Martin O’Malley, Commissioner, Social Security Administration, and former Maryland Governor, joins John Williams and Terry Savage to talk about where we are on Social Security clawbacks, what to know if you were a public sector employee, how Social Security is not going broke, if we should raise the age when people are eligible for social security benefits, and what they are doing to increase productivity.

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, political pundit Marj Halperin and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! This week, the Rascals start the podcast discussing the ongoing rift between CPS and the CTU. Why does Mayor Johnson want CPS CEO Pedro Martinez to resign? Why is Martinez refusing to resign? Is Martinez doing a good job? The Rascals break it all down. Both O’Hare and Midway airports rank near the bottom in a new survey of travelers. What do the Rascals think of our airports? Austin says don’t sleep on the Rick Bayless restaurant at O’Hare while Cate highlights the charms of Midway. The White Sox continue their march to becoming the worst team in MLB history. And Eric has been at the forefront of following the journey towards record breaking futility. And what’s the latest on the possibility of a new stadium for the Sox? And finally, Marj wrote an Op-ed in the Sun-Times about the lies Donald Trump and JD Vance continue to spread about Haitian immigrants. Eric cannot understand why anyone could support the current GOP ticket.

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. Even though we received a lot of rain recently, Bob urges everyone to keep watering.

Elder law attorney Kerry Peck joins John Williams to answer all your questions about elder law, trusts, estate plans, wills, and elder abuse. Kerry discusses the battle between Rupert Murdoch’s children over his media empire, why he doesn’t recommend irrevocable trusts, and what you should know about estate plans. If you have a question or concern, visit peckritchey.com or call 312.201.0900.

Sam Anderson, staff writer, New York Times Magazine, joins John Williams to talk about watching the White Sox as they close in on the MLB record for losses in a season. Sam describes being at the game last night, how Sox fans were reacting to the action on the field, what drew him to the story of following this spectacularly bad team, and how fans are feeling about Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf.

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

The EPA has stated that 90% of American homes have inadequate insulation. That’s a big number!

Here to talk with John Williams about how to find out if you’re in the lucky 10%, and how to get properly insulated, is Roy Spencer, President of Perma-Seal. Visit PermaSeal.net or call 800-421-SEAL to schedule an attic insulation inspection.

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about the White Sox closing in on becoming the worst team in MLB history, the latest on the future of CPS CEO Pedro Martinez and the negotiations between CTU and CPS, and Mayor Johnson ending the contract with gunshot detection technology ShotSpotter. Also, you can now get your tickets to “Songs of Good Cheer!”

Best-selling author Erik Larson joins John Williams to discuss his latest book, “The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War.” Erik talks about why he chose “The Demon of Unrest” as the title for the book, why he decided to write about the Civil War, if he believes a Civil War was inevitable, how the Civil War was all about slavery, the power of the pro-slavery movement in the south, why Fort Sumter was so pivotal, and why this story is still relevant today. Erik will be in conversation as part of the Chicago Humanities Festival on Saturday, October 5th at UIC Dorin Forum. Find more information about that event here.

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about people getting sick after going on a trip, former NFL player Brett Favre announcing that he has Parkinson’s Disease, and the FDA approving the first at-home nasal spray flu vaccine for use beginning next year. And as always, Dr. Kopin answers all of your medical questions.