John Williams

Kimberly Hansen, Collections Manager of Flowering Plants, The Field Museum, joins John Williams to talk about her work at the Field Museum, the now famous poison pong-pong tree plant that was featured in ‘The White Lotus,’ the number of poisonous plant species in the U.S., what we should know about the plant used in ‘The White Lotus,’ and some of the other poison plants that you can see at The Field Museum.

NewsNation Now anchor Connell McShane joins John Williams to talk about the tragic helicopter crash in New York City yesterday afternoon and why President Trump put a pause on his tariff proposal.

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

Pastor Corey Brooks, Founder and Senior Pastor at New Beginnings Church of Chicago and the Founder and CEO of Project H.O.O.D, joins John Williams to talk about being asked to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange Friday morning!

It’s time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some road trip ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your! Today, we take a drive up north to beautiful Mirror Lake and visit with Bob Prosser, owner of Ishnala Supper Club! Bob talks about opening for their 72nd season, what’s new on the menu this year, how great their staff is, how the restaurant has evolved through the years, and the pride they feel in becoming such a Midwest institution!

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about why we shouldn’t pay attention to what the scale says because it tells you nothing about health. What are the metrics we need to be paying attention to? Dawn also tells John about foods that will help you sleep better and answers all of your health and 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, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! The small but mighty group of Rascals start off the podcast talking about the markets and economy as the tariff wars run amok this week. Do the Rascals believe President Trump caved on his trade policy? Eric wonders why more Republicans haven’t stood up to the administration. Next, the Rascals discuss the big #HandsOff rallies that took place last weekend. Do the Rascals believe these demonstrations will move the needle? The Illinois House voted 114-0 to approve a bill that would raise the age of annual mandatory road tests from 75 to 87. Do the Rascals support this legislation? And finally, with people still talking about The White Lotus finale, the Rascals debate how long you have to wait before talking about spoilers.

Mick Mulvaney, NewsNation political and economics contributor and former acting White House chief of staff for the Trump administration, joins John Williams to talk about President Trump’s tariff plans, why he believes President Trump should fire trade advisor Peter Navarro, if he expects some of these trade deals to work out, and why the administration needs to put a win on the board right now.

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 says we didn’t get much snow this winter, so don’t be afraid to water your evergreens. It’s also okay to start mowing! Also, what is the optimum cutting length?