Patti Vasquez is joined by actor Michael Rooker.

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).

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Patti Vasquez is joined by State Senator Laura Fine (D-IL), who discussed the recent legislative session in Springfield, highlighting her legislative efforts to regulate toxins in baby food, eliminate polystyrene in food containers, and improve health insurance plan transparency for consumers.  She outlined provisions in the Healthcare Protection Act, which she called one of her "crowning glories for this legislative session." The legislation eliminates prior authorization for mental health services and ensures out-of-network coverage for mental health treatments.

On May 6th Fine announced her candidacy for the 9th Congressional District seat being vacated by Democrat Jan Schakowsky, who is retiring at the end of her current term. Fine spoke about the campaign, focusing on her record in advancing consumer-friendly insurance laws and access to healthcare, and shared the story of her journey into politics.

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 Patti is joined by guest co-host Dan Schaefer and their guests are:
- Jason Liechty, director of Policy and Zoning, Office of 30th Ward Alderwoman Ruth Cruz, city of Chicago
- Reid McCollum, chair of DuPage Democrats
- Robyn Ziegler of Oak Park Porchfest
- Dan Shafer, creator of The Recombobulation Area and political editor at Civic Media in Wisconsin

(Dan hosts the second hour solo.)

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). 

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Patti spends the hour with former Congresswoman Marie Newman, author of “A Life Made From Scratch: Lessons from a Controversial Congresswoman, Mompreneur, and Unstoppable Political Activist.”

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 Rachel Ruttenberg, Democratic candidate for the 9th Illinois State Senate seat (currently held by Laura Fine). 

Ruttenberg discussed her background, including her roots in the North Shore district and "20 years of public policy experience putting progressive policy ideas into action." She has worked for Chicago Public Schools, led the legal aid nonprofit Family Defense Center, and held a senior policy role at Heartland Alliance, an anti-poverty and human rights organization, according to her campaign bio.   

Ruttenberg said she supports universal health care coverage and wants to see Illinois become more resilient in its health care systems "so that we're not so threatened by the insanity that's going on in Washington. . . . So I think there are a lot of things we can be doing at the state level . . . to make sure that Illinois is kind of living its values and budgeting from its values, and saying we do need the federal resources and we want to be in a place where we can partner again with the federal government down the line, but in this moment, we need to shore ourselves up and make sure that people are able to access a basic level of care," she told WCPT.

Ruttenberg has the endorsement of Illinois House Majority Leader Robyn Gabel and State Representatives Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, Tracy Katz Muhl, and Bob Morgan, among others. She faces Patrick Hanley in the March 17, 2026 Democratic primary.  

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 Rebecca Williams, statewide organizer for FairVote Illinois.

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 Shawn “Smith” Peirce and Jody Hamilton, co-hosts of “The Politics Bar,” now airing weeknights from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. Central on WCPT.

Jody Hamilton is an award-winning producer, actress, and radio show host, who’s produced and worked with some of the best-known names in progressive talk over the past decade, including Bob Cesca and Stephanie Miller. You might also know her parents, Emmy-winning producer Joe Hamilton and award-winning comedy legend Carol Burnett.

Shawn “Smith” Peirce has been in radio and other media, professionally, for more than 30 years, spending most of 15 years, on and off, as the producer for "The Randi Rhodes Show." He’s also been a producer for Stephanie Miller, Bill Press, "The Steele & Ungar Show," and is one of the few producers in national talk media who has crossed the political divide, having also produced for Laura Ingraham & EWTN.

The concept of "The Politics Bar" is simple: Americans used to have spaces like the neighborhood bar, where everyone in our personal community would gather to talk about entertainment, sports, the news of the day, and often how politics was part of it. But now our personal communities are spread out across the nation and world. "The Politics Bar" is a space where we can get together, have fun and be honest -- even disagree, without throwing chairs at one another. We’re not looking for mushy kumbaya with monsters, just direct talk without unnecessary rancor. And that’s what most people want: Honest talk about issues the majority of us agree on.

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 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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.