Joan Esposito (Featured Interviews)

Joan Esposito is joined by Tamar Jacoby, director of the New Ukraine Project at the Progressive Policy Institute and contributor to Washington Monthly; her latest articles are "The New Normal in Kyiv, Ukraine" and "Europe Struggles to Respond to Russian Attacks."

The discussion examined Russia’s escalating hybrid war in Europe and the implications for Ukraine, NATO, and Western deterrence. Here are a few key points from the conversation:
- Jacoby described roughly 400 to 450 suspected Russian attacks in Europe over four years, including sabotage, arson, cyberattacks, drone activity, and attempted assassinations.
- European governments are improving information sharing, monitoring, patrols, and defensive infrastructure, but largely avoid retaliation.
- Russia is making limited progress on the front but has intensified its air campaign with faster, higher-flying drones and attacks on Ukraine’s power, water, and sewage systems.
- Ukraine has damaged approximately 45 percent of Russia’s oil-refining capacity, while Russia continues receiving support, including drone engines, from China.

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Joan Esposito is joined by 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" (out now). Thompson, who once helped tip the U.S. Senate back to Republican control when she was managing GOP campaigns, openly acknowledges her complete departure from the party and hasn't voted for a Republican candidate since 2015.

Here are a few key points from the conversation:
- Thompson described a near-fatal car accident as the beginning of a long period of questioning her identity, ambition, and political work.
- She declined offers from the George W. Bush White House and the Senate, moved to Australia for a visiting professorship, and later left politics entirely.
- She began voting Democratic in 2015, and said her views on issues like reproductive rights changed substantially.
- She described major financial and personal costs, including a pay cut of more than $200,000 and selling most of her possessions.
- She now serves as chief of staff at the University of Redlands.

Key quote: "When I moved to Australia, I just found this love for higher education. It's not for everybody, but for those that it works for, it's life changing, it's transformational, and that's what my book is about. That's what I'm about is finding ways that we transform our thinking through knowledge and courage. And I think for the right young people, or any people, higher education does that."

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Joan Esposito is joined by Keri Leigh Merritt, Ph.D., historian and writer; she is the author of "Masterless Men: Poor Whites and Slavery in the Antebellum South" (2017) and "An Inconvenient Woman: The Extraordinary Life of Lillian Smith, the Southerner Who Defied Jim Crow America" (out September 29).

The interview examined Lillian Smith’s civil rights legacy, progressive writing, and relevance to current debates about censorship, racism, and backlash. Here are a few key points from the conversation:
- Merritt described Lillian Smith as a bestselling Southern author who advocated racial integration beginning in the 1930s.
- Her 1944 novel "Strange Fruit" challenged segregation and censorship, while her integrated events and civil rights work brought threats, arson, and surveillance.
- Smith’s long-term partnership with Paula Snelling was presented as central to her writing, activism, and legacy.
- Merritt connected Smith’s experiences to modern book bans, attacks on historians, and threats to civil rights progress.
- Smith argued that white supremacy harmed both Black Americans and white people psychologically, while also using racism to divide workers and preserve elite power.
- Merritt emphasized that civil rights work is a continuing grassroots effort, extending beyond electoral politics into families and local communities.

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Joan Esposito is joined by 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."

The conversation covered Chicago theater, recent political developments, presidential power, the importance of press freedom, and legal challenges involving the Trump administration. Joan and Paul also talked about proposed changes involving the Kennedy Center and the White House, as well as Trump's planned Washington arch, with questions about congressional authority, court enforcement, standing, and presidential immunity. Also discussed: the Supreme Court’s ideological divisions, birthright citizenship, gun rights, artificial intelligence policy, and Trump’s business interests.

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Joan Esposito is joined by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, whose memoir, "Maria the Pappas," was published earlier this month. Pappas discussed the memoir, her path from a coal-mining town in West Virginia to public service, and her views on Chicago politics.

Here are a few key points from the conversation:
- Pappas described her upbringing in a Greek family restaurant and her early experiences with music, education, psychology, law, and politics.
- Her memoir, "Maria the Pappas," explains the origin of her surname and her personal and political journey.
- Pappas said she has not decided whether to run for Chicago mayor and will not announce a decision until December.
- She argued that low voter turnout, rising household costs, public safety concerns, and divisions within the Democratic Party are weakening political engagement.

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Joan Esposito is joined by Robert Pape, professor of political science at the University of Chicago and author of “The Escalation Trap” on Substack; his new book, "Our Own Worst Enemies: America in the Age of Violent Populism," comes out Tuesday, September 22.

Here are a few key points from the conversation:
- Pape argued that political violence has moved beyond fringe extremist groups, with tens of millions of Americans expressing support for political violence.
- He described political violence as being fueled by demographic change, identity politics, immigration policy, populism, and economic insecurity.
- He said 70 percent of Americans abhor political violence and represent an underused constituency for democratic engagement.
- Peaceful protests such as the No Kings demonstrations were presented as evidence that large-scale political participation can occur without violence.

