WGN - The John Williams Uncut Podcast

Attorney Rae Kaplan of Kaplan Law Firm joins John Williams to talk about how Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill will impact your student loans. Rae breaks it all down and answers all of your student loan and debt relief questions.

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about the most stressful part of a doctor’s day, former White Sox closer Bobby Jenks dying of stomach cancer at 44, the health ramifications that might come from being a competitive eater, a new study showing that American kids have […]

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about the controversy surrounding Alex Cooper’s rendition of ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’ at the Cubs game the other night, former Alderman Ed Burke being released from prison early, Jesse Jackson Jr. mulling another run for Congress, and if he believes Illinois should […]

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

Dr. Amar Pattani, family dentist at Main Street Smiles at 312 W Main Street in Barrington, joins John Williams to answer all of your general dentistry questions. Dr. Pattani explains the importance of oral care, the importance of getting your kids into the dentist early in life, why some people get cavities and some people don’t, why drinking […]

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Lou explains that it’s time to start treating for mosquitoes because they are coming! And as always, Lou answers all of your home improvement questions. 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.

 Stephanie Klett, President and CEO, Visit Lake Geneva, joins John Williams to recap all the things that John loved about visiting Lake Geneva a couple of weeks ago. John talks about visiting the Maxwell Mansion, the delicious dinner at Oak & Oar at The Geneva Inn, the amazing Swedish pancakes at The Getaway on Lake Como, […]

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about the benefits of chocolate milk, why the natural sugar in fruit is so good for us, tips for a healthy 4th of July meal, and what we should be eating to maintain muscle mass as we age. And as always, Dawn answers all of your […]

Liz Shulman, English teacher at Evanston Township High School and in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University, joins John Williams in-studio to talk about how their ‘no cell phone’ policy has been going this year, the way learning has improved without cell phones in class, how much AI has infiltrated schools, if there […]

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, 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 […]

U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL 8) joins John Williams to talk about why he’s voting now on President Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill,’ what will likely happen to Medicaid if this bill passes, the cuts to education, housing, SNAP in the bill, and if there is anything in the bill that he likes.

U.S. Congressman Darin LaHood (R-IL 16) joins John Williams to talk about why he’s supporting President Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill,’ what exactly is in the bill regarding Medicaid cuts, and solar energy, how tax cuts in the bill will help American families, if he believes the bill favors wealthy Americans, and the pieces of the bill that […]

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 explains how you can prevent disease in your grass with the hot, humid weather coming in.

Mortgage and real estate expert David Hochberg joins John Williams to talk about Trump’s tax bill and the increase in the SALT cap, where mortgage interest rates are right now, the relationship between the Fed policy and mortgage rates, and to answer all of your mortgage and real estate questions. David hosts “Home Sweet Home Chicago” […]

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

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about some insurance companies making changes to weight loss drug coverage, a small study showing weight loss drugs helping with migraines, the latest on Moderna’s new flu shot, and what we know about vaccine guidance for the fall.

Local farmer John Andermann of the Will County Farm Bureau joins John Williams to talk about how the crops are looking, the need for more rain on some farms, the flooding that happened during the spring in southern Illinois, the prices trending down, and how tariffs have impacted farms this year.

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

Ashleigh Fields, Breaking News Reporter, The Hill, joins John Williams to tell us everything we need to know about the status of President Trump’s tax bill.

John Bates, Curator and Section Head, Life Sciences, The Field Museum, joins John Williams to talk about the changes made to McCormick Place in Chicago that has kept migrating birds from hitting windows and reducing deaths by 95 percent.

Mike Hobin, broker with Dream Town Real Estate, joins John Williams to talk about creating another puzzle for the New York Times crossword.

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 you can keep your lawn and garden looking great by installing a water timer. Lou also answers your questions about how to keep you house cool during the summer heat. Listen to HouseSmarts Radio on […]

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

Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about the stock market reaching all-time highs, why he believes the market is fairly priced, what needs to happen to happen for the market to move even higher, when we might see an impact on tariffs, if he expects two rate cuts […]

Josh Sach, founder of Meela, joins John Williams once again to talk about his subscription service that provides personalized AI companionship to older adults. Josh also answers all of your questions about the service.

David Schultz, Distinguished University Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies, Hamline University, joins John Williams to talk about the Supreme Court ruling on birthright citizenship and limiting the power of federal judges to rebuke President Trump's executive orders.

NewsNation Now anchor Connell McShane joins John Williams to talk about the Supreme Court ruling related to birthright citizenship, and what we know about the effectiveness of the airstrikes in Iran.

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!

Dan Podgorski, Lansing Village Administrator, joins John Williams to talk about his time as mayor of Lansing, what he would like people to know about Lansing, why it’s a great location for business, the beautiful old, traditional downtown, the importance of redevelopment, how long he’s worked in Lansing, and why it’s the perfect town to […]

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 the Hoosier State and visit with Jordan Smith, Leisure Marketing […]

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

After 3 weeks of voting on 64 Chicago area “Mom & Pop” Italian Beef places, we finally have a new champion of our annual Chicago’s Best Beef Tournament, sponsored by Turano Baking Company and Caruso Provisions. John Williams was joined by Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast cohost / WGN Radio bracketologist Michael Piff to call […]

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 […]

Sarah Spain, host of “Good Game with Sarah Spain,” and author of the new book, ‘Runs in the Family: An Incredible True Story of Football, Fatherhood, and Belonging,' joins John Williams to talk about the popularity of women’s sports and why she continues to shine a light on those stories, how she came up with […]

Elder law attorney Kerry Peck joins John Williams to answer all your questions about elder law, trusts, wills, and elder abuse. Does the government offer a plan where a family member could be paid for providing care instead of a nursing home or retirement center?

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 implores us to keep watering those trees and lawns.

Andy Hale, the lawyer for Chester Weger, a.k.a., The Starved Rock Killer, joins John Williams to talk about the passing of his client at the age of 86. Andy tells John how Chester Weger fought until the end to prove his innocence. Will Andy continue to try to prove that Chester Weger did not commit […]

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

Jared Gans, Staff Writer, The Hill, joins John Williams to break down the New York City primary election. What will the results of the mayoral election mean for the Democratic Party moving forward?

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about the hot weather and what you need to know to protect yourself, the new ‘razor blade throat’ COVID variant that has been going around, a monthly weight loss drug from Amgen that helped people lose about 20% of their […]