The Mincing Rascals are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute, and Brandon Pope, host of ‘On the Block‘ on WCIU. This week, The Rascals mince about the firing of Northwestern head football coach Pat Fitzgerald amid a hazing scandal. Did Northwestern make the right decision in firing Fitzgerald? The Rascals also talk about the launch of Threads, Meta’s attempt to dethrone Twitter. Are the Rascals on Threads? John predicts Twitter will be done by the end of the year, but what do the other Rascals think about the future of Twitter? Also this week, the Chicago police union is vowing to go to court after Mayor Brandon Johnson rejected the union’s request for the same 12 weeks of paid parental leave that he gave the CTU. What do the Rascals make of this? Would it be a good idea to give every city employee 12 weeks of paid leave? There is a new poll for the GOP primary race between US Rep. Mike Bost and former legislator and gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey that shows a tight race. Does Bailey have a chance to challenge Rep. Bost? And finally, the nominations for the Emmy Awards came out today. What shows do the Rascals hope take home some hardware?

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Jon Hansen of WGN Radio and Block Club Chicago, and Brandon Pope, host of ‘On the Block‘ on WCIU. This week, the Rascals break down the big NASCAR event that took place in Chicago over the weekend. Do the Rascals think the event was ultimately a success? Will Chicago bring the race back and fulfill the contract? Last week, the Supreme Court ruled on cases regarding affirmative action, President Biden’s student loan debt relief plan, and LGBTQ rights. What do the Rascals think of these decisions? How do the Rascals feel about expanding the Supreme Court? The Rascals also get into a discussion on if you can be friends with someone with whom you disagree politically. How about some recommendations! Jon loved “Jury Duty” and it may have restored his hope for humanity. Brandon says “The Bear” season 2 met all of his expectations. John finally finished the series finale of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” and believes it ended perfectly!

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Brandon Pope, host of ‘On the Block‘ on WCIU, and WGN Radio investigative reporter and longtime journalist Anna Davlantes! This week, the Rascals talk about the air quality in Chicago due to Canadian wildfires and the impact climate change is having on the environment. The Rascals discuss the presidential candidacy of RFK Jr. Can RFJ Jr. really challenge President Biden? Will the video of him doing push-ups help or hinder the campaign? The Rascals also talk about the tape of former President Trump talking about classified documents. How damaging will this be to the former president? And we’ve finally made it to NASCAR weekend in Chicago. Are any of the Rascals going to go to the event? Will this be a boon for the city? A group of teens gathered in Lakeview on Monday night damaging property. Is this just kids being kids or something more serious? And finally, the Rascals break down the story of the prosecutors dropping murder charges brought against a mother and her 14-year-old son in the shooting death at a hot dog stand. What went on here?

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, and Neil Steinberg of the Chicago Sun-Times. The small, but mighty Rascals talk about the upcoming NASCAR race that is taking over downtown in a couple of weeks. Neil wrote a hilarious column earlier this week and was shocked at the admission price. The search continues for the missing Titanic submersible. Will this increase interest in these adventure expeditions? RFK Jr. is making news this week because of his anti-vaccination views. Does he have a legitimate shot to challenge President Biden? Former President Donald Trump was on Fox News this week for an interview with Bret Baier. Did we learn anything new from the interview? Will the Trump documents trial actually begin in August? Also, Hunter Biden will plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges. Will this case hurt President Biden’s campaign?

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute, and Mark Jacob, freelance writer and former Metro editor at the Tribune. This week, the Rascals talk about former President Donald Trump pleading not guilty to federal charges in the classified documents case. What is the next chapter in this movie? Chicago Public Schools employees will have 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave. Austin explains why he has a problem with the way Mayor Johnson handed this benefit to CPS. Austin also celebrates former mayoral candidate Paul Vallas joining him at the Illinois Policy Institute. But John wonders about the “lifelong Democrat” claims Vallas made during the campaign. Former governor Bruce Rauner had his official portrait unveiled in Springfield this week. Disgraced former governor Rod Blagojevich does not have a portrait in Springfield. But should he? And finally, Illinois became the first state to ban book bans. What do the Rascals think of this new legislation?