The Big Picture (Featured Interviews)

Edwin Eisendrath is joined by Nancy MacLean, professor of History and Public Policy at Duke University. 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edwin Eisendrath is joined by Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL), who has represented the 5th District since 2009. 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edwin Eisendrath is joined by Seth Cotlar, professor of history at Willamette University. 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edwin Eisendrath is joined by Ashton Pittman of the Mississippi Free Press. 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edwin is joined by Colette Holt, founder, Colette Holt & Associates. She discussed the Trump administration's assault on the rule of law, citing examples like Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem's ignorance of habeas corpus and President Donald Trump's claim to be the sole arbiter of the law. She highlighted the administration's use of racial animosity, referencing Trump's history with the Central Park Five and his treatment of refugees as president. Holt also expressed concern about the Trump administration's erosion of civil rights, the undermining of the judiciary, and the potential for Trump to ignore court rulings. 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edwin Eisendrath is joined by Illinois Congressman Sean Casten, who discussed the GOP's budget bill that narrowly passed the House last week. Casten voted with all Democrats to oppose its passage. "It's a heartbreaking moment for America," he told WCPT. "Now, obviously, the Senate still has to pass this, and if your listeners are concerned, it's time to light up the phone calls, particularly Republican senators. But if this bill becomes law, it's a complete decimation of everything that we have come to rely on as Americans." Casten pointed out that the legislation, as passed in the House, would authorize "the biggest-ever cut in food assistance in America, the biggest-ever cut in health insurance in America, and the biggest-ever tax cut for billionaires in America. How do you go home, look your kids in the eye and say, 'Thanks to me, kids are going to starve and Elon Musk will be richer'? Because at the end of the day, that's the trade. And that's even before getting to the horrible things that this will do to raise energy costs, to hurt our environment. I don't have a better word for this than mean." Noting that the bill is projected to add about $3.5 trillion to the federal deficit over the next 10 years, Casten said the dollar amount is "probably 5 trillion-plus, after it drives up all the interest costs." The four-term Southwest suburban Democrat criticized the lack of honesty from GOP members of Congress and attributed their actions, in part, to gerrymandered congressional districts and the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United ruling. He stressed the importance of maintaining faith in the rule of law and democratic institutions and proposed expanding the U.S. Senate to include 10 nationally elected members, who would "have to respond to public will. That would be the first time, in 250 years, that that would ever happen in the Senate," Casten said. 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edwin Eisendrath is joined by Amanda Macotte, senior politics writer at Salon.com. She discussed her new YouTube series "Standing Room Only" and her recent deep dive into the Christian prayer app Hallow, which features celebrities like Chris Pratt and Mark Wahlberg. Marcotte criticized the app's conservative Catholic content, including a course called "The Feminine Genius" that promotes "this notion that women are uniquely made to be submissive, giving . . . basically that women were meant to be the support system of men, especially, but also families, communities -- just traditional sexist gender stuff," she told WCPT. Marcotte revealed that she is "really worried" that "this Biden age situation and the coverup of it," as reported in the recent book "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," is "going to continue to haunt the party. And you can yell at journalists until you're blue in the face, it's not going to change anything, because it's going to just be like catnip to journalists to ask Democratic politicians, especially those who want to run for president, about the coverup of Biden's age-related decline. And if people can't just answer the question in an honest way, they're going to end up reinforcing these already negative stereotypes that Democrats are just a bunch of consultant creatures that never, ever speak from the heart or never, ever tell you the truth." Marcotte also addressed the Trump administration's adoption of white nationalist conspiracy theories, particularly the myth of white genocide in South Africa. 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edwin Eisendrath is joined by David Graham, staff writer at The Atlantic and author of The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America. Graham discussed the precarious state of American democracy, highlighting the neglect of government institutions like the Federal Aviation Administration and the consequences of Trump implementing Project 2025's federal policy agenda. He also addressed the Supreme Court's role in shaping American politics, particularly with rulings that are "making it harder and harder to actually go after politicians for corruption." 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edwin talks to Jeff Jarvis, visiting professor in the School of Communication and Journalism at Stony Brook University. 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edwin is joined by Donna Ladd, editor at Mississippi Free Press. 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edwin is joined by David Roberts of the Volts newsletter and podcast (which focus on the technology, politics, and policy of decarbonization). 