
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
Genres:
News & Politics Podcasts
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
The Mincing Rascals 8.13.25: Dexter Reed decision, redistricting debate, Smithsonian review
8/13/2025
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 begin the podcast talking about the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office declining to file charges against the Chicago police officers who fired dozens of shots at Dexter Reed. Do the […]
Duration:01:01:20
The Mincing Rascals 8.6.25: Texas redistricting, Chicago pension boost, DuSable Lake Shore Drive future
8/6/2025
The Mincing Rascals this week are Jon Hansen of WGN Radio and Block Club Chicago, longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys, and Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute. Our small, but mighty podcast crew start the episode talking about Texas lawmakers coming to Illinois to avoid voting on a new legislative map that would favor the GOP. Governor Pritzker even went […]
Duration:00:47:27
The Mincing Rascals 7.30.25: Jesse Jackson Jr. political future, taxing the rich, legislative redistricting
7/30/2025
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 begin the podcast talking about the possibility of Jesse Jackson Jr. running for congress. Should a convicted felon be allowed to run for federal office? Mayor Brandon Johnson is considering several […]
Duration:00:58:16
The Mincing Rascals 7.23.25: Colbert canceled, Epstein files, Coldplay kiss cam
7/23/2025
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 The Last Ward, and political pundit Marj Halperin! The Rascals start the podcast talking about CBS canceling ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.’ Where are the Rascals on the cancellation? Was this just a financial […]
Duration:01:09:54
The Mincing Rascals 7.16.25: Flooding in the US, Epstein, MLB All-Star Game & Emmys
7/16/2025
We have a packed panel on this week’s edition of The Mincing Rascals. This week your Rascals are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, political pundit Marj Halperin, longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys, Emmy-winning journalist Brandon Pope, and Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute. The Rascals start the podcast by talking about the unpredictable flooding […]
Duration:01:07:05
The Mincing Rascals 7.9.25: Texas floods, NASCAR in Chicago, Ed Burke released from prison
7/9/2025
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, political pundit Marj Halperin, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! The Rascals start the podcast talk about the devastating flooding in Texas. There has been a lot of finger pointing, but is it too early to place blame for the catastrophe? 4th of July […]
Duration:00:54:59
The Mincing Rascals 7.2.25: Trump tax bill, Paramount settlement, birthright citizenship, One Fair Wage
7/2/2025
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, Jon Hansen of WGN Radio and Block Club Chicago, and political pundit Marj Halperin! This week, the Rascals star the show talking about President Trump’s tax and policy bill. The Rascals break down the latest. Do […]
Duration:01:08:42
The Mincing Rascals 6.25.25: Mamdani wins, Pritzker running again, U.S strikes on Iran
6/25/2025
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 head to New York to start the podcast and break down Zohran Mamdani winning the Democratic mayoral primary. What do the Rascals think the win means […]
Duration:01:09:52
The Mincing Rascals 6.18.25: ICE raids, ‘No Kings’ protests, Terry Moran, Israel-Iran conflict, ‘snap curfew’ passes
6/18/2025
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 kick off today’s podcast talking about some Illinois politicians being denied entry to ICE facilities this week. What are these types of actions designed to accomplish? The ‘No Kings’ protests across […]
Duration:01:04:38
The Mincing Rascals 6.11.25: Immigration protests, Terry Moran let go, Mike Madigan sentencing
6/11/2025
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 off the podcast talking about the protests in Los Angeles against the Trump administration’s immigration policies. What are the major takeaways from the protests? ABC News didn’t renew the contract […]
Duration:01:03:08
The Mincing Rascals 6.4.25: Mail-in voting law, medical aid in dying, gender identity debate
6/4/2025
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! It’s a small, but mighty crew! This week, the Rascals start the podcast talking about the Supreme Court saying it would hear whether Republicans can challenge Illinois’ law that allows mail-in election ballots to be […]
Duration:00:46:32
The Mincing Rascals 5.28.25: Chicago crime down, POTUS pardons, Harvard vs. Trump
5/28/2025
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 longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! The Rascals start the podcast this week talking about violence being down over Memorial Day weekend and crime in general being down in Chicago. Are Mayor Johnson’s policies working? The […]
The Mincing Rascals 5.21.25: DOJ investigation, ‘snap curfews,’ Biden cancer
5/21/2025
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 off the podcast talking about the Department of Justice looking into the hiring practices of Mayor Brandon Johnson. What do the Rascals make of the DOJ probe? The Chicago City […]
The Mincing Rascals 5.14.25: Pope Leo XIV, Qatari jet, Biden’s decline
5/14/2025
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, political pundit Marj Halperin, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! This week, the Rascals start the podcast talking about their favorite story, meme, etc. about Pope Leo XIV. Are we pope’d out yet? As usual, plenty of news about the Trump administration this […]
The Mincing Rascals 5.7.25: Senate race, George Ryan legacy, Alcatraz, movie tariffs
5/7/2025
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! The Rascals begin the podcast discussing U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL 8) announcing that he’ll be running for the senate seat being vacated by Dick Durbin. The Rascals break down the […]
The Mincing Rascals 4.30.25: Durbin’s successor, Trump 100 days, Amazon tariffs, plastic ban
4/30/2025
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, […]
The Mincing Rascals 4.23.25: Durbin retiring, Pritzker’s political future, economic turmoil
4/23/2025
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 […]
The Mincing Rascals 4.16.25: Teen takeovers, homeschool bill, Kilmar Ábrego García
4/16/2025
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 […]
The Mincing Rascals 4.9.25: Tariff reversal, ‘Hands Off’ protest, driving exam age
4/9/2025
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? […]
The Mincing Rascals 4.2.25: Election recap, CTU-CPS deal, tariff announcement
4/2/2025
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? […]