Patti Vasquez is joined by Angela Hanks, chief of policy programs at The Century Foundation.

Hanks talked about the impact of President Donald Trump's policies on household finances and the recent Morning Consult-Century Foundation survey which revealed 83 percent of Americans worry about grocery prices. "Majorities were worried about cost of living overall," Hanks told WCPT, "including being able to pay for unexpected medical expenses, being able to afford things like their rent or mortgage. Really startlingly, one in four said that they or someone in their household had skipped meals in the last year because they couldn't afford to eat. And nearly half of the people we surveyed said they would struggle to pay a $500 expense."

She pointed out that the Congressional Budget Office just published data which estimates that the recently enacted Republican One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) "will make the bottom 10 percent of households $1,200 poorer per year, while making the top 10 percent of households about $13,000 richer each year," she said.  Hanks noted that Gen Z and Millennials face "acute insecurity."

"And we also saw that along other demographic lines, [the] level of insecurity was higher among Black voters, among Hispanic voters as well, who are quite worried about being able to afford that $500 expense, the cost of groceries and paying their rent and mortgage."

Hanks emphasized the need for policy changes to address long-standing issues like housing and health care affordability, and criticized OBBBA for worsening inequality.

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 Vasquez is joined in studio by Lana Manikowski, infertility activist, coach, author of “So Now What?: Create a Life You Love Without the Children You Always Dreamed Of,” and host of the "So Now What?" podcast.

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 Vasquez is joined by George Demas, co-writer and co-producer of the film “A Spartan Dream,” opening for a limited run at The Pickwick Theatre in Park Ridge on August 15th.

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 Vasquez is joined by Granny FiFi, music director of the Piedmont Raging Grannies, “a gaggle of little old ladies promoting peace, justice, social and economic equality through song and humor.”

Granny FiFi emphasized the importance of organizing against privatization and corporate greed and said she has been involved with protest music "in an organized way" for less than two years. "I've always had a big respect for the history of protest music, but I didn't ever get quite as involved as I have till now," she told WCPT.

The group collaborates with other granny gaggles across the U.S. and Canada, writing songs for specific events. They perform at rallies, often with audience participation, and have a significant social media presence, with about 100,000 followers. 

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 Vasquez is joined by State Rep. Ashley Aune, Missouri Democratic House minority leader.

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 Vasquez and guest co-host Ken Mejia-Beal are joined by Indiana Democratic State Rep. Matt Pierce. 

Pierce highlighted the challenges posed by gerrymandering and the potential implications of Indiana Republicans taking up a mid-decade redistricting scheme being pushed by President Donald Trump. Indiana's House has 70 Republicans and 30 Democrats, "so unfortunately," Pierce said, "that means they can provide the 67 seats they need on their own for a quorum. So we don't have the option that Texas has of being able to shut the place down." (Pierce was referring to Texas House Democrats leaving the state earlier this week to deny Republicans the quorum that would allow passage of the redistricting measure.)

Pierce also pointed out that Indiana has "some of the lowest turnout in the country. If we just activated a percentage of the people who have just decided the government is not relevant to their lives, that it doesn't matter who's running the state House and Congress, if we got those people engaged, found a way to make them feel like this is important enough to be involved, I think you could turn things around here, and that's the biggest problem I see," he told WCPT. 

Pierce added that with "Republicans being so good at ginning up the culture wars," Democrats in Indiana struggle to "cut through that to get to the real bread-and-butter issues that matter."

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 Vasquez and guest co-host Ken Mejia-Beal are joined by Jordan Parker, founder of Triveni Institute.

Parker talked about Trashion Revolution: Modern Mythology, which is taking September 6 at Macy's on State Street in Chicago. The event aims to raise awareness about the climate crisis and plastic pollution through fashion made from trash. The show will feature models in plastic couture, including Ken Mejia-Beal, and will be held in the historic Narcissus Room. 

Parker emphasized the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling plastic, debunking the myth that plastic is recyclable. 

"Everybody designing for the show, their piece automatically fits in with the theme because plastic is not recyclable," Parker told WCPT. "When we think about recycling, we think, oh, an aluminum can become an aluminum can again and again, infinitely, many times. That is impossible for plastic. Polymers don't behave that way. So when plastic is, quote, recycled, it's actually down-cycled into like a park bench or decking or some other permanent fixture. So that's that's a modern myth, and the plastics industry has profited billions and billions and billions of dollars off of this myth, because people drop all their plastic into their blue carts . . . . Nope. It goes to a landfill, or it gets shipped overseas and burned."

Parker said another myth the show will address is "that there are only two genders, and they are assigned at birth based on sex organs. That is a modern myth."

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 Vasquez is joined by John Iadarola, host of The Damage Report on TYT.

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 Vasquez is joined by Texas Democratic State Rep. Chris Turner, who discussed the ongoing effort of Democratic Texas state legislators to block passage of a Republican congressional map designed to give the GOP five additional U.S. House seats in the 2026 midterms. By leaving the state, the Texas Democrats have denied quorum to the Republican-controlled chamber and brought the legislature's 30-day special session to a halt. Like many in the Texas House Democratic Caucus, Turner is currently based in Illinois.  

In the conversation Turner pointed out that the GOP's mid-decade redistricting violates the Voting Rights Act and noted the overwhelming opposition of Texans to the Republican power grab. He also described the rushed redistricting process in Texas, where public hearings were held before the new map was introduced and the map was rushed through the legislative process. Turner stressed the importance of standing up to Trump's dictatorial actions and protecting democratic institutions. 

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 Vasquez is joined by Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, candidate for Wisconsin governor. 

Rodriguez emphasized the financial struggles of Wisconsin residents, advocating for accessible and affordable health care, expanded Medicaid, affordable housing, and child care. She highlighted her experience in Wisconsin's General Assembly and praised Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers's leadership. Rodriguez also shared her background as a nurse and public health worker and expressed her readiness to address rising costs and provide sensible solutions.

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.