WSIU Morning News Update March 2, 2026

This is your WSU News for Monday, March 2nd. Illinois senators and representatives released statements over the weekend following President Trump's order for U.S. forces to attack Iran. Illinois senior senator, Dick Durbin, said, quote, though there is bipartisan support for stopping the development of nuclear weapons in Iran, There is no consensus for another interminable war in the Middle East. Senator Tammy Duckworth, who is a veteran who lost both of her legs while serving in Iraq, called the action and illegal military campaign. She says the actions require congressional approval and risk American lives. Southern Illinois, Representative Mike Boss, says President Trump exhausted every diplomatic measure to ensure Iran never develops a nuclear weapon. He said, Quote, that President Trump acted decisively to protect America's national security interests against the world's leading sponsor of terrorism. And Illinois Representative Mary Miller says the president is defending America's interests and confronting those who threaten U.S. security. If you live in Illinois, chances are you're being inundated with campaign mailers, phone calls, and political ads. So how can you get unbiased information about candidates? As R.Seli Gomez-Haldana reports, voter guides can help. Roberta Barino is with the League of Women Voters of Illinois. She says voter guides should be balanced and include all races and the full list of candidates. This time around, you know, there's everything from U.S. Senator in Illinois down to most counties. They have primaries for open seats on county boards and such. And Burino says voting in the primaries is very important, especially in areas where one party often wins. Well, now it's the time where you have all your choices. And a lot of races will pretty much be decided after the primaries. And if you're wondering about all those judges on your ballot, check out Injustice Watch, which has a comprehensive judicial voter guide. These tools can also help you stay civically engaged. You can search for old voter guides to see if incumbents made good on their promises and check back later to see whether candidates stayed in alignment with what they said they stood for when they were running for office. I'm Eraselli Gomez-Aldana. More Democrats are embracing universal child care as an economic priority. Historically, universal child care has been politically contentious, but more states have recently taken steps towards adopting it. Democratic pollster Celinda Lake says increased public awareness and grassroots organizing have helped move the issue into the political mainstream. There's been a complete collapse of our child care system. So now small businesses care about it. Employers care about it. Grandparents care about it. Even parents with older children care about it because people realize you can't have a functioning economy without a child care system. While questions remain about funding and implementation, many Democrats have urged the party to embrace it as a national priority.