John Williams

Scott G. Shea, leading music historian and author of the best-selling book “All the Leaves Are Brown: How the Mamas and Papas Came Together and Broke Apart,” joins John Williams to talk about the complicated relationship Van Morrison had with his hit song “Brown-Eyed Girl.”

Chris Collins, head basketball coach at Northwestern, joins John Williams and Dave Eanet to talk about reaching an agreement to remain the head coach through 2030. Coach says he is excited to build something special in Evanston and keep pushing the program forward. Who is coach rooting for in this weekend’s Final Four (You probably know)?

NewsNation Now anchor Connell McShane joins John Williams to talk about President Trump’s tariff announcement earlier this week and how the market and economy is reacting.

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

Michael Miller, Economics Professor, Western Washington University and Professor Emeritus at DePaul University, joins John Williams to talk about President Trump’s tariff proposal that he announced yesterday. Does Michael believe these tariffs will help or hurt the economy?

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about the importance of a balanced diet, why she sometimes likes a ‘no lettuce’ salad, her thoughts on chia seeds, and what you should know about seed oils and beef tallow. Dawn also answers all of your health and nutrition questions.

It’s time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some vacation ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, John is joined by Tricia Menke, Events and Outreach Coordinator at the Illinois Railway Museum! Tricia tells John what we should know about the museum, their mission to educate people about trains and railroad history, how they are a ‘museum in motion,’ the annual Bunny Trolley Hop, how you can acquire tickets, and some of the other big events they have planned for the year.

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, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute (sign up for his new Substack!), and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! The Rascals start off the podcast discussing yesterday’s election results. What were the big takeaways from the results in Wisconsin and Florida? President Trump earlier this week said he is open to serving a third term. Is this just another distraction? The White House Correspondents’ Association cancelled plans to feature comedian Amber Ruffin at its annual dinner. Was this a capitulation to the Trump administration? The CTU and CPS have reached a tentative deal on a new contract. Is this a big win for CTU? Mayor Johnson announced he’s picking Anthony Joel Quezada to fill the 35th Ward aldermanic vacancy. Why does Austin have an issue with the mayor handpicking a member of the City Council. President Trump announced new tariffs this afternoon. Do the Rascals believe this will help or hurt the economy? The Rascals close the podcast today with “The Big Beef!” What has been bothering the Rascals recently?

Joe Khalil, NewsNation’s Washington, D.C. correspondent, joins John Williams to tell us the big takeaways from the elections across the country yesterday.