Joined by Enrico Mowatt of Mirror Digital, Richard Chew talks to Dante King, university professor, author, human resource management consultant, and DEI expert. They spoke about the "whites-only” group Return to the Land and its recently announced plan to expand from northern Arkansas into Missouri.

"What we're talking about is this age-old belief system," King told WCPT, "that has been established, where people are preoccupied with this idea of themselves as white, as a racial group that is distinct from other people, based on their inability to produce high quantities of melanin. . . . And so if you're concerned about that, then you will do anything that you can to diminish, to degrade, to dehumanize, to exploit people that you consider non-white, people that you consider 'other.' And that's what this country's history has been based upon. . . . And so we have to understand what this obsession is all about, but also that it is not real. It's not scientific. It has not been legally defined at all. It is a political force."  

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Richard Chew is joined by Eric Grant, co-host of “The Family Meeting” on WCPT.

Catch "Chew's Views with Richard Chew” weekdays from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/chews-views).

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Richard Chew is joined by Thom Hartmann, host of “The Thom Hartmann Program” weekdays from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on WCPT. 

Catch "Chew's Views with Richard Chew” weekdays from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/chews-views).

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Richard Chew is joined by Amy McGrath, political and national security analyst, former fighter pilot and U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran, founder of Democratic Majority Action PAC, 2020 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate and 2018 Democratic nominee for U.S. House, author of “Honor Bound: An American Story of Dreams and Service,” and co-host, with Denver Riggleman, of the politics and national security podcast “Truth in the Barrel.”

McGrath criticized the current state of the Republican Party, particularly its shift towards authoritarianism and its support for Donald Trump. She highlighted the inconsistencies in President Donald Trump's foreign policy, including what she called "the constant flip-flopping on Ukraine. 

"Look, I'm 100 percent behind Ukraine," McGrath told WCPT, "and I'm glad that we're finally at least talking about sending more weapons to Ukraine and getting tougher on Putin. So I'm happy of this most recent change. But let's review. Donald Trump said on day one that he would end the war in Ukraine. He alone would resolve that conflict. Well, that was BS. Then he said, I'm going to have a hundred-day deadline or there's going to be, quote, serious consequences for Russia. Well, we know that was BS. And then he backed away and said, I'm just frustrated, I'm going to allow you to to fight it out, Zelenskyy and Putin, and not do anything. And then his Istanbul peace talks in May. Guess who didn't show up to the peace talks. Vladimir Putin. So there were no consequences for that. And then he said, in July, well, I'm going to give him another 50 days, and there are going to be very severe tariffs, Vladimir, if there's no peace deal. I mean, Vladimir Putin is laughing at Donald Trump -- laughing at him. Mind you that throughout this whole time there's been tariffs on every country on Earth except for -- guess what country doesn't get the tariffs. Russia!"

McGrath also emphasized the importance of supporting women veterans in politics, elaborating on her support for Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), who is running for New Jersey governor. 

"Around the country, there's a number of women veterans who are stepping up, in places like New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and elsewhere," McGrath said. "And I wanted to back them. I wanted to make sure that they knew that I was behind them, because I know their cloth. I know what it's like to succeed as a woman in the military. And if you have been able to succeed as a woman in the military, boy, you have what it takes to be a leader in this country. And so I know Mikey personally, and I know all these people personally, but even the ones I don't know, I can pretty much look at their careers and say, okay, yeah, this, this is somebody we need to get behind. We need that kind of leadership in our country."

Catch "Chew's Views with Richard Chew” weekdays from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/chews-views).

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Richard Chew is joined by Tamar Jacoby, Ukraine-based director of the New Ukraine Project at the Progressive Policy Institute. Jacoby highlighted Ukraine's desire to remain a democratic country and its strategic importance to Europe and the U.S. She emphasized the need for continued U.S. and European support, including weapons shipments, and spoke about President Donald Trump's recent shift in policy towards Ukraine. Jacoby also stressed the importance of security guarantees to prevent Russia from reneging on any peace agreements and called for tighter sanctions on Russia, particularly targeting oil sales to China and India.

Catch "Chew's Views with Richard Chew” weekdays from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/chews-views).

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Richard Chew is joined by Joe Walsh, former Illinois congressman and former Republican, who discussed his journey from Tea Party Republican to recently becoming a Democrat. Asked what motivated him emotionally, Walsh said shame.

"I've had to live with this publicly," he told WCPT. "Look, people like me helped put Trump in the White House, the first time. People like me helped lead to Trump. And once he won that first time, and I listened to him and watched him every day in the White House, and I'm on the radio all over the country, I'm on Fox News every day, I'd go to bed every night and I'd feel dirty, I'd feel bad because the cruelty and the dishonesty that would come out of his mouth. And I knew that I exhibited some of that and I knew I helped put him there. So, really, it was that it was just a gut check of just shame."  

