WGN - The Download with Justin Kaufmann Podcast

How about an action-packed show for you to start the week? On tonight’s episode of The Download, political analysts Chris Robling and Kevin Lampe break down another big week in national politics, City Year Chicago executive director Rebecca Huffman talks about the importance of serving your community, comedian Tawny Newsome tells us about the new season of “Bajillion Dollar Properties,” The Purple Pig chef Jimmy Bannos Jr. gets us ready for the day with a new breakfast menu and we […]

Award-winning chef Jimmy Bannos Jr. joins Justin to tell us about The Purple Pig‘s new breakfast menu. Jimmy talks about why he decided to start serving breakfast, the need for more chef-driven breakfast items, why breakfast makes sense economically, what people in Chicago are looking for in a good breakfast spot, the challenge of getting people to change their morning routine and how fine dining translates to breakfast. Follow Justin on Twitter and give him a like on Facebook. The Download […]

The Carry Out is the nightly segment where Justin reads the news so you don’t have to. Tonight’s top stories include an independent monitor overseeing the CPD under a tentative agreement that Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration has made with the U.S. Department of Justice, Russian President Vladimir Putin saying that maybe private Russian hackers meddled in the election, a new graph circulating showing jobs that will be saved by pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord, a new report saying […]

Veteran journalist Charlie Meyerson and Sun-Times Assistant Metro Editor Rummana Hussain join Justin to break down all the stories making news this week including President Trump pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord, the fallout over Kathy Griffin posting a photo of herself holding a mask that looked like President Trump’s bloody severed head, the ongoing investigation into the Trump administration’s dealings with Russia, Tiger Woods being arrested on suspicion of DUI, the new Nutella Cafe opening in Chicago, the […]

Fridays are the best days! We are wrapping up the week in style with a great show for you! On tonight’s episode of The Download, Justin checks in with Sam Panayotovich to talk UIC baseball and the NBA playoffs, we reload another busy week in news with veteran newsman Charlie Meyerson and Sun-Times Assistant Metro Editor Rummana Hussain, the Chicago Tribune’s Tracy Swartz updates us on “The Bachelorette” and director Michael Patrick Thornton and playwright Claire Kiechel tell us about the […]

It’s Thursday so that means it is time once again to learn about your pop culture blind spots as we play another great game of “Never Have I Ever!” Wait, you have never seen “Star Wars?” You have never played golf? You’ve never been to a Blackhawks game? It’s time to fess up! Never Have I Ever…watched an episode of “Friends” or “Seinfeld.” Follow Justin on Twitter and give him a like on Facebook. The Download with Justin Kaufmann airs Monday through Friday […]

We finally made it to June! And we have another amazing show for you this evening! On tonight’s episode of The Download, Justin chats with Christine Dudley, Director of the Illinois Film Office about all the great projects filming in the Chicago area this summer, the hilarious comedian Demetri Martin tells us about his terrific new movie, “Dean,” which opens tomorrow, Usman Ally, former Chicago actor and current star of HBO’s “Veep,” TV Land’s “Nobodies” and the Netflix series, “A […]

Former Chicago actor Usman Ally joins Justin to talk about his great career, how he got his start working in Chicago, his formidable stage work in Chicago including “Disgraced” at the American Theater Company, what he learned from working on stages all over the city, how Chicago prepared him for his work in Hollywood on shows like “Veep,” “Nobodies” and “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” making a transition from the stage to the screen, the importance of working with a […]

Musician, artist, comedian, actor and filmmaker Demetri Martin joins Justin to discuss his new movie, “Dean,” which opens in Chicago tomorrow. Demetri talks about writing, directing and acting in the film, why he considers the movie a “dramedy,” the personal nature of the film, the challenge of pulling back some of the jokes, exploring suspended adolescence and friendships between older men, how making the movie was an opportunity to hang out with friends, the importance of finding a connection with […]

The Carry Out is the nightly segment where Justin reads the news so you don’t have to. Tonight’s top stories include the non-action down in Springfield, President Trump possibly pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord, Kathy Griffin getting fired from CNN, the Cubs getting swept by the San Diego Padres, the White Sox taking on the Red Sox after losing to Chris Sale last night, Hawk Harrelson announcing his retirement after the 2018 season and the Nashville Predators taking […]