WGN - The John Williams Uncut Podcast

Eric Zorn of The Picayune Sentinel and The Daily Herald joins John Williams to break down John’s interview with Dr. Deborah Birx and how the previous administration managed the COVID pandemic. Eric also talks about the attention given to the story of a noose being found at the Obama Presidential Center site. Eric believes we are giving too […]

Dr. Deborah Birx, former White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator and Coronavirus Task Force member, joins John Williams to talk about what we have learned from the pandemic over the last two years, what we know about keeping schools open amid a pandemic, how she felt former President Trump and his administration handled the pandemic, and […]

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about Chicago moving up to ‘medium’ COVID risk, the best ways to keep schools open amid COVID, and what we should know about the ‘tripledemic’ of COVID, RSV, and the seasonal flu. And as always, Dr. Kopin answers all of […]

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

CNET Editor-at-Large, Ian Sherr, joins Jon Hansen who fills in for John Williams to talk about the blue checkmark verification fiasco on Twitter. Blue checkmarks were originally intended to verify accounts from people in the public eye like celebrities, companies, and journalists. The new owner of the social media platform, Elon Musk, made the blue check […]

Jon Hansen fills in for John Williams and It's time to listen to the BEST JOKES OF THE WEEK! What was your favorite? Keep sending your jokes to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com!

Jon Hansen fills in for John Williams and he’s joined by Mayda Corral, ComEd's Security Manager. People are receiving phone calls that threaten to cut off service immediately from people claiming to be from ComEd. Mayda clears up that ComEd will never ask for immediate payment or ask for your social security number, account number, […]

Jon Hansen fills in for John Williams and is joined by the President of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, retired Army Colonel Dr. Krewasky Salter. In honor of Veterans Day, the Pritzker Military Museum & Library (PMML) announces plans for a month-long celebration featuring free in-person and hybrid programs throughout November.

Jon Hansen fills in for John Williams and is joined by Paula Kosin, Career Coach for “Back to Work Boot Camp“. Paula wrote a piece in the Chicago Tribune about going beyond saying “Thank you for your service” to veterans. The two discuss how to be respectful and pick up on cues when recognizing soldiers […]

Looking to take a quick getaway from the Chicago area this fall and winter? Well, John Williams has you covered with our “Best of the Midwest” feature. Today, we head to Geneva and talk with Laura Rush, Communications Director for the Geneva Chamber of Commerce. Laura talks about some great events to prepare you for […]

Author and food and nutrition expert Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about the benefits of roughage, if wilted or faded fruits and vegetables lose some of their nutritional value, and how you can bring older (not spoiled!) produce items back to life.

House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) joins John to talk about the results of the midterm election in Illinois, why he believes you need to embrace Chicago if you want to win a statewide race, if he thought that Darren Bailey was the best candidate to run for governor, and the reason who chose to step […]

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

Anabel Le, a married mother of three, joins John Williams to tell us how the Salvation Army’s Pathway of Hope program helped their family after Anabel’s husband lost his job during the pandemic. Click here to help John fill his virtual Red Kettle and help our neighbors in need this holiday season!

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn of The Picayune Sentinel and The Daily Herald, Mark Jacob, freelance writer and former Metro editor at the Tribune, and Jon Hansen of WGN Radio and Block Club Chicago. Today, the Rascals break down the midterm elections. What were the top storylines after last night? Has the media done a […]

Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso joins John Williams to talk about the results of last night’s midterm elections, how many of the Illinois races were not competitive, why he believes there were too many extreme Republican candidates, and how the party needs to get a more moderate message out in order to win elections in the state.

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

Eric Zorn of The Picayune Sentinel and The Daily Herald joins John Williams to talk about why he believes this is a very consequential midterm election, the likelihood Donald Trump announces another presidential run next week, and the amount of election deniers that are currently running for office. John and Eric also talk about the future of The […]

Chris Cuomo, host of “Cuomo” on NewsNation, joins John Williams to talk about what he’s most interested in watching as the returns come in from the midterm elections across the country. Chris and John chat about the senate race in Georgia, the candidacy of Herschel Walker, negative campaign ads and election spending, if the U.S. votes […]

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about what he expects from COVID this winter, if they are seeing an uptick in RSV among adults, if there is danger in getting a flu shot twice, and the importance of getting vaccinated before the holidays. And as always, […]

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

Amy Dickinson, the “Ask Amy” syndicated advice columnist, joins John Williams to talk about the advice she gave to an uncle who was upset that his 3-year-old niece wouldn’t hug him.

