The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Lou explains the importance of cleaning and sealing your stone counters. Lou also answers all of your home improvement questions.

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

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. And today is a special batch as March, 23rd, 2026 marks six years since John started telling jokes! Keep sending yours to [email protected].

Craig Ferguson, actor, comedian, and host of ‘Scrabble,’ Thursdays on the CW, joins John Williams to talk about how long he’s been living and working in the United States, what it was like when he became a U.S. citizen, how the Scrabble board game translates to TV, if he has any desire to return to late night television, and why he challenged himself not to bring politics into his act. Craig is bringing his ‘Pants on Fire’ tour to Skokie tonight!

Connell McShane, anchor of ‘NewsNation Live with Connell McShane,’ joins John Williams to talk about his last two weeks reporting from the Middle East, how many residents in the Middle East are worried about the long-term damage of the war in Iran, the possibility we see U.S. troops on the ground, and what the administration hopes to accomplish with the war.

Sam Toia, President and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association, tells John why the Illinois Restaurant Association believes that the phase-out of the subminimum wage will eliminate many restaurant jobs.

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

Chris Balke, Owner, All City Brick Staining, talks to John about their business and how they help customers transform and revitalize brick surfaces with their expert staining services. Chris explains who their biggest customers are, if there is a popular color right now, how long a typical job takes, how business is going right now, and why people prefer to use staining to enhance the look of their house.

Author and journalist Danny Funt joins John Williams to discuss his book, ‘Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling.’ Danny tells John about how much the average gambler lose a month, how difficult it is to outsmart a point spread, when the prop bet was created, how people who bet in-game are more likely to become addicted to gambling, why major league sports embrace sports betting, what gambling is doing to the integrity of the games, and if he believes sports in general are clean.

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, multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope’s Screening Room, and political pundit Marj Halperin. The Rascals kick off the podcast talking about the results of yesterday’s Illinois primary. What were the major takeaways from the results? The Chicago Teachers Union wants students to take a day off of school on May 1st for civil engagement. Mayor Johnson supports this idea. Do the Rascals? Next, the Rascals discuss the ongoing war in Iran. The Rascals wonder what the results will be when the war ends. What does victory look like? President Trump DHS nominee Markwayne Mullin testified before a Senate committee today. Do the Rascals think Mullin will be nominated? John also reads an email from a Mincing Rascals listener about last week’s discussion on AI and journalism. Also this week, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened to revoke broadcasters’ licenses over the Iran War coverage. Do the Rascals believe the media has covered this war fairly? And finally, it’s time for red light, yellow light, green light. What are the Rascals recommending (or not recommending) this week?