Joan Esposito (Full Episodes)

On today's show – Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder – Thom Serafin , founder and CEO of Serafin & Associates, Inc. – Missouri Democratic House Minority Leader Ashley Aune – David Atkins, Washington Monthly contributing writer; last summer he wrote the article " I’m a DNC Committee Member. The Party Isn’t Broken "; his most recent article is " Musk...

On today's show William Muck fills in for Joan and his guests are – Robert Pape , professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago specializing in international security affairs, and author of The Escalation Trap on Substack; his new book is " Our Own Worst Enemies: America in the Age of Violent Populism " – Dr. Philip Barker , dean of the Prothro-Yeager College of Humanitie...

On today's show – Willie Chriesman and Jennifer Schulze with our regular media segment – Joel Ostrow, political scientist and " World Discord Podcast " co-host Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT ( heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive ).   Follow us: Website: https://heartlandsignal.com WCPT Facebook: ht...

On today's show North Central College Political Science Professor William Muck fills in for Joan and his guests are –  David DeWitt , Ohio Capital Journal editor-in-chief and opinion columnist – Ira Shapiro, co-author of “Betrayed: America Didn’t Vote for This” – Paul Lisnek , multi-Emmy Award-winning TV host who served as political and legal analyst at WGN...

Richard Chew fills in for Joan and his guests are – U.S. Rep.-elect LaKesha Womack , Democrat elected to represent North Carolina’s 14th District – Anderson Clayton, chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party – Aaron Kleinman, Heartland Signal 's senior political analyst, author of the “ Radio Free America ” newsletter – Michael Dorf, Democratic lawyer,...

On today's show – Ray Suarez, broadcast journalist and author of “ We Are Home: Becoming American in the 21st Century ” (2024) – William Muck , professor of political science at North Central College, and Jill Wine-Banks , legal analyst, former general counsel of the U.S. Army, author of “The Watergate Girl,” co-host of #SistersInLaw and host of Just The Facts w...

On today's show – Michael Jones, founder, publisher and national political correspondent for Once Upon a Hill – Camaron Stevenson, national correspondent in Washington, D.C. for Courier and author of the weekly " Below the Belt(way) " newsletter – Leslie Martes, CEO of Forward Majority – David Schultz, distinguished university professor of political science and legal studie...

On today's show – Chris Fitzsimon, host of the Stories from the States podcast – “ Out Chicago ” host Scott Duff and film critic Rebecca Ford with their monthly look at TV, movies, theater and more Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT ( heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive ).   Follow us: Webs...

On today's show – Ron Roberts, host of “ The Ron Show ,” a political talk show now airing on Heartland Signal station WMLB Atlanta – Melissa Bean , Democratic candidate for Congress in the 8th District of Illinois –  Ian Karbal and Peter Hall , state government reporters for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star – Andrew Grunwald, vice president of Political Strate...

On today's show – Dr. Elicia John , behavioral scientist and assistant professor of marketing at American University in Washington, D.C., and Dr. Lez Trujillo Torres , consumer researcher and assistant professor of marketing at University of Illinois Chicago; together they have authored a recent study on the U.S. census – George D. Strickland, recently retired Lake County associate jud...

On today's show – Christopher Armitage, author, veteran, former law enforcement officer, activist, policy adviser, and publisher of The Existentialist Republic on Substack; his latest piece is " Would the U.S. Be Better Off as a European Union-Style 'Country of Countries'? " – Professor Steven D. Schwinn of the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law – Terry Savage , syndica...

On today's show – Bill Scher , politics editor at Washington Monthly ; his latest articles are “ Meet the Democratic Senate Candidates Who Are Overperforming. And Underperforming ” and “ Kansas? Montana? Mississippi? Where Will the Blue Wave Crest? “ – Nicole Foy , immigration reporter for ProPublica; she recently authored the investigative article, “ We F...

