The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Brandon Pope, of WCIU, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute (sign up for his new Substack!), and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! The Rascals start off the podcast discussing yesterday’s election results. What were the big takeaways from the results in Wisconsin and Florida? President Trump earlier this week said he is open to serving a third term. Is this just another distraction? The White House Correspondents’ Association cancelled plans to feature comedian Amber Ruffin at its annual dinner. Was this a capitulation to the Trump administration? The CTU and CPS have reached a tentative deal on a new contract. Is this a big win for CTU? Mayor Johnson announced he’s picking Anthony Joel Quezada to fill the 35th Ward aldermanic vacancy. Why does Austin have an issue with the mayor handpicking a member of the City Council. President Trump announced new tariffs this afternoon. Do the Rascals believe this will help or hurt the economy? The Rascals close the podcast today with “The Big Beef!” What has been bothering the Rascals recently?

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute (sign up for his new Substack!), longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys, and political pundit Marj Halperin! This week the Rascals start the podcast discussing The Atlantic publishing the contents of a Signal group chat of Trump administration officials messaging about military operations. What was the biggest takeaway from the story? And do the Rascals believe the story has legs? This week, the Sun-Times announced they will discontinue running editorials. Do editorials matter anymore? And how will the buyouts at the Sun-Times impact local news. This week, a symposium was held on the push for a Chicago charter. Austin explains why a city charter is needed. President Trump signed an executive order that would require prospective voters to show proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote. Is this just a distraction or does it merit concern?

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Jon Hansen of WGN Radio and Block Club Chicago, and political pundit Marj Halperin! This week, the Rascals start the podcast by congratulating new dad Jon Hansen! Next, the Rascals discuss the first few months of the Trump administration. What are the biggest takeaways? And what do the Rascals make of the Democratic response to how the GOP is running the country. Attacks on Tesla cars and dealerships are rising as people protest Elon Musk and DOGE. Do the Rascals believe this is a good way to protest Musk’s involvement in government. Also this week, Chief Justice Roberts rebuked President Trump’s attack on a judge and Steve Bannon suggested on NewsNation that Trump would run again in 2028. Are these stories that need to be taken seriously? Many Democrats are mad at Sen. Chuck Schumer over his leadership and support of the GOP-led funding bill. Do the Rascals think Schumer made the correct call? Many fine journalists at the Sun-Times have accepted buyouts including Richard Roeper, Mark Potash, Rick Morrissey, and Rick Telander. The Rascals wonder if the paper will survive. And finally, it’s time for Red Light. Yellow Light. Green Light! What are the Rascals recommending or not recommending?

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys, and political pundit Marj Halperin! The Rascals start this week’s podcast by sharing what they remember about the start of the COVID pandemic back in March of 2020. Woah, and all of sudden we are debating vaccine efficacy. A recent shooting in Streeterville has revived the debate over the curfew in Chicago. Do the Rascals believe the curfew downtown should be 8pm? And should people feel safe when they come downtown? The Chicago City Council voted 19-26 on to reject a push to ban the sale of newly created furs within city limits. How would the Rascals have voted on this issue? What’s the latest on Canada becoming the 51st state, and the ongoing tariff drama? And are the Democrats doing enough to push back on the current administration? Marj says no, they aren’t. And finally, it’s time for ‘Red Light, Yellow Light, Green Light.” What are the Rascals recommending (or not recommending) this week?

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute (sign up for his new Substack!), Brandon Pope, of WCIU, and political pundit Marj Halperin! The Rascals being this week’s show talking about the House hearing with the mayors of New York, Boston, Denver, and Chicago about their ‘sanctuary city’ status. What did the Rascals takeaway from the hearing? It’s been a rough week for the markets because of uncertainty over tariffs. Is this just going to be a bump in the road or are we in for a rough economic ride? And do the Rascals believe President Trump is aiming for a third term? President Trump addressed the nation last night. What did the Rascals make of the address? Do the Rascals think the Democrats acted appropriately during the address? Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is making the rounds again. What is his next move politically? Will he run for mayor again? Governor? Or will he go for Senator Durbin’s senate seat? The Rascals break it down. And finally, what are the Rascals recommending (or not recommending, Brandon!) this week?

