The Hartmann Report

Today, we hear from Progressives in the thick of it, with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and Representative Ro Khanna, both leaders of the House Progressive Caucus, put on the spot by Thom's thoughtful callers on the issues of today, and what tomorrow's next thing may be. Congresswoman Jayapal gives her views- how do members of Congress plan to respond to a lawless president who is convicting himse...

Thom's recap on current topics. ~ Radio talk-show host and activist, Joe Madison of Urban View on Sirius, remembers his long-time friend recently passed Congressman Elijah Cummings.~ Book club reading from "The Monarchy of Fear: A Philosopher Looks at Our Political Crisis" by Martha Nussbaum. ~ Patty Lockard executive producer of Nurse Talk Radio explains why nurses are politically passionate abou...

As Medicare- or should it be Medicaid?- For All gets debated, lives are at stake. In Arkansas, how did Republican lawmakers throw 18,000 very poor people off Medicaid there? And after this week's debate, how are the various Democratic candidates planning to fix- or not fix- our health care system? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/pr...

Sad news of the sudden death of the Honorable Elijah Cummings. Thom reflects on his astonishing legacy. Also, Democrats need to begin a serious conversation about how, if we take the Senate and the White House in 2020, can we reform the Supreme Court, as provided for in the Constitution? ~ Listeners call in with shrew strategies of how to diffuse the destructiveness of the High...

How did Elizabeth Warren handle the one-sided debate questions from the wealthy, preening starlets of CNN? Are the debate moderators mostly just fight promoters? Who won the debate and which direction will America go? Brilliant opinions and thoughts from Thom, Jefferson Smith, Progressive Congressman Mark Pocan, and former Republican Congressman Bob Ney. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pri...

Bill Barr is calling for America to become a theocracy... How did Trump become president and leader of this movement when he is so obviously unethical and unchristian? Is the new Koch brothers 'God and Country' AM radio network another step down this road? Cult expert and author Steven Hassan joins Thom to dissect Trump's strategy, and shares his strategy for getting people out of comforting but u...

It’s time for Congress to seriously debate what’s going on in the Middle East and explicitly authorize or de-authorize our participation in warfare in the region. ~ Book Club Reading: " Last Boat Out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao's Revolution " by Helen Zia. ~ Thom salutes Native American Day and explains the gruesome history of why we no longer acknowledge Columbus...

Thom explains the extraordinary powers we grant the Supreme Court and how we allow an unelected few to make decisions for everybody in our democracy. Congressman Mark Pocan joins Thom to answer astute and fiery listener questions. Reading from Devils Bargain. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Trump Defies Impeachment: Could It Be Worse Than Andrew Jackson.  President Andrew Jackson defied the Supreme Court and now Trump is defying Congress, the impeachment inquiry and the will of the American People. Could Trump live up to Andrew Jackson's legacy and be our next Lawless President? ~ Could Betsy DeVos Get Detention in a Federal Facility? Betsy DeVos has disobeyed a ruling from a ju...

Is Trump looking for a war in the middle east to get himself re-elected? As Turkey slaughters the Kurds on its border after Trump's green light to do so, Trump has ordered more aircraft and soldiers into Saudi Arabia to prepare for a possible war with Iran. Is Trump distracting us from his multiple crimes and unconstitutional acts, like taking money from foreign powers and violating his federal le...

When money rules, do principles go out the window? Are we becoming a sociopathic culture that in reality believes in nothing? If that's true, is it because we have a sociopath setting an example in the White House, or is he instead a symptom of the disease? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The Turkish attack on the Kurds that Donald Trump greenlit is now underway. Who are the Kurds, and why did they give up 10 to 15 thousand of their fighters to contain ISIS? Are we betraying the only American-style democratic republic in the middle east? Doctor and author Edmund Ghareeb joins Thom with the latest. Plus- Thom reads from ''Proof of Conspiracy: How Trump's international collusion...

