John Williams

Attorney Rae Kaplan of Kaplan Law Firm joins John Williams to talk about a US appeals court blocking the Biden-era student debt relief plan. What does this all mean for you? Rae has the answers.

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about the 8 habits of successful exercisers. Dawn also tells John what you should know about prebiotics and probiotics, 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, Brandon Pope, of WCIU, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! This week, the Rascals kick off the podcast talking about President Trump blaming Ukraine for the war with Russia. What do the Rascals make of Trump’s statements? Today, Governor Pritzker delivered his 2025 State of the State and budget address while also slamming the Trump administration’s similarities to Nazi Germany. What were the biggest takeaways from JB’s speech? A state representative wants to create a Illinois Department of Government Efficiency. Do the Rascals believe Illinois needs a DOGE? Also, I may have been dreaming, but I think I heard Brandon say Stephen A. Smith would be a great presidential candidate. Let’s get to some local stories. Mayor Johnson’s $830M borrowing plan for infrastructure projects was delayed today at the City Council. What are the Rascals thoughts on Johnson’s plan? And finally, it’s time for some Red Light. Yellow Light. Green Light. What are the Rascals recommending, sort of recommending, or not recommending this week?

Indiana State Representative Ragen Hatcher (D-Gary) joins John Williams to talk about the effort by the Indiana legislature to welcome Illinois counties to their state. Rep. Hatcher wonders if the counties in Indiana that more align with Illinois would be able to join Illinois.

Illinois State Representative John Cabello (R-Machesney Park) joins John Williams to talk about his bill that would create an Illinois Department of Government Efficiency. Rep. Cabello explains why this is a need and how government needs to save money for the taxpayers.

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

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about his recent food preference survey, and an ominous social media post made by President Trump over the weekend. How seriously should we take these social media posts?

Here’s the recipe for Eric Zorn’s go-to recipe for the Best Baked Mac ‘N Cheese which was shared with him by longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys who got it from a friend:

Cook and drain 1 lb. elbow macaroni. Set aside. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter on low heat; add 1/4 c. flour and stir one minute to make a roux. Gradually whisk in 1 c. whipping cream and 2 c. whole milk. Increase heat a bit to bring to a simmer and cook until thick – approximately three minutes. Reduce heat back to low and add cheese. If you’re using blue cheese, reserve one cup of it for a topping at the end. You’ll want 3 c. or 1.5-lb. of grated smoked or cheddar cheese and/or 1.5 c. or 3/4 lb. of blue cheese. Whisk the mixture for about two minutes to melt the cheese. Add salt and pepper, then pasta. Stir to coat. Pour into a buttered 13′ x 9′ baking dish. If you’ve reserved some cheese for topping, use it now to sprinkle over the top along with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Robert Mark, business jet pilot, former Chicago-area air traffic controller, and publisher of Jetwhine.com, joins John Williams to talk about yesterday’s airline crash in Toronto. Robert explains what he thinks happened to the plane, the impact the wind may have had on the accident, his experience being an air traffic controller, the amount air traffic controllers are currently working, if AI could be implemented for air traffic, his thoughts on the Trump administration making cuts to federal agencies and why he thinks it’s a recipe for disaster.

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about the benefits of walking barefoot in the house, the importance of balance as we get older, how concerned we need to be about bird flu, the amount of influenza A and B they are seeing at the hospital, what we can do to avoid getting the virus, and why measles is an increasing problem in the country right now.