The Hartmann Report

Thom launches a discussion on the growing extremes of income inequality, and adroitly takes the issues callers raise on this question. ------- Thom reads from Lawrence O'Donnel's new book- 'Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics'. ------- As congressional Progressives flex their newfound muscles as the largest caucus in the House, Thom once again welcomes the Co-Chair of the House Progressive Caucus, Mark Pocan. Topics include congressional priorities, Trump's official policy of selling out to the Saudis, the kids starving in Yemen as the Saudis continue to drop American bombs, the possible impossibility of bipartisanship, a less-than-shiny new A.G. Whitaker, the delisting of wolves and failing to protect wilderness, immigrants, racism, guns, our reality star president, and sneaky Republican riders & procedural shenanigans likely in the lame duck session. ------- Marcy in Elgin, Texas is tired of hearing Republicans talk about mobs, when the constitution protects our rights to peaceably assemble. 

On the 55th year of John F. Kennedy's murder, Thom reveals the secret source and much of the basis of the book Thom and co-author Lamar Waldron wrote naming the true killers. Lamar joins Thom for most of the show to discuss their theory, and additional developments that tie in Brett Kavanaugh as well. ------- Thom reads from 'Legacy of Secrecy: The Long Shadow of the JFK Assassination' by Lamar Waldron and by Thom himself. ------- As Robert Reich argues the Republicans are running the economy into the ground by concentrating most of the wealth produced by our country in the hands of a minority. Thom wants to know when the greed stops when it comes to dynastic families- the 15 wealthiest families are worth a staggering 618 billion dollars, while 80 percent of American families live paycheck to paycheck.  ------- Caller Heather in Seattle wants to see a Gore-Beto ticket in 2020, as they both have run on confronting climate change. 

Discussing her recent article "Is it Time to Expose the Women Still Celebrating the Confederacy?" Kali Halloway talks institutional racism with Thom. She is the director of the Make it Right project, and she says their nemesis- the United Daughters of the Confederacy- is not an innocuous group. ------- Thom mind-melds with his callers on the subject of racism. Former prison laborer Tony in Alabama speaks up. We hear audio of a police shooting narrowly avoided.  ------- How Republicans hijacked the Help America Vote Act and used it to block Democrats from voting.  ------- Laura in Santa Rosa and Harriet in Llano try to figure out what in the world right-wingers are thinking, and decode Faux News codewords for racism. ------- Thom discusses the new documentary "The Long Shadow" with filmmaker Frances Causey on the eve of the film's Los Angeles premiere showing. ------- Thom reads from 'Minority Leader' by Stacey Abrams. ------- More from filmmaker Frances Causey. ------- Thom reads from 'Taking Bullets' by Haki R. Madhubuti, chapter title 'Terror Amid Perpetual Empire'.  ------- Dan in Granby says Democrats should not shift to the center, stay Progressive to win. ------- Ellen Rattner of Talk Media News knows who's been writing themselves big checks. ------- And finally, Bill in Clifton NJ asks Thom why he actually agrees with A.G. Whitaker about something.

Today Thom strongly shows that as wealth inequality becomes huge, and Republicans blame working class resentments on minorities to hold power, the trajectory the GOP has traveled since Nixon threatens to end American democracy. And connectedly- while the challenge against Nancy Pelosi has been described by mainstream news as coming from the left, Thom argues that corporate interests are behind the threat posed by the gang of "Five White Men". ------- Journalist James Risen says that Trump has been the most corrosive president on America's free press- even worse than Obama, who tried to put Mr. Risen in jail for his reporting. ------- Luke Vargas of Talk Media News looks at the legality of Trump's asylum ban. Plus- rumblings of Saudi prince MBS facing a possible change of status. ------- Thom looks at more interesting headlines: Ro Khanna and Bernie Sanders introduce legislation to compel US pharmaceuticals to stop overcharging Americans. And, it's funny how Ivanka's insecure private email account used for government business is much less of a big deal to the right than Hilary's email was. ------- And finally, David in Cincinnati shares his thoughts about the G.O.P...

Thom considers whether Republicans may be guilty of violating not only traditional American values of democracy, but also federal laws including The Help America Vote Act. How should we be improving our voting systems?  -------- Callers chime in with their support for Beto in 2020, and other thoughts. Jeanette in Mr. Vernon thinks Democrats will lose if they run another corporate Democrat- and not a Progressive like Beto- for president.  -------- The company that makes a life-saving opiate overdose drug has raised the price from $440 to over $2000. What could go wrong?  -------- Talk Media News headline time with Ellen Rattner. -------- Laura Wallach of Public Citizen's Tradewatch talks NAFTA 2.0 with Thom. -------- Thom reads from 'Proof of Collusion: How Trump Betrayed America' by Seth Arbramson. -------- And finally, Thom interviews author Seth Abramson as he lays out the accumulated evidence that our president is unduly influenced by President 'Thumbs Up and a Smile' Putin.

