John Williams

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Brandon Pope, of WCIU, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute (sign up for his new Substack!), and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! The Rascals start off the podcast discussing yesterday’s election results. What were the big takeaways from the results in Wisconsin and Florida? President Trump earlier this week said he is open to serving a third term. Is this just another distraction? The White House Correspondents’ Association cancelled plans to feature comedian Amber Ruffin at its annual dinner. Was this a capitulation to the Trump administration? The CTU and CPS have reached a tentative deal on a new contract. Is this a big win for CTU? Mayor Johnson announced he’s picking Anthony Joel Quezada to fill the 35th Ward aldermanic vacancy. Why does Austin have an issue with the mayor handpicking a member of the City Council. President Trump announced new tariffs this afternoon. Do the Rascals believe this will help or hurt the economy? The Rascals close the podcast today with “The Big Beef!” What has been bothering the Rascals recently?

Joe Khalil, NewsNation’s Washington, D.C. correspondent, joins John Williams to tell us the big takeaways from the elections across the country yesterday.

Mortgage and real estate expert David Hochberg joins John Williams to talk about car loans and interest rates, if people use HELOCs to buy cars, his thoughts on the impact of tariffs on the economy and the housing market, and why homeowners insurance is going up. Oh, and take a trip with David to Normandy!

David hosts “Home Sweet Home Chicago” on Saturdays from 10am to 1pm on WGN Radio. You can call him at 855-56-David, or check out the Team Hochberg website.

Bob Bertog, president of Bertog Landscape Co. in Wheeling and a certified landscape professional with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, joins John Williams to answer all of your lawn and garden questions. Bob explains how the rain is helping saturate the ground and why you should mow your lawn if it needs it. Also, can you put down fertilizer right now?

Todd Navarrete, Platform General Manager of Bettenhausen Automotive of Tinley Park, Lockport, Orland Park, and Bettenhausen Mobility, joins John Williams to talk about how business has been going the last few days, the sense of urgency in the market, the top selling cars at their dealerships, how their vehicles would be impacted by proposed tariffs, what customers are saying on the showroom floor, and why it’s a great time to buy or lease a vehicle.

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

Kevin Byrnes, co-founder, Byrnes & Walsh, joins John Williams to talk about a recent conversation John had with Minooka mayor Ric Offerman about the possibility of landing a new data center in the village. Kevin discusses his work appraising data centers, what would motivate a town to want a data center, the amount of money that companies pay for the land, and how water is typically used for data centers.

Dr. Michael Bauer, Medical Director at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about the measles outbreak still going in the wrong direction, who should get a measles vaccination right now, and what you should know about shingles vaccination.

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about Duke University being upset with its portrayal on ‘The White Lotus,’ the White House Correspondents’ Association canceling plans to have comedian Amber Ruffin perform at its annual dinner, the future of the ‘Tush Push,’ and his thoughts on the ‘teen takeover’ in Streeterville over the weekend.

Marge Sipla, Speed Jokes spirit animal, cataloger and Member of the Speed Jokes Committee, joins John and the gang to give us her favorite Speed Jokes of March 2025! What was your favorite joke this month? And as always, John brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected]