Joan Esposito (Featured Interviews)

Joan Esposito is joined by Carolyn Fiddler, state politics expert and author of the newsletter "This Week in Statehouse Action. They discussed election integrity, state-level political developments, and redistricting ahead of the midterm elections. 

Here is a brief summary of the conversation:
- Fiddler said repeated claims about election fraud and changes involving the USPS are creating confusion about mail-in voting.
- She emphasized that voting by mail and in person remain safe and secure, and that voters can submit ballots early or surrender mail ballots at polling places.
- Pennsylvania Democrats are seeking to retain the governorship and state house, flip the state senate, and pursue policies including higher minimum wages, family medical leave, and abortion-rights protections.
- Fiddler described Missouri’s congressional redistricting dispute, where conflicting court rulings have left the status of a referendum and district boundaries unresolved.

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 Illinois Congressman Jonathan Jackson, Democrat representing the 1st District of Illinois. 

Rep. Jackson discussed the effects of federal policy on food security, health care, elections, military deployment, and his priorities for Illinois.

Here is a brief summary of the conversation:
- Jackson said SNAP reductions are contributing to grocery-store closures and food insecurity in both urban and rural communities.
- He warned that pending Medicaid and Medicare cuts could cause hospitals to close and increase hardship.
- He criticized military deployments, federal spending priorities, and Trump administration policies he said protect wealthy and powerful people from accountability.
- Jackson expressed concern that violence, federal intervention, or efforts to control election administration could threaten the midterms.
- He expects that Democrats will retake the House and emphasized the need for a broad coalition capable of securing 218 votes.

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 Dani Negrete, national political director at Indivisible. The discussion focused on the planned October 17 No Kings Nationwide Day of Action, which seeks to mobilize Americans to vote early and defend democratic participation.

Here is a brief summary of the conversation: 

- Negrete explained that October 17 events will be local, festival-style gatherings, block parties, rallies, and marches.
- The movement is being organized by a broad coalition that includes Indivisible, labor, environmental, LGBTQ+, and voting-rights organizations.
- Joan and Negrete discussed voter suppression, election disinformation, intimidation, and possible federal law-enforcement presence at polling places.
- Negrete emphasized that civic responsibility continues after voting through accountability, protest, and sustained local organizing.

 

This No Kings press release has more information:

On October 17, No Kings: Vote Early will launch a day of coordinated, nonpartisan action across the country to drive early voting. Millions took to the streets last year and gathered for one of the largest single-day, nonviolent direct actions in U.S. history in March. No Kings: Vote Early is the next step in this growing movement, making sure we use our collective power at the ballot box for the future we want for our families, communities, and country. 

This No Kings activation will look very different: community events will vary from block parties to rallies to walks to the polls. Each one will be working toward a common goal: making sure every eligible voter has a plan to vote early (where possible), knows their options for how to vote, and is ready to make their voice count by casting their ballot. 

Groups organizing the No Kings events across the country include American Federation of Teachers, Black Voters Matter Fund, 50501, Indivisible, MoveOn, Public Citizen, State Voices, and Voto Latino, among others. A full list of partners can be seen at https://www.nokings.org/partners.

New events are being added to the map daily. For a full list of current participating cities and event details, visit www.NoKings.org. To speak with someone from the No Kings Coalition, contact [email protected].

No Kings: Vote Early events are nonpartisan and are designed to increase participation from all eligible voters. All No Kings events adhere to a shared commitment to nonviolent protest and community safety. Organizers are trained in de-escalation and are working with local partners to ensure actions are lawful, disciplined, and rooted in the strength of our communities.

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 Ed Yohnka, director of communications and public policy at ACLU Illinois. The discussion focused on election protection, local civil liberties, surveillance technology, and immigration enforcement in Illinois.

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 Aaron Kleinman, Heartland Signal‘s senior political analyst and author of the “Radio Free America” newsletter.

The discussion introduced Heartland Signal's Right-Wing Bill Tracker and examined what state-level Republican proposals, if passed, could mean for voters.

Here is a summary of the conversation:
- The tracker is intended to address gaps created by declining local-news coverage and help voters evaluate state candidates before November.
- Proposals identified by the tracker include abortion restrictions, defining life at conception, criminal penalties, bounty provisions, reduced fluoridation, weaker lead regulations, and a return to the gold standard.
- Kleinman described these proposals as evidence of an increasingly authoritarian political philosophy.
- Nationalized political coverage and the collapse of local newspapers have left voters less informed about state legislatures.

