Under the Dome

Gannett

Brought to you by Gannett Illinois and powered by The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Illinois, Under the Dome explores recent happenings in Illinois government and politics.

  1. 11/27/2020

    Under The Dome Podcast: Finke and Schoenburg bid farewell

    On their final episode of the Under the Dome Podcast the State Journal-Register’s Bernard Schoenburg and Doug Finke take a walk down memory lane to reminisce over their 70 years of combined coverage of Illinois politics for the State Journal-Register.

    25 min

  2. 11/19/2020

    Under The Dome Podcast: House Democrats pull support for Madigan

    On this week’s episode of the Under the Dome Podcast the State Journal-Register’s Bernard Schoenburg and Doug Finke work remotely to bring you the latest updates from the Illinois Statehouse and Illinois' response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This week they break down the indictment of Michael McClain, one of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s oldest and most trusted confidants, along with three others that are charged with orchestrating an elaborate bribery scheme with utility giant Commonwealth Edison. They also take a look at what this all means for his tenure as speaker as more House Democrats say that can't support Madigan for another term as speaker.

    18 min

  3. 11/13/2020

    Under The Dome Podcast: Veto session canceled as COVID-19 surges

    On this week’s episode of the Under the Dome Podcast the State Journal-Register’s Bernard Schoenburg and Doug Finke work remotely to bring you the latest updates from the Illinois Statehouse and Illinois' response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On this week's episode they break down the cancellation of the fall veto session and what it means for the Illinois Legislature as COVID-19 spreads across the state.

    17 min

  4. 11/06/2020

    Under The Dome Podcast: Election is over, what the results mean in Illinois

    On this week’s episode of the Under the Dome Podcast the State Journal-Register’s Bernard Schoenburg and Doug Finke work remotely to bring you the latest updates from the Illinois Statehouse and Illinois' response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Doug and Bernie have survived election night and are breaking down the results and what it all means for Illinois. The results have top Illinois Democrats, including Gov. JB Pritzker, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, saying that the party should consider replacing House Speaker Michael Madigan as chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois. They also dive into Gov. Pritzker saying that “deep and painful cuts” are coming to the Illinois budget now that his plan to bring a graduated income tax to the state has failed.

    17 min

  5. 10/30/2020

    Under The Dome Podcast: IHSA defies Gov. Pritzker as COVID-19 cases soar in Illinois

    On this week’s episode of the Under the Dome Podcast the State Journal-Register’s Bernard Schoenburg and Doug Finke work remotely to bring you the latest updates from the Illinois Statehouse and Illinois' response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This week they discuss the Illinois High School Association rejecting Gov. JB Prtizker's order to move high school basketball to the Spring after the sport was reclassified as high risk for COVID-19 transmission. They also discuss that in the same week nine of the 11 regions in Illinois will have COVID-19 mitigation measures put in place as the state smashed the previous record for the number of new cases in a 24-hour period with 6,363 cases as the virus surges across the state.

    18 min

  6. 10/22/2020

    Under The Dome Podcast: COVID-19 positivity rate going in the wrong direction across Illinois

    On this week’s episode of the Under the Dome Podcast the State Journal-Register’s Bernard Schoenburg and Doug Finke work remotely to bring you the latest updates from the Illinois Statehouse and Illinois' response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This week they discuss the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases across all of Illinois and mitigations being put in place by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in four regions in the state. Gov. Pritzker has also said the Illinois State Police have been alerted to be on patrol in areas with coronavirus mitigation efforts in place. They also dive into election messages heating up as political advertisements are bombarding the airwaves and mailboxes.

    19 min

  7. 10/16/2020

    Under The Dome Podcast: Attorneys argue over the extent of Pritzker’s emergency authority

    On this week’s episode of the Under the Dome Podcast the State Journal-Register’s Bernard Schoenburg and Doug Finke work remotely to bring you the latest updates from the Illinois Statehouse and Illinois' response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This week they discuss Sangamon County Circuit Judge Raylene Grishow giving attorneys until Oct. 23 to submit final paperwork that could be used in her decision on arguments for three issues, the biggest being whether lawsuits filed in six counties challenging Pritzker’s authority to issue stay at home orders and other measures to fight the coronavirus pandemic should be dismissed. They also look at the issue of the graduated income tax amendment on the ballot and how that factors into the size of the state's workforce in arguments for or against the change in tax rates.

    19 min

  8. 10/09/2020

    Under The Dome Podcast: Madigan hearings postponed until after the election

    On this week’s episode of the Under the Dome Podcast the State Journal-Register’s Bernard Schoenburg and Doug Finke work remotely to bring you the latest updates from the Illinois Statehouse and Illinois' response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This week they discuss the announcement by Rep. Emanuel “Chris" Welch, D-Hillside, delaying the hearings into House Speaker Michael Madigan until after the November election to prevent the committee from being used “as a stage for political theater.” They dive into the continuing battle for the graduated income tax amendment including this week's canceled press conference by State Treasurer Michael Frerichs to "address misinformation" about taxing retirement income.

    19 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

Brought to you by Gannett Illinois and powered by The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Illinois, Under the Dome explores recent happenings in Illinois government and politics.

Information

  • Creator
    Gannett
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2020
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Gannett
  • Show Website
    Under the Dome