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two men stand in front of a hand-painted political map of the world; at left he's wearing an embroidered white robe and red hat, and has his hand on Niger; at right Eric Whitaker is wearing a dark gray suit and tie and has his hand at the United States
U.S. Embassy Niamey on Facebook

The 21st Show

Former ambassador says the U.S. has ‘diplomatically disarmed’

A year after his first visit to The 21st Show, retired U.S. diplomat Eric Whitaker returned to talk about the world as it is now.

The former ambassador to Niger grew up in DeKalb and North Aurora and studied at the University of Illinois. He says the U.S. has "unilaterally diplomatically disarmed," pulling back from alliances while China and Russia move into the space it left behind.

Whitaker talked about the war with Iran and what Tuesday's midterm elections could mean for Congress' role in foreign policy. He also discussed the Sahel, where Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso are run by military juntas and Russian forces reportedly helped put down an attempted coup in Niger this summer. And he defended U.S. food aid and the work of USAID, which the Trump administration has dismantled.

Plus, what he's hearing from friends still in the Foreign Service, where he says morale is down after a wave of departures, and his advice for Illinois students who hope to join it.

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Celebrating a third term in Chicago: First Lady M.K. Pritzker, Gov. J. B Pritzker, Lt. Gov.-elect Christian Mitchell, and the governor's daughter, Teddi Pritzker.
screen capture from Pritzker campaign on YouTube

The 21st Show

The blue wave reaches Illinois. What do Democrats do with it?

Democrats won decisively across the country Tuesday, and Illinois was no exception. Gov. J.B. Pritzker won a third term, defeating Republican Darren Bailey for the second time. Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won the race to succeed U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin.

Chicago Tribune political writer Dan Petrella joins The 21st Show to sort through the results. Topics include where Stratton fits in a changing Democratic Party, Pritzker's national ambitions and the money he's spent helping candidates around the country, what's next for Illinois Republicans, Democratic gains in the General Assembly (and DuPage County), and another round of wins for the movement to split Illinois in two.

Plus, listeners from across the 21st state shared their reactions, along with what they want Democrats to do with their new power in Washington.

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Illinois Arts Council Agency

These programs are partially sponsored by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.