Joan returns and her guests are: – Chris Fitzsimon, host of the Stories from the States podcast ; a radio version of the podcast now airs on WCPT Sundays at 6:00 p.m. Central – Bruce Rheins, former CBS Los Angeles deputy bureau chief Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT ( heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive )...

On today's show Rickey Hendon fills in for Joan and his guests are – Willie Wilson , 2027 candidate for Chicago mayor – Pennie McCoach, president and business agent of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 308, which represents rail workers for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) – William Muck , professor of political science at North Central College Catch "Joan Esposito: Li...

On today's show  Carolyn Fiddler fills in for Joan and her guests are – Ben Jacobs, reporter – Chris Mann , Democratic candidate for attorney general of Kansas – Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) – Minnesota Attorney General Keith Elllison , 2026 candidate for re-election – Tevin Davis, multidisciplinary artist an...

On today's show Mike Nellis fills in for Joan and his guests are – Aaron Kleinman, Heartland Signal ‘s senior political analyst and author of the “ Radio Free America ” newsletter – Melissa Toufanian, former State Department deputy assistant secretary who served on the communications team for the original Iran nuclear deal under President Obama, and now serves as mana...

On today's show – Amanda Zahorak , Democratic candidate for Illinois House District 48 – Paul Lisnek , multi-Emmy Award-winning TV host who served as political and legal analyst at WGN for 18 years; he is also the author of 15 books and host of “ Curtain Call Chicago ” and “ Paul On Politics “ – Robert Pape , professor of Political Science at the Universit...

On today's show – Jen Thompson, former political campaign manager, former counsel in the U.S. House and Senate, and author of “ Wild Pivot: Notes from a Political Life Rewritten ” (2026) – David Layman, former Providence, Rhode Island, news anchor, managing editor, and political commentator for RIPBS Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5...

On today's show – Laura Belin, publisher, editor, and reporter for Bleeding Heartland , a community website focused on Iowa politics – John Bartman, fifth-generation Illinois soybean farmer and activist – Joe Cunningham, former congressman who now serves as spokesperson for the Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance – Joe Brancatelli of the joesentme.com business travel newsletter...

On today's show – John Stoehr, editor and publisher of The Editorial Board , "a newsletter about politics in plain English for normal people and the common good" – Tom Villanova of Southland Friends of Labor; he is also the retired president of the Chicago and Cook County Building and Construction Trades Council – Joel Ostrow , political scientist Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Loca...

On today's show – John Parker, host of “ The Gaily Show ,” weeknights at 10:00 Central on WCPT – Carolyn Fiddler, state politics expert and author of the newsletter " This Week in Statehouse Action – Jen Golbeck , professor, computer scientist, psychologist, "expert in the far-right, online extremism, AI, and bad things on the internet," and author of the MAGAReport o...

– Ezra Levin , co-executive director of Indivisible – Michael Hawthorne , Pulitzer-finalist investigative reporter who focuses on the environment and public health for the Chicago Tribune – Ira Shapiro, co-author of “ Betrayed: America Didn’t Vote for This “ – Willie Wilson , 2027 candidate for Chicago mayor See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

On today's show – Chris Fitzsimon, host of the Stories from the States podcast – Carlos Ballesteros, reporter for Injustice Watch ,  Chicago-based nonprofit journalism organization that examines issues of equity and justice in the court system; their November 2026 Cook County judicial elections guide is now available| – Ward Farnsworth , professor and W. Page Keeton Chair at...

On today's show Joan broadcasts live from Moe Joe's Restaurant in Plainfield, Illinois, and her guests are – Marc McKirdie, candidate for Will County Board, District 3 – Sherry Newquist, candidate for Will County Board, District 3 (incumbent) – Mica Freeman Will County Board, District 8 – State Rep. Jessica Dixon Heitman Illinois House, 97th District, candidate for re-elect...

On today's show – David DeWitt , Ohio Capital Journal editor-in-chief and opinion columnist – U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) – Rex Huppke , USA Today columnist; his latest column is " Trump says economy is great. We should definitely trust him " Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT ( heartlandsignal.com/programs/liv...