Joan Esposito (Featured Interviews)

Joan Esposito is joined by 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. 

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).

 

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Joan Esposito is joined by Ward Farnsworth, professor and W. Page Keeton Chair at the University of Texas School of Law and author of several books, including “Should You Tip for Takeout? Solving the Puzzles of Everyday Life.“

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Broadcasting live from Moe Joe's Restaurant in Plainfield, Illinois, Joan Esposito is joined by Illinois State Rep. Jessica Dixon Heitman of the 97th House District. She is a 2026 candidate for re-election. 

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David DeWitt, Ohio Capital Journal editor-in-chief and opinion columnist

The discussion examined Ohio’s 2026 political races, media framing, and the effects of election misinformation on voters. Here are a few key points from the conversation. 
- DeWitt said Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has struggled to connect with Ohio voters despite strong name recognition and funding.
- Democratic nominee Amy Acton is performing well as Democrats benefit from midterm dynamics, voter concerns (and anger) about the Trump administration, gas prices, and data center controversies.
- The U.S. Senate race between Republican Jon Husted and Democrat Sherrod Brown remains competitive; heavy Republican spending has not significantly shifted polling.
- DeWitt criticized national outlets for false equivalence and headlines that frame unequal claims or conduct as comparable.
- The discussion emphasized how editorial management and newsroom culture can influence story framing and encourage self-censorship.

Key quote: "Because of the big lie about the 2020 election and because of the January 6th insurrection that will live in infamy in American history, because of the violence that Donald Trump stoked, because of the paranoia based on falsehoods and lies that he stoked about American elections, and because of his domination of the Republican Party across the nation and in Ohio, we've had elected officials actually taking an election system that worked well, that served voters, that had hardly any fraud, a fraction of a fraction of fraud, .0005 percent, and of the handful of cases out of millions of voters of fraud, the one I can think of was a Trump voter who voted in Ohio and Florida. There is not non-citizens voting. There is not massive voter fraud. There is not massive mail-in voter fraud. There is not massive illegal immigrant voting fraud. All of these are lies. These are ruthless, vicious lies.

"Trump has admitted that he doesn't care about the truth. He's a pathological liar. He just repeats the lies and repeats the lies and repeats the lies, and that's fine for somebody who's morally and ethically depraved. That's fine for somebody who doesn't have a conscience and doesn't have care about the community or about the fact that we're living in a society of humans that are built for cooperation. But the fact is, at a fundamental level, you cannot base a society around lies, because we need to cooperate in order for anything to happen. . . . Nevertheless, Donald Trump has been lying relentlessly about elections for six years now, and because Republicans are so craven and so cowardly and so pathetically unwilling to stand up to a liar, they have actually gone out and changed our election laws in Ohio and made it much, much harder to vote than it's ever been in Ohio. So they have been hurting voters based on a pack of lies, and to me that's just supremely offensive because in a democracy, in a constitutional republic, in a 'small d' democracy, the most fundamental pillar is the voters choosing their representation, and so attacking the fundamental pillars of democracy based on these relentless campaigns of lies is just about the most offensive thing to me that you can do." 

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Joan Esposito is joined by Illinois Congressman Jonathan Jackson, Democrat representing the 1st District of Illinois. The conversation focused on Jackson’s policy priorities, criticism of current federal leadership, and concerns about domestic and international impacts of Republican governance.

- Jackson said if House Democrats regain the House majority, they should prioritize reversing the July 2025 Republican spending law (known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act), restoring food assistance, addressing Medicaid cuts, and reducing inequality.
- He described campaign travel and legislative organizing during the House recess, including support for candidates in competitive races.
- He criticized Sec. Pete Hegseth’s leadership of the Defense Department, politicization of military chaplaincy and promotions, and emphasis on military force over diplomacy.
- Jackson raised concerns about military oversight, troop morale, and the effects of U.S. actions involving Iran, Canada, Greenland, and other allies.
- He also identified mental health access, housing and transportation costs, food insecurity, farm input costs, tariffs, and rural hospital funding as major concerns.
- He argued that funding exists to address these problems but is being directed toward tax breaks and military spending.

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Joan Esposito is joined by Army Maj. Gen. Randy Manner (Ret.), former acting vice chair of the National Guard Bureau, and member of National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A). 

The discussion focused on U.S. military policy, regional security, election-related risks, and the reported effects of current leadership on military readiness.

