On today's show Patti Vasquez fills in for Joan and her guests are
– Jordan Shiner (in studio), former teacher at Niles North High School in Skokie, Illinois; in early March he joined Patti while sheltering from bombing attacks in Tel Aviv, Israel
– Ellie Krug, transgender activist, author, lawyer, and host of “The Illegal Trans Woman” on KTNF AM950, the Progressive Voice of Minnesota; her new book is “Being Ellen: A Second Chance at Life”
– Walter Podrazik, adjunct lecturer in communication at the University of Illinois Chicago, and co-author of "Watching TV: American Television Season by Season," and TV curator at Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast Communications
– Joel Ostrow, professor of political science at Benedictine University
– Jess Piper, the “Dirt Road Democrat”
– Mark Eaton, Capitol Fools’ head writer, ahead of Capitol Fools’ three Skokie performances this weekend at the North Shore Center; Patti will be there for the Saturday night performance, doing a meet-and-greet in the lobby and introducing the show
– Lorenzo Santos, Democratic candidate for Congress in Wisconsin’s 1st District

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&nbsp;Patti Vasquez fills in for Joan and her guests are &ndash; Jordan Shiner (in studio), former teacher at Niles North High School in Skokie, Illinois; in early March he joined Patti while sheltering from bombing attacks in Tel Aviv, Israel &ndash; Ellie Krug, transgender activist, author, lawyer, and host of &ldquo;<a href="https://www.am950radio.com/events/the-illegal-trans-woman/">The Illegal Trans Woman</a>&rdquo; on <a href="https://www.am950radio.com/">KTNF</a> AM950, the Progressive Voice of Minnesota; her new book is &ldquo;<a href="https://beingellen.com/">Being Ellen: A Second Chance at Life</a>&rdquo; &ndash; Walter&nbsp;Podrazik, <a href="https://comm.uic.edu/profiles/wally-podrazik/">adjunct lecturer in communication at the University of Illinois Chicago</a>, and co-author of "<a href="https://press.syr.edu/supressbooks/6663/watching-tv-3/">Watching TV: American Television Season by Season</a>," and TV curator at Chicago&rsquo;s Museum of Broadcast Communications &ndash; <a href="https://ben.edu/faculty/joel-ostrow/">Joel Ostrow</a>, professor of political science at Benedictine University &ndash; Jess Piper, the &ldquo;<a href="https://jesspiper.substack.com/s/the-dirt-road-democrat">Dirt Road Democrat</a>&rdquo; &ndash; Mark Eaton, <a href="https://capitolfools.com/">Capitol Fools</a>&rsquo; head writer, ahead of Capitol Fools&rsquo; three Skokie performances this weekend at the North Shore Center; Patti will be there for the <a href="https://www.northshorecenter.org/events/2026/capitol-fools">Saturday night performance</a>, doing a meet-and-greet in the lobby and introducing the show &ndash; <a href="https://www.lorenzoforcongress.com/">Lorenzo Santos</a>, Democratic candidate for Congress in Wisconsin&rsquo;s 1st District
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;