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edwin is joined by WGN-TV chief meteorologist emeritus Tom Skilling, who discussed the severe consequences of budget cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service. He highlighted that the service collects 6.3 billion weather observations daily and produces 1.5 million forecasts and 50,000 warnings annually. "These are essential," Skilling told WCPT. "They're life saving." He emphasized the critical role of local offices in providing accurate, real-time data to first responders and the aviation industry, and warned that federal budget cuts could degrade forecast accuracy and jeopardize public safety. "[W]hat's going on is really concerning in an agency that's been lean and mean and consistently ranked among the most respected federal agencies in our government," Skilling said. "People respect the weather service. It's often the top-rated government federal agency, because people understand its products and use them all the time." 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edwin is joined by Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL). 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edwin is joined by Peter Gleick, water and climate scientist, author, and co-founder of The Pacific Institute. Gleick discussed the role of water in the recent Los Angeles fires, highlighting the impact of rising temperatures on soil and vegetation dryness, and criticized President Donald Trump's executive order to release water from Northern California dams, which he says was ineffective and detrimental to farmers. He also discussed the unsustainable use of groundwater, the importance of economic and technological solutions to mitigate water scarcity, and the urgency for making a faster transition to renewable energy. And find “The Big Picture (Full Episodes)” podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, YouTube, Amazon and TuneIn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edwin is joined by Hadar Harris, PEN America’s managing director, Washington. Harris discussed the challenges to free speech in the U.S., highlighting the impact of book bans, media restrictions, the marginalization of NGOs, and attacks on higher education, and emphasized the importance of individual and institutional efforts to protect free expression. "There's this sort of twisting of the concept of what civil rights are and what illegal discrimination means," Harris told WCPT. "The whole concept of what DEI is, the concept of what gender is, and even the concept of what antisemitism is . . . is being instrumentalized to . . . undermine institutions in ways that will kind of comport with this ideological approach to things and to not necessarily go through the legal processes or to comply with the law but to really impose a particular vision of free expression, a particular vision of free speech, and a particular vision of the 'golden age of America.'" See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edwin is joined by Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin, who discussed the importance of grassroots organizing and the need for a unified pro-democracy movement. He highlighted the success of Indivisible's weekly webinars, which have grown from 300 to 10,000 participants and address issues like messaging and strategy. He criticized the Democratic Party's "disappointing" response to President Donald Trump's recent joint address to Congress, pointing out the lack of "unified opposition" and the "distance between the grassroots and leadership, and that's not where I want to be," he said. Levin also advocated for persistent resistance to counteract authoritarianism. "Often these fights take a long time," Levin told WCPT, "but the only way you achieve change is by organizing on the ground. These aren't one-off marches. That's not what's going to change anything. It's persistent organizing, building up structures of people power to contend with concentrated wealth and concentrated political power that opposes any change." 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). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edwin is joined by Dan Shafer, Civic Media's political editor and founder of The Recombobulation Area. Shafer discussed recent town halls in Wisconsin where Republican representatives have faced strong opposition, particularly over issues like Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Donald Trump's pro-Putin stance on the war in Ukraine. He also highlighted the disruption caused by federal funding freezes and cuts, and emphasized the importance of the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court race, which takes place April 1st. 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). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edwin is joined by Jonathan Katz, senior director of Anti-Corruption, Democracy, and Security (ACDS) at The Brookings Institution. Katz discussed the seven pillars to defend democracy outlined in Brookings' "Democracy Playbook 2025": protect elections, defend rule of law, fight corruption, reinforce civic and media space, protect pluralistic governance, counter disinformation, and make democracy deliver (economically, for example). Katz also highlighted the threats posed by the second Trump administration, including state capture, corruption and the undermining of rule of law, and emphasized the importance of legal action, community engagement, civic education and the need to educate America's next generation to be critical thinkers. 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). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edwin talks to Don Moynihan, University of Michigan Ford School’s J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy and author of the Can We Still Govern? Substack newsletter. Moynihan highlighted the dangers of "administrative vandalism," citing examples like the Trump administration's firing of one-fifth of nuclear weapons employees and the layoffs of public health employees at the CDC and USDA workers. He warned of potential catastrophic failures and long-term erosion in scientific research and higher education, and emphasized the importance of a non-politicized civil service. 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). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.