The Hartmann Report

Sitting in for Thom Hartmann, guest-host Jefferson Smith digests the weeks historic news with insightful callers.  Huffington Post reporter Paul Blumenthal joins Jefferson Smith to discuss how a radical new theory, that no president can be removed for abuse of power, has broken our checks and balances and let Donald Trump off. Reading from "The Hidden History of the Supreme Court and the...

Sitting in for Thom Hartmann, Jefferson Smith speaks about the healing power of being thankful and the courage of Mitt Romney and especially Doug Jones. Plus - we meet Jefferson's dog, and consider how the response to Trump's absurd State of the Union could have been more effective. Emily Cherniak of NEW POLITICS explains why we focus too heavily on the presidential race when boosting candidates f...

What sort of man is Rush Limbaugh that he deserved a Medal of Freedom? What has been the real long game of the billionaire propaganda network over the last 50 years? Guest host Jefferson Smith says he will not dance on Limbaugh's grave, but he does mourn the way that he has lived his life. Author John Nichols of the Nation magazine reports in- what did we learn from the caucuses?- and what would w...

Today, esteemed guest host Jefferson Smith confronts a big news week- we've got the Iowa Caucus, the state of the Union speech, and closing arguments in the Senate for removing or keeping Donald Trump in the White House. How should Progressives respond to the case Lamar Alexander and others are making for keeping Trump in office? On the Democratic side, is it enough to mock Trump and call him stup...

Progressive gubernatorial candidate Stephen Smith is taking on a billionaire standing for election as governor in West Virginia. He joins Thom to discuss his platform of 32 different policies. Listeners call-in with ideas about the Democratic Presidential candidate. For the Book Club Thom reads from "Repeal the Second Amendment: The Case for a Safer America" by Allan Lichtman. Author Allan Li...

Thom Hartmann examines the economic impact that may occur from ongoing coronavirus outbreak. A recent study finds that Americans are at the peak of feeling that our democracy has failed us. Will a progressive president be able to turn things around and give people hope again? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell...

Today, veteran radio host Shawn Taylor fills in for Thom, leading a thoughtful town hall with callers on a variety of questions-- Could 'We The People' sue Congress for not doing their job?.. Is Putin ultimately pulling the strings of all the oligarchs?.. Why don't the Democrats filibuster the impeachment over calling witnesses?.. And what kind of public official asks for foreign governments to he...

Donald Trump just told a rally in Iowa that Democrats want to kill them and wipe Iowa off the map. Woah!- How dangerous is this kind of talk? Is it possible Trump will move from being acquitted in the Senate by cowed Republicans to postponing the election like so many strongmen before him? Are Republican Senators who believe Trump is guilty actually afraid of armed Trump supporters threatening to...

Julio Vs Thom - Do You Want to Live In A Country Where President Bernie Sanders Can Do Anything He Wants? With Mitch McConnell promoting Dershowitz’s idea that a president can commit any kind of crime he wants so long as it gets him reelected because he “believes his reelection is in the public interest,“ we are about to see our American democratic republic transformed into an oligarchic semi-dict...

Why did a group of Democrats just put 700 thousand dollars worth of ads on in Iowa to attack Bernie Sanders? And how will internet ad buys targeting the 'persuadables' sway our upcoming election? Are we in a fundamentally different media universe now? Thom is joined by Ramesh Srinivasan- the author of "Beyond the Valley: How Innovators Around the World are Overcoming Inequality and Creating the Te...

As the Senate trial grinds forward, Republican Senators scramble to explain why not to hear John Bolton's testimony. Progressive California Congressman Ro Khanna joins Thom to discuss and take listener questions. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Will The GOP Hold to the Impeachment Coverup Just Like They Did with Justice Beer Bong? The revelations in John Bolton's book, reported in today's New York Times, bring to mind the previous scandal surrounding a White House cover-up. Thom analyses the new questions on the John Bolton book and also recent strategies for Progressives supporting Sanders or Warren. Economics Professor Richard Wolff jo...

