The Crisis Cast Lissa Druss & Thom Serafin

Severe and sudden loss is how Kelly Richmond Pope realized her inner strength.  As an educator and entrepreneur, she has uncovered the truths inside fiscal fraud.  
Her day job is teaching accounting forensics at DePaul University - but she is also the award-winning director of the documentary All The Queen's Horses.  The film tells the story of the largest municipal embezzlement in U.S. history.  
Plus, Kelly is CEO of Red Flag Mania, an interactive and immersive accounting game that incorporates real stories.  In this episode, Lissa & Thom learn the pain that whistleblowers suffer for the greater good. Originally released September 17, 2020.

The traditional broadcast world has endured a seismic shift or two – or ten. Steve Cochran has been in front of a microphone and up and down the dial for all of it. For the better part of three decades he's been a fixture on Chicago radio. That includes audio brands like WLUP, WMVP, WIND, WLS, and more than 16 years on WGN. 
 
During this episode of the Crisis Cast, Cochran is quick to say that the companies with AM radio signals need to focus on being bigger than that. Plus, he talks about his lifelong pursuit to advocate against bullying. Lissa & Thom learn who inspired his passion to fight for kids' rights, why he can't keep politics off his radio shows, and his fascinating life journey as an adoptee.

From retail politics to sitting on the judicial bench, Aurelia Pucinski's life in public service is brimming with wisdom. This Crisis Cast flashback offers a fascinating glimpse into our legal system from a discussion that took place just a week prior to the now infamous 2020 election. Judge Pucinski references her presence on the ballot, and her second term on the Illinois Appellate Court now expires in 2030. 
 
During this episode, she underscores the critical requirements of each branch of government, and reveals a true crisis in the justice system. Lissa & Thom also probe the question of 'court-packing' and if she believes Supreme Court justices owe anything to their nominating President. This episode was originally released October 29, 2020.


 

Allen Lynch spent his childhood in Chicago's south suburbs with fond memories of walks to his grandmother's house in Roseland. Lynch was often bullied, and at age 18, to test his strength he enlisted in the U.S. Army. That was 1964, and one year later the United States had troops on the ground in Vietnam. In 1966, Sgt. Allen Lynch began a tour of service that would earn him the Medal of Honor.
 
During this episode of the Crisis Cast, Lissa & Thom hear the experiences that led Sgt. Lynch to write the book "Zero to Hero" – he also shares wisdom on the future of military action, and what we should do in the present to better care for our veterans.  Plus, filmmaker George Bogdanich discusses his new documentary Vietnam Changed My Life.

Two presidential debates between Joe Biden and Donald Trump are on the books. The first will be June 27th at CNN studios in Atlanta. It will have a unique nod to Chicago, because it will take place without an audience on a television set. That was the case in 1960, when WBBM-TV hosted John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon for the first-ever televised debate.
 
During this episode, Lissa Druss & Thom Serafin set the stage for this unique arrangement. Both the CNN debate and a 2nd debate in September on ABC are bypassing the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates. What's the strategy in this? Both candidates will be seated, and there will be no crosstalk permitted. Plus, political analyst Andy Shaw contributes to this episode, and weighs in on which candidate holds the advantage in this format.

The timing of this conversation left us pondering pathways to change.  It was the spring of 2021, and occurred during the days surrounding the verdict in the killing of George Floyd, and the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Chicagoan Adam Toledo.  
Renowned civil rights attorney Sheila Bedi joined Lissa and Thom to discuss her work surrounding the Chicago Police consent decree.  In this eye-opening episode, Sheila shares her passion for teaching future lawyers and her drive to communicate the need for legal reform. Originally released 4/25/21.