Send us an email: talk@21stshow.org. If you'd like to have your say as we're planning conversations, join our texting group! Just send the word "TALK" to (217) 803-0730. Subscribe to our podcast and hear our latest conversations. 

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PT6pb0... 
Find past segments, links to our social media and more at our website: 21stshow.org.