On today's show
– Chris Fitzsimon, host of the Stories from the States podcast
– Stacy Davis Gates, Chicago Teachers Union president and president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers
 – Gregory Royal Pratt and Laura Rodríguez Presa, investigative reporters for the Chicago Tribune; they are two of the Tribune reporters recently awarded, as Staff of the Chicago Tribune, the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting, and will speak at the 41st annual Printers Row Lit Fest the weekend of September 12-13

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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On today's show
– Greg Hinz, columnist for Crain's Chicago Business
– Dr. Mimi Zieman, retired OB/GYN, author, and advocate who moved to Atlanta to serve as the director of Family Planning at Emory University Medical School; she also served as chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood Southeast
– Heartland Signal’s Rich Eberwein with three stories you might have missed from our digital newsroom

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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On today's show
– Aaron Kleinman, Heartland Signal‘s senior political analyst and author of the “Radio Free America” newsletter
– Spencer Critchley, author of Patriots of Two Nations and host of the Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of Good podcast

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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On today's show:
– Julie Roginsky, author of the Salty Politics newsletter on Substack and co-founder of the nonprofit Lift Our Voices
– Adam Mockler, Gen-Z liberal political commentator who hosts “The Adam Mockler Show” on You Tube
– 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“

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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On today's show
– Chris Bury, former TV newsman and recently retired DePaul journalism professor
– U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL)

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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On today's show:
– Chris Fitzsimon, host of the Stories from the States podcast
– Bill Scher, politics editor at Washington Monthly; his latest article is "Should We Ever Trust Polls Again?"
– Darlene Duggan, head of Anticruelty

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.

On today's show:
– Army Maj. Gen. Randy Manner (Ret.), former acting vice chair of the National Guard Bureau, and member of National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A)
– Opal Vadhan, former senior adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris and former aide to Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton
– Dr. John Murphy, professor of communication at the University of Illinois and an expert on the history of American public address and political rhetoric

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's show:
– Aaron Kleinman, Heartland Signal‘s senior political analyst and author of the “Radio Free America” newsletter
– Joe Walsh, former Republican congressman from Illinois and host of “The Social Contract with Joe Walsh“
– U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL)

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.

On today's show
– Joel Ostrow, professor of political science at Benedictine University, and Brian Endless, senior lecturer and director of African Studies and the African Diaspora at Loyola University Chicago

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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On today's show
– Carolyn Fiddler, state politics expert and author of the newsletter “This Week in Statehouse Action“
– Ray LaHood, former Illinois congressman and former U.S. Transportation secretary; on August 27 he will participate in a City Club of Chicago event with Illinois Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski, “Can Bipartisanship Still Work?“
– Peter Giangreco, Democratic strategist, partner at The Strategy Group

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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