Episodes

Ben and Dr D tell it like it is on a week’s worth of news, including…Madigan and MAGA, Mayor Johnson and the alders, Garcia and Garcia, and the Bears and Indiana. As the Bears threaten to move out of state in search of the biggest public handout for their new stadium. Also, a letter from a listener compels Ben to make a no-dumb pledge. And the on-going debate over the Mount Rushmore of f-bombs and comedians. Hint, everybody loves Rodney!

Americans love a con man. Ben riffs. Jack White agrees, sorta. More like America loves to be entertained. And with that, Jack runs down the “cornucopia of bullshit” dished out by Trump and his lackeys on a daily basis. Is it possible that Trump will have a Scrooge like conversion on Christmas Eve? If so, will Roy Cohn be his Marley? Jack is a former columnist and editor at Time.

A deranged Trump blames Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner for getting murdered. Ben riffs. Pedro Lira reports from Texas. Will Republicans pick up 5 congressional seats through gerrymandering? Or will their machinations work against them? What does it take to get rural Texans to vote Democratic? The dangers of pipe dreams. And a quick look at Crockett v Talarico in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Pedro is state director for the Texas Working Families Party.

As we prepare to record, word breaks of senseless slaughter at a Chanukah festival in Australia. Ben riffs. State Representative Kam Buckner joins him. Ensuing topics include Hoosier redistricting, head tax v property tax, transit bill and Bears beat Browns to set up next week’s game against Packers. Kam loves the Bears DGAF attitude. A few words about park district bologna sandwiches. Kam is a state representative from the 26th district and a former defensive lineman for the Fighting Illini and...

A federal grand jury says sorry, Donnie when it comes to prosecuting Letitia James. Ben riffs. And Maya returns! To talk about her epic profile of Cook County Judge Timothy Evans, one of the most important local politicians in recent history. He went from Machine alderman to Mayor Washington’s floor leader to one of the reasons Richard M Daley got elected mayor to Chief Judge and the unlikely criminal justice “reformer,” if such a word can ever be used in relation to Cook County. Maya is a write...

Michael Madigan goes Blago—pleading with Trump for mercy. Ben riffs. Monroe considers the case of Mamdani. When should Dems defer to Trump? Should Mayor Johnson be more like Mamdani? And what to make about Trump’s hate of Somalia? A few words about Brian Glenn, MTG’s boyfriend, who’s torn between two lovers, feeling like a fool.

Trump ends the War on Drugs for those who kiss his ass. Ben riffs. Matt Ginsberg-Jaeckle takes us from A to Z on recent US policy toward Honduras. Starting with the coup of 2009 and continuing to Trump’s commutation of Juan Orlando Hernandez’s sentence for drug trafficking. It’s a sickening spectacle. Matt is an interpreter and human rights activist.

MAGA weighs in on bombing boats and killing people in the Caribbean. Ben riffs. Sarah Bingaman—Western Illinois’s voice of the people—returns to describe the challenge of building a Democratic base in rural Illinois. You have to listen to people. Don’t be needlessly argumentative. You’d be surprised by what you have in common. And for goodness sakes, don’t assume you will lose—you can win! Sarah is a political activist in Lee County.

A NYT headline about Obamacare is absurd even by NYT standards. Ben riffs. David Faris defends the voters, sorta. As he covers Trump’s gas guzzling energy policy and Trump’s get rid of healthcare policy. Also, a few words about Hegseth, Fox News and what’s it gonna take to win an election. David is a political science professor at Roosevelt University and a columnist for The Nation. His views are his own.

Ben & Dr D decide it’s time to tell you what you need to know. Including…what gas station in Springfield squeezes the most money from the suckers who play video gambling. Hint…it’s not Quick ‘n Easy. There’s got to be a better way to fund government. On to Chicago…a crew of Mayor Rahm flunkies try to scare voters against Mayor Johnson by invoking the name of Byron Sigcho Lopez. Apparently, Mamdani’s name was taken. And Toni Preckwinkle releases a poll.

Want Boss Donnie to do whatever you want him to do? It’s easy. Just call him—Your excellency. Ben riffs. Laurie Glenn does not hold back—extended riffs on this age of hate and madness and the need to stand strong. Hear that, Dems? On a personal note—her 30-year fight against cancer. There is no courage without fear. And all power to Jewish girls with long, curly hair. Laurie is a political activist and strategist and CEO of Thinkinc.

The “reformers” tag team with the Bright One to keep TIF money out of our schools. Ben riffs. Mueze Bawany delivers his takes on Mayors Mamdani and Johnson. Why Trump likes one but not the other. Hint…it’s cause one is a “model minority” and the other is not. Trump’s anti-Blackness. A close-out riff on the Bears, including a bold prediction for Sunday’s Packers game. Mueze is an activist, high school teacher, football coach and proud union man. As in the CTU.