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute, political pundit Marj Halperin, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! This week, the Rascals start the podcast discussing the results of the election in Dolton where controversial Mayor Tiffany Henyard lost her reelection bid. Speaking of unpopular, the Rascals discuss Mayor Brandon Johnson’s dismal approval numbers. Eric even wonders if Johnson will run again. Today, a plan to borrow $830 million to finance infrastructure improvements was approved by the Chicago City Council. Austin gets us up to speed on what we need to know. State Senator Linda Holmes wants Illinois to allow medical aid in dying for terminally ill patients. Where are the Rascals on this issue? Governor JB Pritzker made the case in his budget address for banning cell phones in Illinois public schools. Do the Rascals support this idea? Jeff Bezos, the owner of the Washington Post, announced a change to the opinion section. Was this a mistake by Bezos?

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Brandon Pope, of WCIU, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! This week, the Rascals kick off the podcast talking about President Trump blaming Ukraine for the war with Russia. What do the Rascals make of Trump’s statements? Today, Governor Pritzker delivered his 2025 State of the State and budget address while also slamming the Trump administration’s similarities to Nazi Germany. What were the biggest takeaways from JB’s speech? A state representative wants to create a Illinois Department of Government Efficiency. Do the Rascals believe Illinois needs a DOGE? Also, I may have been dreaming, but I think I heard Brandon say Stephen A. Smith would be a great presidential candidate. Let’s get to some local stories. Mayor Johnson’s $830M borrowing plan for infrastructure projects was delayed today at the City Council. What are the Rascals thoughts on Johnson’s plan? And finally, it’s time for some Red Light. Yellow Light. Green Light. What are the Rascals recommending, sort of recommending, or not recommending this week?

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Brandon Pope, of WCIU, political pundit Marj Halperin, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys. Woah, a lot of news already this week! The Rascals kick things off discussing the most important story of the week: The controversy surrounding the Super Bowl halftime show! Next, the Rascals break down the Mike Madigan verdict. What were the major takeaways from the trial and today’s verdict. Also this week, President Trump pardoned disgraced former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. What do the Rascals think of the pardon? The Chicago City Council delayed voting on the $1.25 million settlement that was to be given to Dexter Reed’s family, who was shot by police in March of 2024. Also this week, the DuPage County Board voted to remove former US Rep. Henry Hyde’s name from a courthouse. Do the Rascals believe Hyde’s name should have been removed? Speaking of name changes, a reporter from the AP was banned from the White House because AP has not adopted Gulf of America. And what did the Rascals make of the video that JB Pritzker released last week announcing Lake Illinois.

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Brandon Pope, of WCIU, political pundit Marj Halperin, and Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute. The Rascals kick off the podcast talking about the biggest national political stories of the week including President Trump blaming DEI for the D.C. plane crash, Elon Muck’s DOGE taking control of the federal payment database, and having access to the Treasury, the Department of Justice looking into FBI agents who worked on Jan. 6 cases. The Rascals unpack all the stories and take a deep dive into the DEI debate. This week, things got heated at a city council meeting over a controversial public art display at the Chicago Cultural Center. What to do the Rascals make of what happened at city council yesterday between Alder Conway and Alder Sigcho-Lopez? A new poll done by the Illinois Policy Institute and M3 Strategies shows Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s approval rating down to 14%. Austin breaks down the numbers. And what is the latest on the Bring Chicago Home initiative and Mayor Johnson’s plan for a Bears stadium downtown. And the possible trade war has even spread to sports as some fans have been booing the national anthem in response to tariffs on Canada. What will happen when Edmonton comes to Chicago to play the Hawks? Will the fans boo the Canadian anthem?

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Brandon Pope, of WCIU, longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys, and Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute. This week, the Rascals start the podcast discussing the confusion over the Trump administration’s federal funding freeze. What were the big takeaways from the chaos that ensued this week? ICE agents came to Chicago over the weekend to search for immigrants with criminal histories. Austin explains the collateral damage that comes with such raids. Where are the rest of the Rascals on what happened? Also, why was Dr. Phil hanging around? The Rascals also comment on the news that the White House will expand access to press briefings. Is expanding access to new media a good idea? The jury has begun deliberations in former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s corruption trial. Do the Rascals believe Madigan will be found guilty of the charges? And what are the Rascals recommending this week? Cate and Brandon want you to watch some new TV, while John and Austin highlight a couple of books they have been enjoying.