The Mincing Rascals

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?

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?