The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, political pundit Marj Halperin, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! This week, the Rascals start the podcast talking about their favorite story, meme, etc. about Pope Leo XIV. Are we pope’d out yet? As usual, plenty of news about the Trump administration this week. The gift of the plane from Qatar, the attempt to assert control of the Library of Congress, Trump meme coin. What’s an attraction and what’s a distraction? Former Chicago resident Ken Griffin said he will loan his copies of the Constitution and Bill of Rights to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. John wonders if the current Constitution as written is still a relevant document. CNN’s Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson from Axios are making news this week as excerpts from their book about President Biden’s decline are starting to come out. What do the Rascals make of these stories about Biden’s competency and behavior? And will we eventually hear similar stories about Donald Trump when his term is over? In a couple of interviews this week, Mayor Brandon Johnson is still denying he fired Dr. Allison Arwady despite evidence to the contrary. Why is Johnson still saying Dr. Arwady quit? And now that Johnson is two years in, what are the major takeaways from his term so far. 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, and political pundit Marj Halperin! The Rascals begin the podcast discussing U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL 8) announcing that he’ll be running for the senate seat being vacated by Dick Durbin. The Rascals break down the early stages of the race. The Rascals also talk about U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky making the decision to not seek reelection. What do the Rascals think of Kat Abughazaleh, the progressive social media star who already announced her intentions to replace Rep. Schakowsky. Former Illinois Governor George Ryan passed away last week. What should we remember about Ryan’s legacy? The Christopher Columbus statue in won’t be returning to Arrigo Park and will now be displayed in a new Chicago Museum of Italian Immigration on Taylor Street. Where are the Rascals on the latest Columbus controversy? President Trump continues to make news this week. There was the AI image of Trump as the Pope, the idea to reopen Alcatraz, tariffs on films made outside of the U.S, 2 dolls vs. 30 dolls, $1000 to self-deport, Canada at the 51st state, etc. Are these attractions or distractions?

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! The Rascals begin the podcast discussing the odds that Governor Pritzker becomes president, former governor Rod Blagojevich makes a run for Illinois senator, or Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton takes Senator Durbin’s seat. Eric explains why he is upset that Governor Pritzker and Senator Duckworth already put their fingers on the scale in favor of Stratton in the race to replace Senator Durbin. But what about Pritzkers’ fiery speech in New Hampshire over the weekend? A news story broke earlier this week that suggested Amazon was going to display tariff costs on items. A few hours later, Amazon said that was never the plan. Will Jeff Bezos ultimately decide to display tariff costs? President Trump did an interview with ABC news where he discussed tourism, tariffs, and the detainment of Abrego Garcia. What were the big takeaways from the interview? The Chicago Teachers Union is encouraging students and staff to miss school for a political rally. Austin gets us up to speed on the controversy. Legislation is pending in Illinois that would ban large retailers from using single-use plastic or styrofoam. What do the Rascals think of the proposed legislation? 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, Brandon Pope, of WCIU, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute (sign up for his new Substack!), and political pundit Marj Halperin! The Rascals start today’s podcast discussing Senator Dick Durbin announcing that he won’t seek another term. Who do the Rascals believe is likely to make a run for his seat? And what will Durbin’s legacy be? The Rascals also discuss Governor JB Pritzker’s political future. Is Pritzker ready to make a run for president? The markets are having another seesaw week so the Rascals talk about how the new administration has been handling the economy. And what about the day-to-day chaos? What is sticking out the most to the Rascals right now? 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, Brandon Pope, of WCIU, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! The Rascals start the podcast talking about the City of Chicago not approving a $1.25 million settlement to the family of Dexter Reed, who was fatally shot by police during a traffic stop. Do the Rascals think the city made the right decision? Teen takeovers are continuing to make news and the Chicago City Council seemingly have reached a compromise over a stricter curfew in the Loop. What do the Rascals think of these takeovers and the impact that lowering the curfew has on crime? Illinois lawmakers are debating a bill that would tighten homeschooling regulations in Illinois. Do the Rascals think the bill is reasonable? And finally, the Rascals talk about Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia being wrongly deported to El Salvador. Is this an attraction or a distraction?

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! The small but mighty group of Rascals start off the podcast talking about the markets and economy as the tariff wars run amok this week. Do the Rascals believe President Trump caved on his trade policy? Eric wonders why more Republicans haven’t stood up to the administration. Next, the Rascals discuss the big #HandsOff rallies that took place last weekend. Do the Rascals believe these demonstrations will move the needle? The Illinois House voted 114-0 to approve a bill that would raise the age of annual mandatory road tests from 75 to 87. Do the Rascals support this legislation? And finally, with people still talking about The White Lotus finale, the Rascals debate how long you have to wait before talking about spoilers.

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?