NewsNation Now anchor Connell McShane joins John Williams to talk about the new food pyramid and how that will impact the cost of food, the popularity of President Trump’s immigration policies, and the debate over the ICE shooting of Renee Good.

Craig Bolanos, Co-founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to explain why he believes 2026 will be a good year for the market, the attacks on Fed independence, the streak of positive economic data, the importance of a diversified portfolio, and what he’s telling his clients right now. For more information, go to GetRetiredStayRetired.com.

Sam Panayotovich, Fox Sports Betting Analyst and co-host of the sports betting show ‘Chicken Dinner,’ joins John Williams to tell us what we need to know about the betting scandal that involved former DePaul basketball players, who he likes in the College Football Championship game, and his thoughts on the big Bears v. Rams game. Go Bears.

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

Attorney Rich Lenkov, Capital Member, Downey & Lenkov, and co-host of “Legal Face-Off” on wgnradio.com, joins John Williams to talk about the Supreme Court ruling that Illinois Congressman can challenge the mail-in ballot deadline.

Nat and Mikey, two schoolteachers from England, took a bold leap and a year off from their classroom to explore America the slow way… by hitchhiking, canoe, and curiosity. They landed in Denver, made their way to Montana, bought their first-ever canoe, and have been paddling down the Missouri into the Mississippi on their way to the Gulf. Nat and Mikey join John today as they wind down their trip and tell us about the importance of ‘gritting your teeth.’ You can follow along with their journey and love letter to the American spirit at natandmikey.wordpress.com.

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to review the new dietary guidelines, if coffee can count as part of your daily water intake, the health benefits of interval walking, why you should get a device to monitor your steps, and to share her thoughts on what she learned from a former New York Times restaurant critic who is doing a series about how he changed his eating habits.

Marisa de la Torre, Managing Director and Senior Research Associate at the UChicago Consortium, joins John Williams to talk about a study she co-authored that breaks down how students’ absence rates have changed since the pandemic.

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, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack, and long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. This week, the Rascals start the podcast talking about the Chicago Bears beating the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the playoffs and head coach Ben Johnson’s celebration after the victory. Do the Rascals think Johnson acted appropriately? Next, the Rascals discuss Republican gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski releasing an ad featuring Joe Abraham, the father of Katie Abraham, who was killed in a drunken-driving accident by an undocumented immigrant. What do the Rascals make of the ad? Will this ad move the needle in the Republican primary? This leads into a discussion about President Trump threatening to cut off funds to sanctuary cities and their states starting next month. The Rascals then break down the latest news about the killing of Renee Good and other ICE activities in Minneapolis. Should it be legal to take a video of a federal law enforcement official who is trying to do the job? Also, what’s going on with Greenland (and hot dog carts)? And finally, it’s time for red light, yellow light, green light. What are the Rascals recommending (or not recommending) this week?