How did it happen that right-wing autocrats have taken over and putting back the progress of American democracy made since the New Deal? The level of corruption in this administration is stunning, as nearly half of surveyed Americans think it might be better to have essentially a king. ~ Are the principles of democracy this country was founded on being eroded right before our eyes? The director of...

Has Trump has betrayed our allies the Kurds, by pulling out American troops there and seemingly giving the dictator Erdogan a green light to invade? What will happen to the 90,000 hard-core ISIS fighters the Kurds are holding in detention camps there? Does the five million dollars per year Trump is earning from Trump Towers Istanbul have anything to do with it? Plus, What is at stake with the upco...

Documentary filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer describes his new release "Where's My Roy Cohn?" The story of the notorious lawyer who coached demagogues from Joseph McCarthy to Donald J. Trump. Thom continues his live Labor event from Chicago with the local union leaders and questions from the attending audience. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https...

Trump is working as fast and as furiously as he can to destroy Medicare before it can become Medicare for All... Meanwhile, Thom and his callers look at Medigap plans, Medicare "Advantage"... what options are out there, and which are they not telling us about? How could some of these plans figure into a sneaky plan to crash real Medicare?.. and what is health care really like in Canada and England...

From a live studio audience in Chicago with union leaders Jim Allen and John Daniel plus personal injury lawyer and WCPT talent Louis Cairo, Thom leads a discussion on impeachment, Washington politics, and the implications for the American worker and the labor movement. Can Trump hold on to his base even when so many of his promises have turned out to be lies? What is the latest on impeachment, an...

What did Pence think he was doing when he met with president of Ukraine in Poland last year? And what was left out of the notes Trump released from his extortion call? Thom's callers consider how we should react to all of this. Are we headed towards a constitutional crisis? Is Democracy itself at risk? And what should we make of the Biden-China connection and Trump's call for China to dig up dirt...

Did the Republicans make the mistake of hiring somebody to be their president who believes the lies they make up to manipulate the public?.. when they literally have nothing to sell the American people, because their real goal is to make the rich richer. And is the Hunter Biden story just another of their carefully repeated conspiracy theories?.. Meanwhile we update our congress-eye view with Prog...

Could Trump use his presidency as a bargaining tool to keep himself and his children from facing the consequences of their crimes, or do the American people want to see Donald Trump impeached and convicted? ~ Award-wining journalist Kurt Eichenwald has the facts to show that the Republican narrative on Hunter Biden is just another disinformation campaign that has become their standard procedure to...

Thom welcomes Oregon's Senator Ron Wyden- who is working to protect whistle-blowers as the co-chair of the Whistle-blower Committee. He's also behind a House investigation into the political activities of the NRA that has demonstrated how that organization worked to provide high-level political access to Russian agents.~ Thom reads from 'Treason and Betrayal- The Rise and Fall of Individual One' b...

We've got a guy in the White House who is behaving like John Gotti- the mobster who had the same lawyer as Trump. But to distract from Trump's obviously impeachable crimes, how will the right wing hammer Biden for his son's lucrative gig in the Ukraine? Is this the face of the rise of oligarchy across the world, as fake populist billionaire right-wing leaders take political power based on media pr...

Thom summarizes the damning series of events we learned about this week.  Which Democrats are holding out on supporting the impeachment investigation?  And Progressive Congressman Ro Khanna answers calls from across the country to get an insider's view on the impeachment inquiry. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do...

Smoke is in the air- what part will Progressives play in all of it? ~ Thom goes in depth about the VP with Tom LoBianco author of "Piety & Power: Mike Pence and the Taking of the White House." ~ Michigan caller Dennis predicts that Trump will be removed from the White House by military police on charges of conspiracy to commit treason. ~ Book Club reading from "The Shadow President: The Truth...

Thom airs and reviews Congressional hearing on whistle-blower scandal with the Intelligence Committee ~ What is the impact of Trump's corrupt actions? Thom discusses with callers. ~ Thom reads from "Impeachment: A Citizen's Guide" by Cass Sunstein. ~ Talk Media News report with former Congressman, Bob Ney. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art...