Walsh highlighted the need for a united front against Trumpism, emphasizing the importance of respectful dialogue and inclusivity within the Democratic Party. Walsh criticized the current Republican Party for being anti-democratic and anti-rule of law, urging a broad coalition to preserve democracy. He also stressed the need for the Democratic Party to reconnect with regular Americans, particularly those who felt overlooked by the party.  

About Joe Walsh:
Joe is a former Republican congressman from Illinois elected to Congress in the Tea Party wave of 2010. Following his service in Congress, Walsh became one of the most popular conservative talk radio hosts in the country, syndicated in major markets throughout the U.S. In August of 2019 Joe became a candidate for president of the United States, waging a Republican primary challenge against Donald Trump. He is the author of F*CK SILENCE: Calling Trump Out for the Cultish, Moronic, Authoritarian Con Man He Is, released in February of 2020. Joe is currently the director of The Social Contract and host of the podcast “The Social Contract With Joe Walsh,” where he provides insight into political news of the day and holds conversations with people to model how to have respectful conversations with those you disagree with.

Joe comes from the MAGA base and spends a lot of time engaging, respectfully, with that base. In the fall of 2024 Joe was an outspoken member of the Republicans for Harris movement and campaigned around the country for the Harris/Walz ticket. In 2025 he launched a Substack called “The Social Contract With Joe Walsh” for more in-depth analysis and insights and information for supporting democracy and the rule of law. Joe can be seen regularly on CNN, MSNBC and the BBC and has been written up in major publications like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Financial Times, Newsweek, The Daily Beast and Raw Story, to name just a few.

Catch "Chew's Views with Richard Chew” weekdays from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/chews-views).

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Richard Chew is joined in studio by Amy Rynell, executive director of Active Transportation Alliance.

Rynell spoke about the looming financial crisis for public transit in Chicago and the state of Illinois. By 2027, the region faces a $1 billion annual gap in transit funding, largely due to federal and state disinvestment. 

"We need action now," she told WCPT. "That's probably the top-line message. Where we're at is because the legislature didn't pass things completely in May, the transit agencies are now having to plan for cuts. They have to present a balanced budget. So this is their budget, starting in January. The magnitude of cuts: about a 40 percent service cut. The magnitude is such that we would eliminate all train lines except Blue and Red. We would eliminate so many bus routes."

Rynell also emphasized the importance of bus rapid transit and regional integration of transit systems. 

Catch "Chew's Views with Richard Chew” weekdays from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/chews-views).

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Richard Chew is joined by Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL), candidate for U.S. Senate. 

Kelly talked about her recent travel schedule, covering not just the state of Illinois as a candidate for Senate but traveling around the country with Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' leadership team. 

"We were just in New Orleans," she told WCPT, "because we've found that, as much as people know about the [Republican One Big Beautiful Bill Act], there's a lot of people that still don't know about the bill and still don't realize what's coming. So we're trying to inform as many people as possible and we're asking people to get off the sidelines, to please speak up, particularly if they have someone [representing them in Congress] who voted for the bill, to let them know that they don't like it, and they're going to be held accountable for it. That's very, very important. We need partners in this fight." 

Kelly, whose 2nd Congressional District includes the far Southeast Side of Chicago, stretches across multiple suburban and rural counties, and includes, by her count, 4,500 farms, says the diversity of her district helps her "see from all different lenses, which is good, as it informs what I do, and it makes me even have a greater understanding. But this bill will affect urban, suburban and rural, and it might even affect rural more, especially when you think about health care and the conversation around nine rural hospitals may close, two in my district. 

"And as I said, we went to Louisiana. Thirty-three rural hospitals will close, but when they close, that affects everybody. Whether you are on Medicaid or you're not, you still need a hospital, and there's only a certain amount of hospitals in certain areas, and when the hospital closes, that's closing on you too, no matter what your insurance is.  So we're all in this together and that's how people need to think about it."

Catch "Chew's Views with Richard Chew” weekdays from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/chews-views).

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Richard Chew is joined by Chris Percy of Black Bench Chicago and Chicago Ald. Ronnie Mosley.

They discussed the Black Bench Chicago program, which aims to build civic leadership among young Black professionals. Mosley, sworn in May 2023, emphasized the importance of intergenerational knowledge transfer and community engagement. Percy highlighted his career trajectory, including work with the Obama campaign and as deputy campaign manager to former Cook County state's attorney Kim Foxx. They stressed the need for young leaders to learn from elders like Jacky Grimshaw and former Congressman Bobby Rush.

The program, open to those aged 25-45, offers free sessions with top Black leaders, fostering community and leadership skills. Applications close August 10 at blackbenchchicago.org.

Catch "Chew's Views with Richard Chew” weekdays from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/chews-views).

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Richard Chew is joined by Jen Walling, executive director, Illinois Environmental Council (IEC), and David Shadburn, legislative director at the League of Conservation Voters.

Catch "Chew's Views with Richard Chew” weekdays from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/chews-views).

And find the "Chew's Views" Full Episodes podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, YouTube, Amazon and TuneIn. 

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