Robert Brandon and the host of The Big Picture, Edwin Eisendrath talk about the work that went into the last cycle to deliver large, free, and fair elections. Plus, they talk about the threats still out there as we look ahead to 2024. 

Robert Brandon and the host of The Big Picture, Edwin Eisendrath talk about the work that went into the last cycle to deliver large, free, and fair elections. Plus, they talk about the threats still out there as we look ahead to 2024.

Here are featured interviews from "The Big Picture" with Edwin Eisendrath (Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT Chicago). Good conversations help us see the big picture. Edwin Eisendrath and his guests get specific about politics, government, campaigns, and the kind of country all this work is meant to build. Join us live every Saturday to be part of the conversation.  


Edwin served two terms in Chicago’s City Council before being appointed Midwest Region Director of HUD by President Bill Clinton. He was subsequently appointed Federal Receiver in charge of the takeover and turnaround of the Chicago Housing Authority. His last foray as a candidate came when he took on a crooked governor of his own party, but it was the U.S. attorney rather than the voters who sealed Rod Blagojevich’s fate.

Off the campaign trail, Edwin worked in higher education and as a consultant to universities here and around the world. He was working primarily in Saudi Arabia during the 2016 election cycle, but after Donald Trump’s victory, he knew he had to focus back home. He brought business and labor leaders together to rescue the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Reader. He ran the company as its CEO until both publications were saved.

Edwin continues his political, civic, and business engagement from his home in Chicago, where he and his wife, Jennifer, raised their three children. He and Jennifer can be seen walking their hound dog, Winston Churchill.

Here are featured interviews from "The Big Picture" with Edwin Eisendrath (Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on <a href="https://heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820/">WCPT Chicago</a>). Good conversations help us see the big picture. Edwin Eisendrath and his guests get specific about politics, government, campaigns, and the kind of country all this work is meant to build. Join us live every Saturday to be part of the conversation.  
 Edwin served two terms in Chicago’s City Council before being appointed Midwest Region Director of HUD by President Bill Clinton. He was subsequently appointed Federal Receiver in charge of the takeover and turnaround of the Chicago Housing Authority. His last foray as a candidate came when he took on a crooked governor of his own party, but it was the U.S. attorney rather than the voters who sealed Rod Blagojevich’s fate.
Off the campaign trail, Edwin worked in higher education and as a consultant to universities here and around the world. He was working primarily in Saudi Arabia during the 2016 election cycle, but after Donald Trump’s victory, he knew he had to focus back home. He brought business and labor leaders together to rescue the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Reader. He ran the company as its CEO until both publications were saved.
Edwin continues his political, civic, and business engagement from his home in Chicago, where he and his wife, Jennifer, raised their three children. He and Jennifer can be seen walking their hound dog, Winston Churchill.

The Big Picture (Featured Interviews)

Here are full episodes from "The Big Picture" with Edwin Eisendrath (Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT Chicago). Good conversations help us see the big picture. Edwin Eisendrath and his guests get specific about politics, government, campaigns, and the kind of country all this work is meant to build. Join us live every Saturday to be part of the conversation.  


Edwin served two terms in Chicago’s City Council before being appointed Midwest Region Director of HUD by President Bill Clinton. He was subsequently appointed Federal Receiver in charge of the takeover and turnaround of the Chicago Housing Authority. His last foray as a candidate came when he took on a crooked governor of his own party, but it was the U.S. attorney rather than the voters who sealed Rod Blagojevich’s fate.

Off the campaign trail, Edwin worked in higher education and as a consultant to universities here and around the world. He was working primarily in Saudi Arabia during the 2016 election cycle, but after Donald Trump’s victory, he knew he had to focus back home. He brought business and labor leaders together to rescue the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Reader. He ran the company as its CEO until both publications were saved.

Edwin continues his political, civic, and business engagement from his home in Chicago, where he and his wife, Jennifer, raised their three children. He and Jennifer can be seen walking their hound dog, Winston Churchill.

Here are full episodes from "The Big Picture" with Edwin Eisendrath (Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on <a href="https://heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820/">WCPT Chicago</a>). Good conversations help us see the big picture. Edwin Eisendrath and his guests get specific about politics, government, campaigns, and the kind of country all this work is meant to build. Join us live every Saturday to be part of the conversation.  
 Edwin served two terms in Chicago’s City Council before being appointed Midwest Region Director of HUD by President Bill Clinton. He was subsequently appointed Federal Receiver in charge of the takeover and turnaround of the Chicago Housing Authority. His last foray as a candidate came when he took on a crooked governor of his own party, but it was the U.S. attorney rather than the voters who sealed Rod Blagojevich’s fate.
Off the campaign trail, Edwin worked in higher education and as a consultant to universities here and around the world. He was working primarily in Saudi Arabia during the 2016 election cycle, but after Donald Trump’s victory, he knew he had to focus back home. He brought business and labor leaders together to rescue the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Reader. He ran the company as its CEO until both publications were saved.
Edwin continues his political, civic, and business engagement from his home in Chicago, where he and his wife, Jennifer, raised their three children. He and Jennifer can be seen walking their hound dog, Winston Churchill.

