John Williams

Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about the likelihood we see a recession this year, why investors are pausing right now, his expectation that he markets will remain volatile for some time, why he believes the market can regain its losses by the end of the year, consumer sentiment cratering, gold on track for best its week since 2020, the resiliency of the labor market and economy overall, and if believes now is a good time to invest in the market.

Tyler McCall, co-owner of Paper & Pencil in Andersonville, joins John Williams to talk about how tariffs have been impacting their local business.

Kimberly Hansen, Collections Manager of Flowering Plants, The Field Museum, joins John Williams to talk about her work at the Field Museum, the now famous poison pong-pong tree plant that was featured in ‘The White Lotus,’ the number of poisonous plant species in the U.S., what we should know about the plant used in ‘The White Lotus,’ and some of the other poison plants that you can see at The Field Museum.

NewsNation Now anchor Connell McShane joins John Williams to talk about the tragic helicopter crash in New York City yesterday afternoon and why President Trump put a pause on his tariff proposal.

Enjoy this edition of “The Best of Speed Jokes.” What was your favorite joke of the week? Keep sending your jokes to [email protected]!

Pastor Corey Brooks, Founder and Senior Pastor at New Beginnings Church of Chicago and the Founder and CEO of Project H.O.O.D, joins John Williams to talk about being asked to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange Friday morning!

It’s time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some road trip ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your! Today, we take a drive up north to beautiful Mirror Lake and visit with Bob Prosser, owner of Ishnala Supper Club! Bob talks about opening for their 72nd season, what’s new on the menu this year, how great their staff is, how the restaurant has evolved through the years, and the pride they feel in becoming such a Midwest institution!

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about why we shouldn’t pay attention to what the scale says because it tells you nothing about health. What are the metrics we need to be paying attention to? Dawn also tells John about foods that will help you sleep better and answers all of your health and nutrition questions.

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

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! The small but mighty group of Rascals start off the podcast talking about the markets and economy as the tariff wars run amok this week. Do the Rascals believe President Trump caved on his trade policy? Eric wonders why more Republicans haven’t stood up to the administration. Next, the Rascals discuss the big #HandsOff rallies that took place last weekend. Do the Rascals believe these demonstrations will move the needle? The Illinois House voted 114-0 to approve a bill that would raise the age of annual mandatory road tests from 75 to 87. Do the Rascals support this legislation? And finally, with people still talking about The White Lotus finale, the Rascals debate how long you have to wait before talking about spoilers.