Jefferson Smith, sitting in for Thom, makes the case it's time for a second Progressive era in America to fight the excessive extreme and very large difference between the wealth of the rich and the poor, and especially the corrupt government the rich are using their wealth to create. What are we ourselves called to do in these days? ------ Trump's lies are growing in degrees and also number. Daniel Dale from the Toronto Star has verified 3,749 false claims made by Trump since he became president. And hilarity ensues. But what do about it? ------ Natalie Jones, a reporter from the Guardian, has extensively researched the twenty top political donors counted by the size of their donations. Some are what you would expect, but some names will surprise you. ------ Callers chime in and Jefferson eggs them on. Hugh from Odessa is worried about RBG's health. He asks if the Harry Reid rule might apply if she dies in 2020? Kim in New York is not excited about Amazon moving in next door. Johhny in Texas definitely think Nancy Pelosi should step back for someone fresh and new. Cliff is still worried about peak oil and global warming. ------ Luke Vargas, chief foreign correspondent for Talk Media News has been watching North Korea's saucy rail-gunning behavior closely. ------ Jefferson Smith says 'Thank You', and you should too. 

Jefferson Smith fills in for Thom today engaging listeners with questions on the recent election, Citizens United, and secret law. Jeff ponders whether or not Democrats will move to keep or reject Nancy Pelosi. Thom reads from Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World by Anand Giridharadas. Jefferson Smith answers listener phone calls on post election questions as he sits in today for Thom Hartmann. Jeff speaks with Pulitzer Prize winning author Hedrick Smith.

Congressman Mark Pocan- the House Progressive Caucus leader- talks with the people about our expectations and aspirations as the Democratic blue wave washes over the House of Representatives. -----  Greg Palast is fresh back from getting arrested for facing Bryan Kemp in Florida as reporter, and sneaking into a Trump rally. ----- Foreign Correspondent Luke Vargas tells Thom what Theresa May cooked up for Brexit.... and how Venezuela plans to computer-track its citizens with Chinese technology. ----- Thom reads from 'Playing with Fire' by Lawrence O'Donnell. ----- MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell of television's "Last Word" program speaks about his new book, "Playing with Fire" and shares Thom's recognition of the striking similarities between Beto O'Rourke and the charismatic appeal of the late Robert F. Kennedy. ----- Howard in Indiana and Thom both quote Alexis de Tocqueville's predictions for democracy- he totally called it. And finally, Gary in West Virginia has some advice regarding pigs. 

Looking at the recent election, Thom asks what the Republicans will do if hate and fear doesn't work for them anymore. Callers respond. ------ Thom reads from 'Mortal Republic- How Rome turned in Tyranny'. ------ Luke Vargas from Talk Media News always has tremendous headlines, the best headlines. ------ Thom reads from Bernie Sanders new book 'Where do we Go From Here?'. ------ Breakfast cereal and orange juice now has measureable amount of glyphosate, what could go wrong? ------ Alex Lawson from Social Security Works has been keeping up with the continued dismantling of the social safety net with fresh moves against Medicare.

Thom reviews Trump's disregard of veterans both on his recent trip to the French Armistice observation and upon his return to the US. Trump protected his hair instead of laying a wreath on the grave of the unknown soldier, sent the troops to whip up immigrant fears, and disregarded military mail-in ballots in his rush to see the elections settled. ------ Climate change contributed to California's historic fires, but Trump's blames the victims for not cutting enough lumber, and threatens to withhold federal funding to California. ----- Igor Volsky of Guns Down, America says we need to financially drain the NRA, and organize Americans to reduce gun violence. ----- Thom reads from 'Fierce Enigmas, A history of the Unites States in South Asia' by Srinath Raghavan.  ----- Wendell Potter on TarBell.org is taking corruption in the big health insurance companies, and he knows where the bodies are buried. ----- The latest word on the news with Talk Media News' Ellen Rattner.  ----- Thom on the bad behavior of the jetstream, German public education and why our schools suck. ----- Bob in Oklahoma says 'Anything Trump can do, we can do Beto'.....

Thom beams in the show from the conference room of The Nation Magazine in New York City, where he sits down to chew on the news with publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel. -------  Thom talks strategy with activist philanthropist Tom Steyer and his call for Trump's impeachment- and whether the Democrats are likely to proceed with it. -------  The author of 'The Horsemen of the Trump-ocalypse', The Nation staff writer John Nichols comes bearing many questions about his home state. How will Wisconsin Republicans welcome their new Democratic governor, since wage-slasher Scott Walker just got a blue wave pink slip? Can the radical changes of the last few years to destroy unions and lower wages be rolled back? Will the Republicans be so low as to remove the governor's power to change his own staff? ------- Joe Madison, host of the Joe Madison show, has been watching the huge protests over the firing of Jeff Sessions, and argues that millennials are ready to make a difference. ------- After an early screening of Adam McKay's new film "Vice" about Dick Cheney, Thom was thunderstruck on the dramatization of Cheney's efforts to dismantle democracy. Thom answers listener questions about the Democrats' strategy now that they will have a controlling majority in the House of Representatives and speculates on the possible outcomes of Trump's illegal appointment of Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker without Congressional approval.  

