The John Howell Show Podcast

John Howell is joined by Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart and then Will County State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow. Rinehart discusses why the SAFE-T Act will make us safer and the pros in keeping violent offenders, unable to buy their way out. Glasgow brings to the table why he believes the SAFE-T Act is bad for Illinois and what is wrong with the new process. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

*13th District cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin calls for approval on a ballot that could add 3000 acres to the forest preserve.

*Judge Mike Noland responds to Comptroller Susana Mendoza referring to him as a "shameless grifter."

*John discusses the usage of federal disaster relief funds, including some audio from Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

*Brandis Freeman of Chicago Tonight on WTTW previews the upcoming four-part series "Permanent Punishment"

*Plus, National Political Reporter Salena Zito provides an update on the Pennsylvania Senate race amid John Fetterman's health issues.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Howell speaks with Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune Columnist and Chicago Journalism Hall-of-Famer. Kogan gives his thoughts on “Punch 9,” a new documentary about the life and career of Harold Washington. Howell and Kogan also speak about the impact of Washington on the city of Chicago. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Howell speaks with John Harris, Founding Editor of Politico. According to Harris’ latest column, the news has never been unbiased. Reporters have an obligation to be fair, truthful, and to deal in facts. That doesn’t mean things aren’t always neutral, Harris says, especially when it comes to questions of democracy. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

*Dionne Miller of ABC 7 previews the Bears upcoming trip to face the Giants and tries to figure out why Justin Fields is struggling.

*Professor Charles Lipson of the University of Chicago tells John how we can start restoring free speech on college campuses.

*Chicago Tribune Chief Political Analyst Rick Pearson discusses how Darren Baily referred to Chicago as an "unruly child."

*Brian Barnhart, play-by-play announcer for the Fighting Illini preps you for Saturday's game against the Wisconsin Badgers.

*Plus, Chris Baker shares why he was honored by the FBI for helping victims and ex-criminals at his tattoo shop, 180 Ink.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Howell speaks with Tom Weitzel, Retired Riverside Police Chief. Chief Weitzel joins the program to discuss his issues with the SAFE-T Act, what he believes it gets wrong, and how we could improve this legislation. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Howell is joined by Chicago Inspector General, Deborah Witzburg. The city hasn’t learned lessons from huge CPD misconduct payouts. Why is that? Witzburg discusses a study showing that the city is not collecting enough information about the lawsuits and so cannot learn from mistakes. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

*John hopes that one of his favorite Florida destinations is still standing, and Nick Gale has some fun sitting in for Kim.

*Senator Phil Gramm takes on the biggest questions facing the economy while previewing his new book "The Myth of American Inequality.

*ABC News Entertainment Correspondent Jason Nathanson breaks down Rolling Stone Magazine's top 100 TV shows of all time.

*Audio of Joe Biden from back when he was a Senator shows that the President was much tougher on crime than he is now.

*Plus, we officially welcome Jane Clauss to the WLS family and ask how she is handling the morning commute.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Howell speaks with Robert Reed, Contributor for Chicago Magazine. They discuss Reed’s latest piece on Illinois and its many government entities. Illinois has more than any other state and most are not of use to us - in particular, our large number of townships. Reed discusses why that is and why we have not yet bid them farewell. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Howell is joined by Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza. Former legislators who voted to reject raises have no right to claw them back now, says Mendoza, and the IL Supreme Court agrees. Mendoza goes on to say why she is disappointed in the politicians attempting to make these moves and why this is a victory for Illinois taxpayers. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.