Elijah Wald, musician, writer, historian, and author of “Dylan Goes Electric! Dylan, Seeger, Newport, and the Night that Split the Sixties,” the book that inspired “A Complete Unknown,” joins John Williams to talk about how his book differs from the movie, how the first scene in the movie impacted him and how it made it easier to watch the film, what the film gets wrong about some of the characters and events, how controversial it was when Dylan ‘went electric,’ how political Dylan actually was, and how he enjoyed Timothée Chalamet’s performance and the movie in general.

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

Deneen Jackson-Gillespie, Vice President, External Relations & Communications, U of I System, joins John Williams to talk about a new guaranteed transfer policy for Illinois high school graduates that takes effect in the 2025 fall semester.

Attorney Rae Kaplan of Kaplan Law Firm joins John Williams to talk about the government ramping up their collection agencies to come after people that are defaulting on their student loans. What do you need to know if your student loan is in forbearance? Rae also answers all your student loan questions.

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about her preferred workout routine, a new study that shows vegetables are the healthiest part of healthy diet, and an easy way to eat more vegetables. Dawn also answers all of your nutrition questions!

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, Brandon Pope, of WCIU, political pundit Marj Halperin, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! This week the Rascals debate the proposed legislation that aims to increase the age for seniors to retake driver’s test from 79 to 87. Where are the Rascals on this controversial topic? The inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump is on Monday. Michelle Obama won’t be attending. And Speaker Mike Johnson announced that American flags at the Capitol would be temporarily raised defying a presidential order put in place last month to mourn the death of former President Jimmy Carter. What do the Rascals make of these developments? Senate confirmation hearings continue in Washington D.C. this week. What did the Rascals take away from the hearings? Wildfires devastated the Los Angeles area and a controversy erupted over the use of private firefighters. What do the Rascals think of the use of private firefighters? And shouldn’t there be places in the U.S. where people shouldn’t be allowed to live? The Indiana General Assembly is considering legislation that would adjust the state’s borders to include Illinois counties that have voted to secede. Should Illinois counties be able to secede and join Indiana? And finally, what are the Rascals *not* recommending this week. Cate didn’t like ‘Wicked,’ Brandon trashes ‘Emilia Perez,’ Marj disliked ‘Nickel Boys,’ Eric didn’t enjoy the book, “Long Island Compromise,’ and John says take a pass on ‘Squid Game.’

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias joins John Williams to talk about the push to pass new bipartisan legislation that will increase the age at which drivers must take a behind-the wheel driving test from 79 to 87. Secretary Giannoulias also shares his thoughts on a Wall Street ratings agency downgrading Chicago’s credit rating, and his future political plans.

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 talk about a recent interview he did with Dr. Sunita Sah who talks about the power of ‘no.’ Kelly also talks about an interview he did with author Kurt Gray about how to find common ground with people during these divisive times. Kelly, once again, proves that he is the best storyteller in Chicago.

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