On today's show:
– Laura Rodriguez, senior vice president of government affairs at the Center for American Progress Action Fund
– Jane Kirtley, professor of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota and former executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
– U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL)
– Laura Jedeed, investigative and features journalist who focuses on the American conservative movement and far right; last month Slate published her article “You’ve Heard About Who ICE Is Recruiting. The Truth Is Far Worse. I’m the Proof”
– 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).

On today's show: &ndash;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/people/rodriguez-laura/">Laura Rodriguez</a>, senior vice president of government affairs at the Center for American Progress Action Fund &ndash; Jane Kirtley, professor of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota and former executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press &ndash; U.S.<a href="https://quigley.house.gov/">&nbsp;Rep. Mike Quigley</a>&nbsp;(D-IL) &ndash;&nbsp;<a href="https://laurajedeed.com/">Laura Jedeed</a>, investigative and features journalist who focuses on the American conservative movement and far right; last month Slate published her article &ldquo;<a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/01/ice-recruitment-minneapolis-shooting.html">You&rsquo;ve Heard About Who ICE Is Recruiting. The Truth Is Far Worse. I&rsquo;m the Proof</a>&rdquo; &ndash; Heartland Signal&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="https://heartlandsignal.com/authors/richard-eberwein/">Rich Eberwein</a>&nbsp;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).

From Heartland Signal and WCPT AM 820 in Chicago, here are full episodes of "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central), a topical and interactive talk show 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.    

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). 

From Heartland Signal and <a href="https://heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820/">WCPT AM 820</a> in Chicago, here are full episodes of "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central), a topical and interactive talk show that focuses on national, state and city politics. &nbsp;
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 &mdash; Democrats, of course. &nbsp; &nbsp;
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. &nbsp;Joan is a long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).&nbsp;

Joan Esposito (Full Episodes)

From Heartland Signal and WCPT AM 820 in Chicago, "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central) is a topical and interactive talk show 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.    

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). 

From Heartland Signal and <a href="https://heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820/">WCPT AM 820</a> in Chicago, "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central) is a topical and interactive talk show 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 &mdash; Democrats, of course. &nbsp; &nbsp;
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. &nbsp;Joan is a long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).&nbsp;

Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive

Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive | February 5, 2026

David DeWitt, Ohio Capital Journal editor-in-chief and opinion columnist

The discussion examined Ohio’s 2026 political races, media framing, and the effects of election misinformation on voters. Here are a few key points from the conversation. 
- DeWitt said Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has struggled to connect with Ohio voters despite strong name recognition and funding.
- Democratic nominee Amy Acton is performing well as Democrats benefit from midterm dynamics, voter concerns (and anger) about the Trump administration, gas prices, and data center controversies.
- The U.S. Senate race between Republican Jon Husted and Democrat Sherrod Brown remains competitive; heavy Republican spending has not significantly shifted polling.
- DeWitt criticized national outlets for false equivalence and headlines that frame unequal claims or conduct as comparable.
- The discussion emphasized how editorial management and newsroom culture can influence story framing and encourage self-censorship.

Key quote: "Because of the big lie about the 2020 election and because of the January 6th insurrection that will live in infamy in American history, because of the violence that Donald Trump stoked, because of the paranoia based on falsehoods and lies that he stoked about American elections, and because of his domination of the Republican Party across the nation and in Ohio, we've had elected officials actually taking an election system that worked well, that served voters, that had hardly any fraud, a fraction of a fraction of fraud, .0005 percent, and of the handful of cases out of millions of voters of fraud, the one I can think of was a Trump voter who voted in Ohio and Florida. There is not non-citizens voting. There is not massive voter fraud. There is not massive mail-in voter fraud. There is not massive illegal immigrant voting fraud. All of these are lies. These are ruthless, vicious lies.

"Trump has admitted that he doesn't care about the truth. He's a pathological liar. He just repeats the lies and repeats the lies and repeats the lies, and that's fine for somebody who's morally and ethically depraved. That's fine for somebody who doesn't have a conscience and doesn't have care about the community or about the fact that we're living in a society of humans that are built for cooperation. But the fact is, at a fundamental level, you cannot base a society around lies, because we need to cooperate in order for anything to happen. . . . Nevertheless, Donald Trump has been lying relentlessly about elections for six years now, and because Republicans are so craven and so cowardly and so pathetically unwilling to stand up to a liar, they have actually gone out and changed our election laws in Ohio and made it much, much harder to vote than it's ever been in Ohio. So they have been hurting voters based on a pack of lies, and to me that's just supremely offensive because in a democracy, in a constitutional republic, in a 'small d' democracy, the most fundamental pillar is the voters choosing their representation, and so attacking the fundamental pillars of democracy based on these relentless campaigns of lies is just about the most offensive thing to me that you can do." 