Key quote: "For most of our lifetimes, what we have seen as hate and violent hate has been against African Americans, against Jews, against minorities, and immigrants, and that hate is still with us. But that hate is basically fringe, from the fringe, and that layer has been with us for many, many decades. But we've now had a new evolution, and whether you call it political violence, extremism, or hate, [it] has moved to the mainstream. We now have, and the book will lay this out, tens of millions of Americans on both sides of the aisle supporting political violence, and that changes everything."

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Joan Esposito is joined by Autumn Billings, assistant editor at Reason. Billings has written recently about Flock cameras, including the article "The Shaky Evidence That Flock Cameras Reduce Crime Rates." On September 2 Reason published the article "Wisconsin Cops Used Flock Over 100 Times To Track a Navy Veteran After He Lawfully Recorded a Traffic Stop," which was the main subject of the interview. 

The discussion examined alleged retaliatory use of Flock license-plate-reader data against Wisconsin resident Napoleon Jones after he recorded a traffic stop and filed a civil complaint. Here are a few key points:
- Police reportedly queried data on Jones’s white BMW hundreds of times over five to six weeks after his complaint.
- The searches were described as authorized by a supervisor and labeled only “investigation,” with unclear justification.
- Jones amended his lawsuit to include alleged retaliation for exercising First Amendment rights.
- Billings said oversight of Flock use is limited, and vendor safeguards can be undermined when police departments regulate themselves.
- Some communities have canceled Flock contracts, but alternatives such as Axon and Motorola Solutions raise similar data-privacy concerns.

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Joan Esposito is joined by Thomas Hicks, former chair of the federal Election Assistance Commission; he was fired on July 9 when President Donald Trump dismissed all three serving commissioners. 

The discussion examined Hicks’s dismissal from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, election administration concerns, and ways voters can protect their ballots. Here are a few key points from the conversation:
- Hicks said he was terminated effective immediately on July 9 after 11 years on the commission and more than 30 years in federal service.
- He said he was given no reason and is evaluating whether the termination was unlawful, including possible litigation or reinstatement.
- He described the commission as an independent advisory body that helps states administer elections.
- Hicks opposes sending FBI, ICE, or uniformed troops to polling places absent a specific crime or operational need, citing risks of intimidation and wasted resources.
- He advised voters to submit mail ballots early, use official drop boxes when available, or vote in person if they are uncertain about mail voting.
- Provisional ballots remain available under the Help America Vote Act, but voters should understand and resolve any curing requirements.

Key quote: "It's absolutely illegal to send a law enforcement officer to a polling place unless there is some sort of crime being committed, and the crime of "Well, we think that there are illegal people voting here" is not a crime that they should be sending folks to. It's a waste of taxpayer dollars. It's a waste of resources.  And let me be clear on one thing: In 2020, the National Guard was in polling places because we had a national pandemic and we had a dearth of poll workers who needed to be there to help with the administration of elections. But there was one thing that was perfectly clear: Those folks were out of uniform and they were basically doing what any other American could do, and that is serve as a poll worker to ensure that the the election went off smoothly. And it did go off as smoothly as it could during a national pandemic. But to send troops in is not something that should be done." 

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Joan Esposito is joined by Jeffrey A. Winters, professor of political science at Northwestern University, and author of he 2026 book "The Blind Spot: How Oligarchs Dominate Our Democracy."

The discussion examined how oligarchic power is embedded in U.S. democratic institutions and possible reforms to the system.  Here is a brief summary of the conversation:
- Winters explained that the Constitution was designed to balance democracy with oligarchy after debt crises and farmer uprisings in the 1780s.
- The Senate, presidential veto, Electoral College, and Supreme Court were created as protections for wealthy interests.
- Winters proposes a 45-member Supreme Court, with half selected by legislators and half chosen by lottery from eligible legal professionals.
- Other reforms discussed: stronger corporate-ownership transparency, progressive taxation, wealth taxes, eliminating the Senate, and removing presidential veto power.

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Joan Esposito is joined by Bill Scher, politics editor at Washington Monthly; his latest article is "Will It Be a Blue Wave?" They also talked about his piece, "How To Build A Big Tent" and Republican attacks on Michigan Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed for his associations with left-wing political commentator Hasan Piker.   

Other key points:
- Candidates must tailor their positions to local electorates; progressive positions such as Medicare for All remain untested in some battleground states.
- Democratic polling is favorable, especially for the House, but most Senate races remain within the margin of error and should not be considered secure.
- If Democrats win the House, Hakeem Jeffries is viewed as the likely speaker because of his internal relationships and vote-counting ability, not necessarily his oratory.

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