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 Stephen Marche, novelist and essayist who recently wrote a New York Times guest essay, “Canada Said No to America. It Will Reverberate Far Beyond Its Borders.”

The discussion examined Canada’s response to U.S. tariffs and the broader risks to Canadian sovereignty and international stability.

Here is a summary of the conversation:
- Marche noted that trade agreement terms put forth by U.S. negotiators would have constrained Canada’s ability to make independent trade agreements and weakened French-language protections.
- He characterized Canada’s refusal as a defense of national identity despite likely economic pain.
- Marche supports Prime Minister Mark Carney’s plans for Canada to cooperate more closely with Europe, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and other so-called middle powers. "The more connections we have with Europe and with other Asian democracies, the the safer we are from the U.S. and China and Russia," he told WCPT. 
- Potential areas of cooperation include payment systems, technology, financial integration, and reducing dependence on the U.S. dollar.
- Marche expects prolonged instability in the United States and a lengthy Canada-U.S. stalemate.

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 Illinois Democratic State Rep. La Shawn Ford, candidate for Congress in the 7th District of Illinois. He discussed his expected transition to Congress, policy priorities, and campaign efforts ahead of the November election.

Key points
- Ford plans to pursue Medicare for all, expanded health care and prescription-drug access, affordable housing, senior housing, and infrastructure funding for the 7th Congressional District.
- He is developing a bipartisan tax credit for businesses that hire college students as interns and plans to push bills previously advanced by Danny Davis.
- He supports Democrats pursuing broad policy changes rather than incremental health-care reforms.
- Ford is campaigning for Congress through social media, events, churches, schools, and door knocking while encouraging early voting.
- He expects Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to become House speaker if Democrats regain the House

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 Edwin Eisendrath, host of "It's the Democracy, Stupid" (Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT) and publisher of "It's The Democracy, Stupid" on Substack.

Key points
- Edwin urged voters to verify registration, vote early, avoid mail where possible, mobilize neighbors, and protect ballot counting through volunteers and legal observers.
- Concerns were raised in the discussion about Republican efforts to restrict voting access, including polling-place closures, voter purges, postal delays, and potential challenges to election results.
- A midterm win for Democrats could enable accountability and slow the administration, but rebuilding government and improving Americans’ lives would require a longer effort.

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 Army Maj. Gen. Randy Manner (Ret.), former acting vice chair of the National Guard Bureau, and member of National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A). Manner offered his assessment of U.S. military readiness, civilian leadership, and the war with Iran.

Here is a summary of the conversation:
- Manner said Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will eventually become the fall guy for military problems, though not imminently.
- He described munitions as significantly depleted and criticized the administration's decision to dismantling a 600-soldier drone battalion while moving an armored corps headquarters from Europe to North America.
- He attributed these decisions to political and financial influence.
- Manner criticized recent firings of Stars and Stripes editorial staff and CENTCOM civilian-casualty investigators
- He said the administration’s actions could lead to international war-crimes indictments and urged listeners to vote.
- Manner also addressed rust and maintenance conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln, U.S. relations with NATO, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.

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 Richard North Patterson, best-selling author, attorney and political commentator. His new book, "Tripwires: 15 Twenty-First-Century Events That Undermined American Democracy—and How to Reclaim," was released Tuesday.

Democratic Decline
- Patterson identified the Supreme Court's Bush v. Gore decision, the Iraq War, Republican tax cuts, the appointment of John Roberts as chief justice of the Supreme Court, the Citizens United decision, and the 2008 financial crisis as interconnected developments that eroded trust, increased inequality, and strengthened concentrated wealth and political power.
- He criticized Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's decision to not retire during the Obama presidency, saying: "On her deathbed, she expresses the wish that Trump would wait for a new president. Well, that was never going to happen. He appointed Amy Coney Barrett, the exact philosophical opposite of Ginsburg, and now we have a supermajority on the Supreme Court. And regrettably, for all the admirable work she did, that is Ginsburg's legacy."
- Patterson argued that the Republican Party's base became increasingly authoritarian and that economic insecurity and racial anxiety helped drive this shift.

Reform Priorities
- Patterson called for a fairer economy through stronger unions, higher taxes on top earners and corporations, reduced capital-gains exemptions, expanded child tax credits, broader health care access, and a higher minimum wage.
- He emphasized economic fairness as a prerequisite for restoring faith in democracy.

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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