Episodes

Young activists sue Trump cause his energy policies are burning down the planet and destroying life as they know it, including theirs. Judge rules, bummer, man, but oh, well. Ben riffs. Cody Wilkins returns to talk about Personality Hire, his comedy special. As well as his takes on the pope, the president, being single, working and…Freud? Yes. Freud. Cody is a standup comedian and joke writer who wrote for Jimmy Fallon and Jennifer Hudson.

Trump bashed the pope, to which Vance declared: I’m with you, Donnie. Ben riffs. Mark Wallace weighs in. Much political and theological discussion ensues. A distinction is drawn between Trump and Trumpism. That is, a distinction between a thoroughly despicable human creature and his thoroughly despicable I-got-mine ideology. The former is an embarrassment even to those who subscribe to the latter. Mark is a businessman and podcaster in Chicago.

Ben’s beloved Bulls trade for a clubhouse preacher who asks reporters if they fornicated before marriage. He also has bad knees. Ben riffs. Alden Loury talks property tax and politics—or the politics of property tax. What prompted voters to oust Assessor Fritz Kaegi? Hint—rising property taxes. Well, that’s not a hint so much as the answer. Was that fair to Kaegi? Will the next assessor make a difference? Also, Maria Pappas reveals she knows how to play the property tax game. Alden is an editor ...

Apparently, Trump thought fighting a war would be easy. Ben riffs. Kam Buckner talks Trump, Bears stadium, Springfield’s anti-Brandon legislation, property taxes and schools, Lou Holtz and more. Including his advice to Caleb Williams about trademarking Iceman as a nickname. Kam is the state representative from the 26th district in Chicago.

Trump calls for a two-week break to his war against Iran. Ben riffs. Monroe gets out his crystal ball to predict…Trump’s cabinet will invoke the 25th amendment to save the country from a President who has lost his mind. Proving that the country’s voters lost their minds when they elected Trump. A great debate ensues. Also, a debate over the election results in Georgia. And Monroe fends off the challenge from Trevor Noah.

As we learned with his White House comments supposedly celebrating Easter, Trump occasionally blurts out the truth. Ben riffs. Miles Kampf-Lassin talks about the war in Iran. The painful parallels to Vietnam and Iraq wars. And Trump’s comments that we can’t afford Medicare and day care and the war. Sorry, geezers and children. A few words about Ska. Miles is an editor and writer for In These Times.

Trump fires Bondi cause she was unable to do the impossible. Ben riffs. David Faris invokes the sour milk metaphor to explain the former AG’s rise and fall. And he dissects 50 or so years of deceitful cherry-picking justifications for waging war against Iran. Finally, a word or two about Trump’s fall in the polls. And the Farisian theory that Trump’s base is a fairly prosperous group of zealots who are more or less exempt from the consequences of his policy. David is a professor of political sci...

It’s that time of the week. Ben and Dr D cover it all. Maria Pappas. Property Taxes. Darren Bailey goes on Fox. JB. And so much more…

The Supremes rule a therapist in Colorado has a First Amended-protected right to offer awful medical advice to a patient. Ben riffs. Jim Coogan takes us to school—law school, that is. Offering the seismic legal takeaways for the case in Colorado, the Meta verdict in California and Caleb Williams’s effort to trademark the most generic of nicknames. Jim is managing partner of Coogan Gallagher.

MAGA and its media blame all immigrants for the horrific crime of one man. Ben riffs. Marc Sims weighs in with memories of over 50 years of news reporting screaming: be scared! Also, JB and Juliana. Willie Wilson and Mayor Johnson. And “we don’t want nobody nobody sent.” Marc is the host of the podcast Just A Few Questions.

Caleb William, who’s clearly never heard of Jerry Butler, tries to trademark the Iceman as his nickname. Ben riffs. With the season just starting. Miles Porter talks all things baseball. Cubs. Sox. Murakami. PCA. How come the Sox can’t stop disrespecting Frank Thomas? And more. Miles co-hosts Blue Line Radio, a baseball podcast.

The solar, clean-energy crew plays hardball politics in Texas—finally. Ben riffs. Delmarie Cobb returns! Talking about how Donna Miller won the second congressional district primary. Listen closely, lefties, if you want to learn about politics in districts other than your own. Other topics include…Toni Preckwinkle, AIPAC, and the council opposition to Mayor Johnson. Finally, a few words about the real Iceman in Chicago. Delmarie is political strategist who worked on the Donna Miller campaign.

