John Williams

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack, long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972, and multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope’s Screening Room. This week, the Rascals begin the podcast talking about President Trump’s speech at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. What do the Rascals think of Trump’s performance? The Rascals also discuss Dr. Anthony Fauci’s testimony before a Senate committee investigating the origins of Covid-19. What were the Rascals main takeaways from the hearing? Rahm Emanuel gave a lengthy interview interview with Politico this week as he continues to ramp up his profile ahead of the 2028 presidential election. Do the Rascals think that Rahm is a legitimate candidate for president? And I know it’s early, but who do the Rascals think will be the Democratic candidate for president in 2028? And what about JB Pritzker? Speaking of Governor Pritzker, this week he signed a “bell-to-bell” school cellphone ban into Illinois law. Do the Rascals like the law? Next, Austin breaks down his recent Substack entry, ‘How Chicago stops voters from deciding what matters.’ Also making news in Chicago this week, is the sudden closing of grocery stores on the South and West sides. Do the Rascals think city-owned grocery stores are a good idea? Finally, it’s time for red light, yellow light, green light. What are the Rascals recommending (or not recommending) this week?

Attorney Rich Lenkov, Capital Member, Downey & Lenkov, and co-host of “Legal Face-Off” on wgnradio.com, joins John Williams to talk about a number of legal issues in the news including Illinois banning cell phones in public schools, Dr. Fauci’s testimony before a Senate committee investigating the origins of Covid-19, and Tony Romo’s being arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

From July 2007: John Williams talks with Irish musician Glen Hansard. Hansard died today at age 56.

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

Gabriela & Claudia Siemionkowicz join John Williams to talk about their effort to get their mom back home after she was detained by ICE and is now in prison in Kentucky. If you want to help Gabriela and Claudia, you can donate to the Go Fund Me here.

Dr. Michael Lou, hospital medicine at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital, joins John to give us an update on the cyclospora outbreak. Dr. Lou tells John about how its spread, how long it takes before you notice symptoms, why it’s difficult to trace, how cyclospora is typically treated, and what you can do to protect yourself from the infection.

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

Stephen Woldenberg, SVP of Sales for Learning Resources Brands, joins John to talk about how the company filed a lawsuit on Friday over Trump’s new tariffs.

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Lou tells John how to get rid of fog on your windows, and how long you need to water your small to medium sized bushes and trees. Lou also answers all of your home improvement questions.

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

Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group, and host of “The Alpha Wealth Hour” on WGN Radio, joins John to talk about the difference between income and assets, what you should know about annuities, what’s driving the market this lately, if he’s concerned about the imposing new tariffs on Canada, and if he’s still optimistic about 2026.

TUNE IN to WGN Radio and listen to The Alpha Wealth Hour on Sundays at 7 AM. Catch up on previous episodes on WGNRadio.com, and subscribe to it on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!