The Takeaway with Alex

Texas Democratic lawmakers have left their state, saying Donald Trump and fellow Republicans are unfairly redistricting and gerrymandering Texas. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has welcomed over 30 Democrats with open arms, supporting their cause as he seeks a third term in office — with one eye possibly on a presidential run in 2028. NBC Chicago Political Reporter Mary Ann Ahern has covered all kinds of stories in her career, but...

Will Chicago be a haven against climate change? Do climate safe zones really exist? Extreme storms, higher prices and uninsurable property make Chicago more attractive, but climate change can still make midwest storms, flooding and heat worse. NBC Climate Reporter Chase Cain joins The Takeaway with Alex to share how the Midwest must adapt, how just talking about climate change can actually make a difference, and how artificial inte...

A 14-year-old Chicago boy named Emmett Till was abducted and lynched 70 years ago in Mississippi after being accused of whistling at a white woman named Carolyn Bryant in her family's grocery store. Till's death became a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement after images circulated of an open casket funeral arranged by his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley. Over time, his story began to fade from view, until decades later, the 2020 murder...

Taxpayers have spent over $3 million on an empty lot on Chicago’s south side meant for migrants that was never used. First proposed as a winter shelter for migrants that were bused to Chicago from the southern border, tests eventually showed the lot was contaminated with heavy metals. Three years after Chicago’s migrant crisis began, NBC Chicago Investigative Reporter Bennett Haeberle sits down on The Takeaway with Alex to walk thr...

Chicago’s Hollywood history runs deep. Blockbusters like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Dark Knight and The Blues Brothers helped the world get to know our city. But did you know Chicago also has connections to Back to the Future, the Wizard of Oz and even The Great Gatsby? Host of NBC Chicago’s “Only in Chicago” series Lexi Sutter tells Alex Maragos the stories behind the famous scenes and sites. She also found a real police statio...

From big events like Lollapalooza, Riot Fest and Summer Smash to small street festivals across the city; Chicago’s summer soundtrack has lots of variety. With so many concerts to check out, two music critics give The Takeaway with Alex a guide to navigate the summer. Britt Julious of the Chicago Tribune and Selena Fragassi of the Chicago Sun-Times tell Alex Maragos about the shows they’re most excited to see this year, the festival...

Governor J.B. Pritzker’s run for a third term will have ripple effects far beyond Illinois. With more Democrats looking for a leader, Pritzker's criticism of Donald Trump, MAGA politics, and the Republican Party will all have more power coming from a current governor, according to NBC 5 Political Reporter Mary Ann Ahern. On this episode of The Takeaway with Alex, Ahern said the billionaire has shown several signals that higher offi...

When you think of Chicago food, you may think of pizza or hot dogs, but there's so much more the city has to offer. Every dish in every restaurant has a story, and it takes people like Steve Dolinsky to share those stories with the world. With nicknames The Hungry Hound and The Food Guy, Dolinsky has traveled far and wide through Chicago, the suburbs and well beyond for 30 years to tell people where to eat and why to eat there. Aft...

Jerry Reinsdorf has been controlling owner of the White Sox since 1981, but has agreed to sell the team to Justin Ishbia as early as 2029. On this episode of the Takeaway with Alex, The Athletic’s Jon Greenberg dives into this reporting on the White Sox succession plan. In February, Greenberg’s reporting foreshadowed the deal, and today he tells the story of how Ishbia was approached to take a bigger stake in the team and how the f...

Who is Larry Hoover, and why did President Donald Trump commute sentence? He is one of America's most notorious criminals, with convictions ranging from murder to racketeering landing him behind bars for over 50 years. Now Hoover is one step closer to freedom, thanks to a commutation of his federal prison sentence by President Trump. From humble beginnings in Englewood, Hoover eventually ruled the streets of Chicago for decades as ...

Despite their name, the Harlem Globetrotters actually got their start in Chicago. It was an unlikely partnership between a young, 5’3” Jewish entrepreneur named Abe Saperstein and a collection of younger Black basketball players from the South Side. From barns to ballrooms to arenas filled to the brim, the Globetrotters brought basketball to towns that barely had any organized sports. Along the way, they showed the promise of Black...

Exactly 42 years after the disappearance of Karen Schepers, the Elgin detectives who cracked the 1983 cold case are speaking out about their experience -- including a podcast they started to attract new leads. Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian of the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit join the podcast this week to share the story of Karen Schepers, from the night she went missing to the moment her remains were pulle...

A 'culture of corruption' has poisoned nearly every level of government in the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago. From Mike Madigan, Rod Blagojevich and Ed Burke to lesser-known politicians with their own histories of egregious lies and theft, the list of names goes on. This week on the podcast, Chicago Tribune's Ray Long breaks down why corruption is so deeply embedded in Illinois politics and how it still exists today.