The John Howell Show Podcast

A new bill introduced by IL State Rep. La Shawn Ford is taking aim at Chicago's street racing scene. There have been numerous reports of racing around the city's streets and highways causing traffic jams and sometimes shutting down entire roadways. IL State Rep. La Shawn Ford joins John Howell to discuss his bill and why street racing needs to stop.

*Mark Maxwell of WCIU in Springfield shares his report on the firing of the President of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois.

*ABC News Crime and Terrorism Analyst Brad Garrett tries to discern what Putin's endgame is in Ukraine.

*Gregory Pratt of the Chicago Tribune discusses how Chicago is considered a possible destination for the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

*Pat Garofalo at the American Economic Liberties Project details how his group is attempting to end secret deals between politicians and corporations.

*Plus, Jonathan Bernstein of Bloomberg takes a look at the popularity of Ketanji Brown Jackson vs. the Senators who questioned her.

Bruce Willis announced his retirement this week after being diagnosed with Aphasia. Aphasia affects a person's ability to express and understand written and spoken language. The actor is only 67 years old. Rush University Communication Disorders Professor Manaswita Dutta joins John Howell to explain the disorder and how it can affect someone.

Illinois Democrats are considering a bid for the 2024 Democratic National Convention. They are looking towards Chicago to be the host city. Chicago hasn't hosted the Convention since 1996. Chicago Tribune City Hall Reporter Gregory Pratt discusses the possibility with John Howell.

*Rob Karr of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association details a bill that has been proposed to help combat smash and grab robberies.

*Jerry Nowicki of Capitol News Illinois describes JB Pritzker's event to honor the Illinois State Police amidst rising crime in the state.

*Chicago Tribune Chief Political Analyst Rick Pearson tells John why we likely won't see Darren Bailey ads in the Chicago area.

*Stephen Moore stops by to discuss how people are flocking to Republican metropolitan areas in droves.

*Plus, Mark Konkol breaks down what led to a major increase in Michael Madigan's campaign funds, which will now be used in his legal defense.

Who has donated the most money to Michael Madigan? Well, it's Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. Mark Konkol from Patch.com joined Big John today to talk about the governor trying to distance himself from Madigan. https://patch.com/illinois/chicago/madigan-defends-himself-swollen-campaign-fund-thanks-gov

A new proposed bill could help crack down on the gangs of people going into stores and robbing the place. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Rob Carr, the president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, wrote an op-ed in the Chicago Sun-Times asking to pass the bill. Rob Carr joined Big John today to talk about why. https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/3/28/22999787/retail-theft-smash-grab-legislature-police-organized-crime-kwame-raoul-rob-karr-op-ed

*Ron Onesti shares his thoughts on the potential return of the Christopher Columbus statue in Grant Park.

*Dr. Amy Steigerwalt at Georgia State University attempts to quantify the amount of influence that Donald Trump holds in the upcoming Georgia elections.

*Steve Bernas of the BBB of Chicago & Northern IL details the scams that are on the rise surrounding cryptocurrency.

*Eric Boehm of Reason gives his take on the "slap heard round the world," saying that Chris Rock comes out looking like the winner.

*Plus, Paris Schultz, Host of "Chicago Tonight" breaks down how an Aurora company's donations to Richard Irvin has started to raise questions

According to one poll, more people support Will Smith over Chris Rock in the Oscars slap incident. Eric Boehm from Reason.com says that Will Smith supporters are wrong. He joined John Howell today to say why. https://reason.com/2022/03/28/be-like-chris-rock/

Since the Christopher Columbus was taken out of Grant Park, Ron Onesti, the President of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian-Americans, has been fighting to get it re-erected. Mayor Lightfoot says she expects the statue to return. Read the article here: https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2022/3/28/23000625/columbus-statue-grant-park-return-protest-police-injured-public-safety-plan-lightfoot-onesti-arrigo.