WCPT 820 - Chicago's Progressive Talk

07/10/2025

🚨 WCPT’s Hal Sparks will be broadcasting “The Hal Sparks Radio Program” live from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Max and Benny’s in Northbrook, IL, on July 12th, and YOU'RE invited!

Hal and Johnny Million will be talking everything from politics to rock and roll!

WCPT listeners are invited to attend this live broadcast. Get your tickets now before they’re gone!

Max and Benny’s in Northbrook, the deli legend in the Chicago area for over 40 years, has the finest corned beef and potato pancakes in the country. And on Saturday, July 12th, WCPT’s Hal Sparks will be broadcasting “The Hal Sparks Radio Program” live from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Max and Benny....

07/10/2025

– Patrick Cortesi, chair of the McLean County Democratic Party, to promote this weekend’s 2025 BBQ & Bags County Board Fundraiser
– Evan Low, president and CEO of LGBTQ+ Victory Fund
– Rebecca Martin Fagerholm, managing editor of Cinema Femme magazine and director of Cinema Femme Short Film Fest
– Cheyenne Kippenberger, former Miss Florida Seminole and Miss Indian World, and now CEO of CK Tribal Consulting

07/10/2025

Per KCAU 9 News and Feeding South Dakota's Stacey Andernacht, the One Big Beautiful Bill's cuts to SNAP will drive people to South Dakota food banks.

ANDERNACHT: "It's going to put strain on our resources when people who no longer have those benefits because of the new eligibility requirements ... will need to make difficult choices between medical needs or food and will likely end up in our food line or using our partners in communities across the state."

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07/10/2025

Rachel Chapin, a nurse in Flint, Mich., directly calls out U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) for voting for Medicaid and SNAP cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill and causing damage to her community.

"People like Congresswoman Lisa McClain, they voted to cut Medicaid and food assistance. These people knew the consequences and they did it anyways. My fellow nurses won't forget, my patients won't forget and come midterms, the voters won't forget. We're going to talk to our neighbors and organize to make sure that you never get the chance to sell out Michigan again."

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07/10/2025

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on the importance of public broadcasting as the Senate debates cutting it:

"When portions of our state were in shelters in place when a madman was out loose, Minnesota Public Radio kept people informed around the clock about how to stay safe, about where the shelter in place areas were and what was happening with the manhunt. It's NPR that continues to report on State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, who I got to talk with yesterday about their recovery, even when the national attention has moved on."

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07/10/2025

Per WCCO & CBS News Minnesota, because Minnesota counties handle human services programs instead of the state, federal cuts to SNAP from Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill might mean property taxes increases at an average of a 3.25% to try and cover the losses.

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07/10/2025

07/10/2025

Per Fox 9, President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill will cost Minnesotans $2.7 billion more in home energy bills, cut 23,000 clean energy jobs of the state's 62,000 and slow down construction projects because the state already transitioned to clean energy.

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07/10/2025

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) dismantles Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth while talking with WCPT's Maggie O'Keefe:

"The last time he was in charge of a budget, he messed it up so badly that they had to bring in a forensic accountant, and that was only a budget of $13 million. And now, he wants $1 trillion to play with. It's really irresponsible."

07/10/2025

On today's show:
– Lindsay Owens, executive director of the economic think tank Groundwork Collaborative and author of the upcoming book “Gouged: The End of a Fair Price in America”
– Jen Walling, executive director, Illinois Environmental Council (IEC)
– Jacob Kaplan, executive director for the Cook County Democratic Party

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

07/09/2025

On today's show:
– Hal Sparks, host of “The Hal Sparks Radio Program,” ahead of the live broadcast this Saturday at Max & Benny’s Restaurant in Northbrook; tickets are still available!
– Suzi Wirtz, Illinois Park and Recreation Association executive director
– Heather Weishaar, Illinois Park and Recreation Association communications and membership director
– Ellie Krug, transgender activist, author, lawyer, and host “The Illegal Trans Woman,” on AM950, the Progressive Voice of Minnesota
– Dr. Suzana Flores, psychologist and author
– Ford Miller, reference librarian and assistant law professor at Loyola University New Orleans

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).

07/09/2025

Sen. Tammy Duckworth talks the future of ‘big, beautiful betrayal’ bill with WCPT’s Maggie O’Keefe

On Tuesday, WCPT's Maggie O'Keefe spoke with Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) about the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which the senator called a “big, beautiful betrayal.”