The Big Picture (Full Episodes)

Good conversations help us see the big picture. Edwin Eisendrath and his guests get specific about politics, government, campaigns, and the kind of country all this work is meant to build. Join us live every Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT Chicago to be part of the conversation.  

Edwin Eisendrath served two terms in Chicago’s City Council before being appointed Midwest Region Director of HUD by President Bill Clinton. He was subsequently appointed Federal Receiver in charge of the takeover and turnaround of the Chicago Housing Authority. His last foray as a candidate came when he took on a crooked governor of his own party, but it was the U.S. attorney rather than the voters who sealed Rod Blagojevich’s fate.
Off the campaign trail, Edwin has worked in higher education and as a consultant to universities here and around the world. He was working primarily in Saudi Arabia during the 2016 election cycle, but after Donald Trump’s victory, he knew he had to focus back home. He brought business and labor leaders together to rescue the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Reader. He ran the company as its CEO until both publications were saved.
Edwin continues his political, civic, and business engagement from his home in Chicago, where he and his wife, Jennifer, raised their three children. He and Jennifer can be seen walking their hound dog, Winston Churchill.

Good conversations help us see the big picture. Edwin Eisendrath and his guests get specific about politics, government, campaigns, and the kind of country all this work is meant to build. Join us live every Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on <a href="https://heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820/">WCPT Chicago</a> to be part of the conversation.  
Edwin Eisendrath served two terms in Chicago’s City Council before being appointed Midwest Region Director of HUD by President Bill Clinton. He was subsequently appointed Federal Receiver in charge of the takeover and turnaround of the Chicago Housing Authority. His last foray as a candidate came when he took on a crooked governor of his own party, but it was the U.S. attorney rather than the voters who sealed Rod Blagojevich’s fate. Off the campaign trail, Edwin has worked in higher education and as a consultant to universities here and around the world. He was working primarily in Saudi Arabia during the 2016 election cycle, but after Donald Trump’s victory, he knew he had to focus back home. He brought business and labor leaders together to rescue the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Reader. He ran the company as its CEO until both publications were saved. Edwin continues his political, civic, and business engagement from his home in Chicago, where he and his wife, Jennifer, raised their three children. He and Jennifer can be seen walking their hound dog, Winston Churchill.

The Big Picture With Edwin Eisendrath

Edwin Eisendrath and President of Fair Elections Legal Network, Robert Brandon talk about the work it took to deliver fair elections

Edwin is joined by David Pepper, lawyer, political activist, author (of fiction and nonfiction), and former chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party. He discussed the growing resistance against authoritarianism in America and highlighted the story of an Ohio nurse named Valerie who recently started organizing rallies in Cincinnati. Pepper said she had "really never been to a rally before January. It gave her courage. She felt like the courage was sort of contagious in the crowd. And so they needed to do one in Cincinnati and she went to a website and signed up, and . . . a couple weeks ago, she had about 4,500 people" show up at the April 5 "Hands Off" rally.  

Pepper called for broader participation from institutions and individuals to counteract the administration's attacks on higher education and drew a line from Viktor Orbán's Hungary to Donald Trump's America. "What did Orbán do with higher ed in Hungary? He converted it all to right-wing higher ed," Pepper told WCPT. "The end goal here -- this is why you can never comply. They'd rather destroy current higher ed than have it be as it is. But their ultimate goal is to put higher ed and its infrastructure to work for their cause." 

Catch “The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath” Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/the-big-picture).   

And find “The Big Picture (Full Episodes)” podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, YouTube, Amazon and TuneIn.

