The Ben Joravsky Show

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. Rachel Hinton is a reporter for Block Club, See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 a Chicago comedian, actor, political junkie and talk show host. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 love for poetry and how there are metaphors for everything everywhere. Like…Donald Trump goes through life playing tennis without a net. Shoutout Robert Frost! Rick’s poetry collection is Sweet Dreams. And he’s a columnist for the Sun-Times. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 Times. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 anything. And a few words about Aaron Rodgers, See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 it any less true. In this installment, the fellas analyze Burke's defense. Why didn't they raise an entrapment defense? Who is lamer--Chicago aldermen for giving Burke a standing O or Chicago's mainstream press corp for calling Burke so smart? How did Danny Solis on cross examination? What's worse in the mind of the average Chicagoan--a corrupt alderman or an alderman who rats on a corrupt alderman? Can you tell the difference between a quote from Burke and one from Goodfellas? And more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 other words about Maestro. Terry is the former executive director of Personal Pac. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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. Rummana Hussain is an editorial writer and columnist for the Sun-Times. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 confession about country music. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 fits an historical pattern. Recorded March, 2021. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 political science professor at Roosevelt University and a columnist for Slate and Newsweek. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.