Joan Esposito (Full Episodes)

On today's show
– Chris Fitzsimon, host of the Stories from the States podcast
– Rick Smith, host of "The Rick Smith Show," weekdays from 5:00 to 6:00 a.m. Central on 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).

 

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On today's show
– Autumn Billings, assistant editor at Reason
– 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
– David Hochberg, vice president of lending for Team Hochberg at Homeside Financial

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
– Stephanie Zimmermann, award-winning consumer investigations reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times
– Bill Scher, politics editor at Washington Monthly; his latest article is "Will It Be a Blue Wave?"
– Jeffrey A. Winters, professor of political science at Northwestern University, and author of "The Blind Spot: How Oligarchs Dominate Our Democracy" (2026)

Please note, with our apologies: The show today begins with technical difficulties. 

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 Joan broadcasts live from Duke's Ale House & Kitchen, 110 North Main St. in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

Her guests are:
- Ruth Scifo, chair of the Democratic Party of McHenry County
- Julie Billimack of Democratic Women of McHenry County
- Illinois State Rep. Suzanne Ness, candidate for re-election in the 66th District
- Carolyn Campbell, incumbent member and current candidate for McHenry County Board, District 3
- Gloria Van Hof, incumbent member and current candidate for McHenry County Board, District 3
- Amin Karim, candidate for McHenry County treasurer
- Dee Darling, candidate for McHenry County Board, District 1
- Pat Shea, candidate for McHenry County Board, District 7
- Bridget Belcastro, candidate for Regional Office of Education, McHenry County
- John Bartman, Illinois farmer and activist 
- Austin May, candidate for McHenry County, Board District 5
- Chris Stevens, candidate for McHenry County, Board District 
- Kristina Zahorik, Democratic National Committee Midwest Caucus vice chair

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
– Marj Halperin, Democratic analyst heard on "The Mincing Rascals" podcast and organizer with Indivisible Chicago and One Community Near South
– Dr. Judy Stone, infectious disease physician, journalist and author
– Ned Resnikoff, urban policy analyst who writes the newsletter “Public Comment”; he is also author of the forthcoming book, “Build or Die: How America Is Suffocating Its Cities and What to Do About It”
– Bobby Kogan, senior director of Federal Budget Policy at the Center for American 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 devotes her show to the 25th anniversary of 9/11, with special guests:
– Joseph Dittmar, 9/11 Twin Towers survivor (from the "Live, Local & Progressive " archive) 
– Clifford Chanin, director of the 9/11 Memorial Museum
– Graeme Wood, author of "The Way of the Strangers: Encounters With the Islamic State" and staff writer at The Atlantic; last month he wrote piece headlined "What Happened to al-Qaeda?" 
– James Dowdell of the Visionary Network, an organization founded in 2020 by a group of individuals dedicated to preserving the memory of their loved ones and honoring the commitment to never forget 9/11

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
– Ira Glass, creator and host of "This American Life"; Glass will appear at the Chicago Humanities Festival Monday, October 5 for an evening called "Half-Baked Stories About My Dead Mom: Ira Glass and Etgar Keret Don’t Mince Words"
– Marjorie Hershey, professor emeritus, political science at Indiana University Bloomington

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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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's show:
– Dani Negrete, national political director at Indivisible
– U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL)
– Carolyn Fiddler, state politics expert and author of the newsletter “This Week in Statehouse Action
– Michael Dorf, Democratic lawyer, the Law Offices of Michael C. Dorf, LLC

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
– 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”
– Aaron Kleinman, Heartland Signal‘s senior political analyst and author of the “Radio Free America” newsletter
– Ed Yohnka, director of communications and public policy at ACLU 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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On today's show:
– “Out Chicago” host Scott Duff and film critic Rebecca Ford with their monthly look at TV, movies, theater and more
– Michael Gebert, James Beard Award-winning food writer, video producer, and author of “The Chicago Way: An Oral History of Chicago Dining” (2026); he will be appearing at Chicago’s Printers Row Lit Fest Saturday, September 12 

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.