



Joan Esposito Live Local & Progressive, March 18 2026
On today's show: – Max Bever, director of Public Information at the Chicago Board of Elections – Aaron Kleinman, head of research at Heartland Signal – Michael Dorf, Democratic lawyer, the Law Offices of Michael C. Dorf, LLC – Peter Giangreco, Democratic strategist, partner at The Strategy Group –…

WCPT's Primary Election Night Special Coverage | March 17, 2026
On Primary Election Night in Illinois, WCPT hosts Joan Esposito, Patti Vasquez, and Richard Chew were on the air between 7:00 and 10:30 p.m. Central Tuesday with special guests, live updates from our reporters, candidate call-ins, and the important speeches as they happened. Guests included: - U.…

Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive | March 17, 2026
On today's show: – Professor Loren D. Lybarger, Ph.D., Ohio University religious studies specialist focusing on Islam and comparative religions – Illinois State Rep. Kam Buckner (D) – Spencer Critchley, author of Patriots of Two Nations and host of the Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of Good po…

Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive | March 16, 2026
On today's show –Mark Jacob and Jennifer Schulze with our regular media segment – Rex Huppke, USA Today columnist – U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL), candidate for U.S. Senate in Illinois Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsigna…

Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive | March 13, 2026
On today's show: – Amanda Marcotte, senior writer at Salon.com – Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza – Chad Peace, founder and president of IVC Media LLC (a nonpartisan digital consulting firm) and a partner at the law firm of Peace & Shea LLP Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" wee…

Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive | March 12, 2026
On today's show: – Pat Kreitlow, founder and editor of Up North News (Courier) – Former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn – Heartland Signal’s Rich Eberwein with three stories you might have missed from our digital newsroom Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Centr…

Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive | March 11, 2026
On today's show: – Mina Bloom, investigative reporter for Block Club Chicago; her latest article is "Why Is The Cook County State’s Attorney Prosecuting Nonviolent ICE Protesters?" – Aaron Kleinman, head of research at Heartland Signal – Bill Scher, politics editor of The Washington Monthly; his la…

Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive | March 10, 2026
On today's show – Majid Padellan, AKA Brooklyn Dad Defiant – Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-IL) – Fritz Kaegi, Cook County assessor and Democratic candidate for re-election – Chicago Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, independent candidate for Congress in the 4th District of Illinois – Donna Miller, candidate for C…

Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive | March 9, 2026
On today's show – Morgan Chilson, senior reporter for the Kansas Reflector – Jen Golbeck, professor, computer scientist, psychologist, “expert in the far-right, online extremism, AI, and bad things on the internet,” and author of the MAGAReport on Substack – Mike Nellis, Democratic strategist and h…

Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive | March 6, 2026
On today's show: – Chris Fitzsimon, host of the Stories from the States podcast 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).