Thom examines an insightful new essay in the Guardian, "Is Trump The New Confederate President?" and reflects reasons it may ring true. And Thom's take on Georgia, where Brian Kemp has declared victory as governor, but Stacey Abrams is not conceding.  ------- Bob Ney of Talk Media News is happy to say his election predictions were pretty close- and the former congressman still has had his ears to the ground so he can bring us today's chit-chat from Washington. -------  Thom has a discussion with conservative Bryan Pruitt of RedState.com on voter suppression. He questions whether Republicans would so easily accept suppression tactics if it were conservative votes being eradicated. ------- The chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Mark Pocan, is the man with the post-election plan. As he and Thom take calls, they count the lessons from the election and contemplate the road ahead. But, what love-letters (with checks in them) will the dastardly lame duck Republicans send the rich and powerful before the year is out? And what sweet jobs will they land next as a result? ------- Greg Palast phones in from Atlanta, where he's been hanging out with purged voters unable to cast a ballot, including, by chance- Martin Luther King's cousin. ------- Thom takes listener calls. 

Thom gives his thoughts post-election, including the success of the Democrats winning back the House of Representatives. German politicians are puzzled why the American vote count does not reflect the results. Given the possibility of voter suppression, Thom argues that Beto O'Rourke and Andrew Gillum conceded too soon. ------- As many feel a bit beleaguered, Thom reads from his book 'Walking Your Blues Away- How to Heal the Mind and Create Emotional Well-Being'. ------- Thom fields informative and thoughtful listener calls. ------- Thom reads from 'Birthright Citizen- A history of Race and Rights in Antebellum America' by Martha S. Jones. ------- Thom cheers on the departure of Scott Walker before taking listener calls and considering what comes next in Congress. ------- Shawn checks in with Ellen Rattner of Talk Media News with a deep look behind the post-election headlines.  

Will voter suppression ensure we continue down the road to Trump-style plutocracy and fascism? Georgia's Brian Kemp rears his counting-challenged head as he unethically supervises throwing out voters in his own election. ///// Triumph the Insult Comic Dog dings Cruz. ///// Thom wonders if the bottom may be quietly falling out of the economic system as treasuries just had the 2nd worst auction since the Great Recession. ///// Caller Glen gets Thom thinking about what kind of deadlock we might be looking at if Democrats hold the House and Republicans hold the Senate. ///// Thom wonders if House/Senate deadlock might look more like congress of the late 1940s, or Congress in the mid 1990s? ///// Civil and Human Rights activist and broadcaster Joe Madison is very concerned about the state of the election. He wants all Democrats to vote this time, and stick together, unlike what we did in the last election. ///// Talk Media News Luke Vargas updates us on all the "Inter-mestic" issues on election day. ///// Terry McAuliffe, former governor of Virginia, and former chair of the DNC reminds Thom of democratic party initiatives to monitor voter suppression and get people to vote. ///// Callers Barry responds. ///// And in other news - Rick Perry let it slip the Trump administration will send nuclear waste to Nevada. And 80 percent of critical American drugs are made in China- so when some of them turn out to be contaminated, we have few other options. And what if there is a conflict with China? ///// The vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee, Michael Blake crosses his fingers and puts a bow on the years-long Democratic push against Trump's looming fascism, and for the positive progressive Democratic party platform in this midterm vote ///// Big fan Dayona asks about a confusing mailout she received that may have been meant to make her think she voted when she did not. 

Thom considers the political mood on the eve of the election and looks at interesting stories. A Canadian fan letter sparks Thom's suggestion that America might also use a national medicare identification card for voting, though that would give Republicans one more reason to oppose national health insurance for the U.S. .. Thom reflects on a new Daily Beast article by Matt Lewis that considers the historical backlash advantage for sitting presidents who lose a branch to another party during midterms. ------------ Senator Bernie Sanders phones in to speculate on the implications of the election, the urgency for all voters to cast ballots, and the necessity for Democrats to take the lead in reform. ------------ Thom looks at some interesting stories. ------------ Greg Palast offers suggestions of how to avoid the "back of the bus" ballot treatment at the polls. ------------ Thom reads from 'Proof of Collusion: How Trump Betrayed America', chapter one. ------------ Talk Media News' Bob Ney triangulates how the field stands the day before the election.  ------------ And finally, listeners ask why so many boomers on Medicare want to vote for a party working to destroy it. And why do Republicans keep lying about voter fraud?