The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972, Steve Bertrand, host of Steve Bertrand on Books and proprietor of Steve Bertrand Travel, and Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack. The Rascals start the podcast with a case of World Cup fever (well, except for Cate)! And how excited are the Rascals for the, um, the semiquincentennial? Now, switching to much more important matters, the Rascals discuss the ongoing drama over the reflecting pool. Today, President Trump said he won’t sign a bipartisan housing bill unless the SAVE Act is passed. Why did Trump not sign the bill that the administration was celebrating just yesterday? We also get a little refresher on what exactly is in the SAVE Act. Locally, it was a violent weekend in Chicago and faith leaders are urging the city to create a Department of Gun Violence Prevention. Are the Rascals on board with the proposal? And finally, it’s time or red light, yellow light, green light! What are the Rascals recommending (or not recommending) this week?

Musician Fulton Lee joins John Williams to talk about how his career has taken off after achieving viral success, the way he creates his his popular videos, how his tour has been going so far, the best way to follow his music releases, and his upcoming show at Lincoln Hall!

Elder law attorney Kerry Peck joins John Williams to answer all your questions about elder law, trusts, wills, and elder abuse. Kerry talks about the price people are paying for elder care, and how people that have multiple marriages often end up in trust disputes.

We are ‘Keeping it Green’ with 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 tells us the best time to go after those pesky weeds. And how should you apply your weed killer?

Zach Schonfeld, legal affairs reporter for The Hill, joins John Williams to talk about upcoming Supreme Court decisions. Zach explains the key cases the court is working on including birthright citizenship and mail-in ballots.

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

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about a new study that found that the two-dose Shingrix shingles vaccine is linked to a 33% lower risk of dementia in adults over age 65. Dr. Kopin also answers your medical questions.

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

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Lou talks about all the rain we’ve been getting and the best way to protect your home from flooding. And Lou recommends a product that will solve all of your backyard bug problems!

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

After 3 weeks and 45,000 votes, we finally have a the winner of our inaugural Chicagoland’s Best Hot Dogs Tournament, sponsored by The Puckered Pickle Company.

Jon Hansen (in for John Williams) was joined by Chicago’s Very Own Eats Podcast co-host/bracketologist Michael Piff and Luke Newman from The Puckered Pickle Company to make the announcement and call the winner. LISTEN below to find out who won between Rand Red Hots and Cozzi Corner!

Congrats to Rand Red Hots for winning our first Chicagolands Hot Dog Tournament! And congrats to Cozzi Corner for the great run they made to reach the championship. Last but not least, thank you to everyone that voted and made this one of our biggest WGN Radio food tournaments yet!

See the rest of the round-by-round results on the 2026 Hot Dogs Tournament page. And follow The Puckered Pickle Company on Facebook and Instagram!

For more updates and all things Chicago food, subscribe to Chicago’s Very Own Eats on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. All episodes are available on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast page at WGNRadio.com.