John Howell

• Andy Field joins the show from Washington to discuss rekindled fears of a Government shutdown as the HFC balked at a stopgap bill. • Bret Gogoel, WLS Defacto Sports Director, and John discuss whether or not Justin Fields needed to play in the pre-season Bears game this past Saturday. • Annie Krall recaps her time spent at Olympia Fields this past week observing the BMW Championship and gives her takeaways from the event. • Plus, our listeners chime in as to whether or not the risks of a high-speed chase are worth removing criminals from the street.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former President Donald Trump and his associates who were indicted by an Atlanta Grand Jury have until Friday, August 25th to turn themselves in. Colby Hall, Founding Editor of Mediaite.com, joins John Howell to predict what might become of the spectacle of having a former President submit to a local jail.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Howell welcomes Greg Hinz, Political Reporter and Columnist for Crain's Chicago Business, to provide an overview of Brandon Johnson's first 100 days in office and the state's overall economy. They also discuss Illinois' record job levels, now higher than before the pandemic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

• Ald. Ray Lopez, 15th Ward, joins John Howell to share his thoughts on immigration in Chicago. • Steven Portnoy reports that Trump’s attorneys and the Fulton County DA are expected to meet next week.  • Calen Carr, former Chicago Fire Player and MLS Season Pass announcer, previews this weekend’s game against Orlando.  • Jason Nathanson has the story of “Blue Beetle,” the first live action Latino superhero movie in theaters this weekend.  • Plus, Annie Krall from our own WLS AM newsroom joins us again from Olympia Fields Country Club to give more analysis of the BMW Championship.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A neighbor in the nude has revealed loopholes in Chicago's public indecency laws. John Howell welcomes Ben Bradley, Emmy Award-Winning Investigative Reporter on WGN TV's Investigative Team, to explain the details of the ongoing conflict between female residents and a male resident, who has been allegedly exposing himself and harassing them for years. Bradley also explains how the story is much more nuanced than just an "annoying naked neighbor" and reveals some of the laws in question. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The second day of the PGA Tour is underway at Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia, IL.  Annie Krall joins John Howell from Olympia Fields Country Club to provide her analysis on the course and the overall conditions that are affecting today's performance. John also asks his burning questions about the size of the locker rooms and the porta-potty situations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

• Alex Stone joins the show live from Hawaii to detail the devastation he’s witnessed in the aftermath of the fires, as well as how search, rescue, and rebuild efforts are proceeding. • Jon Seidel, Federal Courts Reporter for the Sun-times, shares the latest details from the Tim Mapes trial as it heads towards wrapping up. • Annie Krall from our own WLS AM Newsroom joins John live from the BMW Championship over at Olympia Fields Country Club with her analysis of today’s play. • Plus, Shia Kapos from POLITICO discusses both Governors Day and Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do you call a soft drink: pop, soda, or coke? Your answer says more than just word preference; it says a lot about the area of the country where you grew up. Valerie Fridland, Professor of Linguistics at the University of Nevada and Author of Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English, joins John and crew to explain the reasoning behind regional speech patterns. Plus, she leads them through a fascinating dialect quiz.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After the Democrats piled on the Republican criticisms at Governor's Day, the GOP utilized the Illinois State Fair to spark excitement for the upcoming election season. Shia Kapos, Reporter for POLITICO and Author of POLITICO's Illinois Playbook, joins John to provide a glimpse into the GOP's strategy for the 2024 campaign. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

• Steven Portnoy from ABC joins John with details on obtained DM’s from Trump’s Twitter. • Maria Pappas, Cook County Treasurer, provides insight on Governor Pritzker’s new property tax equity legislation, introduced on Friday.  • Jason Nathanson from ABC provides an entertainment report on Baldwin, Bernstein & Barbie. • Steve Dolinsky, The Creator of Pizza City Fest, lets us know what to expect for this years annual Pizza City Fest.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Howell connects with Mike Emanuel, Fox News Chief Washinton Correspondent, to discuss the possibility of Donald Trump withdrawing from the presidential race following his 4th indictment, the criticism over Biden’s Maui response and movement from a Ukrainian cargo ship. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, the PGA Tour heads to Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia, IL, to host the BMW Championship. Vince Pelligrino, Senior Vice President of Tournaments for the Western Golf Association and Evans Scholars Foundation, joins John Howell to discuss what to keep an eye out for during the BMW Championship to provide details about the Evans Scholarship, an effort to award full tuition and college scholarships to high-achieving caddies with limited financial meansSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

• Brian Clark from ABC joins us with details on Michael Oher’s lawsuit to end his conservatorship.  • Keith Naughton, co-founder of Silent Majority Strategies, wonders if Biden’s lack of strategy on Ukraine could put Trump back in the White House.  • Alex Isenstadt from POLITICO details a clash between Trump supporters and DeSantis super PAC officials at a Des Moines dive bar.  • Plus, Steve Bernas, President and CEO of the BBB of Chicago and Northern IL, has tips on how to safely donate to Maui.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although millions of people follow professional football every week, not many know when it originated. Believe it or not, football had been around for 75 years before the first Super Bowl was ever played. Gregg Ficery, Author of Gridiron Legacy: Football's Missing Origin, joins John Howell to discuss professional football's early history and the game's early pioneers that propelled the professional game forward.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump and 18 of his associates were charged with attempting to overturn his election defeat in the state of Georgia. Royal Oakes, ABC News Legal Analyst, joins John to discuss what are the next legal steps for Trump's 4th indictment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

• Jeremy Gorner from the Chicago Tribune joins the show from Springfield to review some of the 40 bills Pritzker signed into law late last week.  • ABC’s Alex Stone joins the show from Maui to discuss the continued devastation from the fires.  • Craig Klatzco, owner of the Bunny Hutch, is celebrating the Hutch’s induction into the Hot Dog Hall of Fame tomorrow.  • Plus, Mark Denzler from the IL Manufacturers’ Association shares his thoughts on some of the new laws in Illinois and how they impact workers in the state. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brandon Johnson has selected Larry Snelling to serve as the next Chicago Police Superintendent. Sam Charles, who covers the CPD for the Chicago Tribune, joins John Howell to review Snelling's history with the department & his reception amongst other officers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fulton County, Georgia has presented a potential 4th indictment of Trump based on his alleged efforts to interfere in the vote counting within the state. ABC's Steven Portnoy joins John Howell live from Atlanta to discuss what we know about the Georgia election case. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

• The AG has elevated the Hunter Biden prosecutor to Special Counsel, and Andy Field joins with the details. • WTTW’s Paris Schutz dives into the numbers of fentanyl driven opioid overdoses in Cook County last year - and what can be done to drive this down. • ABC’s Steven Portnoy explains why a judge said that Trump’s 1st Amendment Rights were “not absolute.” • And the great Bill Cameron shares his thoughts on the goings on in Chicago, as well as previewing his latest episode of Take 1 WLS.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Illinois Supreme Court has upheld the state's ban on the sale and possession of semiautomatic weapons. John Howell is joined by Ret. Chief Tom Weitzel to share his overall thoughts and why he believes law enforcement should enforce the ban regardless of their personal feelings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.