CCI Radio Hour

May 21, 2018 show Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, joins Bob to talk about Gov. Rauner's call to reinstate the death penalty for mass murderers and those convicted of killing a police officer. Next, Greg Schleppenbach, assistant director of pro-life activities at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), discusses the Trump administration’s proposed rule change that drops a requirement that Title X funding recipients must provide abortion counseling to patients. This is expected ...

April 16, 2018 show Sister Jean, chaplain to the Loyola Ramblers men’s basketball team, joins Bob to talk about her recent celebrity status attained when the team reached the Sweet Sixteen and the Final Four. Next, Bishop Joseph Perry, auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Chicago, discusses recent progress in the canonization cause for Fr. Augustus Tolton, the first African-American priest in America. Then, Don Carlson, executive director of Illinois People’s Action, explains Senate Bill 2843, which ...

March 19, 2018 show The March 20 primary elections in Illinois kick off this month's show, as John Shaw, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University, joins Bob to talk about various races across the state. Then, Fr. David Kelly of Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation in Chicago talks about the restorative justice hubs his ministry has created across the city. Next, Anthony Holter of Empower Illinois, the scholarship-granting organization serving most of the ...

Feb. 19, 2018 show State Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, discusses Senate Bill 2236, which seeks to undo the new Tax Credit Scholarship program by tying it to the annual budget process. Then, Kris Cortes, a resident of Flossmoor, talks about her community's efforts in dealing with a new Planned Parenthood clinic. Next, Father Corey Brost and Viatorian Brother Michael Gosch talk about the Viatorian House of Hospitality in Des Plaines they co-founded to provide a home to ...

Jan. 15, 2018 show Host Bob Gilligan looks ahead to the upcoming spring legislative session by tapping the insights of Illinois political writer John O'Connor of the Associated Press. Next, Lucas Swanepoel, vice president of social policy at Catholic Charities USA, gives an update on the funding status of CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) as the federal government faces a possible shutdown. Then, Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., president and founder of the Magis Center of Reason and Faith, talks ...

Dec. 18, 2017 show Nate Kellum, chief counsel for the Memphis-based Center for Religious Expression, joins Bob to talk about the amicus brief filed on behalf of 479 creative professionals in support of the Colorado cake baker at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court case that was argued a couple of weeks ago,  Masterpiece Cake v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. Next, Ramona Trevino, keynote speaker for the March for Life Chicago set for Jan. 14, talks about her ...

Nov. 20, 2017 show Mary Massingale, CCI's director of communications, fills in for the vacationing Bob Gilligan. Dan Lesser from the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law joins the show to talk about the Congressional tax reform bill passed by House Republicans last week. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has come out against the measure, called it "deeply flawed" since it will raise taxes on the working poor while giving large tax cuts to the wealthy. Next, ...

Oct. 16, 2017 show Jak Tichenor, interim director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, joins Bob to talk about the political fallout from Gov. Bruce Rauner's decision to sign into law legislation that authorizes taxpayer-funded abortions after pledging to veto it. Next, Tony Cube with the USCCB’s Justice for Immigrants talks about the latest developments on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Then, Joyce Duriga, editor of the Chicago Catholic, ...

Aug. 28, 2017 show Mary Massingale, CCI's director of communications, fills in as host since Bob Gilligan was in Springfield lobbying for the Scholarship Tax Credit. Sarah Brune, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, joins Mary to talk about the especially large number of state legislator retirements being announced ahead of the 2018 legislative campaign season. Next, Greg Dolan, associate director for public policy for Catholic education for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, discusses the ...

July 17, 2017 show After two years of gridlock, Illinois finally has a fully-funded budget -- and an income tax increase. Jack Tichenor, interim director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University and longtime statehouse journalist, joins Bob to recap the budget and income tax increase put into place earlier this month when the Illinois legislature overrode the governor's vetoes of both initiatives. Left in the lurch, however, is funding for K-12 education, since the ...