John Williams tells the (hilarious) tale of almost burning down the place where his elderly parents are living.

Dr. Sadiya Khan, Director, Center for Population Science and Aging, Northwestern Medicine, joins John Williams to talk about the public splash around weight loss medications and how they interact with the heart, the heart-related benefits of weight loss drugs, the risks or side-effects people should be aware of, who is the appropriate candidate for GLP-1 medications and the importance of medical supervision when taking these drugs.

Dr. Priya Freaney, Medical Director, Women’s Heart Care Program, Northwestern Medicine, joins John to talk about women’s cardiovascular health, why heart disease doesn’t look the same in women as it does in men, the symptoms that are more common in women, the risk factors that are unique to women, and the most important steps women can take to protect their heart health.

Dr. Kannan Mutharasan, Medical Director, Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute South Region, Northwestern Medicine, joins John Williams to talk about heart health month, the most common form of heart disease, when someone should consider seeing a cardiologist, the importance of understanding risk factors, and what people can do to lower their risk of heart disease.

Dr. Rod Passman, Director, Center for Arrhythmia Research, Northwestern Medicine, joins John Williams to talk about how many people in the U.S. are living with atrial fibrillation, the most common symptoms of AFib, how AFib is sometimes asymptomatic, who is at most risk of Afib, the role wearables have in detecting AFib, what you can do to reduce your risk, and how atrial fibrillation is treated at Northwestern Medicine.

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about the Chicago Tribune’s ‘non-endorsement endorsement’ of political candidates, why he’s not a fan of newspapers endorsing political candidates, his thoughts on Darren Bailey’s campaign for governor, Juliana Stratton’s new campaign ad featuring a number of people (including Sen. Tammy Duckworth) saying, ‘F-Trump,’ and his thoughts on some members of Congress boycotting the State of the Union.

Peter Greenberg, ‘Eye on Travel‘ host and CBS News travel editor, joins John Williams to talk about the latest on Global Entry and TSA PreCheck availability and what travelers should expect during the partial government shutdown. Peter also gives us an update on the situation in Mexico.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected].

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Lou explains the importance picking the right countertops and sink when you are doing a kitchen remodel. Lou also answers all of your home improvement questions.

Listen to HouseSmarts Radio on WGN each Saturday morning at 6 am.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected].