The Mincing Rascals 7.15.26: Ballot access rules, ICE bodycam requirements, the county succession movement

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg (on his birthday), Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward on Substack and Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. The Rascals begin the podcast by talking about government transparency regarding the health and welfare of our elected officials, in light of Senator Mitch McConnell’s recent hospitalization. The group then touches on the ballot-access rules regarding Chicago politicians ability to get on their name on the ballot in election years and the pro’s and con’s of the requirements and possible loopholes in the process. Next, The Rascals discuss ICE agent body-cam initiatives that may or may not be as strictly enforced as the public has noticed and the accountability of immigration officers using deadly force. To close out the conversation, the group talks about the county succession movement and the gerrymandering of the state of Illinois, the Father Pflager allegation saga, and a ‘yellow light – green light – red light‘ round to end today’s show.

https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8517299/8517299_2026-07-15-225839.64kmono.mp3