The Mincing Rascals

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

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

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 that are […]

11-24
53:31

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

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 feature? Next, Mayor […]

11-19
58:20

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

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’ leaving Chicago. The Rascals discuss the government’s immigration […]

11-13
01:01:00

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

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 elections across the country. Are we […]

11-06
01:11:13

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

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 ordering Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino […]

10-29
01:14:00

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

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 from the Tangled Roots Brewing Company in […]

10-20
01:00:17

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

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 think are […]

10-15
01:10:46

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

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 Sheriff’s Office stepping up enforcement for illegally […]

10-08
54:44

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

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

10-01
56:51

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

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 Kimmel’s monologue? Next, the […]

09-24
01:03:16

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

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 Johnson’s job performance so […]

09-17
01:24:28

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

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 […]

09-10
01:03:56

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

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 […]

09-03
56:34

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

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 the National Guard to […]

08-27
59:20

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

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 Tribune film critic Michael […]

08-20
01:07:31

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

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 […]

08-13
01:01:36

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

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 […]

08-06
47:33

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

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 […]

07-30
58:18

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

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 […]

07-23
01:09:56

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

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 […]

07-16
01:07:17

Mary Rinder

Marg, I am not a gun advocate. But, when was the last time you took the train in Chicago? If I regularly took the train, especially at odds hours, I would definitely take measures to protect myself. Also, there are many reports of individuals with a CCL who are able to protect themselves in violent situations.

09-08 Reply

Mary Rinder

Regarding Unintended Young Victims, Father Pfleger made a very similar comment as David Brown's. Babies are being murdered and it is time to examine these difficult subjects.

09-09 Reply

Brian Juszczyk

guys seriously.. just how ignorant are you? people are leaving the state because of property taxes. people are literally getting priced out of there homes.

01-06 Reply

Mary Rinder

John, I agree with you. Not liking a type of food is not being dismissive of a group of people. To much is being read into this.

11-30 Reply

Mary Rinder

Great conversation, as always. Thank you for the Weds session and Happy 4th!

07-04 Reply

06-28

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