The Mincing Rascals

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. The Rascals start the podcast talking about some sports related boners, both old and new. Moving on to […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Steve Bertrand, host of the Steve Bertrand on Books podcast and proprietor of Steve Bertrand Travel, and long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. The Rascals begin the podcast this week talking about the controversial new Medical Aid in Dying law in Illinois. Where are […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Steve Bertrand, host of the Steve Bertrand on Books podcast and proprietor of Steve Bertrand Travel, and award-winning journalist and political pundit Marj Halperin. The Rascals begin the podcast talking about Michigan’s controversial win over Western Michigan over the weekend. As a Michigan alum, Eric feels bad […]

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. The Rascals begin the podcast by congratulating Rascal Brandon Pope on his new gig at FOX32! […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Steve Bertrand, host of the Steve Bertrand on Books podcast and proprietor of Steve Bertrand Travel, and multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope’s Screening Room (stay tuned for some BIG news from Brandon). This week, the Rascals begin the podcast honoring the life and legacy […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Steve Bertrand, host of the  Steve Bertrand on Books podcast and proprietor of Steve Bertrand Travel, and award-winning journalist and political pundit Marj Halperin. The Rascals start the podcast talking about the CTU filing a defamation lawsuit against the Illinois Policy Institute (as well as […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Chicago journalist Cate Plys, and Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack. The Rascals start the podcast this week talking about why Cate thinks the Air & Water Show is stupid and dangerous. What about […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Steve Bertrand, host of Steve Bertrand on Books and proprietor of Steve Bertrand Travel, and award-winning journalist and political pundit Marj Halperin. The Rascals start the podcast this week talking about Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch apologizing for his actions that made a staffer uncomfortable […]

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, long-time 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 begin the podcast talking about President Trump’s speech at […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Steve Bertrand, host of Steve Bertrand on Books and proprietor of Steve Bertrand Travel, and award-winning journalist and political pundit Marj Halperin. The Rascals begin the podcast talking a bit about the new book, ‘Regime Change,’ and the smoke-filled air that has been hanging around Chicago. […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg (on his birthday), Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack and Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. The Rascals begin the podcast by talking about government transparency regarding the health and welfare […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Steve Bertrand, host of Steve Bertrand on Books and proprietor of Steve Bertrand Travel, and award-winning journalist and political pundit Marj Halperin. The Rascals begin the podcast asking Steve Bertrand his thoughts on the Supreme Court ruling on transgender athletes. Next, the Rascals talk about the city […]

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 award-winning journalist and political pundit Marj Halperin. The Rascals kick off the podcast by discussing and dissecting the Supreme Court decisions on birthright citizenship, transgender athletes, mail-in ballots, and presidential power. Next, the […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972, Steve Bertrand, host of Steve Bertrand on Books and proprietor of Steve Bertrand Travel, and Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack. The Rascals start the podcast with a case of World Cup fever […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972, multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope’s Screening Room, and award-winning journalist and political pundit Marj Halperin. The Rascals start the podcast this week talking about the man who allegedly burned a cross in Grant Park. What do the Rascals […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn of The Picayune Sentinel, Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972, and Steve Bertrand, host of Steve Bertrand on Books and proprietor of Steve Bertrand Travel. The Rascals begin the podcast talking about two interviews that were making news this week: Scott Pelley’s interview with the New York […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn of The Picayune Sentinel, multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope’s Screening Room, and Steve Bertrand, host of Steve Bertrand on Books and proprietor of Steve Bertrand Travel. The Rascals kick off the podcast discussing CBS firing ’60 Minutes’ correspondent Scott Pelley. What is the biggest takeaway from this […]

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. The Rascals start this week’s podcast talking about the Trump administration creating a $1.776 billion fund to pay people […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are Jon Hansen of WGN Radio and Block Club Chicago, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972, and award-winning journalist and political pundit Marj Halperin. This week, the Rascals start the podcast talking about the feud between Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor Pritzker over the Bears stadium and other issues in […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn of The Picayune Sentinel,  Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972, and Steve Bertrand, host of Steve Bertrand on Books and proprietor of Steve Bertrand Travel. The Rascals start with the attractions and distractions of Donald Trump from musing about Venezuela as the 51st […]

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 award-winning journalist and political pundit Marj Halperin. Today, the Rascals begin the podcast discussing the Obama Presidential Center. Tickets went on sale today. Eric is not excited about the museum, but […]

