

Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive | September 18, 2026
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/progra…

WCPT 820 Interview: Autumn Billings of Reason
Joan Esposito is joined by Autumn Billings, assistant editor at Reason. Billings has written recently about Flock cameras, including the article "The Shaky Evidence That Flock Cameras Reduce Crime Rates." On September 2 Reason published the article "Wisconsin Cops Used Flock Over 100 Times To Track…

WCPT 820 Interview: Thomas Hicks, former chair of Election Assistance Commission
Joan Esposito is joined by 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. The discussion examined Hicks’s dismissal from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, election admin…

Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive | September 17, 2026
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 Hom…

WCPT 820 Interview: Author-Professor Jeffrey Winters
Joan Esposito is joined by Jeffrey A. Winters, professor of political science at Northwestern University, and author of he 2026 book "The Blind Spot: How Oligarchs Dominate Our Democracy." The discussion examined how oligarchic power is embedded in U.S. democratic institutions and possible reforms…

WCPT 820 Interview: Bill Scher of Washington Monthly
Joan Esposito is joined by Bill Scher, politics editor at Washington Monthly; his latest article is "Will It Be a Blue Wave?" They also talked about his piece, "How To Build A Big Tent" and Republican attacks on Michigan Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed for his associations with …

WCPT 820 Interview: Stephanie Zimmermann of the Chicago Sun-Times
Joan Esposito is joined by Stephanie Zimmermann, award-winningconsumer investigations reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times. Zimmermann has recently written a series of articles under the banner, "Chicago's Baltic Bond: Lithuania, America and Democracy," which she talks to WCPT about. "I did a whol…

Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive | September 16, 2026
On today's show – Stephanie Zimmermann, award-winningconsumer 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 a…

WCPT 820 Interview: Kristina Zahorik of the DNC
Broadcasting from Duke’s Ale House & Kitchen in Crystal Lake, Illinois, for an event with the Democratic Party of McHenry County, Joan Esposito is joined by Kristina Zahorik, Democratic National Committee Midwest Caucus vice chair. Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from …

WCPT 820 Candidate Interview: Suzanne Ness
Broadcasting from Duke’s Ale House & Kitchen in Crystal Lake, Illinois, for an event with the Democratic Party of McHenry County, Joan Esposito is joined by Illinois State Rep. Suzanne Ness, candidate for re-election in the 66th District. Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekday…