WGN - The John Williams Uncut Podcast

Attorney Rae Kaplan of Kaplan Law Firm joins John Williams to talk about The Education Department announcing a proposed settlement with the state of Missouri that it said would terminate the SAVE plan. What does this mean for student loan borrowers? Rae breaks it all down.

NewsNation Now anchor Connell McShane joins John Williams to talk about Indiana lawmakers voting against a redistricting effort favored by President Trump, and what we should know about the seizure of an oil tanker near Venezuela.

Craig Bolanos, Co-Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John to talk about the possibility of the Dow reaching 50K, his concern over the labor market in 2026, why people should be excited about their 401(k) prospects in 2026, how many rate cuts does he see in the next year, why he’s watching AI closely, what […]

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 nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins Wendy Snyder to talk about how every meal does not have to be perfect, the benefits of watercress, the healthiest type of spread, if grocery store rotisserie chicken is good for you, and what foods can help your metabolism. Dawn also answers all of your health and nutrition questions.

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 […]

Mortgage and real estate expert David Hochberg joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, to talk about the impact of the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates again. What does this mean for you? David hosts “Home Sweet Home Chicago” on Saturdays from 10am to 1pm on WGN Radio. You can call him at 855-56-David, […]

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

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

Ashley Joyce, Chairman of Duchossois Capital Management and the Duchossois Family Foundation, joins Wendy Snyder to talk about next week’s Salvation Army Radiothon and their generous $25,000 matching donation. Ashley tells Wendy about what the Salvation Army means to the Duchossois family, the importance of giving during the holiday season, how long the Duchossois family […]

Noted pet expert Steve Dale, joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, to talk about his new book, “Ask the Dog.”

Jim Summaria and Mark Plotnick join Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, to talk about their newest book, ‘70’s Chicagoland Rock Concerts.’ Jim and Mark talk to Wendy about their first concerts, Jim describes how he became interested in rock-n-roll photography, the Chicago area venues that hosted the top artists of the time, and […]

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

Dr. Stephen Jumic, hospital medicine at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital, joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, to talk about flu cases increasing, how dangerous the flu can be, the importance of getting vaccinated, if you should get a vaccine if you already had the flu, and if it’s too late to get a […]

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, to talk about this weekend’s Songs of Good Cheer event at The Old Town School of Folk Music (get tickets here), his favorite Christmas songs, and why he’s in favor of the medical aid in dying bill that is still sitting on […]

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

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. This week, Lou tells us what you can do to prevent ice dams. Lou also answers all of your home improvement questions and absolves himself from any blame for the […]

Alexander Zalben, Editor of Comic Book Club, joins Wendy Snyder in for John Williams to break down the 2026 Golden Globe nominations.

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

Wendy Snyder (in for John Williams) is joined by legendary television journalist Bill Kurtis to talk all about his new book, Whirlwind: My Life Reporting the News. Kurtis shares fascinating stories from his storied career while promoting his interview with WGN’s Larry Potash at the Museum of Broadcast Communications on Saturday, December 6th, 2025.

Tom Appel, Publisher, Consumer Guide Automotive and host of the Consumer Guide Car Stuff podcast, joins John Williams to talk about the Trump administration rolling back fuel economy standards. Tom breaks down what this means.

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about why you should not eat lunch while you a working, and the one habit that could decrease your risk of heart attack, high blood pressure, diabetes, and weight gain. Dawn also answers your health and nutrition questions.

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, 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 […]

Captain Christine Coreano, Corps Officer, The Salvation Army Oakbrook Terrace, North and Central Illinois Division, joins John Williams to talk about her career in the Salvation Army, how food insecurity is an issue in every community, who their food programs serve, the reliance on food donations, their desire to meet every need in the community, […]

Mortgage and real estate expert David Hochberg joins John Williams to talk about mortgage rates coming down a bit, if he thinks the Fed will cut interest rates later this month, how homes have appreciated in the area, how much credit card debt Americans are holding, why he insists on paying off credit card debt every […]

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

Clem Martin from Christ the King Jesuit College Prep joins John Williams on this Marquette Bank Giving Tuesday to talk about how long the school has been around, the students who make up Christ the King, where most of the students come from, the support they receive from Marquette Bank, and the unique Corporate Work […]

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about what you can take to combat the common cold, the World Health Organization issuing the first-ever guidelines for use of GLP-1 weight loss medications, and what you can do to protect yourself from Norovirus.

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about Northwestern University agreeing to pay $75 million to the Trump administration to restore frozen funding, and the controversy surrounding a Sept. 2 attack on a boat in the Caribbean Sea. And don’t forget! You can still get tickets to Eric’s wonderful Christmas event, “Songs […]

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

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Mr. Fix It offers his suggestions to prevent porch pirates, and to give some tips on how to best prepare your home for winter. Listen to HouseSmarts Radio on WGN each Saturday morning at 6 am.

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 November 2025 (and John likes these)! What was your favorite joke this month? Keep sending your jokes to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com

Envoy Scott Hurula, Corps Administrator and pastor at The Salvation Army Joliet Corps, and Salvation Army volunteer Novel Woods, join John Williams to talk about the importance of Salvation Army volunteers, and what you can do if you want to be a bell-ringer this season. Your donations to The Salvation Army will help keep families […]

Matt Singer, editor and critic at ScreenCrush, and author of ‘Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever,’ joins John Williams to talk about the 50th anniversary of the TV show starring famed movie critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. Matt explains how Siskel and Ebert impacted movie criticism, their influence on films in […]

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

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 continue to water your trees and shrubs and remember to cut your lawn down to 2 inches for the winter.

John Williams read a portion of a letter from listener Janelle from Michigan: Good morning, John.  I wanted to share this with you, after listening to it again this morning….. So interesting to look back and recall the thoughts and emotions so many people were experiencing that morning a little over a year ago.  It's also nice to reflect on where we […]

U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL 14) joins John Williams to talk about what she found when she visited the Broadview ICE detention center. Rep. Underwood details the inhumane conditions at the facility and also tells John what she expects from Operation Midway Blitz in the months to come.

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 Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about why you should go for a brief walk after having your Thanksgiving meal, why he suggests getting a COVID shot and a flu shot in separate arms, Pfizer’s mRNA flu shot outperforming the standard flu vaccine in […]

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about the best Thanksgiving food, why he thinks Chicago’s winter-parking rules are more of a cash grab, and his idea to get rid of divisions in the NFL.