Walter Jacobson's Perspective
272 episodes - English - Latest episode: 1 day ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingLegendary Chicago journalist Walter Jacobson offers his Perspective on local politics, news and more in this podcast on WGN Plus from WGN Radio in Chicago.
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Episodes
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 4-25-24: A new day with a new quarterback is about to arrive
April 25, 2024 18:07In the wild world of professional sports, for many months now in Chicago, thousands, possibly millions, of eyes and ears have been waiting to know what will happen in the National Football League, the NFL Draft, that begins tonight at 7:00 in which our Bear Down, Chicago Bears are expected to choose a new quarterback […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 4-18-24: I’m learning a lot about Taylor Swift’s skill at making herself world-famous
April 18, 2024 15:00I don’t know very much about the songs of Taylor Swift. But I’m learning a lot about her skill at making herself world-famous. My latest lesson is right now, right here in Chicago, a short walk from where I live. It’s in River North on Grand Avenue at Dearborn, a great big mural of a […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 4-11-24: I’m among the people who oppose an elected school board
April 11, 2024 18:01Hey there, everybody, heads up! The campaigns for membership on Chicago’s first-ever publicly-elected Board of Education are now underway. Dozens of political newbies are declaring or planning to declare their intentions to take control of the education of a quarter of a million children in our public schools. To become candidates for a Board of […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 4-4-24: A new Bears stadium with a roof! Yes, yes, a roof!
April 04, 2024 19:15It’s been almost a month now since the Chicago Bears came up with a new idea about where they want to play football and where they want us to watch them play. The Bears are planning to build themselves and us another new stadium. Not way, way away in Arlington Heights, but in the city, […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 3-28-24: Companies admitting wrongdoing – there’s something wrong with it all
March 28, 2024 20:07Those always-relentless tough guy federal prosecutors are now in tough pursuit of Apple. Oh, not the apple my mother told me to eat once a day to keep the doctor away, but the Apple Company that’s worth nearly $3 trillion and is one of the most famously profitable companies in the world. The US Department […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 3-21-24: City Hall decisions swayed for sure and forever by politics
March 21, 2024 21:41It’s for sure and forever in Chicago that the biggest decisions being made in City Hall are swayed by politics. Like the recent decision by Mayor Johnson to evict thousands of migrants who’ve been living in city shelters for 60 days or more. That is a problem. Where do evicted migrants go? How much does […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 3-14-24: A magnificent rehab planned for Chase Tower
March 14, 2024 16:51There is a big smile on my face this morning because I have something good to say about big business in Chicago. Specifically the JPMorgan Chase big banking business in a 60-story skyscraper on South Dearborn St., two blocks west of the Art Institute, best known as the Morgan Chase Office Tower. 2,000,000 square feet […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 3-7-24: Kamala Harris is up to the job of Vice President
March 07, 2024 16:00In presidential politics, this week is prime time. Two days ago, on Super Tuesday, 15 states voted in party primaries. And tonight, during a joint session of the Congress, President Biden will deliver a State of the Union address, painting a pretty picture of his three years in office. How fine a job he’ll say […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 2-29-24: Mayor Johnson should hire politically savvy advisors
February 29, 2024 21:00The heat on Mayor Brandon Johnson is more heat than any heat on any Chicago mayor in the past nearly 80 years. Two Mayor Daleys, one Mayor Bilandic, one Mayor Byrne, one Sawyer, one Emanuel, one Lightfoot. Those mayors were, as Mayor Johnson now is, off and on, in some kind of trouble. For some […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 2-22-24: We need tougher gun control laws
February 22, 2024 17:04Last week, one day after the Super Bowl, during a public celebration in Kansas City, MO, a mother of two was shot dead, 22 other people wounded, in yet another mass shooting. While on that same day, the Illinois Rifle Association asked the US Supreme Court to abolish our gun control law that prohibits advertising […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 2-15-24: Vice President Swift?