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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<a href="https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/author/david-c-dewitt/">David DeWitt</a>, Ohio Capital Journal editor-in-chief and opinion columnist
The discussion examined Ohio&rsquo;s 2026 political races, media framing, and the effects of election misinformation on voters. Here are a few key points from the conversation.&nbsp; - DeWitt said Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has struggled to connect with Ohio voters despite strong name recognition and funding. - Democratic nominee Amy Acton is performing well as Democrats benefit from midterm dynamics, voter concerns (and anger) about the Trump administration, gas prices, and data center controversies. - The U.S. Senate race between Republican Jon Husted and Democrat Sherrod Brown remains competitive; heavy Republican spending has not significantly shifted polling. - DeWitt criticized national outlets for false equivalence and headlines that frame unequal claims or conduct as comparable. - The discussion emphasized how editorial management and newsroom culture can influence story framing and encourage self-censorship.
Key quote: "Because of the big lie about the 2020 election and because of the January 6th insurrection that will live in infamy in American history, because of the violence that Donald Trump stoked, because of the paranoia based on falsehoods and lies that he stoked about American elections, and because of his domination of the Republican Party across the nation and in Ohio, we've had elected officials actually taking an election system that worked well, that served voters, that had hardly any fraud, a fraction of a fraction of fraud, .0005 percent, and of the handful of cases out of millions of voters of fraud, the one I can think of was a Trump voter who voted in Ohio and Florida. There is not non-citizens voting. There is not massive voter fraud. There is not massive mail-in voter fraud. There is not massive illegal immigrant voting fraud. All of these are lies. These are ruthless, vicious lies.
"Trump has admitted that he doesn't care about the truth. He's a pathological liar. He just repeats the lies and repeats the lies and repeats the lies, and that's fine for somebody who's morally and ethically depraved. That's fine for somebody who doesn't have a conscience and doesn't have care about the community or about the fact that we're living in a society of humans that are built for cooperation. But the fact is, at a fundamental level, you cannot base a society around lies, because we need to cooperate in order for anything to happen. . . . Nevertheless, Donald Trump has been lying relentlessly about elections for six years now, and because Republicans are so craven and so cowardly and so pathetically unwilling to stand up to a liar, they have actually gone out and changed our election laws in Ohio and made it much, much harder to vote than it's ever been in Ohio. So they have been hurting voters based on a pack of lies, and to me that's just supremely offensive because in a democracy, in a constitutional republic, in a 'small d' democracy, the most fundamental pillar is the voters choosing their representation, and so attacking the fundamental pillars of democracy based on these relentless campaigns of lies is just about the most offensive thing to me that you can do."&nbsp;
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (<a href="http://heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive">heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive</a>).
&nbsp;
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David DeWitt  of the Ohio Capital Journal: WCPT 820 Interview 

Joan Esposito is joined by Illinois Congressman Jonathan Jackson, Democrat representing the 1st District of Illinois. The conversation focused on Jackson’s policy priorities, criticism of current federal leadership, and concerns about domestic and international impacts of Republican governance.

- Jackson said if House Democrats regain the House majority, they should prioritize reversing the July 2025 Republican spending law (known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act), restoring food assistance, addressing Medicaid cuts, and reducing inequality.
- He described campaign travel and legislative organizing during the House recess, including support for candidates in competitive races.
- He criticized Sec. Pete Hegseth’s leadership of the Defense Department, politicization of military chaplaincy and promotions, and emphasis on military force over diplomacy.
- Jackson raised concerns about military oversight, troop morale, and the effects of U.S. actions involving Iran, Canada, Greenland, and other allies.
- He also identified mental health access, housing and transportation costs, food insecurity, farm input costs, tariffs, and rural hospital funding as major concerns.
- He argued that funding exists to address these problems but is being directed toward tax breaks and military spending.

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 is joined by Illinois Congressman <a href="https://jonathanjackson.house.gov/">Jonathan Jackson</a>, Democrat representing the 1st District of Illinois. The conversation focused on Jackson&rsquo;s policy priorities, criticism of current federal leadership, and concerns about domestic and international impacts of Republican governance.
- Jackson said if House Democrats regain the House majority, they should prioritize reversing the July 2025 Republican spending law (known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act), restoring food assistance, addressing Medicaid cuts, and reducing inequality. - He described campaign travel and legislative organizing during the House recess, including support for candidates in competitive races. - He criticized Sec. Pete Hegseth&rsquo;s leadership of the Defense Department, politicization of military chaplaincy and promotions, and emphasis on military force over diplomacy. - Jackson raised concerns about military oversight, troop morale, and the effects of U.S. actions involving Iran, Canada, Greenland, and other allies. - He also identified mental health access, housing and transportation costs, food insecurity, farm input costs, tariffs, and rural hospital funding as major concerns. - He argued that funding exists to address these problems but is being directed toward tax breaks and military spending.
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (<a href="http://heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive">heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive</a>).
&nbsp;
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U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL): WCPT 820 Interview

David DeWitt

Rep. Jonathan Jackson

Rex Huppke

On today's show
– David DeWitt, Ohio Capital Journal editor-in-chief and opinion columnist
– U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL)
– Rex Huppke, USA Today columnist; his latest column is "Trump says economy is great. We should definitely trust him"

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 &ndash; <a href="https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/author/david-c-dewitt/">David DeWitt</a>, Ohio Capital Journal editor-in-chief and opinion columnist &ndash; U.S. <a href="https://jonathanjackson.house.gov/">Rep. Jonathan Jackson</a> (D-IL) &ndash; <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/staff/6878775001/rex-huppke/">Rex Huppke</a>, USA Today columnist; his latest column is "<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/10/04/trump-economy-midterm-elections/92056500007/">Trump says economy is great. We should definitely trust him</a>"
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (<a href="http://heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive">heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive</a>).
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Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive | February 5, 2026

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