Joan Esposito (Featured Interviews)

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 States.

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 information.

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 the shift to smaller, less comfortable planes.

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 information.

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 criticized the administration's tariff policy and drastic funding cuts to international aid, scientific research, health care, and environmental protection. 

"One of the concerns I have is there is so much going on," he said. "Issues like climate change aren't on the front page. I think it's probably the issue that our grandchildren would be most angry with us about."

Quigley emphasized the need for Congress to use its voice and votes to counteract these policies.

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 information.

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 candidate. The book also delves into Trump's campaign dynamics, including his vice presidential pick and the impact of the Pennsylvania assassination attempt on his campaign. Parnes notes that the book serves as a lesson for future campaigns, emphasizing the importance of learning from past mistakes.

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 information.

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 Schimel. Musk has invested over $20 million in the Schimel campaign, a record for a judicial race. The election is seen as a referendum on Musk's influence. A win for Schimel, Berman said, could embolden Musk to intervene in more elections, while a win for Crawford has the potential to motivate Democrats to use anti-Musk messaging in future campaigns and induce Republicans to distance themselves from Musk. 

"I certainly think that Republicans will take the message that being so close to Musk could be a political liability to them," Berman told WCPT. 

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 information.

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 essentially threaten "all the most important gatekeepers of Israeli democracy," up to the Supreme Court. 

If the government decides "to ignore the Supreme Court decisions," Feldman said, "then Israel will find itself in the most extreme constitutional crisis in its history, because this would be a head-to-head battle between the Supreme Court on one side and the politicians on the other side."

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 information.

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 Education" and to protect religious freedom.

Perryman also highlighted the importance of civil servants. "These are people that work and advise administrations -- Democratic administrations, Republican administrations," she said. "They swear an oath to the Constitution and not to any particular political ideology. And the president doesn't like those civil servants and Elon Musk doesn't like those civil servants because their job is to advise and to really be motivated by the law and by the well-being of the American people."

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 information.

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 local elected officials to speak out against the administration's illegal actions. He noted the strategic importance of nonpartisan primaries and ranked-choice voting to foster a healthier 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).

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Filling in for Joan Esposito, John St. Augustine talked to WGN-TV chief meteorologist emeritus Tom Skilling, who discussed his 45-year career as a TV weatherman and the realities and impacts of climate change. Skilling emphasized the importance of accurate weather forecasting, making mention of advancements in technology, such as the Aurora exascale supercomputer, which performs 2.5 billion mathematical equations per second. He also addressed the public's fascination with weather and the need for better climate models to predict extreme weather events. 

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.

Filling in for Joan Esposito, William Muck talked to Georgetown Professor of Law and Economics David Super, who discussed the Trump administration's actions in the legal sphere.

Super criticized the administration's attempts to dictate how universities conduct themselves, citing the letter recently sent to Georgetown Law by interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin, demanding the school end all diversity, equity and inclusion efforts or risk a hiring freeze from his office. 

"It's absolutely outrageous that they're trying to leverage government power to tell a private university how to teach and what to teach," Super told WCPT. "Georgetown is a Jesuit institution. We follow the principles of the Jesuits, which require looking at everyone as a full human being and taking them as such. It's disappointing that they're so unwilling to accept that."

Evaluating the second Trump administration's actions writ large, Super said that "we absolutely are" entering a constitutional crisis, noting that checks and balances have been "the essence of constitutional law from the very beginning of our Constitution, and President Trump rejects that. He believes we need a strong president who can do whatever he wants and is largely unchecked by Congress in the courts." 

Super explained terms like "arbitrary and capricious" and impoundment and called attention to the administration's defiance of court orders. He also warned of the administration's attempts to eliminate neutral arbiters, like judge advocate generals in the military.

"Even more alarming than [Trump] firing the senior military lawyers was the stated reason for doing so, that they might object to things that the administration wants to do," Super said. "Well, that's exactly why we have judge advocate generals in the military, because the military has enormous power and we want some independent assurance that that will be handled lawfully and in accordance with our Constitution. So I found that quite chilling."  

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 information.