If a governor says he might consider appointing someone to a prized position, but, hey, it might be a good idea for the beneficiary to throw, say, a fundraiser – is that the same as a cop offering to tear up the ticket for $50? Prosecutors at the Blagojevich retrial say yes – just asking is the crime. WBEZ’s Rob Wideboer joins us for a thorough recap of the trial to date. Lots of people have lost interest in Blago 2, but Rob reminds us that it’s pretty newsworthy. But if that’s not enough, Rob has posted at the BEZ site the actual, uncensored voice of Rod Blagojevich unleashing his full fury on the President of the United States. You’ve heard the bleeped version, but the real thing’s breathtaking.

On a different topic, CNC’s Kari Leydersen joins us to talk about the future of Coal Power in Chicago.  Three big, dirty coal plants operate every day in and just outside of Chicago, and activists have been battling for years to shut them down. Now, it’s possible that an unusual confluence of politics and economics might shut at least one of them down, and soon.

Also on this week’s panel is Mayoral Tutorial’s Don Washington. On May 17 he and his co-conspirators will be having a kick-off party at the Heartland to get you “dangerously informed” on mayoral politics in Chicago.