Edwin Eisendrath talks with political editor at KSDK News, Mark Maxwell on "The Big Picture."

Edwin Eisendrath talks with political editor at KSDK News, Mark Maxwell on "The Big Picture."

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

WCPT 820 Interview: Mark Maxwell

Edwin Eisendrath is joined by Texas Democratic State Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer.

"We are not a Republican state; we're a non-voting state," Martinez-Fischer told WCPT, offering a "Texas 101" primer on state legislative politics and President Donald Trump's mid-decade congressional redistricting scheme that Texas is trying to become the first state to adopt. 

"We have the largest African American population in the country. We have the second largest Latino population in the country. We are a majority minority state, when you combine African Americans, Latinos and Asians, but we are governed by very extreme Republicans that have perfected the art of stacking, packing and cracking communities of color so that they will never have a voice. 

"So, hey, there's a big sports town in Chicago. I happen to like the Bears as well. Why would the Chicago Bears ever take the field if they knew the game had been engineered for them to lose? Who would want to play that game? That's what they're doing here in Congress. They are, with mathematical precision, determining political outcomes before there's a single vote cast, and that's what Donald Trump wants. He is doing lousy right now in the polls. The midterms are going to be a wreck, and the U.S. House of Representatives has a really good chance of going back to the Democrats. So Trump picked up the phone, called [Republican Texas Gov.] Greg Abbott and said, my friend, I need you to bend the knee and draw me five Republican congressional districts right now."

Martinez-Fischer called the effort "extreme gerrymandering. This is 'the hell with the voters; we know better.' These politicians will pick the voters, instead of the other way around. This isn't about a fair and square election anymore. This is about engineering outcomes. And just think about how much technology you have on your smartphone right now, and all the things you can do that you could never have done before in the 1980s. Well, when it comes to voting and drawing districts, the technology has moved at an incredible speed. They know everything about you."

He added: "This President is not the commander-in-chief anymore. He is what I've been calling the commander in cheat." 

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 Eisendrath is joined by Texas Democratic State&nbsp;<a href="https://treymartinezfischer.com/">Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer</a>.
"We are not a Republican state; we're a non-voting state," Martinez-Fischer told WCPT, offering a "Texas 101" primer on state legislative politics and President Donald Trump's mid-decade congressional redistricting scheme that Texas is trying to become the first state to adopt.&nbsp;
"We have the largest African American population in the country. We have the second largest Latino population in the country. We are a majority minority state, when you combine African Americans, Latinos and Asians, but we are governed by very extreme Republicans that have perfected the art of stacking, packing and cracking communities of color so that they will never have a voice.&nbsp;
"So, hey, there's a big sports town in Chicago. I happen to like the Bears as well. Why would the Chicago Bears ever take the field if they knew the game had been engineered for them to lose? Who would want to play that game? That's what they're doing here in Congress. They are, with mathematical precision, determining political outcomes before there's a single vote cast, and that's what Donald Trump wants. He is doing lousy right now in the polls. The midterms are going to be a wreck, and the U.S. House of Representatives has a really good chance of going back to the Democrats. So Trump picked up the phone, called [Republican Texas Gov.] Greg Abbott and said, my friend, I need you to bend the knee and draw me five Republican congressional districts right now."
Martinez-Fischer called the effort "extreme gerrymandering. This is 'the hell with the voters; we know better.' These politicians will pick the voters, instead of the other way around. This isn't about a fair and square election anymore. This is about engineering outcomes. And just think about how much technology you have on your smartphone right now, and all the things you can do that you could never have done before in the 1980s. Well, when it comes to voting and drawing districts, the technology has moved at an incredible speed. They know everything about you."
He added: "This President is not the commander-in-chief anymore. He is what I've been calling the commander in cheat."&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;&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: Texas State Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer

Will Bunch

State Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer

Bill Scher

Dean Baker

On this week's show:
– Will Bunch, Philadelphia Inquirer national opinion columnist
– State Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer (D-TX)
– Bill Scher, politics editor at The Washington Monthly
– Dean Baker, co-founder and senior economist, Center for Economic and Policy Research

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: &ndash;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.inquirer.com/author/bunch_will/">Will Bunch</a>, Philadelphia Inquirer national opinion columnist &ndash;&nbsp;State&nbsp;<a href="https://treymartinezfischer.com/">Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer</a>&nbsp;(D-TX) &ndash;&nbsp;Bill Scher, politics editor at&nbsp;<a href="https://washingtonmonthly.com/author/bill-scher/">The Washington Monthly</a> &ndash;&nbsp;<a href="https://cepr.net/people/dean-baker/">Dean Baker</a>, co-founder and senior economist,&nbsp;<a href="https://cepr.net/">Center for Economic and Policy Research</a>
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 Aug. 9 2025

Edwin Eisendrath is joined by Melissa Sanchez, Chicago-based immigration and labor reporter for ProPublica; her latest piece is a profile of Venezuelan men deported by the Trump administration who endured months of physical and mental abuse inside a Salvadoran prison

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 Eisendrath is joined by Melissa Sanchez, Chicago-based immigration and labor reporter for ProPublica; her latest piece is a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/venezuelan-men-cecot-interviews-trump">profile</a>&nbsp;of Venezuelan men deported by the Trump administration who endured months of physical and mental abuse inside a Salvadoran prison
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>.

WCPT 820 Interview: Mark Maxwell

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