February 15, 2024 20:40Did I see the Sunday Super Bowl. Of course I did. I was glued to it, all of it, before, during and after the game. Did I look for Taylor Swift? Of course I did that too, because Taylor Swift is being described by mass media as the most famous person in the world. Taylor […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 2-8-24: Don’t take police out of public schools
February 08, 2024 20:30There is a new headache bugging Chicago’s headstrong Mayor Brandon Johnson, caused by newspaper headlines about a public opinion poll on how Mayor Johnson’s doing in his new job. According to the poll, not very well. Only 21% of 500 registered voters in Chicago approve of how Johnson’s doing. Nearly 70% disapprove and are rating […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 2-1-24: I miss my corner grocery store
February 01, 2024 16:00I am lonesome, so lonesome. I miss my corner grocery store, and my neighbors miss it too. Our store. It’s been gone now for three months, wiped off the corner by one of those real estate money wars being waged on the Near North Side of Chicago. Many of my neighbors and I are senior […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 1-25-24: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is a bad, bad guy
January 25, 2024 16:00The migrant problem in Chicago is bad, bad, bad. And the Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, is making it worse, worse. Day-by-day, by bus and airplane, Governor Abbott has been sending migrants from the Mexico-Texas border to Chicago, and he’s promising to continue sending them until, he says, President Biden secures that border. Chicago is […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 1-18-24: Hunter Biden and private testimony
January 18, 2024 16:00It’s not easy for me to think of something positive to say about Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son, because he’s been indicted by a federal grand jury on criminal charges involving tax evasion. It’s also not easy because Hunter Biden is defying a Congressional subpoena to testify during an impeachment proceeding against his father, the […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 1-11-24: The Senate dress code is important
January 11, 2024 21:10The Great Wardrobe Debate in the United States Senate has ended, or at least for now it’s ended. But it will be back because it is an endless debate what a Senator should wear while on the floor of the Senate. If you missed the most recent wardrobe debate, you may not know that it […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 1-4-24: Have you been reading the news about Dorothy Jean Tillman?
January 04, 2024 16:00Have you been reading the news about Dorothy Jean Tillman? If not, you’re missing a story not to be missed. A really wonderful story. Dorothy Jean Tillman is a granddaughter of a former Chicago alderwoman. Dorothy Jean is 17-years-old, of the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side. I’ve been reading about her graduating from Arizona […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 12-28-23: Rudy Giuliani is getting what he deserves
December 28, 2023 16:00He’s getting what he deserves, that once-upon-a-time good guy who is now a bad guy. Rudy Giuliani, a former federal prosecutor and mayor of New York ordered by a federal court to pay $148 million to two women, a mother and daughter, election workers in the 2020 Trump vs. Biden race in Georgia. Rudy was […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 12-21-23: Cheers for gag-ordering
December 21, 2023 16:00In the courtroom trials of former President Donald Trump, those two very well-known words “gag” and “order” are being heard and read as one word: “gag-order.” Trump is accused by federal prosecutors of election interference and accused by judges of trying to sway jurors. While in Chicago, there’s the trial of former Alderman Ed Burke, […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 12-14-23: Maybe it’s time for baseball to give back?
December 14, 2023 16:39In sports news this week, the big news is about baseball. A $700 million contract for a Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher. His name is Shohei Ohtani. He’s 29 years old, pitching fastballs at 99 miles an hour, and when not pitching, he’s batting at a nearly 300 average. It is in no way illegal or […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 12-7-23: Oh no, Joe, you’re not up to four more years
December 07, 2023 19:17For many, many years, I’ve considered Joe Biden to be a thoughtful, knowledgeable, skillful politician. And I believe he’s been qualified for all the offices to which he’s been elected. He’s an honest and decent person. But in my opinion, it’s time for him to end his campaign to be re-elected. And, I believe I’m […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 11-30-23: Crackdown on muffler noise is a great idea
November 30, 2023 19:36The City Council is in the process of passing another law to target hot rodders.
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 11-16-23: Joe Manchin’s lust for the presidency makes him worth watching
November 16, 2023 16:00All of a sudden, the most interesting player in presidential politics is not Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis or Nikki Haley or Joe Biden. They’re not saying anything new. Let’s have a look at Joe Manchin. Senator Joe Manchin is aching to be the presidential candidate of a third party running for the Oval Office. […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 11-9-23: Jury may find Ed Burke guilty because of what they’ve read in newspapers
November 09, 2023 18:00The criminal racketeering, bribery and extortion trial of Ed Burke has barely begun. But in City Hall and on the streets and the neighborhoods the whispering already is that the jury will find Burke guilty of most everything charged. Not because he is guilty, which we have not yet determined. But because members of the […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 11-2-23: Thank you, Attorney General Kwame Raoul, for knowing children are in a crisis and being determined to help
November 02, 2023 17:51It is hard right now to find good news in the news. But here is some very good news. The Attorney General of the State of Illinois is joining a team of Attorneys General that is filing lawsuits against Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms accusing them of feeding children false information, enticing teenagers […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 10-26-23: Tom Skilling’s retirement – Good for him, not good for the rest of us
October 26, 2023 16:11Walter offers his perspective on the weatherman's upcoming retirement.