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 Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack. The Rascals start this week’s podcast talking about the fatal shooting of Chicago police officer John Bartholomew. The suspect […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Steve Bertrand, host of the ‘Steve Bertrand on Books‘ podcast, and award-winning journalist and political pundit Marj Halperin. The Rascals start the podcast this week talking about Darren Bailey, GOP candidate for governor, refusing to say that Donald Trump lost the […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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? […]

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. […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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

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 get federal funding […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 stop. […]

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 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? […]

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! This week the Rascals start the podcast discussing The Atlantic publishing the contents of a Signal group chat of Trump […]

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 political pundit Marj Halperin! This week, the Rascals start the podcast by congratulating new dad Jon Hansen! Next, the Rascals discuss the first few months of the Trump administration. What are the biggest […]

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 start this week’s podcast by sharing what they remember about the start of the COVID pandemic back in March of 2020. Woah, and all of sudden we are debating vaccine efficacy. […]

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!), Brandon Pope, of WCIU, and political pundit Marj Halperin! The Rascals being this week’s show talking about the House hearing with the mayors of New York, Boston, Denver, and Chicago about their […]

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, political pundit Marj Halperin, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! This week, the Rascals start the podcast discussing the results of the election in Dolton where controversial Mayor Tiffany Henyard lost her reelection bid. Speaking of unpopular, the […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Brandon Pope, of WCIU, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! This week, the Rascals kick off the podcast talking about President Trump blaming Ukraine for the war with Russia. What do the Rascals make of Trump’s statements? Today, Governor Pritzker delivered his 2025 […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Brandon Pope, of WCIU, political pundit Marj Halperin, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys. Woah, a lot of news already this week! The Rascals kick things off discussing the most important story of the week: The controversy surrounding the Super Bowl halftime show! […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Brandon Pope, of WCIU, political pundit Marj Halperin, and Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute. The Rascals kick off the podcast talking about the biggest national political stories of the week including President Trump blaming DEI for the D.C. plane crash, Elon Muck’s DOGE taking […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Brandon Pope, of WCIU, longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys, and Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute. This week, the Rascals start the podcast discussing the confusion over the Trump administration’s federal funding freeze. What were the big takeaways from the chaos that ensued this week? ICE agents came to […]

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 kick off the podcast discussing the first days of the Trump presidency. The news is coming fast and furious, but what stood out most to the Rascals? Members […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Brandon Pope, of WCIU, political pundit Marj Halperin, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! This week the Rascals debate the proposed legislation that aims to increase the age for seniors to retake driver’s test from 79 to 87. Where are the Rascals on this controversial […]

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, political pundit Marj Halperin, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! This week the Rascals start the podcast talking about the seamless certification of the 2024 election. Wasn’t it nice to not have an insurrection this time around? On […]

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 kick off the show starting about the drones that have been flying over multiple states. What do the Rascals make of the story and the hysteria that it has created? […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Jon Hansen of WGN Radio and Block Club Chicago, and Brandon Pope, host of ‘On the Block‘ on WCIU, This week, the Rascals start the show breaking down the Chicago visit from Tom Homan, President-elect Trump’s ‘border czar.’ Do the Rascals believe the new administration’s plan for mass deportation […]

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, Brandon Pope, host of ‘On the Block‘ on WCIU, and political pundit Marj Halperin! This week, the Rascals start the podcast discussing the Mike Madigan trial. Why should people still be interested in the trial? Controversy continues to […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys, Brandon Pope, host of ‘On the Block‘ on WCIU, and political pundit Marj Halperin! The Rascals begin this special Tuesday holiday week episode of the podcast discussing The Shopping Cart Theory. Can you judge a person’s character if they […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys, and Brandon Pope, host of ‘On the Block‘ on WCIU! This week the Rascals kick off the podcast breaking down the nominees for President-elect Trump’s Cabinet. Do the Rascals believe these nominees will get confirmed? Next, the Rascals discuss […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! This week, our small but mighty Rascals start the podcast discussing last week’s election results and the flurry of nominees to fill President-elect Trump’s Cabinet. What do the Rascals make of these controversial choices? […]

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, political pundit Marj Halperin, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! This week the Rascals start the podcast breaking down the results of the presidential election. What were the surprises and the big takeaways? Locally, the Rascals discuss Chicago’s […]