Joan Esposito (Featured Interviews)

Joined by North Central Political Science Professor William Muck, Joan Esposito talks to Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL). 

Schneider discussed the potential doubling of health insurance premiums due to Republican inaction and refusal to negotiate with Democrats on expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies. 

"Republicans have shown . . . that they're utterly indifferent to the twin crises American families are facing," Schneider said. "Cost of living is too high. Forget about trying to get ahead. It's hard, if not impossible, for families to make ends meet, and health care is increasingly out of reach for millions and millions of people. If Congress doesn't act, if the Republicans don't sit at the table and work with the Democrats, premiums are going to more than double for millions of Americans on January 1; those notices are already going out. So [Democrats] are here. We're in Washington this week. We'll be there next week, while the House Republicans are taking extended vacation and saying we're not going to do anything to help the American people." 

Schneider also expressed concern about Donald Trump's authoritarian tendencies, including the firing of thousands of government employees without cause, and the potential for midterm election tampering. He highlighted the importance of free and fair elections and the need for bipartisan cooperation. 

Additionally, he discussed ongoing peace negotiations in the Gaza war, emphasizing the role of the U.S. in fostering stability and prosperity. Schneider, who co-chairs the bipartisan House Abraham Accords Caucus, recently wrote and signed a letter to Israeli leadership expressing opposition to  possible unilateral annexation of the West Bank. Schneider and the 179 other House Democrats who signed the letter said such a move would "threaten the progress of the Abraham Accords."

"If there's a path forward, it's the Palestinians recognizing Israel as the Jewish democratic state, homeland of Jewish people, and the Israelis recognizing the Palestinians and their aspirations for self-determination and self-governance, and that by living together, they can give peace to all of their children," Schneider told WCPT, adding: "The U.S. has to be at the table, and if we can do it in partnership with our Arab allies -- the Saudis, the Emiratis, the Bahrainis, others -- to give hope for the Palestinians, and to be able to take the rubble of the war in Gaza and clear that away and open up opportunities for and with the Palestinians to build neighborhoods and schools and hospitals and factories and all the things that will create both opportunity and prosperity for the Palestinian people, in the same way that over the last 78 years the Israelis have been able to build up their country, then that's a win for everybody. But the U.S. has to be not just at the table but leading the way, really."

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 Tony Fitzpatrick. 

He discussed his new book, "The Sun at the End of the Road: Dispatches From an American Life," which he calls "a counter-narrative to what the Trump people have been saying about my city and my country. It is about finding what is good. It is about finding hope and possibility and where we stand as a culture right now." The book includes artwork and poetry.

He also mentioned his battle with interstitial lung disease and the support he has received from his caregivers, particularly his respiratory therapists. 

Fitzpatrick's new show, "Songbirds and Crucifixions," opened October 4 at Great Lakes Tattoo. He died one week later. 

The interview begins in progress.

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 discussed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's September 30  address to senior military leadership, noting the appropriate lack of applause due to the military's apolitical nature. Manner criticized the event as political theater, pointing out that bringing almost 800 generals, admirals and their senior enlisted leaders to Quantico, Virginia, cost millions in taxpayer dollars. He denounced Hegseth's comments on military standards and leadership, describing them as discriminatory. 

"Everybody who was in that audience who was not a white male, he basically labeled them as a DEI hire, in terms of being women and in terms of being people that are not white," Manner told WCPT. "He is trying to turn our military into 1935 German military, blue-eyed, white people, Aryan army. He even said, return to 1950. Well, that's not going to happen. I mean, he's going to try. But the reality is, the American people will not put up with this. 

"And it's important for everyone to understand, the American military is on the side of the American people. We do not pledge allegiance to follow any single person. We do not. We pledge allegiance to follow and defend the Constitution of the United States. And that means that is 'we the people'; it is all of our citizens. Every listener needs to be reassured that our American military is on their side and not on the side of totalitarianism, not on the side of dictatorship, and absolutely will do the right thing at the right time."

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 Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United, Let America Vote, and the End Citizens United/Let America Vote Action Fund. 

