John Williams

Sara MacKenzie, Executive Director for Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Illinois, tells Jon Hansen how Illinois just welcomed largest number of students in university history. Sara also explains how the Supreme Court’s reversal of affirmative action has impacted enrollment.

Quinn Myers, Reporter, Block Club Chicago, joins Jon Hansen to talk about Mayor Brandon Johnson saying that his hiring freeze will not impact the city’s police and fire departments. Quinn also tells us about the budget deficit the city is facing and what the administration might have to do to close the gap.

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins Jon Hansen to talk about a recent trip she took to California and what she learned about olive oil and canned tomato products. Dawn also answers all of your health and nutrition questions.

Doris Kearns Goodwin, historian and Pulitzer-Prize-winning-author, joins Jon Hansen to talk about the current presidential race, the similarities between the current political climate and the 1960’s, and the great thing about politics when it works right. Doris Kearns Goodwin will be speaking at Northeastern Illinois University at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17 in the Auditorium of the University’s Main Campus, 3701 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. in Chicago. The discussion will center on how the past informs the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Find tickets here. Her most recent book is “An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s”

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, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute, Brandon Pope, host of ‘On the Block‘ on WCIU, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! This week the Rascals break down the first (and only?) debate between former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. What do the Rascals think were the major takeaways? Do the Rascals think there should be another debate before the election? We only have time for one local story this week and it’s a doozy! According to a Fox 32 report, a top mayoral aide used a derogatory term for police and talked openly about defunding and even abolition of police in a 2021 podcast. Austin and the crew get you up to speed on what this means for the Johnson administration.

Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips joins John Williams to talk about the theatrics of the debate between former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Craig Bolanos, Co-Founder and CEO of Wealth Management Group, joins John to talk about the inflation data released today, how we are trending in the right direction on inflation, how the markets have been reacting to the data, what this will mean for Fed policy, how investors are assessing last night’s debate, and why now is a great time to reconfigure your portfolio.

Kelly Leonard, Vice President, Creative Strategy, Innovation and Business Development at The Second City and host of the “Getting to Yes, And…” podcast, joins John Williams to discuss a recent interview he did with Alison Fragale about her an incredible new book, called “Likeable Badass: How Women Get the Success They Deserve.”

Robert Sherman, National and Foreign Correspondent, NewsNation, joins John Williams to recap last night’s debate between former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. What were Robert’s biggest takeaways from the debate?