The Ben Joravsky Show

President Biden sort of leaked that he would be nominating Mayor Rahm to be ambassador to Japan. Ben can't help but riff. Also, more Rahm talk from Mick Dumke--ace Pro Publica reporter and Ben's former partner in crime at the Reader. From there it's a hop and skip and jump to a Ben/Mick gabfest about all the political news of the day. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California...

Editorial writer/columnist for the Sun-Times, Rummana Hussain talks crime. In Chicago and Buffalo. We know what the problem is, but we don't do anything about it so we look to short-term solutions that aren't solutions at all. Then it's on to more frivolous topics. Heard v. Depp. And finally, the launching of the Rummana Book Club. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Pri...

May 13, 2022. Just as we're about to start the show there's...Breaking News! Paris Schutz from WTTW reports that Richard Irvin, Republican candidate for governor, has called Trump an idiot and a racist. Could be trouble in MAGA paradise. That's just one news item Ben & Dennis riff on. Also, in the news...Kam Buckner announces he's running against Mayor Lightfoot. Darren Bailey could win, if Tr...

Word breaks that the Supreme Court has already written the decision to overturn Roe and take America back to the middle ages. Ben riffs. And state rep. Kelly Cassidy explains the consequences for women. Also, once MAGA's supreme court robots get rid of privacy as a constitutional right, gay marriage, trans rights and interracial marriage are next to go. Also, Anton Seals, from Greater Grow Englewo...

The Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidates have a debate, arguing who loves Donald Trump the most. Ben riffs. Monroe Anderson returns to talk about the shootings in Buffalo and white replacement theory, Things are getting scary when MAGA candidates throughout the nation are more MAGA than Trump. Also, why Madison Cawthorn lost. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California P...

It's May 3rd, the first Tuesday of the month, which means...Ben & Maya Dukmasova are at The Hideout for First Tuesday. Their guests? Aldermen Carlos Ramirez-Rosa and Rod Sawyer. The topic? The ward map. Which version is better--Rod's or Carlos. Well, it's a little more complicated than that. But everything will be explained so you'll be enlightened when you have to vote on the map referendum o...

Mayor Lightfoot imposes a curfew for minors at Millennium Park. Ben riffs. Maya Dukmasova returns to talk next First Tuesdays show. June 7 at 6 pm. And ward map. And Abdelnasser Rashid, candidate for state rep., talks about his race against incumbent Mike Zalewski. What's it like running against what's left of the Madigan Machine. Why he'd vote for the abolition of parental notification for minors...

Poet-novelist-translator, Achy Obejas returns to pay tribute to Susan Nussbaum, the activist and actor who recently died. Then the conversation turns to reproductive rights. As Susan no doubt would want it to. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Sun-Times editorial editorialist/columnist Rummana Hussain talks Roe. A personal view of what's at stake. Also, a shout out to Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis, James Hong and Everything Everywhere All At Once. And a word or two about Zs in a movie theater. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

With the Supremes set to take this country back to the Middle Ages on women's rights, MAGA looks to change the subject by searching for a scapegoat, blaming the leak on Ketanji Brown Jackson. Who's not even on the court yet. Pretty pathetic, even for MAGA. Ben riffs. And congressional candidate and state rep Delia Ramirez gets personal as she explains why reproductive rights is a fight that must b...

Ken Davis clarifies his position on red light cameras. Ben riffs. And Monroe Anderson returns to say "finally"! As in President Biden is finally getting around to telling the truth about MAGA. Which is...they're insane. Also, Benji Hall returns. You know him as Benji the Bookie--astute bball analyst. Here he puts on his political analyst hat as he describes his two-week experiment with Truth--Trum...

The City Council actually does something for ordinary Chicagoans--giving away gasoline. The world goes nuts. Ben riffs. And Miles Kampf-Lassin, editor/writer, for In These Times, returns to talk politics. Specifically, President Biden's failure to deliver on promises regarding student debt and union organizing. The theme of the day--on everything from gas giveaways to union organizing, why is it t...