Muller discussed the ongoing government shutdown, blaming Republicans for their unwillingness to negotiate and their focus on tax breaks for the wealthy. She highlighted her organization's new campaign, Unrig Washington, which aims to ban congressional stock trading, refuse corporate PAC money, and end dark money in politics. Muller emphasized the need for anti-corruption messaging in the 2026 midterms, noting that voters trust Republicans more on corruption issues. She also discussed the success of candidates refusing corporate PAC money and the need for comprehensive campaign finance reform.

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 Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL).

Congressman Bill Foster discussed the challenges faced by Democrats in maintaining Affordable Care Act tax credits, which support 400,000 Illinois residents.

"If these tax credits are allowed to expire," Foster told WCPT, "a lot of Illinois families are going to see premiums double, and some are going to see an increase of over $17,000 a year."

He also addressed the violent behavior of ICE agents in Illinois, including the mistreatment of detainees and the use of excessive force against peaceful protesters. He emphasized the need for comprehensive immigration reform and called for stronger legal frameworks to prevent future abuses.

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 Pete Dominick, news commentator, stand-up comic, and host of the “Stand Up! with Pete Dominick“ podcast.

Dominick discussed the recent attacks on freedom of speech, particularly the temporary removal of Jimmy Kimmel from the air and the scheduled end to "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." Dominick highlighted the solidarity among comedians and the need for artists to take a stand. He also shared his experiences with local politics and stressed the importance of community and resistance against authoritarianism. 

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 Jennifer Abruzzo, former general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), where she proudly served from 2021 to 2025, until she was fired by President Trump. Abruzzo is now senior adviser to the president of CWA, Communications Workers of America, where she previously also served as special counsel, and is continuing her service to the labor movement as of counsel at Bush Gottlieb.

Abruzzo discussed the impact of President Donald Trump's firing of her and board member Gwen Wilcox, which led to the NLRB losing its quorum and becoming dysfunctional. She highlighted the importance of the NLRB in protecting workers' rights to unionize and collectively bargain, and emphasized the need for collective action, including protests and strikes, to counteract Trump's policies and protect workers' rights.

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 Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), on the first day of the government shutdown, which began October 1 after congressional Republicans refused to negotiate with Democrats to fund the federal government. Democrats are trying to stem some of the damage from the Republican tax and spending bill that was signed into law on July. 

"We're already seeing five hospitals in the state of Illinois having to get ready to close," Jackson told WCPT. "I mean, you can actually count the amount of people that are going to die. At the same time, the country is raking in money on tariffs. There's money going to the Treasury. They passed another trillion dollars off in capital gains taxes to the wealthiest people, so they're simply looking past the people on the ground they're going to be most hurt. That's why we're standing firm." 

Jackson also spoke about aggressive immigration enforcement actions taken in recent weeks by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the Chicago area.

"Seeing groups of men swarming around ladies and putting them in unmarked vehicles and having on masks, just really turns my stomach," Jackson said. "I think of the militarization of our cities now. We've got a trillion dollars that goes into the military budget. Now, ICE has 150 billion, which is the 10th largest military force on earth. We've got ($)113 billion that goes into Homeland Security. We've got $50,000 ICE signing bonuses, and we're telling teachers in schools that they don't have enough money. The fact is, there is enough money. We can afford these things, but you just cannot give away unlimited wealth at the top."

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 Jonathan Alter, contributing editor of the Washington Monthly, former senior editor and columnist at Newsweek, filmmaker, journalist, political analyst, and the publisher of the Substack “Old Goats with Jonathan Alter.“ He is also the author of "His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life" and "American Reckoning: Inside Trump’s Trial–And My Own."

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 Juliet Jeske, founder of Decoding Fox News, a crowd-funded media project. 

Jeske, who began analyzing right-wing media in 2016 and turned her focus to Fox News in 2022, talked about the network's manipulative practices, and highlighted its efforts to discredit other media. "And I mean all other media," Jeske said, noting that Fox viewers see the network as "the ultimate, the gold standard of journalism. They don't know they're being manipulated. They don't know they're missing story after story after story, because half of how Fox captures people and manipulates them is they just leave out stories, completely leave out stories; they don't mention them. And so people have no idea that they're getting a very specific outlook on the world that's 100 percent manipulated and curated, to get a certain point of view to them, to support President Trump, to support the whole MAGA agenda, all of it." 

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).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.