WGN Plus

The Mincing Rascals

News EN ↓ 117 episodes

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

Be sure to visit the podcast's website and support the creator: wgnradio.com

Author

WGN Plus

Category

News

Podcast website

wgnradio.com

Latest episode

Nov 11, 2026

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Episodes

The Mincing Rascals 12.3.25: Northwestern deal, deadly boat strikes, Christkindlmarket capacity 04.12.2025

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, political pundit Marj Halperin, and long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. This week, the Rascals start the podcast discussing Northwestern University paying $75 million to the federal government over the next three years to to...

The Mincing Rascals 11.24.25: Marjorie Taylor Greene resigns, sedition accusation, CTU audit, favorite Thanksgiving food 24.11.2025

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 author of the The Last Ward, and Jon Hansen of WGN Radio and Block Club Chicago. This week, the Rascals kick off the podcast with ‘News or Noise.’ What are the news stories t...

The Mincing Rascals 11.19.25: Head tax defeat, Epstein files, Mobile ID, Word of the Year 19.11.2025

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, political pundit Marj Halperin, and long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. This week, the Rascals start the podcast talking about Illinois launching Mobile ID for iPhones. Are the Rascals on board with the new technology featur...

The Mincing Rascals 11.12.25: Bovino leaving, Epstein emails, government shutdown 13.11.2025

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 author the The Last Ward, and long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. The Rascals begin the podcast talking about ‘Operation Midway Blitz’ le...

The Mincing Rascals 11.5.25: Mamdani wins, Garcia exits, immigration enforcement 06.11.2025

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 author the The Last Ward, and long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. The Rascals begin the podcast breaking down the top stories from yesterday’s...

The Mincing Rascals 10.29.25: Immigration raids, Illinois redistricting, Sean Grayson guilty 29.10.2025

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 start this week’s show talking about Border Patrol and ICE conducting immigration raids throughout the Chicago area and a judge o...

Mincing Rascals 10.17.25: Live from Tangled Roots Brewing Company in Ottawa! 20.10.2025

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio and Block Club Chicago, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and The Last Ward, long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972, and political pundit Marj Halperin! Today, the podcast comes to you fr...

The Mincing Rascals 10.15.25: ICE in Chicago, ‘No Kings’ protests, Mayor Johnson’s budget battle 15.10.2025

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! The Rascals kick off the podcast breaking down the ICE activities throughout the Chicago area over the last week. What do the Rascals th...

The Mincing Rascals 10.8.25: Texas National Guard arrives, Jesse Jackson Jr. running for Congress, shoulder driving clampdown 08.10.2025

The Mincing Rascals this week are Jon Hansen of WGN Radio and Block Club Chicago, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and the The Last Ward, and multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope’s Screening Room. The Rascals begin the podcast talking about the Cook County...

The Mincing Rascals 10.1.25: Troops in Chicago, ICE raids, government shutdown 01.10.2025

The Mincing Rascals this week are Jon Hansen, Eric Zorn, Austin Berg, and Marj Halperin!

The Mincing Rascals 9.24.25: Kimmel returns, autism debate, fatal ICE shootings, dogs in restaurants 24.09.2025

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! The Rascals begin the podcast talking about Jimmy Kimmel’s return to late night after a brief suspension. What did the Rascals take away from...

The Mincing Rascals 9.17.25: Mayor Johnson’s job, Charlie Kirk death, inflammatory speech 17.09.2025

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 begin the show this week talking about Mayor Brandon Johnson’s appearance with Bob Sirott this morning. The Rascals break down Mayor J...

The Mincing Rascals 9.10.25: Charlie Kirk shot dead, ICE raids, Darren Bailey running 10.09.2025

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 Last Ward, and long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. This week the Rascals address the breaking news that conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot at an [&#823...

The Mincing Rascals 9.3.25: Chicago crime, National Guard, political messaging 03.09.2025

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, Publisher of Brandon Pope’s Screening Room, political pundit Marj Halperin, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! The Rascals kick off the podcast talking about the the level of crime in Chicago and if the problem merits the deployment of [&#8...

The Mincing Rascals 8.27.25: National Guard, Chicago finances, Trump distractions 27.08.2025

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 begin the podcast talking about President Trump possibly sending the National Guard to Chicago to combat crime. Do the Rascals think deploying t...

The Mincing Rascals 8.20.25: Speed cameras, CPS shakedown, Ukraine-Russia peace talks 20.08.2025

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! This week the Rascals begin the podcast with a fascinating discussion about the future of journalism and Substack. The Rascals then mince about Chicago Trib...

The Mincing Rascals 8.13.25: Dexter Reed decision, redistricting debate, Smithsonian review 13.08.2025

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. D...

The Mincing Rascals 8.6.25: Texas redistricting, Chicago pension boost, DuSable Lake Shore Drive future 06.08.2025

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 [&...

The Mincing Rascals 7.30.25: Jesse Jackson Jr. political future, taxing the rich, legislative redistricting 30.07.2025

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 Johnso...

The Mincing Rascals 7.23.25: Colbert canceled, Epstein files, Coldplay kiss cam 23.07.2025

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 j...

The Mincing Rascals 7.16.25: Flooding in the US, Epstein, MLB All-Star Game & Emmys 16.07.2025

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 podcas...

The Mincing Rascals 7.9.25: Texas floods, NASCAR in Chicago, Ed Burke released from prison 09.07.2025

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 J...

The Mincing Rascals 7.2.25: Trump tax bill, Paramount settlement, birthright citizenship, One Fair Wage 02.07.2025

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....

The Mincing Rascals 6.25.25: Mamdani wins, Pritzker running again, U.S strikes on Iran 25.06.2025

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 […]

The Mincing Rascals 6.18.25: ICE raids, ‘No Kings’ protests, Terry Moran, Israel-Iran conflict, ‘snap curfew’ passes 18.06.2025

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?...

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