Live, Local & Progressive

Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive is a topical and interactive talk show from Chicago that focuses on national, state and city politics.  A veteran Chicago broadcaster, Joan talks to politicians and professors, activists and authors, candidates and correspondents, as well as listeners who call in to share their views on the news of the day. Her goal is to Edify, Entertain and Elect — Democrats, of course.

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Notable recent interviews: Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, Michigan Sec. of State Jocelyn Benson, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Speaker of the Illinois House Emanuel “Chris” Welch, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission Anna M. Gomez, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), U.S. House Reps. Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Sean Casten (D-IL), Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL), Bill Foster (D-IL), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Robin Kelly (D-IL), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Scott Peters (D-CA), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Eric Sorensen (D-IL), Elisa Slotkin (D-MI), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Lauren Underwood (D-IL), reproductive freedom and abortion rights activists Hadley Duvall and Amanda Zurawski, gun control activist David Hogg, Rainbow PUSH Coalition CEO Yusef Jackson, former Sec. of Transportation Ray LaHood, Ezra Levin of Indivisible, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Politics Girl Leigh McGowan, Carol Moseley Braun, The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols, author and pundit Chris Matthews, CNN’s Manu Raju, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, “Anonymous” author Miles Taylor, author-pundit Molly-Jong Fast, author Jessica Valenti, Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson, 1/6 Capitol officers Michael Fanone and Aquilino Gonell, progressive content creators Brooklyn Dad Defiant and Keith Edwards, Chair of the Texas Democratic Party Kendall Scudder, legal analysts Leah Litman, Barbara McQuade, and Jill Wine-Banks, Retired Army Major General Randy Manner, Maureen Dowd, Sandra Cisneros

About Joan
Joan Esposito has hosted WCPT’s afternoon show since 2019.  Prior to that she spent 20 years as a Chicago television anchor and reporter for WGN Channel 9, ABC7 and NBC5, and had a stint as managing partner at media trainer J2SC.  Joan is a long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).

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Featured Interviews

Joan is joined by Anna M. Gomez, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission. 

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Joan is joined by U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) for a conversation about the war in Iran, the dishonesty of Sec. of State Marco Rubio, the cost of living, and more. 

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Ahead of the four-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, Joan is joined by Hadley Duvall, reproductive freedom and abortion rights activist. 

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Joan is joined by Amanda Zurawski, reproductive rights activist who was the lead plaintiff in the landmark Zurawski v. State of Texas case.

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Joan is joined by Barbara McQuade, legal analyst, law professor, former United States attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, co-host of the “#Sisters in Law” podcast, and author of “Attack From Within: How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America” (2024) and “The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government” (2026).

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Joan is joined by Nicholas Enrich, former civil servant who worked at USAID under four administrations and author of “Into the Wood Chipper: A Whistleblower’s Account of How the Trump Administration Shredded USAID.”

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Joan is joined by U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL).

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Joan is joined by U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL).

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Joan is joined by Leigh McGowan, AKA Politics Girl.

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Joan is joined by U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL).

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Joan is joined by Yusef Jackson, newly appointed president and CEO of Rainbow PUSH Coalition. 

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Joan is joined by Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible, ahead of the May 1st day of “economic non-cooperation” that Indivisible is co-organizing. 

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Joan is joined by Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.

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Joan is joined by U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL).

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Joan is joined by David Hogg, gun control activist and former vice chair of the Democratic National Committee.

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Joan is joined by Chris Matthews, former host of “Hardball with Chris Matthews” (now on Substack), and author of “Lessons from Bobby: Ten Reasons Robert F. Kennedy Still Matters.”

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Joan talks to U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN).

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Joan is joined by Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D-IL).

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Click here for all of Joan’s Featured Interviews.

Listen live weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at 820 AM, on TuneIn, right here on the Heartland Signal website, or tell Alexa to play WCPT from TuneIn.

Text or phone 773-763-9278.
Follow Joan on Threads and Bluesky.

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This week on the show:

Mon 7/20
Listen to the full show
– Jamison Firestone, author of the new memoir “Rule of Lies: My Wild Ride Through Chaos, Corruption, and Murder in Putin’s Russia” [Listen]
– Dr. Stockton Mayer, infectious disease physician at UI Health [Listen]
– Brian Endless, senior lecturer and director of African Studies and the African Diaspora at Loyola University Chicago, and founder of The Come Together Project

Tue 7/21
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– Julie Roginsky, author of the Salty Politics newsletter on Substack and co-founder of the nonprofit Lift Our Voices [Listen]
– Marj Halperin, Democratic analyst heard on “The Mincing Rascals” podcast and organizer with Indivisible Chicago and One Community Near South [Listen]
– Jill Wine-Banks, legal analyst, former general counsel of the U.S. Army, author of “The Watergate Girl,” co-host of #SistersInLaw and host of Just The Facts with Jill Wine-Banks

Wed 7/22
– Sarah Lamdan, executive director of the American Library Association‘s Office for Intellectual Freedom
– Thom Hartmann, host of “The Thom Hartmann Program,” weekdays from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Central on WCPT, and author of the new book “Who Killed the American Dream? The Greatest Political Crime Ever Told”
– David Layman, former Providence, Rhode Island, news anchor, managing editor, and political commentator for RIPBS

Thu 7/23
– Mark Jacob and Jennifer Schulze with our regular media segment
– Brian Tyler Cohen, author of the new book “The Day After: How to Wield Power in a Post-Trump World“
– Robert Pape, professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago specializing in international security affairs, and author of The Escalation Trap on Substack; his new book, “Our Own Worst Enemies: America in the Age of Violent Populism,” comes out September 22

Fri 7/24
– Chris Fitzsimon, host of the Stories from the States podcast
– Army Maj. Gen. Randy Manner (Ret.), former acting vice chair of the National Guard Bureau, and member of National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A)
– Jennifer Militello, New Hampshire Poet Laureate

Last week on the show:

Mon 7/13
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– Chris Bury, former TV newsman and recently retired DePaul journalism professor [Listen]
– Joel Ostrow, professor of political science at Benedictine University [Listen]

Tue 7/14
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– William Muck, professor of political science at North Central College [Listen]
– 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” [Listen]
– Young Mie Kim, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, professor in Journalism and Mass Communication and faculty affiliate of Political Science [Listen]

Wed 7/15
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– David Hochberg, vice president of lending for Team Hochberg at Homeside Financial
– Spencer Critchley, author of “Patriots of Two Nations” and host of the “Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of Good” podcast

Thu 7/16
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– Marjorie Hershey, professor emeritus, political science at Indiana University Bloomington
– Dr. John Murphy, professor of communication at the University of Illinois and an expert on the history of American public address and political rhetoric
– Jennifer Schulze, former local TV news exec, reporter and producer based in Chicago, and author of Indistinct Chatter on Substack

Fri 7/17
Listen to the full show
– Chris Fitzsimon, host of the Stories from the States podcast
– Jack Kiraly, director of Government Relations at The Planetary Society [Listen]
– Marc Kelly Smith, Poetry Slam founder; he talks about the Newberry Library’s acquisition of the Marc Kelly Smith Poetry Slam Collection [Listen]

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“Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive” now has its very own podcast. Two, in fact:  Joan Esposito (Full Episodes), available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon, and Joan Esposito (Featured Interviews), also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon. Subscribe to one or both!  “Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive” is also available at Omny.fm.