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 kick off the show starting about the drones that have been flying over multiple states. What do the Rascals make of the story and the hysteria that it has created? This week, the Chicago City Council passed Mayor Johnson’s 2025 budget. What are the Rascals chief takeaways from Johnson’s budget and the council shenanigans leading up to its passage? Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against Iowa pollster Ann Selzer and the Des Moines Register for a pre-election poll that showed him trailing Vice President Kamala Harris. Eric finds this very ominous. And what about the chances RFK Jr. will be confirmed to lead HHS? And that’s a wrap for the 2024 Rascals! We’ll have “Best of” shows through the holidays and be back for your podcast listening pleasure in January! Thanks to each and every one of you!

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 start the show breaking down the Chicago visit from Tom Homan, President-elect Trump’s ‘border czar.’ Do the Rascals believe the new administration’s plan for mass deportation will happen? And what of birthright citizenship? Do the Rascals think the 14th Amendment survives? Mayor Brandon Johnson’s senior advisor Jason Lee is causing controversy for voting in Texas during the last election. What do the Rascals make of the latest Johnson administration slip up? New information continues to come out about Luigi Mangione, the person who shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Will this tragic incident spur any change with the U.S. healthcare system? And finally, it’s recommendation time for the Rascals! What are John, Jon, and Brandon watching? Oh, and as an added bonus, we get a brief appearance from Rascal Cate Plys at the end!

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, Brandon Pope, host of ‘On the Block‘ on WCIU, and political pundit Marj Halperin! This week, the Rascals start the podcast discussing the Mike Madigan trial. Why should people still be interested in the trial? Controversy continues to follow Pete Hegseth, president-elect Trump’s pick for defense secretary. Do the Rascals believe Hegseth will continue to be the nominee? Next, the Rascals talk about President Biden pardoning his son Hunter. What do the Rascals think of the pardon? Do the Rascals believe Hunter would have been pardoned if Kamala Harris won the election? And do the Rascals believe Trump will pardon the January 6th rioters? New Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke will implement new policies that she hopes will reduce violence. Were the Rascals encouraged by her plans? And finally, it’s recommendation* time! What are the Rascals eating, drinking, watching, reading, or listening to?

*The Mincing Rascals recommendations this week are:

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys, Brandon Pope, host of ‘On the Block‘ on WCIU, and political pundit Marj Halperin! The Rascals begin this special Tuesday holiday week episode of the podcast discussing The Shopping Cart Theory. Can you judge a person’s character if they properly return their shopping cart? Next, there is more drama in Mayor Johnson’s office as Johnson’s former communications director was the subject of multiple complaints alleging workplace misconduct. What do the Rascals make of the latest problem in the Johnson administration? Fresh from withdrawing his name to be the next attorney general, former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz joined Cameo. Special counsel Jack Smith is dropping the federal election subversion and classified documents cases against President-elect Trump. Do the Rascals believe the cases should be dropped? And finally, as we head towards the Thanksgiving holiday, what are the Rascals most thankful for this year.

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys, and Brandon Pope, host of ‘On the Block‘ on WCIU! This week the Rascals kick off the podcast breaking down the nominees for President-elect Trump’s Cabinet. Do the Rascals believe these nominees will get confirmed? Next, the Rascals discuss Chicago’s ongoing budget issues and Mayor Brandon Johnson ultimately deciding not to attend Chicago Police Officer Enrique Martinez’s funeral after the family asked him not to come. Speculation is starting to gain steam on who will likely run against Mayor Johnson in 2027. What do the Rascals think of the names being talked about? And is Mayor Johnson definitely a one-term mayor? What’s the latest on CPS-CTU contract negotiations? And what does the future hold for CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. Austin gets you up to speed. And finally, the Bears. How optimistic are the Rascals about the rest of the season?

The Mincing Rascals this week are Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! This week, our small but mighty Rascals start the podcast discussing last week’s election results and the flurry of nominees to fill President-elect Trump’s Cabinet. What do the Rascals make of these controversial choices? The Rascals now have had a week to dissect the election results. Why did Harris lose? And do the results give Trump a mandate? Switching to local politics, what is the latest on Mayor Johnson’s property tax proposal? And what does the future hold for CPS CEO Pedro Martinez? And finally, what do the Rascals make of the Bears reconsidering the site of the old Michael Reese Hospital for a new stadium?

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 breaking down the results of the presidential election. What were the surprises and the big takeaways? Locally, the Rascals discuss Chicago’s first school board elections. Do the Rascals believe the school board results were a referendum on the policies of Mayor Brandon Johnson?

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys, Brandon Pope, host of ‘On the Block‘ on WCIU, and political pundit Marj Halperin! The Rascals begin the podcast talking about the Chicago School Board elections. How are the Rascals handling their vote for the school board? Eric bemoans how much money is being spent on these elections. Today, Mayor Brandon Johnson proposed a property tax hike to close the budget gap. The Rascals explain what they think of the proposal. There has been a lot of talk about newspaper endorsements this week. Marj was one of the 250,000 people to cancel their Washington Post subscription. What do the rest of the Rascals make of the Washington Post and L.A. Times not endorsing a presidential candidate this year? President Trump held an inflammatory rally at Madison Square Garden that featured speakers making many racist comments. Do the Rascals think the event will hurt Trump politically? And finally, who do the Rascals think will win the presidential election?

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, Brandon Pope, host of ‘On the Block‘ on WCIU, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! The Rascals start the podcast this week talking about former president Donald Trump and the multiple stories that detail why he is a threat to democracy. Will any of these stories have an impact on the election? A judge ruled that former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani must turn over his New York City apartment, sports memorabilia and other prized possessions to two Georgia election workers who won a $148 million defamation judgment against him. Do the Rascals think that the judge’s decision was too severe? Turning to local news, a Chicago City Council committee approved a plan to lower Chicago’s default speed limit to 25 mph. Do the Rascals like the idea? Will this plan pass the full City Council? And finally, Austin has been away for a couple of weeks, so he catches everyone up on the latest news about the Chicago school board.

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! This week the Rascals kick things off by breaking down former president Donald Trump’s interview with Bloomberg News at the Economic Club of Chicago. John and Eric were disappointed in the crowd’s reaction to Trump’s lies. What do the Rascals think of Trump’s appearance? And what are the Rascals thoughts on Trump’s understanding of economic issues? The Rascals also talk about Trump’s town hall earlier this week that ended up with the former president just playing his favorite songs in favor of answering questions. Eric wonders why the media is not more focused on Trump’s mental unfitness for office. Next, Cate is fed up with I-PASS sticker BS! Finally, Marj wrote a piece in Crain’s about the Chicago school board election. Where are the Rascals on the upcoming school board elections?