The leftist firefighter, Sam Holloway, returns to talk about the C word--capitalism. He starts with banks lending billions to Elon Musk to throw out $44 or so billion dollars on Twitter and goes from there. "The government loves to give money to rich people." And "billionaires are like crazy hoarders. Only more dangerous." And so forth... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califor...

Ben's got three topics on his mind and political scientist David Faris riffs on them all...Kick Joe Manchin out of the Democratic Party. The anti-abortion lunatics in Ohio telling teenage girls to look on the bright side of getting raped. And the political implications of Elon Musk buying Twitter. To quote David..."give extremists power, and they do extremist things. See Privacy Policy at https://...

Alderman Walter Burnett says it's either casino revenues or property tax hikes. Ben points out that the casino will raise your property taxes. Cause someone has to pay to build it. Guess who that someone will be. And Teresa Cordova, director of the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago, discusses economic development in Chicago. Especially in relation to poor communities, li...

"So Scared." Have you noticed everyone's trying to scare you these days? Ben riffs. And Keith Kelleher returns to talk unions. Specifically, all the hurdles workers have to clear to form one. As the employees at Starbucks & Amazon are learning the hard way The rules are stacked against the employees and in favor of the employers. And the employer rarely concedes even when he's lost. Keith know...

The Bulls stun the Bucks last night thanks to Mr. DeRozan. Ben riffs. And then appeals, again, to Len Goodman to save the Reader by transferring control to the not-for-profit. Micah Uetricht returns. Yes, the editor/writer for Jacobin magazine has moved to New York City where he will be the Ben Joravsky show correspondent covering Eric Adams. Well, that's not really why he moved there. But that's...

Rummana Hussain, Sun-Times editorial writer/columnist, returns to explain the inexplicable. In this case, why are so many people so happy about taking off their masks on a plane? Also, a word or two about interviewing Kim Foxx. Yes, a Jussie question was asked. And guess who asked it? Finally, the great debate. Who's more stuck up--Reader or Sun-Times staffers. Ben explains his theory about report...

Co-host of the At Bat podcast, Saul Rodriguez makes his debut to talk Chicago baseball. Or to talk Ben off the ledge. Lousy starts by the White Sox & Cubs have convinced Ben that it will be another year of futility. Not so, says Saul. The future is better than it seems. And so begins another...Great Debate! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https:...

Reader theater & dance editor Kerry Reid tells the strange story of the "impasse" that might kill Chicago's oldest alternative newspaper. It has to do with Leonard Goodman, the man who wanted to save the Reader, and now will kill it unless he turns the title over to a not-for-profit board. No Reader in Chicago? It's becoming more likely by the day. And then a word or two about King James &...

Freelance writer Maya Goldberg-Safir makes her Joravsky Show debut, talking about Brittney Griner, the world's greatest women basketball player, who's been locked in a prison in Russia for several months. Why won't Putin let her out? Why is there so much silence about her imprisonment? And what can we do? After you listen to the story, check out Maya's recently published article on Griner in Jacob...

Aldermen blame everything bad on Ed Burke. Ben riffs. And Monroe Anderson talks Trump. Particularly, a New York judge's ruling that Trump be held in contempt and fined $10,000 a day. Ben's convinced Trump won't pay the money. Monroe disagrees. And then LeAlan Jones--Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate--returns to talk money. Particularly Elon Musk's $46 billion acquisition of Twitter. He talked...

Political scientist David Faris surveys the political scene, which at the moment is bleak for Democrats. As David explains, the time has come for Democrats to stand up for their core convictions and stop apologizing for the values they believe in. Also, a word or two about the worship of wealth. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/priv...

Word breaks that the Reader will live. Ben riffs. And Maya Dukmasova returns to talk ward maps, Reader & Twitter. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

They hold a public meeting for the casino. Guess what? Nobody wants it in their backyard. Ben riffs. And 15h ward Alderman Raymond Lopez returns to talk about why he's running for mayor. Why he goes on Tucker Carlson's show. Why he's against TIFs. And much more, including policing, casinos and an explanation of how the city council works. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califor...