The NYT political writers are up to their old tricks—scaring anxious liberal Boomers. Ben riffs. On the eve of his rally with Bernie Sanders, Robert Peters explains why he’s running for Congress from the Second District and what he intends to do if he wins. Why he’s proud to have co-sponsored the bill to end cash bail. On being Black and Jewish. And more. Robert is the state senator from in and around Hyde Park.

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As MAGA Republicans in the Texas statehouse threaten to jail their Democratic colleagues for opposing their newly gerrymandered map, Bill Daley calls for Illinois to essentially give more legislative districts to Republicans. Ben riffs. Monroe Anderson talks Daleys and Republicans. And Trump's demand that the Smithsonian concentrate on the good side of slavery. Whatever that is. Governor Newsom trolls Trump. Michelle Obama gets strategic regarding her infamous when-they-go-low quote. Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson ask Michelle Obama: "do we sill have to go high?" And more...

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Ben returns from Michigan with good news. Sorta. Mick Dumke, lover of all things Michigan, takes the Mitten State political trivia challenge--which counties voted for Kamala over Trump? Proving...as goes Michigan, so goes the country. Can Abdul El Sayed defeat Congresswoman Haley Stevens in next year's Democratic senate primary? Think of it as Bernie Sanders versus Hillary Clinton with Israel and Gaza sorta on the ballot. Back to Chicago--the legacy of Congressman Danny K. Davis, who's not running for re-election. And a few words about former Alderman Walter Burnett and the Chicago Housing Authority. Finally, Ben and Mick nerd out over a Bob Dylan interview from 1965--thank you Leo Herman for sending it to us. Mick is an editor and writer for Block Club.

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As soon as Trump drops bombs on Iran, the "no-war" wing of MAGA falls into line--just like we knew they would. Ben riffs. Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor returns! Talking about the Trump shit show--shoulda voted for Kamala, people. And America's fear and hatred of Black women. And why we never run out of money to bomb people, but call money spent on schools a waste. And how Mayor Johnson is doing a better job. And her opposition to snap curfews. Also--a shoutout to Jay Travis and a nice word about Alderman Hopkins. Welcome back, JT! Originally dropped June 26.

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A liberal friend complains about Epsteingate getting too much attention. Ben riffs. Flint Taylor tells the long, sordid story of the torture of Black prisoners by Jon Burge and his cronies on the police force. It’s a crime that was made possible because powerful people in a position to stop it, were looking the other way. Flint is the “lefty lawyer” who represented Jackie Wilson, who recently settle his police torture case against the city. Flint wrote The Torture Machine. Among the many cases he’s handled over the years was the lawsuit on behalf of Fred Hampton’s family.

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Thirty years ago, the institutions intended to protect Chicago's most vulnerable residents melted in the face of a brutal heatwave that killed over 700 people. Ben riffs. Eric Klinenberg, who wrote the book on what happened, talks about how the heatwave exposed inequities that plague Chicago to this day. How Mayor Daley tried to dismiss the deaths as relatively insignificant. How the media was too chicken to challenge Daley. How the city council fell in line with the Boss. How the powers that be looked the other way because the people who died were low-income. Eric's book, published in 2002, changed the narrative. It's called Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago. I urge you to read it. Eric is a sociology professor at New York University

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Baby Bobby pulls the plug on Covid vaccines—will Trump get a shot? Heidi Henry on the Democrats. They’re like the children of alcoholics, trying to please everybody. And what happens when Country-Club Dems take over the party. Heidi is the president of Illinois Valley Indivisible and host of the Heartland Mamas podcast.

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Woody Allen shows love for Jeffrey Epstein. Ben riffs. Jim Coogan talks about the degradation of justice and the Justice Department under Trump. Perhaps best epitomized by Todd Blanche, the number 2 lawyer in Justice and Trump’s former criminal defense lawyer, meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell in prison. Speaking of degradation, Trump gets Texas Republicans to do what Georgia Republicans refused—politicizing the system to win elections for MAGA. Jim is the managing partner of Coogan Gallagher.

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Ben and Dr. D slice and dice the news of the week. Including...Teddy D makes his move. That is, Ted Dabrowski says he may be running against Governor Pritzker as a Republican. He tells John Oliver (not really, John Oliver) all about it. Anyway--meet Teddy D. Gregory Pratt breaks another big story--leading Ben to rant and rail (I mean, passionately orate) about the inability of Mayor Johnson to stand up for what he needs. In his case--money for our deadbroke public schools. How deadbroke are they? Apparently, too broke to fix broken computers. Texas Dems come to Illinois to get away from Texas Republicans. And JB invites them to the state fair to meet the Butter Cow. That gives Ben a chance to rant and rail (I mean, calmly pontificate) about gerrymandering. JB breaks from the state fair to visit the Stephen Colbert Show. And Ben adds some salt to a new poll about the governor.

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Right-wing Hindus try to scare Jewish New Yorkers into voting for anyone other than Zohran Mamdani--another sign the world's gone mad. Ben riffs. Leor Galil dissects Lollapalooza. What does it say about Chicago that it happily turns over prime downtown lakefront park space to a mega-money-making machine. Same question regarding NASCAR. Speaking of money-making machines, a few words about how Spotify treats musicians. Leor is a music writer for the Reader.

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