Patti Vasquez and guest co-host Paul Farahvar talk to Nathan Taylor, executive director of advocacy and public engagement for Election Truth Alliance, a grassroots, nonpartisan organization dedicated to supporting election analysis, discussion, and peaceful action to highlight potential election manipulation, interference, and irregularities in election results. [Listen to a previous interview]

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

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Patti is joined by Dr. Kristin Lyerly, OB-GYN physician, host of “The Dr. Kristin Lyerly Show,” and 2024 Democratic candidate for Congress in Wisconsin’s 8th District.

Lyerly recounted her journey into politics: "When COVID hit and everything just blew up and misinformation was killing my patients, I thought, well, this is the time for me to step up into a more political place." She has since run for Wisconsin State Assembly (in 2020) and U.S. Congress (in 2024), losing both times.

She highlighted the impact of Wisconsin's restrictive abortion laws and the reactivation of a 1849 law that temporarily banned abortion in the state. Lyerly was one of the plaintiffs in a 2023 Wisconsin lawsuit that succeeded in making abortion legal again. As a consequence, she explained, "anti-abortion advocates filed an egregious complaint against my medical license that was dismissed, but it made it really clear to me that I'm a target in this environment. So I work in Minnesota, I work in a blue state where I know I'm safe and I can provide the kind of care that my patients need, including abortion care." 

Lyerly criticized Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and make steep cuts to Medicaid, which threaten rural hospitals and nursing homes. She emphasized the need for community organizing and Democrats winning the midterms to protect public health and health care access. Lyerly also criticized Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s anti-vaccination stance and the rise in preventable diseases like measles.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

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Patti Vasquez is joined by Mark Gevaart, producer-host of My Labor Radio, an independent Community Access Radio program that airs every Wednesday on WELT 95.7 FM in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

He discussed his background in union activism and the challenges faced by Indiana's working families. He highlighted the impact of so-called right-to-work laws and emphasized the importance of youth and female involvement in unions, and he criticized Republicans in Congress for proposals that would remove the nonprofit, tax-exempt status of credit unions. "That too is an attack on working Americans," Gevaart told WCPT.  

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

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Patti is joined by comedian John Fugelsang.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

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Patti Vasquez is joined by Heidi Stevens, nationally syndicated columnist, director of External Affairs at the TMW Center for Early Learning and Public Health, and fellowship coach at The OpEd Project.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

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Patti Vasquez is joined by Heather Staton and Leila Staton of Insufferable Wenches, an Indivisible chapter representing Iowa's Cedar Valley.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

 

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Patti Vasquez is joined by Liz Pancotti, managing director of policy and advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative, and former Labor Policy Director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

With congressional Republicans maneuvering to pass a budget bill that advances President Donald Trump's agenda, Pancotti highlighted Trump's populist campaign promises versus his actual policies, which include tax cuts favoring the wealthy and cuts to vital programs like SNAP and Medicaid.

Republicans have proposed imposing work requirements on Medicaid recipients. "We have many, many studies that show that work requirements for public benefits do not increase employment," Pancotti said. "They do not increase labor force participation. They do not actually put people in jobs. They are, by and large, paperwork requirements." 

Pancotti also mentioned that the budget bill, in its current form, would shift costs to states, potentially affecting public education and other services. The bill faces opposition from a small number of GOP lawmakers in both the House and Senate.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

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On today's show:
- Musician Sierra Siroka (new EP out May 19)
- Liz Pancotti, managing director of policy and advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative, and former Labor Policy Director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
- Merrill Miller, market manager of the Jefferson Park Sunday Market
- Kayla Ragona, board member of Seattle Indivisible
- Maggie O’Keefe, Chicago 40th ward committee woman

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patti Vasquez is joined by Sarah Blessing of Indiana-based Project Next Media. Co-founded by Blessing and Tim Peck after the 2024 election, Project Next aims to educate and unite communities. Sarah shared her experience as a Democratic candidate in a gerrymandered district and highlighted the importance of empathy, community engagement, and addressing misinformation. Project Next offers content on YouTube, Facebook and Substack.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patti and guest co-host Chris Jones are joined by Mazie Stilwell, the new executive director of Progress Iowa, a statewide organization powered by a community of more than 100,000 progressives that is focused on research, education and advocacy.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.