It’s one battle after another in the fight against fascism. Ben riffs. Paul Nolley talks about running for Congress against MAGA man Darrin LaHood. The issues are jobs, health care and SNAP. Just like in Chicago. It’s time Dems stop conceding rural voters to MAGA. Paul is the Democratic candidate for Congress in the 16th district.

Bubba and Donnie share Epstein’s love. Ben riffs. Joshua Smyser-De Leon talks everything Bad Bunny. Who he is. Why he’s great. His role in Puerto Rican politics. Where he fits on the Mt Rushmore of Puerto Rican musicians. And why his selection as the Super Bowl halftime performer blows MAGA’s collective little brain. Joshua hosts The Paseo Podcast.

The Trump administration tries to figure out its stance on whether swastikas are bad. Ben riffs. Pat Whalen explains how everything in contemporary politics is like a scene from One Battle After Another. Oh, yes—Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! And thank you Paul Thomas Anderson for directing and writing such a great movie. Ben and Pat geek out over their favorite scenes. Finally, what to do if your Uncle MAGA shows up at your turkey day table, spouting nonsense like Stephen A Smith. Pat is a come...

A Thanksgiving thanks, Chicago for standing strong. Ben riffs Michael Horton returns to talk about growing up around Cabrini and playing and coaching basketball and confronting and overcoming demons. No pun intended. Skeet’s is a CPS high school guidance counselor and basketball coach and author of Hoop ‘til It Hurts, his newly published book.

The country that elected Trump also elected Obama—how is that possible? Ben riffs. Denali Dasgupta adds her thoughts. “We don’t live there anymore.” The there in that sentence being America in the age of Obama. Denali tells you what you need to know about Trump’s $2,000 health care scam. Ben tells the story of how Studs Terkel got kicked out of a Chicago public library. And a Thanksgiving shoutout to everyone on the Group W Bench—love you, Arlo!

What’s the news across the nation? Ben and Dr D offer this…Congress rebukes Chuy, Brad Schneider weighs in, El Dragon breaks the Bubbagate story and Governor Pritzker has a busy week, dropping $25M on his re-election campaign, throwing Mayor Johnson’s head tax under a bus and hanging with the pope. Shoulda given him a “Not even the pope can save the Sox” T-shirt, JB.

If you can overlook the pain and cruelty Trump’s inflicting on the people he hates, life in MAGA America is absurdly, darkly and perversely funny. Sorta. Ben riffs. And Monroe Anderson—America’s foremost authority on white people—helps Ben make sense of Epsteingate. Good luck with that.

The city council makes its big stand defending rich people. Sigh. Ben riffs. Miguel Alvelo-Rivera explains why he’s running for state representative, why we need progressive taxation and why he still has faith in the people. And Ben explains why he, Ben, is not cynical even though so many people say he is. Stick around for Miguel’s exposition on Boricua en la Luna by Juan Antonio Corretjer—song by Ray Brown. Miguel is running for state rep in the 40th district on Chicago’s northwest side.

Mark Epstein clarifies—the bubba Trump blew was not Bill Clinton. Got that, America? Ben riffs. Steve Krafft returns with an update from swing-state land, aka, Arizona. Hear the latest on Democrats chances to oust MAGA. Right now Steve says it’s about 50-50 that our fragile democracy survives. Steve is a longtime political reporter and a member of the Nichols Jr High Quiz Bowl Hall of Fame.

MTG talks big, then capitulates to Trump. Ben riffs. Mick Dumke offers up some Bible lessons and then takes off on Trump’s propaganda blitz. Bovino’s Rambo shtick. Pritzker’s mixed message to resisters. And a few words of love in memory of Tony Adler. Mick is an editor and writer for Block Club.

Epstein’s emails confirm what we already suspected about Trump. Ben riffs. Evanston’s Mayor Daniel Biss covers almost every topic. Including…why he’s running for Congress, as opposed to staying on as mayor. What he thinks about AIPAC, Israel, Mamdani, the Democratic filibuster busters, and the role local law enforcement plays in dealing with ICE. Hint—time to indict the ICE lawbreakers. Daniel is running in the Democratic primary for Congress in the 9th district.

One little snowfall and suddenly ICE is leaving Chicago for warmer climes. Ben riffs. Kalman Resnick explains the legal fight he’s waging on behalf of Chicagoans swept off the street by ICE’s masked and armed goon squad. Including, his case on behalf of Ruben Torres Maldonado, whose daughter is undergoing cancer treatment. And Diana Santillana Galeano, the teacher snatched from a north side daycare center. These fights are in the courts but the larger struggle is at the ballot box. Kalman is a l...