John Williams

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute, and political pundit Marj Halperin! The Rascals begin the podcast discussing U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL 8) announcing that he’ll be running for the senate seat being vacated by Dick Durbin. The Rascals break down the early stages of the race. The Rascals also talk about U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky making the decision to not seek reelection. What do the Rascals think of Kat Abughazaleh, the progressive social media star who already announced her intentions to replace Rep. Schakowsky. Former Illinois Governor George Ryan passed away last week. What should we remember about Ryan’s legacy? The Christopher Columbus statue in won’t be returning to Arrigo Park and will now be displayed in a new Chicago Museum of Italian Immigration on Taylor Street. Where are the Rascals on the latest Columbus controversy? President Trump continues to make news this week. There was the AI image of Trump as the Pope, the idea to reopen Alcatraz, tariffs on films made outside of the U.S, 2 dolls vs. 30 dolls, $1000 to self-deport, Canada at the 51st state, etc. Are these attractions or distractions?

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 that it isn’t too late to work on those patches in your lawn!

U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL 8) joins John Williams to talk about his decision to run for the senate seat that will be vacated by Senator Dick Durbin. Congressman Krishnamoorthi explains why he’s running, the importance of pushing back against President Trump and Elon Musk, his track record of standing up to bullies, and if he was surprised that Governor Pritzker already has supported Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton for Durbin’s seat.

Mortgage and real estate expert David Hochberg joins John Williams to talk about how he helped a listener who is going through a divorce refinance her home and take care of her family financially. David also explains how he’s helping a listener get out of credit card debt.

David hosts “Home Sweet Home Chicago” on Saturdays from 10am to 1pm on WGN Radio. You can call him at 855-56-David, or check out the Team Hochberg website.

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

Gordon Gill, Partner, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, joins John Williams to talk about the design and construction of Jeddah Tower, which, upon completion, will be the world’s tallest skyscraper.

Dr. Michael Bauer, Medical Director at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about the dangers of mixing alcohol and medications, a new study published in the Cancer Research journal suggests that early prostate cancer diagnoses can be made via a mere urine test, how artificial intelligence has been used in the hospital, the measles cases in Illinois, and if we will have new COVID vaccines this fall.

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about the amount that President Trump appears on television answering questions from the press, Trump’s meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the race to replace Senator Dick Durbin, if Governor Pritzker will run for president, and who will likely emerge as a candidate to replace Rep. Jan Schakowsky.

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

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 why now is a great time to check for and take care of cracks in your driveway or walkway. Lou also answers all of your home improvement questions.

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