The Ben Joravsky Show

Ben gets a pitch from Polymatkey. Uh-oh! Charles Henderson returns from a trip to Michigan with good news. After going door-to-door, meeting and greeting voters in Benton Harbor, he believes Black voters are coming out strong for El-Sayed. Also, Haley Stevens flip flops. Whatever happened to vote Blue no matter who? And Charles has a question for Ben—will he play Alderman Bernie Stone in the Harold WashIngton biopic? Charles is an Army veteran, peace activist, and writer.

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Trump gets mad at Alina cause—why? What she did was unethical or cause she didn’t cut him a piece of the unethical pie? Ben riffs. Steve Krafft returns! With midterm predictions, updates on ‘zona politics, low-information voters and more. Steve was a TV reporter covering politics in Arizona for years. He and Ben have been friends since 1967. Go, Nichols Jr High!

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Alaska’s very own Sullivangate reminds one listener of the time Libertarians in Illinois considered nominating a man named Jesse White to run for Secretary of State. Ben riffs. Sheerine Alemzadeh talks about rape culture in politics and on campus—Ohio, Cornell, Maine and the White House. Sheerine is co-founder and co-director of Healing in Action and author of a new book, Survivor Genius. Her views are her own. 

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Anti-Johnson aldermen want to “chip away” at a $36b pension obligation with $75m—only in Chicago. Ben riffs. Mueze Bawany returns! Talking politics—Michigan, Ohio and Chicago’s school board. Also, a few words about the Bears & the Bulls. Hey, lefties, remember this name—Caleb Wilson. Mueze is a football coach, teacher, activist, and socialist, though not necessarily in that order.

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Trump’s Justice Department sues to overturn Alaska’s senate election, but only if the Democrat wins. Say what? Ben riffs. With less than two week’s before the election, David Faris explains who will win and why. A few words about MAGA’s gutter-racist campaign against El-Sayed and Ramaswamy’s I’m-with-the-rapist commercial in Ohio. And what’s going on in Montana? David is a political science professor at Roosevelt University and a columnist for The Nation. His views are his own. 

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Ben & Dr D explore Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Chicago’s own City Hall. The midterms broken down. And a lesson in how a mayor crafts a budget during a reelection campaign, knowing the aldermen will never pass it cause they want him to look bad.

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Vance and Ramaswamy take the side of the indicted child molester in Ohio. Ben riffs. Jim Coogan talks about Trump’s version of “Justice.” Including…his lawsuit against the BBC. His pay to play with pardons. And concealing select parts of the Epstein Files. Give ‘em hell, Katie Phang. Jim is managing partner of Coogan Gallagher.

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The greatest mathematicians in America confront their fears that AI is rendering them obsolete. Ben riffs. Mark Wallace returns to talk the midterms, undoing Trump’s damage and why he thinks Stephen A Smith is a moron. Also, a few words about the mayoral election. Mark hosts The People’s Show, a podcast based in Chicago. 

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Former Alderwoman Helen Shiller brings on the legendary Jacky Grimshaw to teach a couple of youngsters a history lesson or two about Mayor Harold Washington. So they will understand why he’s the GOAT. Ok, so one of the youngsters is Ben. Who hasn’t been a youngster since Harold was mayor. And the other is Brendan Shiller, poker player and criminal defense lawyer. Jacky Grimshaw is a political strategist who helped devise the tactics that resulted in Washington’s triumphs. Helen’s latest book is Daring to Struggle, Daring to Win. Originally dropped February 6, 2024.

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After 9 years as Host, Ken Davis announced that he is ending his Chicago Newsroom on CAN TV. Join us as we look back at the highlights with the man himself. It's our dear friend Kenny D. Originally ran May, 2019.

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