The John Howell Show Podcast

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, world leaders imposed sanctions and began seizing the assets of top Russian officials and oligarchs. These actions highlighted the sketchy practices that go into asset forfeiture and now, some experts believe Americans' property could suffer a similar fate in the future. Reason.com Contributing Editor J. D. Tucille joins John to share his thoughts.

*Neil Steinberg of the Chicago Sun-Times brings up the heckler's veto while discussing whether the Columbus statues are a free speech issue.

*Former CIA agent Douglas London tells John the understanding Vladimir Putin's true motives is essential to keeping him under control.

*Political Analyst and former federal and state prosecutor Pat Brady gives his take on Danny Solis being charged with bribery.

*Greg Hinz of Crain's Chicago points out how politicians are conveniently finding extra money to spread around right before election season.

*Plus, John Dempsey recaps the Masters and Stephen Moore breaks down how every state did in facing the Covid pandemic.

Elected officials are finding different ways to put more money in the pockets of Illinoisans. The General Assembly removed a gas tax this week but got into arguments over whether or not they should put stickers on the pumps notifying gas payers the tax was lowered. Crain's Chicago Columnist Greg Hinz thinks it's just a little too convenient with election season right around the corner. He joins John to discuss.

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine rages on, many wonder what Putin's next move will be. He has a history of being an unpredictable risk taker but is calculated in his moves. Many signs suggest Russia will increase they're attack on Ukraine in the coming weeks making the fighting heavier than it has been so far. Former CIA Agent Douglas London joins John Howell to discuss.

*Mark Maxwell at WCIA in Springfield presents how more texts and emails from Anna Valencia have surfaced that could be problematic for her.

*Mitchell Armentrout of the Chicago Sun-Times recaps the three community casino proposal meetings.

*Emmy winning television analyst Jeff Greenfield tells John that the midterms MIGHT not be a blowout.

*Chris Placek of The Daily Herald details how Lori Lightfoot remains hopeful about the Bears staying in Chicago.

*Plus, Senior Data Reporter Harry Enten breaks down the numbers to show how baseball is no longer America's game.

The Chicago Bears are planning a move to Arlington Heights but Mayor Lightfoot plans to change their mind. She recently mentioned in an interview "I'm confident that we can and will make a very compelling economic case for the Bears to stay in Chicago". Daily Herald Staff Writer Chris Placek shares his thoughts with John Howell.

The City Clerk of Chicago Anna Valencia is under scrutiny for recently leaked emails regarding several city development's that benefited her lobbyist husband. She's being accused of promoting the projects while knowing it would help her husband. The couple has denied any wrong doing but WCIA Capitol Bureau Chief Mark Maxwell decided to dig deeper. He joins John Howell to discuss.

*ABC News Crime & Terrorism Expert Brad Garrett tells John how Vladimir Putin could be facing a different outcome than expected in Ukraine.

*Mary Ann Ahern of NBC 5 takes a look at the outlook of the Chicago mayoral race now that Ray Lopez is in the mix.

*Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart discusses his effort to get auto-manufacturers involved in curbing carjacking.

*IL House Deputy Majority Leader Jehan Gordon Booth describes her party's anti-crime efforts.

*Plus, Judy Pielach celebrates National Beer Day with John and PAWS Chicago's Susanna Homan details their Adopt-A-Thon that kicks off on Friday.

Defendants on home confinement awaiting trial are granted 2 days to roam around without monitoring under Governor Pritzker's SAFE-T Act. Those two days are supposed to be spent looking for a job or going to school but some of the defendants have been reportedly getting into trouble. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart joins John Howell to discuss.

*Alby Gallun of Crain's Chicago Business details how the owner of Water Tower Place is moving on from the property.

*Tim O'Brien of Bloomberg shares how Elon Musk's investment into Twitter could actually be bad news for free speech.

*Josh Zeitz at Politco Magazine tells John that despite what people may think, the Supreme Court has never been apolitical.

*WTTW's Paris Schutz describes how the hits just keep on coming for Mayor Richard Irvin.

*Plus, Mike Emanuel stops by for his weekly hit, and Andrea Darlas previews her new podcast debuting on WLS.