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The Mincing Rascals

News & Politics Podcasts

John Williams and journalists from WGN Radio other Chicago media outlets discuss news of the week on The Mincing Rascals podcast from WGN Plus

Location:

United States

Description:

John Williams and journalists from WGN Radio other Chicago media outlets discuss news of the week on The Mincing Rascals podcast from WGN Plus

Language:

English


Episodes
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The Mincing Rascals 4.15.26: Tipped wage veto, Trump v. Pope Leo, Door Dash Grandma

4/15/2026
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972, and multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope’s Screening Room. This week, the Rascals start the podcast close to home by talking about the Chicago City Council failing to override Mayor Johnson’s […]

Duration:01:00:28

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The Mincing Rascals 4.8.26: Trump rhetoric, Iran war ceasefire, Adam Toledo lawsuit

4/8/2026
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack, and award-winning journalist and political pundit Marj Halperin. Today, the Rascals start the podcast discussing President Trump’s fiery rhetoric, the latest developments on the war with Iran, […]

Duration:01:22:32

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The Mincing Rascals 4.1.26: Birthright citizenship, Sheridan Gorman, ABS

4/1/2026
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 Steve Bertrand, host of the ‘Steve Bertrand on Books‘ podcast. This week, the Rascals start the podcast discussing the Supreme Court hearing oral arguments on President Trump’s effort to end birthright […]

Duration:01:03:48

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The Mincing Rascals 3.25.26: Sheridan Gorman murder, No Kings rally, City Hall firings

3/25/2026
The Mincing Rascals this week are Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972, Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack, and Steve Bertrand, host of the ‘Steve Bertrand on Books‘ podcast. This week’s John Williams-less podcast begins with the gang discussing the […]

Duration:00:57:22

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The Mincing Rascals 3.18.26: Election recap, Iran war, Markwayne Mullin testimony

3/18/2026
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope’s Screening Room, and political pundit Marj Halperin. The Rascals kick off the podcast talking about the results of yesterday’s Illinois primary. What were the major takeaways from the results? The Chicago Teachers Union wants students […]

Duration:01:05:18

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The Mincing Rascals 3.11.26: Iran war, Uber ride options, AI and local news

3/11/2026
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope’s Screening Room, and long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. This week, the Rascals start the podcast discussing the war in Iran. How and when does this war end? Last week, HHS […]

Duration:01:07:12

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The Mincing Rascals 3.4.26: Iran attack, Texas primary results, honoring Jesse Jackson, Amazon drones

3/4/2026
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972, political pundit Marj Halperin, and Steve Bertrand, host of the ‘Steve Bertrand on Books‘ podcast. This week, the Rascals start the podcast discussing the U.S. attack on Iran. Do the Rascals think the attack was warranted? Next, […]

Duration:01:02:05

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The Mincing Rascals 2.25.26: SOTU recap, Stratton ad, ranked choice voting, Bears stadium

2/25/2026
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope’s Screening Room, and political pundit Marj Halperin! This week, the Rascals start things off by breaking down President Trump’s State of the Union. What were the big takeaways from the speech? Next, the Rascals discuss […]

Duration:00:57:00

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The Mincing Rascals 2.18.26: Jesse Jackson, powerful Chicagoans, Colbert-FCC feud, Nancy Guthrie coverage

2/18/2026
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972, and political pundit Marj Halperin! Today, the Rascals start the podcast talking about the death of civil rights activist and Chicago icon Jesse Jackson. The Rascals reflect on the complicated legacy of the long-time […]

Duration:01:06:03

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The Mincing Rascals 2.11.26: SAVE Act, ICE reforms, Epstein files, Super Bowl halftime show

2/11/2026
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack, and recently retired newsman Steve Bertrand, host of the ‘Steve Bertrand on Books‘ podcast. This week the Rascals kick off the podcast talking about Chicago […]

Duration:01:02:04

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The Mincing Rascals 2.4.26: Senate race, government shutdown, Waymo, snowplow names

2/4/2026
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope’s Screening Room, and long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. This week, the Rascals kick off the podcast talking about JB Pritzker donating $5 million to Juliana Stratton’s senate campaign? Is this anything? […]

Duration:00:59:18

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The Mincing Rascals 1.28.26: Alex Pretti death, paywall-free news, millionaire tax

1/28/2026
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack, and political pundit Marj Halperin! The Rascals begin the podcast talking about the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minnesota over the weekend. […]

Duration:01:16:20

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The Mincing Rascals 1.21.26: Bears loss, NIL, parking meter deal, Greenland, CTA safety

1/21/2026
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope’s Screening Room., and recently retired newsman Steve Bertrand. The Rascals kick off the podcast talking about the Bears losing to the Rams in the playoffs and the controversy over the Sun-Times headline, “Good, Better, […]

Duration:00:57:12

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The Mincing Rascals 1.14.26: Bears victory, Ted Dabrowski ad, Greenland

1/14/2026
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack, and long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. This week, the Rascals start the podcast talking about the Chicago Bears beating the Green Bay […]

Duration:01:07:43

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The Mincing Rascals 1.7.26: ICE shooting, Maduro capture, Chicago mayoral race

1/7/2026
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack, multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope’s Screening Room, and political pundit Marj Halperin! The Rascals begin the podcast this week talking about the ICE shooting in Minneapolis that left […]

Duration:01:06:33

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The Mincing Rascals 12.30.25: U.S. and Chicago politics, Bears stadium progress in 2026

12/30/2025
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, recently retired newsman Steve Bertrand, and political pundit Marj Halperin! The group kicks things off with a wide-ranging discussion on American politics, President Trump’s recent actions, public perception of the economy, and why many voters feel disconnected discussions on […]

Duration:01:06:07

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The Mincing Rascals 12.17.25: the Trump Administration, 60 Minutes and Chicago Bears’ threat to relocate

12/23/2025
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, recently retired newsman Steve Bertrand, and multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope’s Screening Room. The Rascals open the podcast with Steve Bertrand’s return to the panel and have a candid discussion about what it’s like leaving the anchor desk […]

Duration:01:03:06

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The Mincing Rascals 12.17.25: Bovino returns, budget battle, Rob Reiner

12/17/2025
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and the The Last Ward, and political pundit Marj Halperin! This week the Rascals begin the podcast talking about Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino returning to the Chicago area. The Rascals unpack the latest immigration enforcement […]

Duration:01:12:53

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The Mincing Rascals 12.11.25: Budget drama, robot delivery, Madigan seeks pardon

12/11/2025
The Mincing Rascals this week are Jon Hansen of WGN Radio and Block Club Chicago, Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward, and multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope’s Screening Room. The ‘kids table’ Rascals begin the podcast by breaking down the last drama surrounding the Chicago budget. Will there […]

Duration:00:49:34

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Mincing Rascals update from John Williams

12/10/2025
John is on vacation, but provides an update on this week’s podcast recording.

Duration:00:00:39