Here are a few key points from the conversation:
- Manner argued that the proposed firing-squad execution of Fort Hood killer Nidal Malik Hasan could be politically motivated; the unresolved legal question is whether the prisoner has exhausted all appeals.
- He said the U.S. posture in the Middle East appears weaker, citing aircraft withdrawals and disruptions around key oil shipping routes.
- He said war costs are reducing training, flight hours, deployments, resupply, and spare-parts availability for other units.
- The discussion covered European rearmament, drone and counter-drone capabilities, force diversity, chaplain recruitment, and stress among service members and their families.
- It also touched on unresolved concerns about Election Day National Guard deployments and whether elected representatives could be denied office after the election.

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Joan Esposito is joined by Katherine Dailey, state government and policy reporter for Michigan Advance. 

Here are a few key points from the conversation:
- In Michigan's race for governor, Michigan Sec. of State Jocelyn Benson faces Republican Congressman John James.
- James remains aligned with President Trump but appears to be emphasizing that association less in the general election, particularly on unpopular data center policy.
- Incumbent Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s support for data centers and response to Planned Parenthood funding needs have created dissatisfaction among some Democrats, potentially affecting Benson.
- Last spring Democrat Chedrick Greene won a Senate special election by roughly 20 points, which Dailey described as a possible referendum on the Republican administration and Trump. "People thought that the Democrats had a pretty good chance to hold on to this seat," she told WCPT. "But it is a swing seat in our state Senate, and so for a Democrat to win by that big of a margin, I think, is definitely a bellwether going into this general."
- Michigan’s constitutional convention ballot question has broad opposition from groups across the political spectrum, but polling shows substantial support and many undecided voters.
- A potential lame-duck session could involve property tax reform and negotiations over nine previously vetoed bills.

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Joan Esposito is joined by Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder. He talks about Texas Democrats’ grassroots, bottom-up strategy as a way to capitalize on the midterm election and deliver an ambitious governing agenda.

Here are a few key points from the conversation:
- Scudder said state Democrats recruited candidates for every state and federal office in Texas, opened offices in historically neglected areas, and built candidate services to support local campaigns.
- Republicans’ expected spending surge remains a concern, but Scudder argued that voters understand the consequences of Republican leadership and that down-ballot organizing is critical.
- He urged Democrats to act immediately and pursue expansive policies, including expanding Social Security, improving health care access, and building the best-funded public schools.
- He emphasized that winning is insufficient without visible results; Democrats must remain accountable to working-class voters and challenge corporate and wealthy interests.

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).

 

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Joan Esposito is joined by U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) and 2026 candidate for re-election in Missouri's 5th Congressional District.

Here are a few key points from the conversation.
- The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the 2022 congressional map after Missouri courts and petitioners challenged later changes.
- The map is considered settled for the upcoming election; the state’s proposed map remains on the November ballot.
- Missouri voters collected 303,000 signatures to challenge the legislative map. 
- Cleaver described the Housing for the 21st Century Act as a bipartisan effort to reduce construction costs and delays.
- The law removes a federal chassis requirement for manufactured homes, allowing construction on foundations and potentially enabling multistory homes.
- Cities may receive additional Community Development Block Grant funding for reducing housing construction time and costs.
- The bill, reconfigured as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, became law after the president did not sign it within the required period.

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Joan Esposito is joined by Julie Roginsky, author of the Salty Politics newsletter on Substack and co-founder of the nonprofit Lift Our Voices. The conversation focused on the midterm outlook, accountability for political leaders and Supreme Court justices, and women’s advocacy in politics.

Key quote: "I think like a lot of us, and I'm Gen X, we were people who understood there was only really one person in the back room who was going to be a woman. There was not much space made for women. During Gloria Steinem's generation, there were no women. During my generation, there was one woman or two women, and you had to kind of fight over that. And so I think I did not really appreciate how hard women had to work and the compromises that they made in order to become that one woman in the back room, in order to climb that ladder, and for 25 years, whenever I'd have women coming to me and saying, 'Oh, it's so hard in politics, and this man was so mean to me and I'm treated with such little respect,' the advice that I would give them would basically be to just suck it up and just say, 'Just keep your head down and work hard and power through and don't say anything because it's not going to help you.' I guess it was good advice as far as it went, but actually, in reality, it was terrible advice because what it did was create the sense of normalcy of women being mistreated at work and being abused and so on and so forth, and not really understanding that you had to make sure that women were supportive of each other and stood by each other. And no, shutting up and and and not saying anything is absolutely the wrong advice to give somebody. The right advice is speak up. Speak up." 

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