Edwin is joined by&nbsp;<a href="https://davidpepper.com/">David Pepper</a>, lawyer, political activist, author (of fiction and nonfiction), and former chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party. He discussed the growing resistance against authoritarianism in America and highlighted the story of an Ohio nurse named Valerie who recently started organizing rallies in Cincinnati. Pepper said she had "really never been to a rally before January. It gave her courage. She felt like the courage was sort of contagious in the crowd. And so they needed to do one in Cincinnati and she went to a website and signed up, and . . . a couple weeks ago, she had about 4,500 people" show up at the April 5 "Hands Off" rally.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Pepper called for broader participation from institutions and individuals to counteract the administration's attacks on higher education and drew a line from Viktor Orb&aacute;n's Hungary to Donald Trump's America. "What did Orb&aacute;n do with higher ed in Hungary? He converted it all to right-wing higher ed," Pepper told WCPT. "The end goal here -- this is why you can never comply. They'd rather destroy current higher ed than have it be as it is. But their ultimate goal is to put higher ed and its infrastructure to work for their cause."&nbsp;
Catch &ldquo;The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath&rdquo; Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/the-big-picture).&nbsp; &nbsp;
And find &ldquo;The Big Picture (Full Episodes)&rdquo; podcast on&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0TDBhZmN53i7kDyHRzHZZx">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-big-picture-full-episodes/id1772709867">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1300-the-big-picture-full-epis-224645190/">iHeartRadio</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ6EYyFLbGw&amp;list=PLquOHBYhhrLOG8meVY1bvfD7TfAPGXMK2">YouTube</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/43cb535f-a2df-4c89-aee0-e716694063b0/the-big-picture-full-episodes">Amazon</a> and <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/The-Big-Picture-(Full-Episodes)-p4553846/">TuneIn</a>.

WCPT 820 Interview: David Pepper

Jill Wine-Banks

Holly McCall

Greg Sargent

David Pepper

On this week's show:
- Jill Wine-Banks, legal analyst, former general counsel of the U.S. Army, author of The Watergate Girl, co-host of #SistersInLaw, and host of Just The Facts with Jill Wine-Banks
- J. Holly McCall, columnist and editor-in-chief at the Tennessee Lookout
- Greg Sargent, staff writer at The New Republic, host of the "The Daily Blast" podcast, author, and former Washington Post opinion writer
- David Pepper, lawyer, author, political activist, former chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party

Catch “The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath” Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/the-big-picture).  

On this week's show: - <a href="https://www.jillwinebanks.com/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="3">Jill Wine-Banks</a>, legal analyst, former general counsel of the U.S. Army, author of&nbsp;The Watergate Girl,&nbsp;co-host of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politicon.com/podcast-title/sisters-in-law/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="4">#SistersInLaw</a>, and host of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politicon.com/podcast-title/just-the-facts-with-jill-wine-banks/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="5">Just The Facts with Jill Wine-Banks</a> - <a href="https://tennesseelookout.com/author/holly-mccall/">J. Holly McCall</a>, columnist and editor-in-chief at the Tennessee Lookout - Greg Sargent, staff writer at <a href="https://newrepublic.com/authors/greg-sargent">The New Republic</a>, host of the "<a href="https://newrepublic.com/podcasts/the-daily-blast-greg-sargent">The Daily Blast</a>" podcast, author, and former Washington Post opinion writer - <a href="https://davidpepper.com/">David Pepper</a>, lawyer, author, political activist, former chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party
Catch &ldquo;The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath&rdquo; Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/the-big-picture). &nbsp;

The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath Apr. 19 2025

Edwin is joined by David Roberts of the Volts newsletter and podcast (which focus on the technology, politics, and policy of decarbonization).

They discussed the impact of the current administration's environmental and energy policies. Roberts criticized the administration's inefficiency and its focus on coal, noting that coal is no longer economically viable without significant government subsidies. He highlighted the global shift towards clean energy, particularly in China, and argued that the U.S. is undermining its own clean energy transition and global competitiveness by prioritizing fossil fuels and attacking research institutions.

Catch “The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath” Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/the-big-picture).   

And find “The Big Picture (Full Episodes)” podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, YouTube, Amazon and TuneIn.

Edwin is joined by David Roberts of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.volts.wtf/">Volts</a> newsletter and podcast (which focus on the technology, politics, and policy of decarbonization).
They discussed the impact of the current administration's environmental and energy policies. Roberts criticized the administration's inefficiency and its focus on coal, noting that coal is no longer economically viable without significant government subsidies. He highlighted the global shift towards clean energy, particularly in China, and argued that the U.S. is undermining its own clean energy transition and global competitiveness by prioritizing fossil fuels and attacking research institutions.
Catch &ldquo;The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath&rdquo; Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/the-big-picture).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
And find &ldquo;The Big Picture (Full Episodes)&rdquo; podcast on&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0TDBhZmN53i7kDyHRzHZZx">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-big-picture-full-episodes/id1772709867">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1300-the-big-picture-full-epis-224645190/">iHeartRadio</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ6EYyFLbGw&amp;list=PLquOHBYhhrLOG8meVY1bvfD7TfAPGXMK2">YouTube</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/43cb535f-a2df-4c89-aee0-e716694063b0/the-big-picture-full-episodes">Amazon</a> and <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/The-Big-Picture-(Full-Episodes)-p4553846/">TuneIn</a>.

Edwin Eisendrath and President of Fair Elections Legal Network, Robert Brandon talk about the work it took to deliver fair elections

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