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The Mincing Rascals are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn of The Picayune Sentinel and The Daily Herald, Brandon Pope, host of ‘On the Block‘ on WCIU, Heather Cherone, political reporter for WTTW, and Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute. The Rascals break down a variety of stories including Mayor Lightfoot’s wish to impose a curfew in Chicago after an uptick of violence downtown, the […]

Alexandra Block, Senior Supervising Attorney for Legal System and Policing, ACLU of Illinois, joins John Williams to talk about Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s unsuccessful attempt to issue an executive order changing Chicago’s curfew laws. Alexandra expresses her concerns over the city trying to impose a curfew, how the curfew is going to work, and the overwhelming […]

Best-selling author Rich Cohen joins John Williams to discuss his latest book, “The Adventures Of Herbie Cohen: World’s Greatest Negotiator.” Rich tells John many wonderful stories about his father including how his father inspired a line in the David Mamet play ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ where Herb acquired the gift of negotiating, how Herb ended up […]

John Williams brings you a round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com!

Amy and Rodney Westlake join John Williams to talk about their 18-year-old daughter Lucy becoming the youngest American woman to reach the summit of Mt. Everest.

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about when you should get a second booster, if we need to update current COVID-19 protocols, how many times can a person contract COVID, and a mask mandate coming back to Evanston High School.

John Williams brings you a round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com!

Eric Zorn of The Picayune Sentinel and The Daily Herald joins John Williams to talk about the race for Illinois governor, including WTTW’s scoop where they found that gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin had called Donald Trump a “bigoted racist” in text messages, the recent WGN-TV poll that showed Irvin with a slim lead over Senator Darren Bailey, and the […]

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), a candidate for Chicago mayor, joins John Williams to talk about why he decided to run for mayor, the violence in Chicago over the weekend, and if he believes Mayor Lightfoot’s plan to impose a curfew will help combat crime in the city.

John Williams brings you a round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com!

Dr. Joel Ostrow, professor, comparative and international politics, Benedictine University, joins John Williams to talk about Russia’s scaled down version of Victory Day on May 9th, what Vladimir Putin might be hoping for as the Russian invasion drags on, why he believes Putin has backed himself into a corner, what has likely surprised Putin the most […]

Corey Brooks, Founder and Senior Pastor at New Beginnings Church of Chicago and the Founder and CEO of Project H.O.O.D, joins John Williams to talk about the number of funerals he’s presided over recently, why only a small amount of people are outraged over violence in Chicago, the importance of giving children mentors and opportunities to […]

David Hochberg joins John Williams to talk about current mortgage interest rates, why we are going to hear more about adjustable rate mortgages, and why he thinks the government gave away too much money during the pandemic. David hosts “Home Sweet Home Chicago” on Saturdays from 10am to 1pm on WGN Radio. You can call […]

Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group, joins John Williams to talk about the extended downward slide of the stock market, what needs to happen to turn the market, how the price of fuel is impacting the economy, the distortion in the labor market, and what you can do to be defensive in the current […]

Looking to take a quick getaway from the Chicago area this summer? Well, John Williams has you covered with our “Best of the Midwest” feature. Today, Kate Lieto, Director of Marketing, Experience Grand Rapids, joins John Williams to tell us about all the great things to do in Grand Rapids this summer. Kate talks about the […]

John Williams brings you a round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com!

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn of The Picayune Sentinel and The Daily Herald, Heather Cherone of WTTW, and Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute. The Rascals chat about people protesting outside of the private homes of Supreme Court justices, the race for Illinois governor and candidate Richard Irvin not answering questions about Roe v. […]

Kristen Young, Executive Director, American Lung Association in Greater Chicago, joins John Williams to talk about the next Fight for Air Climb, presented by UnitedHealthcare, taking place on June 19th at Soldier Field! Register to join WGN Radio’s team, or create a team of your own. Every Climber receives an official Fight For Air Climb T-shirt.

Yesterday on the Wintrust Business Lunch, our friend Tom Gimbel, founder and CEO of LaSalle Network, joined John Williams to offer some advice to young graduates who are about to enter the workforce. And typical of anything posted to the internet, it sparked a vigorous debate about how relevant the advice is to new workers. Check out […]

36th Ward Ald. Gilbert Villegas joins John Williams to talk about the proposed new City Council ward map which will stretch the boundaries of his ward so dramatically that it will resemble a pool noodle or barbells. Ald. Villegas also shares his thoughts about the proposed location for Chicago’s first casino.