HeyJaredHitting Left
Each week brothers Mike and Fred Klonsky, bloggers and activists engage in conversation, often with in-studio guests. Topics may be local, national or international, but always with a Chicago sensibility and perspective, and always from "the Left side of the plate."
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 7
- Latest publication
- Sep 29, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 11, 2026
Latest episodes
With Marie Newman (opens the original)
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Joining Mike on this edtion of Hitting Left is Marie Newman in a conversation focusing on Chicago politics, national stakes, and her personal political evolution as a progressive activist. Newman, who unseated conservative Democrat Dan Lipinski in the 2020 primary for Illinois's 3rd district, represents a shift away from long-held machine politics in southwest Chicago toward progressive priorities like abortion rights, gun control, and the Green New Deal.
With Bob Reiter. (opens the original)
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Joining Mike in the Lumpen studio is Chicago Federation of Labor President Bob Reiter. This is a Labor Day conversation about power, organizing, and the future of Chicago's working class.
With Alaina Hampton and Representative Kelly Cassidy. (opens the original)
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We're digging into sexual harassment inside Illinois politics, where power has a long habit of circling the wagons. In studio with us: Rep. Kelly Cassidy(R) and Alaina Hampton, two women who've forced this state to confront what it prefers to ignore. We'll talk about the fallout from the Ex-Rep. Harry Benton findings, the political machinery that kept him protected, and the role of Speaker Chris Welch, whose handling of both the Benton matter and earlier misconduct allegations has become a fault
With Joanna Klonsky and Fred Klonsky. (opens the original)
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It's a family affair on this edition of Hitting Left as political strategist Joanna Klonsky and activist Fred Klonsky join Mike in a discussion of last Tuesday's Michigan election, Mamdani's New York, the troubles of the Democratic Party establishment, and the race for Chicago's mayor. Also, where's Andrew Cuomo?
With Lori Lighfoot (opens the original)
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Joining Mike on this edtion of the HItting Left podcast is former Chicago Mayor Lori LIghtfoot. Mike and Mayor Lightfoot talk WNBA basketball, recent MAGA attacks on LIghtfoot and her role in the fight against ICE.
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