Miles Kamp-Lassin covers it all. The oligarchy of Musk. The kakistocracy of Trump. And the gerontocracy in the Democratic Party who launched a counter attack against Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, apparently cause she has the audacity to want to win future elections and use government to help ordinary people. The Democrats seem determined to keep making the same old mistakes. Miles is an editor/writer for In These Times.

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David Faris tells you everything you need to know about last week's congressional budget debacle--a spectacle of madness starring Elon Musk as the president and Donald Trump as Musk's loyal sidekick. Trump has the constitutional authority but Musk has the megaphone. Listen and learn about continuing resolutions, debt ceilings, and budget hawks. Also, a few words about lawsuits and self censorship. David is a professor of political science at Roosevelt University and a columnist for Slate and Newsweek. His views are his own.

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It turns out MAGA doesn’t want to deport all immigrants. Or build a wall to keep all immigrants out. Oh, no, it turns out that President Musk and his sidekick Donny like “smart” immigrants. Cause they think Americans—especially the ones who voted for them—are too dumb to be workers in the Tech Bro universe. You were duped again, MAGA voters. Rummana Hussain tries to make sense of it all. Rummana is an editorial writer and columnist for the Sun-Times. Her views are her own.

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Christmas was a day of peace—well, that’s over. Ben riffs. Antonio Correa returns to talk immigration, illogical voters, the Hispanic vote and Luigi Mangione. Bill Burr joins show. Sorta. As does Trump, the grifter. And a dairy farmer in South Dakota. Antonio reveals his back-of-the-class theory. Ben says—dang, wish I’d thought of that. Antonio is a digital strategist for Heartland Signal, a Marine and a local radio legend.

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Ben hits the old interwebs to offer listeners a quick message of peace and love this Christmas! It's been a tumultuous year in Chicago, America and around the world. And Ben offers his three wishes for the future.

The full show returns on Thursday, with special guest; Senior Digital Strategist at Heartland Signal, and Chicago radio veteran, Antonio Correa.

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Corporate Chicago hates unionized teachers so much that they fell in love with Pedro Martinez. And they’ll stay in love with him as long as he’s a useful tool to bash the union. Ben riffs. Monroe wonders why the mainstreams weren’t this upset at mayoral power plays when Daley sold the parking meters. Or Rahm gave billions in property tax dollars to developers. Trump fires up MAGA over the Panama Canal, Mount McKinley and Greenland. And more…

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Thom Clark is one of the few who has been around long enough to distinguish reformers from deformers. And so he contemplates the current state of the city council, filled with aldermen and women who swear up and down they're looking out for the taxpayers. Don't laugh, listeners--you elected them. Also, a few words about standing up to Trump. Thom Clark is, among other things, a writer, editor, photographer, organizer and teacher of wannabe journalists and activists who want to win coverage from journalists.

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The Sun-Times fantasizes about the awesome wonderfulness of Mayor Rahm—a thing that never existed. Ben riffs. Denali turns Ben’s attention to health care in the age of Trump. MAGA wants agency over their care. Meaning they want the freedom to take any old horse pill that any old grifter promotes. But they don’t care if they have the agency to pay for their medical bills. How is this populism? And what’s the point of voting Democratic if they run from tough fights? Denali explains it all and then fools Ben with a quote from the past. No 90s nostalgia here. Denali is political philosopher and strategist and great thinker.

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Trump says there's little he can do about the price of groceries after all. Ben riffs. Delmarie Cobb says she told you so about American voters being incapable of electing a Black woman as president. Or any woman for that matter. And that the first woman elected president will be one of the MAGA persuasion. Ben challenges Delmarie to find eight Black women who voted for Trump. Good luck, Delmarie. Delmarie weighs in on Mayor Rahm as chair of the Democratic Party. She'll fight it ever step of the way. Also a few words about the mainstreams and their Mayor Johnson narrative. Delmarie is a political strategist.

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Elon Musk uses X to pull the plug on funding the government. Ben riffs. Scott Waguespack riffs on the riff, reminding Ben about Musk’s bromance with Mayor Rahm. Bullet train to O’Hare. Then Scott tells the tale of the fast one Mayor Johnson pulled with a zoning proposal in Lincoln Park. Looks like Mayor Johnson learned a thing or two from Mayors Daley and Rahm. They wrap it up with some TIF and tax talk, like the tax geeks they are. Scott is the alderman of the 32nd ward.

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