A busy week of quips and flips had Ben & Dr D scrambling to cover it all. Starting with—can the dark side lure four aldermen to break from the mayor and stick it to waiters and waitresses? That’s what they need—four flippers—to override the mayor’s veto of a bill passed by the council’s corporate caucus to cut wages of servers. Also, JB cracks wise at the Grid Iron Club. Finally, words of wisdom from Gregory Royal Pratt.

Leon Black could have saved himself a whole lotta money had he’d gone to anyone other than Epstein for advice. Ben riffs. Julie Lynn urges everyone to join Saturday’s No Kings demonstration. Then she talks abortion rights. Cause no one knows more about the politics of abortion than Julie Lynn. Julie is a communications strategist in Chicago.

Long lines forming at airports cause Trump refuses to cut a deal with Dems and release the money to pay TSA employees. Ben riffs. Adolfo takes the deep dive on Cesar Chavez’s legacy and why some people feel compelled to defend him, even now. He takes an even deeper dive into internet rumors that Netanyahu is dead. Adolfo is a lawyer in Chicago.

In the category of not being afraid to pick up the spare…Norm hits the big shot and wins a chicken dinner. Say what? Ben explains. Denali takes on three big issues. Cesar Chavez, the monster in the movement who was too big to be held accountable. Katie Britt and the use of a disarming persona to advance regressive policies. And her own Hannibal Buress moment regarding Raja’s campaign contributions. Denali is a pro-democracy activist on the northwest side.

State Rep Jamie Andrade, the last vestige of Mell’s Machine, loses. Ben riffs. Gregory joins the conversation, explicating his election-night Blue Sky posts. Including…Toni beats Reilly. La Shawn wins big. The nutty 9th. Raja’s cash-bar blues. Juliana and JB, Mayor Johnson’s chances, and more. Gregory is a political reporter for the Chicago Tribune. Or as he puts it—“your Chicago Tribune.”

The election results are in from Tuesday’s primaries, and it’s time to sweep up the debris. And so Ben and Dr D grab their brooms and get to work. Everything you need to know about everything! Senate, governor, congress. Stick around for Ben’s defense of Jim Varney and his nostalgic tribute to Toni P.

“Cesar Chavez accused of abusing girls—accounts detail years of misconduct by a civil rights icon”, reads the NYT headline. Ben riffs. Joanna and Jake take the post-election deep dive on AIPAC’s role in congressional primaries. Shell PACs funded by shell donors. Also, the existential crisis many American Jews face regarding Israel. And more. Joanna and Jake are political and communication strategists who worked on Robert Peters and Dan Biss’s congressional campaigns.

The primary campaigns comes and goes with a few surprises. Ben riffs. And then Monroe covers everything including, Juliana, Donna, La Shawn, Toni, Dan and Jan and Sidney. As in Yates. Yes, we go back. Also JB’s weight loss and more. Much more.

The “AIPAC” commercial “backs” Bushra to siphon votes from Kat to elect Laura—are you following?—says everything you need to know about this election season that’s mercifully coming to an end. Ben riffs. Rummana returns! Talking Bushra, Kat, Indian-American voters, Raja, Laura Loomer and the Taj Mahal and more. Including Gene Simmons. The Kiss guy? Yes, that guy. And the Oscars. Rummana is a columnist for the Sun-Times. Her views are her own.

As Trump wages war against Iran, Colman McCarthy, one of America’s great pacifists, dies at age 87. Ben riffs. David Faris explains Trump’s strategy—or lack thereof. How did we get into this morass? Netanyahu’s role in riling up Trump. The junior partner drives the bus. The spillover war in Lebanon. And finally, David makes up his mind on the senate race. David is a professor of political science at Roosevelt University and a columnist for The Nation. His views are his own.

Just a few days to Election Day. Ben and Dr D are so excited, they’re doing back flips and talking—at the same time! About…Robin, Raja, Juliana and Kevin. Yes, Kevin Ryan. Also JB and Christian. Yes, JB’s running mate, who once ate lunch with Ben. And knows a lot about boxing. In fact, he may be the only candidate in Illinois who knows about Gypsy Joe Harris. Also, much talk about why people don’t vote.

With just a few days to the election, the undecided procrastinators sorta start paying attention to the senate race. Ben riffs. Daniel Laurison has spent years studying the non voter. That is, people who aren’t registered to vote. Or people who are and don’t vote anyway. Or people who think voting is not for people like them. Or people who say they’d vote for Trump cause his name is on the check they received, if they vote at all. Daniel is a professor of sociology at Swarthmore College. Check o...