Joan is joined by Tom Nichols, staff writer at The Atlantic and an author of the Atlantic Daily newsletter.  Nichols talked about his open letter to new Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whom Nichols thinks "might be the most unqualified major cabinet nominee in modern American history."

"I said, look, I know how you got this job, but you're going to have to lead the military now, and you're going to have to leave a lot of that crazy rhetoric behind, even though that's why you were hired and why you got the job," Nichols told WCPT. "And I just thought it was important to say, look, this is something different now; this isn't a talk show; this isn't a game; this isn't reality TV. 'You are now the secretary of Defense, perhaps the most important job after president of the United States. You will be the last person the president talks to, most likely, before deciding to go to war or to use nuclear weapons.' I was hoping to just put that out there to impress the gravity of this on people that just don't seem to understand it, including Hegseth himself."

Nichols, who was a professor of strategy at the U.S. Naval War College for more than a decade, also discussed the potential for a military purge, the revocation of Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and clearance, and the concept of "malicious compliance" in federal agencies.

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).

And find the Joan Esposito (Full Episodes) podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

 

Joan is joined by <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/author/tom-nichols/">Tom Nichols</a>, staff writer at The Atlantic&nbsp;and an author of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/atlantic-daily/">Atlantic Daily newsletter</a>. &nbsp;Nichols talked about his open letter to new Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whom Nichols thinks "might be the most unqualified major cabinet nominee in modern American history."
"I said, look, I know how you got this job, but you're going to have to lead the military now, and you're going to have to leave a lot of that crazy rhetoric behind, even though that's why you were hired and why you got the job," Nichols told WCPT. "And I just thought it was important to say, look, this is something different now; this isn't a talk show; this isn't a game; this isn't reality TV. 'You are now the secretary of Defense, perhaps the most important job after president of the United States. You will be the last person the president talks to, most likely, before deciding to go to war or to use nuclear weapons.' I was hoping to just put that out there to impress the gravity of this on people that just don't seem to understand it, including Hegseth himself."
Nichols, who was a professor of strategy at the U.S. Naval War College for more than a decade, also discussed the potential for a military purge, the revocation of Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and clearance, and the concept of "malicious compliance" in federal agencies.
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>).
And find the Joan Esposito (Full Episodes) podcast on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2yqdk3eg4GZzkuV3dxkrce">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/driving-it-home-full-episodes/id1772728749">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/Joan-Esposito-(Full-Episodes)-p4553843/">TuneIn</a>, <a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1300-joan-esposito-full-episod-224680480/">iHeartRadio</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLquOHBYhhrLPSPl6zwW-_zH6q0Tng18S3">YouTube</a>, and <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3511174e-20b7-400f-badb-40862505c17a/joan-esposito-full-episodes">Amazon</a>.
&nbsp;

Here are full episodes of "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT Chicago), 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.    

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). 

Here are full episodes of "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on <a href="https://heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820/">WCPT Chicago</a>), 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.    
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).

Joan Esposito (Full Episodes)

"Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT Chicago) 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.    

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). 

"Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on <a href="https://heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820/">WCPT Chicago</a>) 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.    
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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