Episodes

Wha a week it was! Rachel Hinton joins Ben to discuss it all. Including…buses impounded. The Ed Burke defense. Is listener Linda right about the Sanctuary City referendum? The “jungle cat” of west loop real estate. And our love for libraries, librarians and books. Rachel has a recommendation. Rache…

Pat Whalen and Ben take on all the issues of the day, including…MJ stiffs the Bulls celebration. ESPN scams the Emmys. Twitter sucks, but Pat defends it. But there’s no defense for mindless drivel from the mainstream talking heads. Pat teaches Ben the meaning of memes. And much more. Pat Whalen is …

For almost 50 years, Rick Telander’s been one of America’s great sportswriters. And then this year, his collection of poems was published. He’s still one of America’s great sportswriters. But now he’s also a published poet. And that’s just so freaking cool! Ben and Rick talk about their lifelong lo…

Michael Gerardi weighs in on heartless landlords. Ben riffs. Miles Kampf-Lassin talks Colorado verdict on Trump. And radical right. And threat of fascism. And he defends Chicago—not always easy to do. And he still finds time to take a stand on Zach LaVine. Miles is an editor and writer for In These…

Turns out city didn’t take in as much money as it projected from the casino. Ben riffs. Monroe Anderson ranks our mayors and entertains the question. Are Chicago Baby Boomers embarrassed to admit they voted for Mayors Daley and Rahm? Also, Trump’s lawyers argue he’s immune from any prosecution for …

Doctors Thaer Ahmad and Zaher Sahloul are physicians in the Chicago area. But they’ve been to Gaza and they explain the health crisis that’s exacerbated by the Israeli invasion. It’s time to end this madness—ceasefire now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy No…

Alderman Ed Burke's corruption trial goes to the jury. Ben riffs. Adolfo Mondragon returns for another episode dedicated to the Burke trial. An ongoing conversation between Ben and Adolfo that's been called the world's greatest Burke trial coverage. Okay, Ben called it that. But that doesn't make i…

Pamella Gronemeyer is a Pathologist in downstate Highland Illinois and she supports Bernie Sanders for president. Hear her story and download this Benny J bonus interview See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Race relations in France, MAGA’s hypocritical take down of former Harvard president Claudine Gay and the hateful things gentiles say about Jews…these are just a few of the topics Ben and Laurie Glenn eagerly discuss. Laurie is one of Chicago’s premier political strategists. See Privacy Policy at …

It’s closing time in the Ed Burke trial. Ben riffs. Terry Cosgrove talks abortion rights. Particularly, the Kate Cox case in Texas. It once again proves that Republicans want to outlaw abortion in all cases. So stop deceiving yourself, voters. Also, a few words about the mainstream press. And a few…

Rummana and Ben have flags on their minds—after a landlord in Logan Square moves to evict a tenant for flying a Palestinian flag. Which gets Rummana reminiscing how Lincolnwood treats flags. Lots of flag talk. Ben asks Rummana the “Maya” question. Which gets them talking journalism. And more. Rumma…

Decision time approaches for Bulls and Bears. Mueze Bawany tells both teams exactly what they must do to win their respective championships. Take notes. Mueze is a high school football and basketball coach. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://ar…

Former Alderman Danny Solis takes the stand in the Burke trial. Ben riffs. Monroe Anderson wonders what the tapes would reveal if he was secretly taping Ben. Then he takes the deep dive on the bluff call by Hunter Biden and Jack Smith. A few words about MAGA’s war against women in Texas. And a conf…

Trump and his Republicans have denied climate change and the pandemic. Now they’re denying slavery--or at least, trying to re-write its history to fit their political narrative. Northwestern University historian, Leslie Harris, a specialist in the subject of slavery in this country, explains how it…

David Faris talks free speech in academia. A relevant topic in the aftermath of the fallout over the congressional testimony of three “smart school” university presidents. The fact that Ben feels compelled to assert that David speaks only for himself and no one else says it all. David Faris is a p…

The final week of 2023. Sunrise, sunset…And so much for Ben and Mark Wallace to discuss Like…the Libertarian Party’s curious attitude toward slavery. Maine boots Trump from the ballot. That knocking sound you hear are the knees of Supreme Court justices as they try to summon the courage to do what …

Crain’s breaks the news—the rich are getting richer. Ben riffs. And Tosh Chandy makes his show debut to defend Mayor Johnson, Alderman Ramirez-Rosa and immigrants. But not Ed Burke! Tosh is a lawyer, real estate salesman and political junkie from Beverly. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pr…

In the last couple of days, Henry Kissinger died at age 100 and George Santos got expelled from Congress. David Faris considers their legacies. Also, a few words about Nikki Haley’s “resurgence”. David is a political science professor at Roosevelt University and a columnist for Slate and Newsweek. …

Rhode Island honors Michael Flynn. Ben riffs. Monroe Anderson makes a rare confession. He may have been wrong to believe the Supremes would uphold Colorado and kick Trump off the ballot. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-n…

Glenn Foster, Jr. was a Chicago kid--raised on the south side and a Mount Carmel grad--who was one of Kam Buckner's best friends on the football team at the University of Illinois--he calls Foster his "little brother". So he flew to Birmingham, Alabama, to be there when Foster's family announced it…

Governor Pritzker puts a hold on Tent City in Brighton Park. Ben riffs. Mick Dumke attempts to answer the following questions. Why would anyone think it’s a good idea to build housing on toxic land? Why doesn’t Chicago give a damn about the environment? Why won’t the CHA fix up its housing in the m…

A long overdue update on Abraham's Lincoln's hat and the new Illinois laws of 2020. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Perfect timing…Burke gets convicted and Trump bounced from the ballot in same week! Just in time to talk it over with Brendan Shiller. Who knows a thing or two about Chicago pols and politics and ballot access issues. Why do Chicago aldermen have so much love for Ed Burke? Will Trump pardon Burke s…

Juanita Irizarry steps down from Friends of the Parks and then the Bears float the idea of building a new stadium on the Lucas Museum site. Ben riffs. Sara Haghdoosti makes the case for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Sara is executive director of Win Without War. See Privacy Policy at https://ar…