New rules from the federal government aim to protect consumers from loans they can't afford. Do they offer enough safeguards or will they make it too hard to get a loan? An expert weighs in.

Would we all be better off if we let our children play with fire? Pulitzer Prize winner Jared Diamond joins us to discuss lessons we can learn from traditional societies.

We talk with Matt Stone and Trey Parker, two of the creators of the musical: The Book of Mormon.

The 2013 Oscar nominations are officially public. We talk with two film critics about the crowded field of contenders for Hollywood’s top prize.

The 98th Illinois General Assembly is sworn-in today. What are the hopes for the new batch of lawmakers?

The newly sworn in 113th Congress is entering the session with the task of addressing the debt ceiling and spending cuts.

Eleven area hospitals have been swamped with patients with the flu and flu-like symptoms. We get the latest on the outbreak from the Chicago Department of Public Health’s medical director.

The American Dialect Society names "hashtag" the word of the year. We speak with a local linguist who helped crown the winner.

Change at the top for troubled retailer Sears, bad news for Boeing, and what not to say in a job interview.

Marimba music fills a South Side church and creates opportunities for young musicians. We have the story.

The Illinois House approves driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants while Gov. Quinn demands that Illinois lawmakers vote on pension reform. We have the latest on the last day of the lame-duck session in Springfield.

After fiscal cliff talks, comprehensive tax reform could be next. What changes could be part of that package, and would they benefit the economy? Our panel of tax experts has more.

Can a revamp of the city's community policing help the beleaguered crime rate? Paris Schutz has the story.