WGN - The John Williams Full Show Podcast

NewsNation Now anchor Connell McShane joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to talk about the latest on the government shutdown. Who has the upper hand in the negotiations? Connell breaks it all down.

Enjoy this edition of “The Best of Speed Jokes.” What was your favorite joke of the week? Keep sending your jokes to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com!

Bill Geiger, President and CEO of Geiger Wealth Management, joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to talk about National Retirement Security Month, the importance of creating a secure retirement plan, and the three most important jobs to do to prepare for retirement.

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to talk about a good snack food for ‘nervous eating,’ what to know about intermittent fasting, and the results of a new study that shows how many daily steps you need for the best health benefits. Dawn also answers all of your health […]

It's time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some vacation ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, Jon Hansen (in for John Williams) has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we stay in the city of Chicago and visit […]

Mack Liederman, Reporter, Block Club Chicago, joins Jon Hansen to talk about federal agents raiding an apartment building in South Shore. Mack describes what happened during the raid, how many people were detained, why the agents raided this particular building, and how the people were treated during the raid.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

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

Bob Bertog, president of Bertog Landscape Co. in Wheeling and a certified landscape professional with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to answer all of your lawn and garden questions. Bob says that we will still see some good fall colors this year!

Mortgage and real estate expert David Hochberg joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to talk about the impact of a government shutdown, U.S. private companies losing 32,000 jobs in September, what you need to know about a HELOC, and to answer all of your real estate and mortgage questions. David hosts “Home Sweet Home […]

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to talk about why workplace values are holding up some younger workers. Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins Jon to talk about new trend where companies are either holding on to seasoned CEOs in their later 60s and […]

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to talk about the importance of pregnant women getting their doctor recommended vaccinations, why flu-related encephalopathies are on the rise, ‘nightmare bacteria' cases increasing in the U.S., and a drug made from marijuana reducing back pain.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to talk about U.S. Border Patrol agents marching in downtown Chicago over the weekend. Why does Eric think the administration is doing this? Is this just the first step of the Trump administration not giving up power?

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Lou says it’s time to do any exterior painting and caulking before the winter cold comes. Lou also answers all of your home improvement questions. Listen to HouseSmarts Radio on WGN each Saturday morning at 6 am.

Kelly Leonard, Vice President, Creative Strategy, Innovation and Business Development at The Second City and host of the “Getting to Yes, And…” podcast, joins John Williams to talk about a recent podcast discussion he had with Colin M. Fischer about his new book, “The Collective Edge: Unlocking the Secret Power of Groups.” Kelly explains the origin […]

Marge Sipla, Speed Jokes spirit animal, cataloger and Member of the Speed Jokes Committee, joins John Williams and the gang to give us her favorite Speed Jokes of September 2025! What was your favorite joke this month? Keep sending your jokes to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com

The great anthem singer Jim Cornelison joins John Williams to talk about his rendition of the national anthem on a recent Monday Night Football game between the Bears and Vikings that broke the internet. Jim will be singing this weekend with the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra. An Opera Afternoon with Jim Cornelison will be on September […]

Joie Chitwood, Executive Director for the Presidents Cup 2026, joins John Williams to tell us everything we need to know about the 2026 Presidents Cup golf tournament coming to Medinah Country Club next September. You can get your tickets now by clicking here!

Enjoy this edition of “The Best of Speed Jokes.” What was your favorite joke of the week? Keep sending your jokes to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com!

NewsNation Now anchor Connell McShane joins John Williams to tell us what we should know about the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. Connell also gives us the latest on ICE agents being seen on the Chicago River and the Trump administration linking Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism.

Melinda Linas, Chief of Police, Lindenhurst Police Department, tells John about her career in law enforcement, her 25 years with the Chicago Police Department, when she started working in Lindenhurst, the importance of community engagement, how people in Lindenhurst are so welcoming, the size of the police force in Lindenhurst, the way this job is […]

Elder law attorney Kerry Peck joins John Williams to answer all your questions about elder law, trusts, wills, and elder abuse. 

It's time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some vacation ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we take a trip to the Hoosier state and visit with Ken Kosky, […]

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

After 4 weeks of voting on 64 local burger businesses, the inaugural Chicago Area’s Best Burgers Tournament, sponsored by Turano Baking Company and The Puckered Pickle Company, has its champion. The announcement was made on The John Williams Show, as Chicago’s Very Own Eats co-host and WGN Radio bracketologist Michael Piff joined John to call […]

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 […]

Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about the surge in home sales, the anticipation of two more rate cuts this year, why it’s going to be a good time for investors, the expected rise in unemployment numbers, and why leaning into AI could be good for your portfolio.

Joel Stein, journalist, author, and cultural pundit, joins John Williams to talk about his recent piece in the New York Times about AI company Anthropic settling a class-action suit that awarded $1.5 billion to authors. Joel also shares his thoughts on the return of Jimmy Kimmel to late night.

Bob Bertog, president of Bertog Landscape Co. in Wheeling and a certified landscape professional with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, joins John Williams to answer all of your lawn and garden questions. Bob encourages you to keep watering those lawns.

Steve Phillipos, President of Chevrolet of Homewood & Ford of Homewood, tells John everything we need to know about federal tax credits for electric vehicles that are expiring on Tuesday, September 30th. Steve also talks to John about the upcoming Chicago Drives Electric Show coming up in October.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

WGN Radio News Director Ryan Burrow joins John Williams to recap his trip to South Korea as part of a two-week journalism fellowship. Ryan talks to John about the impact of tariffs on the South Korean economy, the South Korean workers recently detained by ICE in Georgia, what people in South Korea think of North […]

Dr. Sindhu Aderson, Central Region Medical Director of Northwestern Medicine Immediate Care, joins John Williams to talk about why people sometimes come back from a trip with a cold, why you should get a flu shot if you are over 60, what to know about RSV this year, and who will be able to get a COVID […]

Dr. Larry Gray, associate professor of pediatrics in the division of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, joins John Williams to talk about the Trump administration linking autism to Tylenol use during pregnancy. Dr. Gray talks about […]

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about the controversy surrounding a Chicago ordinance that would allow dogs inside restaurants, the latest on the return of Jimmy Kimmel after a brief suspension, and if teachers should be punished for posting political commentary on social media.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

Lily Bertrand, a transgender woman, joins John Williams to talk about an experience she had last week when someone started screaming and disparaging her about her gender identity. Lily tells John about the harassment, how this person was taking video of her, how she managed to get away from this person, if she’s had any […]

Timothy Won, co-owner, The Wiener’s Circle, joins John Williams to talk about the restaurant giving away free hot dogs tomorrow after the iconic hot dog stand promised free dogs if Caleb Williams threw four touchdown passes against the Dallas Cowboys.

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Today, Lou offers a ‘Screen Repair 101’ class. How you can repair your screens, save money, and keep the bugs out! Lou also answers all of your home improvement questions. Listen to HouseSmarts Radio on WGN each […]

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.