New England Sports Network betting analyst Sam Panayotovich joins John Williams to talk about yesterday’s Bears game and what the future of the team looks like with Justin Fields as QB1. Sam also tells us who he likes in the NBA this season and why the Texas Longhorns are going to make a Final Four run this […]

Dr. Bal Nandra, Founder and Medical Director of IV Solutions and Ketamine Centers of Chicago, along with patient John Vincent, join John to talk about the impacts of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). What causes SAD and when should you consider Ketamine as a treatment for SAD?

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

Satirist Andy Borowitz, writer of the ‘Borowitz Report‘ for the New Yorker, joins John Williams to talk about the thin line between reality and absurdity, if his comedy work sometimes gets mistaken as real, why he never punches down with his comedy, if he’s optimistic about the future, his new book, “Profiles in Ignorance: How […]

It's time to listen to the BEST JOKES OF THE WEEK! What was your favorite? Keep sending your jokes to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com!

Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso joins John Williams to talk about his recent commentary in the Chicago Tribune that suggests that the extreme members of the Republican party are making it virtually impossible to win elections in Illinois.

Looking to take a quick getaway from the Chicago area this fall? Well, John Williams has you covered with our “Best of the Midwest” feature. Today, we head Wisconsin and chat with Noreen Rueckert, Tourism Director for Green County Tourism! Noreen tells John about where Green County is located (about a two-hour drive from Chicago), how […]

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

Professor Jane Kirtley, Director, Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota, joins John Williams to talk about Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover and what it means for the social media company and its millions of users.

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn of The Picayune Sentinel and The Daily Herald, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute, and Jon Hansen of WGN Radio and Block Club Chicago. The Rascals discuss Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover and his plans to charge for verification. Eric is not leaving Twitter and still finds value from it. The […]

John Donovan joins John Williams to talk about his recovery from acute alcoholism and how the Salvation Army‘s Harbor Light rehabilitation facility saved his life. Click here to help John fill his virtual Red Kettle and help our neighbors in need this holiday season!

Elder law attorney Kerry Peck joins John Williams to answer all your questions about elder law, trusts, wills, and elder abuse. As part of the work that Kerry is doing with the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Elder Law, the commission is gathering input from all over the state of Illinois to study the needs and challenges […]

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

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss joins John Williams to talk about a referendum on the ballot for the upcoming election that asks Evanston voters if they want to use ranked-choice voting. Mayor Biss explains what ranked-choice working is and how it would work in Evanston.

Matthew Quinn, Director of Chicagoland for Rosecrance and a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor in Illinois, joins John Williams to talk about Matthew Perry’s recent interview with Diane Sawyer and his lifelong battle with substance abuse. Matthew tells John what we should know about Vicodin, and what he would tell people that are prescribed Vicodin.

Eric Zorn of The Picayune Sentinel and The Daily Herald joins John Williams to talk about being away at fiddle camp and having a conversation with his housemate who has checked out of paying attention to the news. Is watching or consuming the news important to you? Is it irresponsible to stop watching or listening or reading the news?

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about the triple threat of RSV, flu, and COVID as we head into winter, and Dallas researchers creating a molecule that kills hard-to-treat cancers. And Dr. Kopin also answers your medical questions.

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

Jessica Roy, assistant editor on the Utility Journalism team at the Los Angeles Times (and proud New Trier graduate!), joins John Williams to share her horrifying experience being a victim of identity theft. What can you do to prevent becoming a victim?

Attorney Rae Kaplan, of Kaplan Law Firm, joins John Williams to talk about where student debt forgiveness stands now that the U.S. Court of Appeals recently gave an emergency order to temporarily block the Biden administration's debt relief plan.