WGN - The John Williams Uncut Podcast

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author the The Last Ward, and long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. The Rascals begin the podcast breaking down the top stories from yesterday’s elections across the country. Are we […]

Dr. Muddassir Siddiqi, President of College of DuPage (COD), joins John Williams to talk about the relationship he has with Innovation DuPage, some of the companies that they have supported, how many companies they have accelerated because of their work, the importance of empowering small businesses in the community to grow and thrive, and what […]

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.

Mortgage and real estate expert David Hochberg joins John Williams to talk about interest rates dropping, why he’s so upset with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s “real estate tax debacle,” the strategy being used by D.R. Horton Homebuilders, his concern over inflation, the labor market, and credit card debt, and what his forecast is for […]

Anthony Bowers, Major, Divisional Youth and Candidate Secretary, Assistant Camp Administrator for the Salvation Army’s Wonderland Camp, joins John Williams to talk about the work he does with the Salvation Army, when he decided to join the Salvation Army, the most important part of the Wonderland Camp, how long the camp lasts, some of the […]

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

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about Rep. Chuy Garcia announcing at the last minute that he won’t run for reelection leaving the door open for his chief of staff to win the seat. Eric also breaks down election day across the country. What are the races we need to […]

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about the importance of getting vaccinated for flu and COVID (especially for the older population), and a new study that shows the risk of a heart attack triples within the first few weeks after a Covid-19 infection. […]

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 October 2025! What was your favorite joke this month? Keep sending your jokes to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com

Longtime Chicago radio veteran Harvey Wells, founder, Lower Tech Bills, talks to John about how he helps customers lower their internet, cell phone, and television costs. Harvey breaks down the battle between YouTube TV and Disney. To request a free Tech Check: hmwellsradio@gmail.com or call 312-307-1700.

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 why fall is a great time to reseal your asphalt driveway. What do we need to know if we want to tackle that project? And as always, Lou answers all of your home improvement […]

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

NewsNation Now anchor Connell McShane joins John Williams to talk about the latest on the government shutdown, President Trump urging Republicans to kill the filibuster, SNAP benefits expiring, and the latest on the ICE raids taking place throughout Chicago.

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!

Jessica Cannaday, Executive Director, Community Park District of La Grange Park, joins John Williams to talk about the work that the park district does, how many parks are in the area, the terrific support from the community, the various types of programming they offer for people of all ages, the strong relationship they have with […]

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 Wisconsin once again and visit with the marvelous Stephanie Klett, […]

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about an acronym you can use to enjoy Halloween candy at any age: B.O.O. Dawn also talks about the diet and nutrition of professional athletes. And as always, Dawn answers all 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, multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope's Screening Room, and political pundit Marj Halperin! The Rascals start this week’s show talking about Border Patrol and ICE conducting immigration raids throughout the Chicago area and a judge ordering Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino […]

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.

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

After 40 years of invaluable contributions, Steve Bertrand is signing off on a remarkable career, and we are honored to celebrate his retirement! He announced on-air that his last day on the radio will be November 13th. A trusted voice in the newsroom, Bertrand recently celebrated his 40th Anniversary with WGN Radio this past June. […]

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

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about U.S. Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino appearing in federal court this morning, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries visiting Illinois to advocate for redrawing the state's electoral maps before the next election, and the possibility of President Trump running for a third term.

Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group, and host of “The Alpha Wealth Hour” on WGN Radio, joins John to talk about the difference between trading and investing, why investors need to ride the market, if he’s concerned about an ‘AI Bubble,’ what he expects from Fed policy, why we should be paying attention to […]

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about a new study that shows the shingles vaccine being connected to health benefits, early-phase research shows COVID mRNA vaccines could give immunotherapies a cancer-fighting boost, what to know about Tylenol and links to autism, President Trump […]

Local farmer John Andermann of the Will County Farm Bureau joins John Williams to talk about farming corn and soybeans, how many acres he farms, how the harvest has gone this fall, the generally above average yield in their area, the cost of running a small farm in Illinois, if he expects this to be […]

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. Lou says now is the time to start prepping your home if you are planning to host Thanksgiving festivities. Lou also answers all of your home improvement questions. Listen to HouseSmarts Radio on WGN each Saturday morning at […]

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

Dr. Joel Ostrow, professor, comparative and international politics, Benedictine University, joins John Williams to talk about President Donald Trump’s sanctions against two of Russia’s largest oil companies. Will these sanctions have any impact?

Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about the newest inflation data, why the market jumped today, his concern over debt, the overall strength of the economy, the latest on the government shutdown, the forecast for food prices, his expectations for Fed rate cuts for the rest of the year, […]

NewsNation Now anchor Connell McShane joins John Williams to talk about President Donald Trump saying he terminated all U.S. trade negotiations with Canada over his displeasure with a TV ad, the latest data on inflation, and the latest on ICE arrests in Chicago and around the country.

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 John Williams to talk about the health benefits of Krill Oil, a special type of Omega-3 supplement. Dawn tells us what Krill Oil is, the many potential health benefits, and how to know if it's right for you. Dawn also explains why strength training (and rest!) is so important. Dawn […]

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 drive down I-55 and visit with Rich Crum, Director of […]

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

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.

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

Attorney Rich Lenkov, Capital Member, Downey & Lenkov, and co-host of “Legal Face-Off” on wgnradio.com, joins John Williams to talk about the Supreme Court saying that it will consider whether people who regularly smoke marijuana can legally own guns.

Dr. Michael Bauer, Medical Director, Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, talks to John about how long it takes to be fully protected after getting a COVID shot, why people often get sick after returning from a trip, if he recommends wearing a mask while traveling, how vaccines reduce the impact of serious […]

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about the Supreme Court saying it will consider whether people who regularly smoke marijuana can legally own guns, President Trump’s use of AI, the ‘impressive’ and ‘impactful’ ‘No Kings’ protests, and President Trump commuting the sentence of ex-Rep. George Santos. Eric also expresses his hatred […]