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 10-19-23: TV coverage of war should inform and explain
October 19, 2023 17:57The news reports about suffering and death in Israel and Gaza are so painful to watch that it is hard for me to turn on the TV. But it would be harder for me not to turn it on because of how important it is to keep up with the news. So I am turning […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 10-12-23: It is time to return the Christopher Columbus statue
October 12, 2023 16:07Chicago’s yearly, lovable Columbus Day Parade walked off on schedule three days ago. There were more than a thousand people in the parade or watching and cheering, many of them hoping that someday soon City Hall will return their statue of Christopher Columbus to Arrigo Park in the Little Italy neighborhood on the near Southwest […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 10-5-23: Just watching the gambling at Chicago’s new casino is a terrific show
October 05, 2023 15:00I am not a gambler. I’ve never been or even wanted to go to Las Vegas. But, I’ve been dying to go to the big casino that’s just opened here in Chicago to see what it’s like. So last Saturday I went to the casino, got in for free – there’s no charge, and felt […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 9-28-23: The Bears are a bad football team
September 28, 2023 15:00So, what are you thinking now about the Chicago Bears? For me, I’m thinking that the Bears are in deep, deep bleep. The Bears are a bad football team that’s lost 13 games in a row and not once in 13 years has made it to the NFL playoffs. What’s unclear is whether there is […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 9-14-23: John Catanzara has a good idea – house migrants at City Hall
September 14, 2023 15:00I thought I could never think like John Catanzara, the politically extreme, often foul-mouthed President of the Chicago Police Union. But I’m thinking like him now as he criticizes City Hall’s decision to place homeless migrants in police stations. To help migrants, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is welcoming them to our Sanctuary City. OK, says […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 9-7-23: Temporary top cop stumbles into trouble
September 07, 2023 15:00What, oh what, is going on in the Department of Chicago Police? Here’s what. The temporary Chief of Police is on his way out, soon to be replaced, and is stepping, oh you might say stumbling, into trouble. His name is Fred Waller. His trouble is that in his hurry before being replaced he has […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 8-31-23: Jerry Reinsdorf’s loyalty to Tony La Russa
August 31, 2023 18:16Tony La Russa, once loved now lamented, has come back to the Chicago White Sox as a personal consultant to owner Jerry Reinsdorf because Reinsdorf believes Tony La Russa knows all that there is to know about Major League Baseball and because Jerry and Tony are dear friends. Some prominent and popular Chicago media sports […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 8-24-23: Good luck to Democratic Convention Chair Minyon Moore
August 24, 2023 19:17There is more news being made by the Democratic Party about its 2024 Presidential Convention next summer at the United Center and McCormick Place in Chicago. Good news. The convention will be chaired by Minyon Moore of the South and West Sides of Chicago. Miss Moore is aiming to raise $85 million and working on […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 8-17-23: Dr. Arwady was too independent for Mayor Johnson
August 17, 2023 19:24Anybody who hangs out around Chicago’s City Hall is sure to see dumb things happen. I’ve been hanging out around City Hall for more than 50 years and have just seen what may have been one of the dumbest things ever, which is our rookie mayor, Brandon Johnson, kicking out of City Hall Dr. Allison […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 8-10-23: Newspapers and TV are paving a path for Trump
August 11, 2023 19:24During this time of a Republican Party search for a 2024 presidential nominee, the newspapers, the network and cable TV are reporting that public opinion polls are showing that Donald Trump is far, far in front of all candidates running for the GOP nomination. Most of the famous media hot-shots are saying that despite the […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 8-3-23: There’s more news in the works about Northwestern
August 03, 2023 18:39There is nothing that sells newspapers and stirs television ratings like vulgarity and sex. Patrick Fitzgerald, Northwestern’s former football coach, has a contract paying him more than $5 million a year and 8 years still to go. Fitzgerald is being sued by some of his former players who say he knew all about the locker […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 7-27-23: A bias is showing, Your Honor
July 28, 2023 14:56A bias is showing in Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s decision to double the money Chicago teachers are paid on days they have off to parent and bond with their newborn babies, a pay raise the Chicago Police will not be getting. It seems, Your Honor, that because you’ve been a teacher, you believe the teachers […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 7-13-23: Another one of those infamous money mysteries in City Hall
July 13, 2023 15:26Walter Jacobson details a money mystery involving David Brown, the former CPD superintendent.
