John Williams

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys, and political pundit Marj Halperin! The Rascals begin the podcast talking about the possibility of Jesse Jackson Jr. running for congress. Should a convicted felon be allowed to run for federal office? Mayor Brandon Johnson is considering several strategies that would tax the wealthy residents of Chicago. What do the Rascals make of these ideas? Former congressman and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is leading an effort to end the partisan influence on drawing state legislative boundaries. Do the Rascals think this is something that needs to be done to end gerrymandering? It’s time for attraction / distraction. President Trump this week went after Beyoncé, former president Barack Obama, the press who continue to dig into the Jeffrey Epstein story, etc. Were all of these distractions? And will the Epstein story eventually impact the midterm elections? And finally, it’s time for red light / yellow light / green light. What are the Rascals recommending (or not recommending) this week?

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 John that the ground is dry because the excessive heat has hardened the soil.

Ray LaHood, former GOP member of Congress and the U.S. Secretary of Transportation under President Barack Obama, joins John Williams to talk about a bipartisan effort to to remove the influence of lawmakers in the redrawing of state legislative boundaries. LaHood says that the Illinois legislative map is ‘an embarrassment’ and ‘an outrageous abuse of one party rule.’ Ray also tells John why he thinks it would be an uphill climb for his son, U.S. Rep Darin LaHood, to win a statewide election.

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

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about Northwestern Memorial Hospital being named one of the best hospitals in the U.S., Cubs great Ryne Sandberg losing his battle to prostate cancer, what we should know about prostate cancer, and a new study that shows being physically active can improve cognitive performance in people at risk for dementia.

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about the death of Cubs great Ryne Sandberg, the recent layoffs at the Chicago Tribune, why Substack isn’t necessarily a good replacement for news, and to share his thoughts on Jesse Jackson Jr. possibly making another run for congress.

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

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

Tom Appel, Publisher, Consumer Guide Automotive and host of the Consumer Guide Car Stuff podcast, joins John Williams to talk about why manufacturers are kicking the can on so many projects right now, the latest on the impact of tariffs, what’s happening with the EV market, why Tesla is still hurting, and how a trade deal with Japan will impact the auto industry.

NewsNation Now anchor Connell McShane joins John Williams to talk about the ‘Epstein-inspired’ week, Jerome Powell fact-checking Donald Trump yesterday during a visit to the Fed yesterday, if the thinks the Epstein story goes away, the job that Speaker Mike Johnson has been doing, and if President Trump will eventually be damaged by the Epstein story.