Joan Esposito (Featured Interviews)

Joan is joined by Rob Majdecki, senior vice president and chief investment officer at Amalgamated Bank of Chicago (ABOC). 

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).

And find the Joan Esposito (Full Episodes) podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

See omnystudio.com/list...

Joan is joined by Adav Noti, executive director at Campaign Legal Center. He discussed the major threats to American democracy, emphasizing the Trump administration's attempts to undermine election administration and voter registration. Noti highlighted the Campaign Legal Center's litigation against Elon Musk and DOGE for "taking actions that they simply have no legal authority to take." He also addressed the challenges in pas...

Joan is joined by Annie Karni, author of “Mad House: How Donald Trump, MAGA Mean Girls, a Former Used Car Salesman, a Florida Nepo Baby, and a Man with Rats in His Walls Broke Congress.

The book details the dysfunction of the 118th Congress, highlighting the Republican majority's struggles in electing a speaker and passage of the fewest laws since the Great Depression. Key anecdotes include Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's ...

Joan Esposito is joined by Tim Murphy, national correspondent at Mother Jones, who discussed Maxwell Frost, the 28-year-old second-term congressman from Florida. Frost, known for his activism in gun control and racial justice, aims to bring protest politics into Congress. Murphy spent a full day with Frost, observing his busy schedule and his efforts to make his voice heard. Frost's unique background includes working for the A...

Joan is joined by Rick Smith, host of “The Rick Smith Show” on WCPT. Starting Monday, April 28th the show can be heard at 7:00 p.m. Central. 

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).

And find the Joan Esposito (Full Episodes) podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

&...

Joan is joined by comedian John Fugelsang promoting NOT The White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

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).

And find the Joan Esposito (Full Episodes) podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

Joan is joined by Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs, who discussed the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs on Illinois farmers, calling attention to the financial strain and uncertainty they face.

"There's a lot of fear out there," Frerichs told WCPT. "Some of them have faith that Trump will bail them out, like he did in his first term. What that means is that revenue coming in from tariffs just gets put right back i...

Joan is joined by David Corn, Mother Jones’ Washington bureau chief, MSNBC analyst, and author. They discussed Corn's "Our Land" newsletter posts on authoritarianism and history. He highlighted historical examples like Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, and Trump's executive order, "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History." Corn noted the fear among politicians like Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and the pot...

Joan is joined by Nancy Rotering, mayor of Highland Park and founder of the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic. She discussed the clinic's 10th anniversary and its work on immigration, housing, and domestic violence cases. The clinic has grown from a few attorneys and volunteers to 40 full-time employees, 24 licensed attorneys and social workers, and 200 pro bono attorneys. Rotering also highlighted the clinic's role in supporting the...

Joan is joined by Jessica Chipkin, president and founder of Crate Free USA, and Marc Ayers, Illinois director for Humane World for Animals (formerly The Humane Society of the United States).  They discuss the April 17th event "The Business Case for a More Humane Food Supply Chain," which aims to engage college students in advocating for animal welfare.

Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays ...

Joan is joined by author Nnedi Okorafor and Carey Cranston, president of the American Writers Museum. They talk about the April 22nd kickoff event for the AWM’s new exhibit and program initiative, "American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture," which examines the relationship between American writers and religion. This program is being held in partnership with Chicago Public Library. "American Prophets" opens N...

Joan is joined by Michael Kelly, professor of law at Creighton University in Omaha.

Kelly discussed the unpredictable nature of Donald Trump's foreign policy, particularly his handling of the Ukraine war and interactions with Vladimir Putin. He noted Trump's ego-driven decisions, such as imposing tariffs, which have led to international tensions and chaos. The conversation also covered current political dynamics within the United S...

Joan is joined by Joe Brancatelli, publisher of the business travel newsletter Joe Sent Me, who discussed the impact of recent air incidents and the reduction in air traffic controllers on air travel safety. He also discussed the potential reduction in flights to Europe due to the economic uncertainty caused by trade tensions and the long-term outlook for the air travel industry, including the retirement of larger aircraft and...

Joan is joined by Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL), who discussed the Trump administration's "opaque" and incoherent immigration policies and highlighted the recent court ruling mandating the return to the U.S. of Salvadoran national Kilmar Armando Abrego Garciato. A Salvadoran national who is a resident of Maryland and father of an autistic five-year-old boy, Garciato has been detained in an El Salvadorian prison for weeks.

Quigley also c...

Joan is joined by Amy Parnes, who discusses her new book, "Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House," co-authored with Jonathan Allen.

The book covers the unprecedented 2024 presidential election, highlighting Joe Biden's faltering debate performance, which led to his dropping out of the race, and Kamala Harris's swift rise. Parnes reveals that Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi had doubts about Harris's viability as a candi...

Joan is joined by Ari Berman, Mother Jones’ national voting rights correspondent and the author of Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People—and the Fight to Resist It and Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America.

The conversation centered on the April 1st Wisconsin Supreme Court election, where Judge Susan Crawford faces Elon Musk-backed conservative Brad ...

Joan is joined by Shai Feldman, the Raymond Frankel Chair in Israeli Politics and Society at the Crown Center for Middle East Studies and Professor of Politics at Brandeis University.

Feldman discussed a potential U.S. military strike against Iran, noting that Iran is in a state of relative weakness, economically strained, and may be inclined to negotiate. 

In Israel, he said, protests are ongoing due to government efforts to ...

Joan is joined by Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, who discussed Democracy Forward's legal efforts to block President Donald Trump's invocation of the Alien Enemies Act, halt the national funding freeze affecting essential services, and thwart Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency's access to Social Security data.  They have also sued "to stop the decimation of the U.S. Department of Educat...

Joan is joined by Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL), who discussed his March 18 Benedictine University town hall, which is already over capacity and will be live-streamed on Facebook. Foster highlighted key legislative battles in Congress, including the continuing resolution, budget, and debt ceiling votes, emphasizing the importance of protecting Medicaid. He also mentioned the impact of Trump's actions on rural hospitals and the need for l...