Episodes

Ben & Dr. D do their riffing thing. Including riffs on the Bears, WBEZ/Sun-Times, and our big scoop. Hint, we owe it all to Scott Waguespack, Dan Mihalopoulos and Linda Paul. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy a...

Crain's asks who's going to pay for a new Bears stadium in Arlington Heights. Ben answers. Chinyere Farr talks Reader fundraising. And Jacob & Dan, the Illinois Political Know it Alls, return to talk politics from Chicago to ...

Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez returns to talk policing, budgets, mayoral fibbing and the different rules for mayoral allies and independents in the city council. Also, it looks as though former alderman Richard Mell is...

The Bears buy property in Arlington Heights. Ben says—good riddance. Monroe Anderson talks LeBron and vaccines. And south side activist Dixon Romeo talks Obama Center and gentrification. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.co...

Ben sets up shop in Cali. Nothing goes right. And Alderman Scott Waguespack, chair of the finance committee, talks budgets, mayors, Burke, Gardiner and why Mike Kelly had got to go. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pri...

Political scientist David Faris returns to talk about the California recall election and the lunacy of hard-core anti-mandate Republicans. It's enough to make him almost optimistic about the future. Also, he riffs on France's...

June 4, 2019: Trump in the U.K. and Burke pleads not guilty. Lightfoot's new School Board and where on earth will Chicago put a casino? Maya Dukmasova of The Chicago Reader weighs in on Burke vs Lightfoot and Anthony Clarke t...

Victoria Williams, CEO of ACC of Illinois, and Vincent E. Norment, owner of the Marijuana Hall of Fame, return to talk Bears. Victoria gives Vincent grief for not having enough faith in her beloved Bears. Vincent says Victori...

There's a week's worth of news for Ben & Dr. D to riff about. Including, Mayor Lightfoot's budget address, and her budget games, and a new candidate for assessor, and the love aldermen have for Mayor Rahm, and the love Chicag...

Words of wisdom about Nicki Minaj from an enlightened millennial. Andy Fox, from the city's office of Labor Standards, talks workers rights. And Dave Glowacz of Inside Chicago Politics returns for another segment of A City Co...

Historian Adam Carston talks about Mr. Kelly's the super cool Rush Street nightclub back in the `50s & `60s--when the small club drew Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Barbra Streisand and other stars. See Privacy Policy at https:/...

Word breaks that Mayor Rahm's made over $13 million since leaving office. Ben riffs. And Monroe Anderson on border security whipping Haitian refugees. Also, Miles Kampf-Lassin from In These Times talks about Biden's budget op...

Bill Horberg wins an Emmy! Ben pretends his show got one, too. And Nicole Cantello, president of the local EPA union, talks vaccine mandates. Also, Terry Cosgrove, CEO of Personal PAC, talks Texas abortion law. If Dems don't ...

Demographer Rob Paral goes over the early census reports to see what they say about what Chicago was, is and will be. One obvious conclusion is that Republicans are full of…well, let’s let Rob explain… See Privacy Policy at...

Sun-Times editor/columnist Rummana Hussain takes the deep dive on The White Lotus. A show in which white people look really, really bad. No spoilers--as we are disciplined conversationalists--so you can listen even if you hav...

May 22, 2019: Legendary Chicago Journalist Monroe Anderson and Former Chicago Sun-Times City Hall Reporter Ray Hanania talk Trump, Pelosi, the great cover up of 2019 and the first 100 days of Chicago Mayors past. Download Wed...

Investigative journalist and former Bernie Sanders speechwriter, David Sirota returns to talk Mayor Rahm. Specifically, why are Dems rewarding Rahm after he, among other things, buried evidence of murder? You can read David's...

Keith Forsyth was a 20-year-old "freak" back in 1971, when he and other anti-war activists broke into the FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania and made off with various reports. That enabled them to eventually expose the secrets...

MAGA loves Nicki Minaj because of her cousin's friend's swollen testicles. Or something like that. Ben riffs. Also, Monroe Anderson takes a victory lap for correctly predicting the California recall election. And Sergio Mims...

Ben talks about the life and times of Veronica Wolski, who went from Bernie to QAon. Also, state Rep. Kelly Cassidy returns to talk about her counter attack against the anti-choicers. Also, a word or two about Republican "mod...

President of the Chicago Principals Association Troy LaRaviere returns to talk about the opening of school. Or, Chicago's abysmal lack of preparation. Also, he offers advice to Los Angeles principals. And his thoughts on anti...

Thursday May 16, 2019: Bill de Blasio come on down, you're the next 2020 POTUS candidate! Mayor Rahm and casinos in Chicago. Sun-Times Editor Evan Moore on the news of the day and his Go Defenders podcast. Lightfoot's to do l...

Sun-Times editor/columnist Rummana Hussain talks about 9/11, white liberals, the new anti-abortion law in Texas, and other issues of the day. She poses the question: If it's white Christians who have outlawed abortion in Texa...

Ben & Dr. D. riff on a week's worth of news, including...There's a new candidate for governor in the Republican primary. Meet Jesse "Sully" Sullivan, who is going to try to be the first resident of California to be elected go...