WGN - The John Williams Uncut Podcast

Daryl Pass, Senior Manager of Recovery Support Services, Kenneth Young Center, joins John Williams to talk about International Overdose Awareness Day coming up on August 31st. Daryl explains how Kenneth Young Center gives space to those that have been impacted by overdose, his thoughts on a new city program that stocks newsstands with medication that can […]

NewsNation Now anchor Connell McShane joins John Williams to talk about ICE agents possibly coming to Chicago next week, if the National Guard will come to the city, and various polls showing popular support for bringing in the National Guard to combat crime.

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!

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 head to northwestern Illinois and visit with Ken Williams, Mayor of Oregon, […]

“Jungle” Jay Christie, owner, Safari Lake Geneva, joins John Williams to talk about what type of animals you can see when you visit, how Safari Lake Geneva differs from a traditional safari or a zoo, the way you can visit some of the smaller animals on foot, the best way to book an outing, and […]

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner tells John what you should know about protein bars, a new study that shows how alcohol and soda are associated with more hair loss, what type of milk she says is best, and the new trend of ‘fibermaxxing.’ Dawn also answers all of your health and nutrition questions.

Pastor Corey Brooks, Founder and Senior Pastor at New Beginnings Church of Chicago and the Founder and CEO of Project H.O.O.D, joins John Williams to talk about why he believes the National Guard should come to Chicago to help curb violence. Corey also tells John the progress he's making in the effort to build his […]

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

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 […]

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joins John Williams to talk about President Trump saying he wants to send the National Guard to Chicago to combat violence. AG Raoul explains what conditions would need to be met for the National Guard to be deployed to the city, the benefits of ongoing collaboration with federal law enforcement, what might happen if […]

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 is loving the cooler weather and how it’s perfect for seeding right now.

Elder law attorney Kerry Peck joins John Williams to answer all your questions about elder law, trusts, wills, and elder abuse. Kerry talks about the legislation being proposed in Illinois that deals with end of life options for terminally ill patients. What exactly is medical aid in dying?

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com. And let’s give a rousing ‘huzzah’ to the great Dave ‘dung beetle’ Eanet, for his wonderful contributions to Speed Jokes through the years. We’ll miss ya!

Following Dave Eanet’s farewell message for WGN Radio listeners and teammates, John Williams waited for him to leave the studio to share his heartfelt goodbye to WGN Radio’s longtime sports director. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7681649/7681649_2025-08-27-173849.64kmono.mp3

After 40 years of working mornings at WGN Radio, teaming up with all-time hosts like Wally Phillips, Bob Collins, Spike O’Dell and Bob Sirott, Dave Eanet has signed off on his last morning shift on-air. Dave took a moment to say “thank you” on the John Williams Show. Listen below: https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7681443/7681443_2025-08-27-152843.64kmono.mp3 And here are photos […]

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about when the next COVID shots will be available, if insurance will cover the new vaccines, if COVID shots will be eliminated, a new study that found the risk of colon cancer being slashed by eating specific types of vegetables, […]

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about the latest on the Cracker Barrel controversy, if he believes the National Guard will be coming to Chicago, and why he believes school shouldn’t start until after Labor Day.

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

Michelle Nichols, Director of Public Observing, The Adler Planetarium, joins John Williams to talk about SpaceX postponing a test launch of one of their massive Starship rockets.

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. As people are thinking about moving their stuff back inside when summer ends, Lou suggests a good organizing system for your garage. Listen to HouseSmarts Radio on WGN each Saturday morning at 6 am.

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

The great film critic Michael Phillips joins John Williams to talk about leaving the Chicago Tribune after 24 years. Michael tells John about what his plans are for the future, why it’s a precarious time for all arts critics, his thoughts on the Tribune no longer having a full-time film critic on staff, how journalism has changed […]

David Keith, Professor and Founding Faculty Director, Climate Systems Engineering Initiative, University of Chicago, joins John Williams to discuss a recent piece in the New York Times Magazine about how man-made clouds could save the Great Barrier Reef.

Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams, to talk about today’s big market rally after Fed Chairman Jerome Powell suggested interest rate cuts would be coming soon, how many rate cuts he expects to see for the rest of 2025, and when we we’ll see the full impact of tariffs. Craig […]

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!

Author and registered dietician and nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about the dangers surrounding the recent trend of raising ‘carnivore babies,’ the importance of balanced diet, the benefits of weightlifting, how to tell if a food is overly-processed, and to answer all of your health and nutrition questions.

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 head over to the great state of Michigan and visit with Brandy […]

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

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 […]

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 says our water levels are now above average for the month with all the rain and that late August is a good […]

Dr. Joel Ostrow, professor, comparative and international politics, Benedictine University, joins John Williams to offer his assessment of President Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin and to break down the meeting between President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other world leaders.

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

Melissa Nelson, Marketing Director for Skydive Chicago, tells John about what Skydive Chicago is, why Ottawa is a perfect area to experience skydiving, and the skydiving records they are going to try to break this week. Also joining John is skydiver Lane Paquin and other athletes that are participating in the attempts to break the […]

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about California Governor Gavin Newsom trolling President Trump on social media, the latest on the redistricting efforts in Texas, Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips announcing that he accepted a buyout, MSNBC rebranding to MS NOW, and if he thinks we should use AI […]

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about the importance of stretching as we age, if there are benefits to taking supplements, a nasal spray flu vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration being available for purchase for self-administration, when new COVID vaccines will be available, […]

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

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign computer science professor Dr. Sheldon Jacobson joins John Williams to talk about his recent Chicago Tribune Op-ed that suggests that ‘Made in America’ is alive and well. What are we getting wrong about the term ‘Made in America?’ And how is the American consumer being impacted by tariffs? Professor Jacobson also tells […]

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 with all the rain we’ve been getting over the last week that now is the time to check your gutter, downspouts, and pumps. Listen to HouseSmarts Radio on WGN each Saturday morning at 6 am.

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

Christina Hunger, a speech-language pathologist and author of “Your Dog Can Talk: A Step-By-Step Guide to Button Training,” joins John Williams to talk about how her career in speech pathology led her to teach her dog how to communicate. Christina explains how the teaching process works, the huge potential for language learning, how many words […]

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 break down what we can expect from the meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.