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?

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 breaking down Mayor Brandon Johnson’s ‘flabbergasting’ and ‘maddening’ news conference on Monday where he announced new members of Chicago’s Board of Education. Another destructive hurricane is heading towards Florida. The Rascals talk about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signing legislation earlier this year that erased most references to climate change from state law. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias revoked the personalized license plates of some drivers who ordered variations of the date “October 7.” Do the Rascals believe the controversial plates should have been revoked? Also, Cate recommends you check out the show by SEB this Friday at Cobra Lounge! SEB is Cate’s daughter’s long-time partner and he’s a tremendous musician. Check out his music here.

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 break down the debate between JD Vance and Tim Waltz. What do the Rascals think were the major takeaways? Plus, what are the most annoying intersections in Chicago?

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 ongoing rift between CPS and the CTU. Why does Mayor Johnson want CPS CEO Pedro Martinez to resign? Why is Martinez refusing to resign? Is Martinez doing a good job? The Rascals break it all down. Both O’Hare and Midway airports rank near the bottom in a new survey of travelers. What do the Rascals think of our airports? Austin says don’t sleep on the Rick Bayless restaurant at O’Hare while Cate highlights the charms of Midway. The White Sox continue their march to becoming the worst team in MLB history. And Eric has been at the forefront of following the journey towards record breaking futility. And what’s the latest on the possibility of a new stadium for the Sox? And finally, Marj wrote an Op-ed in the Sun-Times about the lies Donald Trump and JD Vance continue to spread about Haitian immigrants. Eric cannot understand why anyone could support the current GOP ticket.

The Mincing Rascals this week are Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, political pundit Marj Halperin, Brandon Pope, host of ‘On the Block‘ on WCIU, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! This week, the John-less Rascals mince about the ongoing misadventures that have surrounded Mayor Brandon Johnson’s tenure. ShotSpotter, budget issues, staff changes, CTU v. CPS, etc. How do the Rascals think the Mayor has performed a year and a half into his job? Speaking of ShotSpotter, the debate over the gunshot detection technology continues in City Hall today. What do the Rascals think of how the administration has handled the ShotSpotter issue? Convicted former Democratic U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is seeking a presidential pardon. Do the Rascals believe President Biden should pardon the former congressman? The Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday heard arguments from Jussie Smollett’s attorneys seeking to overturn his convictions of staging a fake hate crime. Do the Smollett attorneys have a point here? Switching to some national news, the Rascals discuss what is happening in Springfield, Ohio and the hateful rhetoric and lies being spread by J.D. Vance and Donald Trump.

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! This week the Rascals break down the first (and only?) debate between former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. What do the Rascals think were the major takeaways? Do the Rascals think there should be another debate before the election? We only have time for one local story this week and it’s a doozy! According to a Fox 32 report, a top mayoral aide used a derogatory term for police and talked openly about defunding and even abolition of police in a 2021 podcast. Austin and the crew get you up to speed on what this means for the Johnson administration.

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! This week, the Rascals talk about a federal judge in Rockford ruling that Illinois’ concealed carry law can’t prohibit holders from having guns on public transportation. What do the Rascals think of this decision? CPS and CTU are continuing negotiations over a new contract. Austin gets us up to speed on the latest news. Meanwhile, the city of Chicago is facing nearly a billion dollar deficit in 2025. Where is all the money going to come from? CTU president Stacy Davis Gates recently accused Austin of stalking and the Rascals come to Austin’s defense. A WBEZ analysis found more than 30 websites of Local Government Information Services exposed the home addresses for more than 6 million Illinois voters including dozens of state and federal judges. Does the public have a right to know where voters live? And finally, we are less than a week away from the first debate between VP Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump. The Rascals break down the latest polls.

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 start the podcast talking about Cate’s magnificent tie! And also, the DNC. How do the Rascals feel the city of Chicago handled the convention? What were the highlights? The missteps? The Rascals break it all down. During the convention, Tim Walz’s son Gus became emotional seeing his father on stage and the hosts of a local right-wing radio station are coming under fire for mocking him. Now, one of the hosts has resigned her position as the coach of the boys and girls volleyball teams at a local high school. Do the Rascals believe the hosts should be fired from their radio jobs? The first Harris-Trump debate is set to take place on Sept. 10th, but there is still uncertainty about the debate rules concerning microphones, notes, and a live audience. What rules do the Rascals believe should carry over from the first debate? And finally, the White Sox are still really bad.

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, longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys, and political pundit Marj Halperin! This week, the Rascals break down all things Democratic National Convention. What were the highlights, lowlights, and big political takeaways? The Rascals have you covered! Was there and economic benefit to hosting the DNC? Some businesses have reported being slower than usual and the minimal crowds mean that it would be a great time to come visit downtown. Also, how has the city and CPD handled the protesters? What about the speeches? Who were the Rascals impressed with? Who was the biggest disappointment? And what about the city of Chicago in general? How has the city handled the huge event? Will this DNC be considered a success come Friday morning? And finally, will the DNC move the political needle to the left?