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 7-6-23: Why is Chris Christie spending his riches campaigning for president?
July 06, 2023 16:32Why is former governor Chris Christie spending his riches campaigning for president? Chris Christie has been helping himself become, and stay, rich. And he’s been helping his buddies in the business world stay rich with him. During Christie’s retirement, his business buddies are paying him back with huge amounts of money to be their lobbyist […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 6-29-23: Bad right after bad for our clean air
June 30, 2023 18:50Finally, now at last, only two more days to go for NASCAR’s dynamite Chicago street race. The science people are saying NASCAR drivers will average only five miles a gallon of gas as they add pollutants to those Canadian wildfires already clouding our skyline. And, just one day after Chicago’s NASCAR street race, Chicago’s July […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 6-15-23: There is nothing more Chicago than a neighborhood weekend art fair and food fest
June 15, 2023 16:58Come late spring or early summer, there is nothing more Chicago than a neighborhood weekend art fair and food fest. The fairs and fests have so much to enjoy and to learn and understand. And I heartily suggest them for everybody of every age. Walter Jacobson gives his Perspective.
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 6-8-23: Shrinkflation has Walter’s attention
June 08, 2023 17:57There’s a problem in the grocery business: Shrinkflation – products being sold at the same price as usual but smaller in size. Makers and sellers of all kinds of things have figured out that consumers are not paying attention to smaller packages. Walter Jacobson gives his Perspective.
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 6-1-23: City Hall has sold us out to NASCAR
June 01, 2023 16:01NASCAR is on its way to Millennium Park. Good news for NASCAR. Miserable news for us. The inconveniences! No parking, driving, or even pausing anywhere near Millennium Park. Walter Jacobson gives his Perspective.
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 5-11-23: Ron DeSantis is on the run
May 11, 2023 15:00Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is crisscrossing the United States and several foreign countries trying to outrun Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination for President. But who is paying for his travel? And why did the Florida legislature just pass a bill making it illegal to disclose the travel records of the state’s elected officials? […]
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 5-4-23: Goodbye, Tucker Carlson
May 04, 2023 15:00It’s hard to feel sorry for Tucker Carlson. He’s been lying for a long time. And his embarrassing comments made it clear he had to go. But what’s next? Walter Jacobson gives his Perspective.
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 4-27-23: Juul Labs settlement is good news
April 27, 2023 15:00The recent settlement requiring Juul Labs to pay $438 million, including $68 million to Illinois, for marketing electronic cigarettes to minors is good news. Even better news is that the number of young people using e-cigarettes is downward bound. Walter Jacobson gives his Perspective.
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 4-13-23: Why not do whatever is necessary to prevent the selling of guns and bullets at bargain prices?
April 13, 2023 15:00More killings with more guns. The news keeps getting worse. Why not do whatever is necessary to prevent the selling of guns and bullets at bargain prices? Wouldn’t that be worth a try? Walter Jacobson gives his perspective.
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 3-23-23: A tip of the hat to Willie Wilson
March 23, 2023 15:00With the Chicago mayoral runoff election less than two weeks away, Walter Jacobson says it is refreshing that Willie Wilson is using his considerable influence to support a candidate based not on skin color. Walter Jacobson gives his perspective.
Walter Jacobson’s Perspective 3-16-23: Reflecting on Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s record
March 16, 2023 15:00As Lori Lightfoot’s time as Mayor of Chicago nears its end, Walter reflects on Lightfoot’s record including her tireless (if mostly unsuccessful) battle against crime and violence, achievements in developing minority neighborhoods, and the absence of any evidence that she used the office for personal benefit. Walter Jacobson gives his perspective.