Today, Professor Cornell William Brooks begins an hour-long discussion of the living legacy of racial inequality in today's America. Could a commission to consider reparations and solutions to voter suppression create a chance for our country to come to grips with the truth of its past and present? Can we ever right the long term consequences of the wealth stolen from people of color both before a...

As more of Trump's crimes are revealed and the chances for a successful impeachment wane, Thom engages callers to stay in the fight for democracy. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Thom wonders whether having Hunter Biden testify before Congress might actually help a Democrat be elected to president- and could impeaching Trump also make a Republican win more likely in the form of President Pence? But will Trump's threat to have Republican Senators' heads "on a pike" keep the jury in line? Are some of Trump supporters finally starting to peal off as the corruption becomes mor...

As the impeachment trial rolls on, Thom reveals the origins of the Wuhan Coronavirus and how animal cruelty so often leads to zoonotic diseases. Reading from "Animalkind: Remarkable Discoveries About Animals and Revolutionary New Ways to Show Them Compassion" by Gene Stone and Ingrid Newkirk. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/pr...

Thom catches us up with the fun and the fury of the impeachment trial so far- as the Democrats catch the Republicans unprepared to answer to the truth of Trump's crimes. But will there be a fair trial with witnesses, or will Trump continue to 'have all the material' hidden away from the light of day? Thom adds his insight as we hear briefly from Adam Shiff's powerful indictment of Donald Trump's c...

While Donald Trump is on trial in the Senate impeachment hearings, many commentators are pointing out that the Senate is also at trial. Thom Hartmann reveals the Constitutional foundation and necessity for impeachment of a rogue executive. We listen to the erudite opening speech by Congressman Adam Schiff in the Senate impeachment trial which started today. Thom analyses a weakening in t...

Listeners call in with memories and sentiments on the lessons from Dr. Martin Luther King, JR. Also radio talk-show host and activist Joe Madison shares his thoughts on the significance on the civil rights movement and personal sacrifice. For the Book Club, Thom reads from "Jailbreak Out of History: The Re-biography of Harriet Tubman" by Butch Lee, and "The Embattled Vote in America: From the Foun...

Does Trump "Tweet" When His Staff Says No? Lev Parnas tells the story of how Donald Trump fired ambassador Marie Yovanovitch at least “four or five times,“ and that they were afraid that he would “fire her with a tweet.“ Congressman Ro Khanna addresses the impeachment trial with callers around the country. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art...

Today - what is the real difference between Republicans and Democrats? What do they actually have a record of doing when they get power?- Who are the Republicans and the Democrats when it comes down to it?- and what are the current crop of candidates pledging to do?  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info...

Today- who are modern 'conservatives' really?- Does the damning evidence that continues to emerge around the Ukraine scandal display out in the open the level of corruption that modern Republicans have been practicing for a while now? What does it mean when Rush Limbaugh talks about the vonservative movement?.. Does it really mean the rich should get what they want?.. Does it mean someone who disl...

Economist Richard Wolff joins Thom to make the case that the strength of the economy is really a mirage since the underlying wages of most people are stagnant or falling, so why does the stock market appear to be doing so well? If we're in a good economy why is the Federal Reserve creating so much debt, and how dangerous will the next economic downturn be with so much money owed throughout the sys...

As the articles of impeachment head to the Senate, news comes that the Senate Republicans will not allow reporters at the trial- is this just the start of tactics that will be used to protect Trump?.. Meanwhile, as fresh evidence emerges around Trump's shakedown of the Ukraine, which Trump-connected operatives appear to have been considering having an American ambassador killed by the mob?- what w...

Now that Bernie and Elizabeth Warren are both starting to pull really well, the two of them combined well ahead of Joe Biden, the knives are coming out in the media. Thom revisits the tensions in Iran and Trump's screw-up. For the Book Club Thom reads portions from "Why You Should Be a Socialist" and "Guns For Hire: How The CIA & US Army Recruit Mercenaries For White Rhodesia." See Privac...