The Hartmann Report

In the wake of the off-year voting day we just had, a wide consideration on the state of the American democratic experiment, with callers from across the country. How are Republicans working to fix the elections, and what can we do about it? Book Club reading from The Embattled Vote in America. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/priva...

Thom conducts a brief straw poll on Democratic candidates while reflecting on the history of Guy Fawkes Day. - The reasons we should kill Daylight Savings Time before it kills us. - Book Club reading from "The Case For Impeaching Trump" by Elizabeth Holtzman. - Kymone Freeman, Co-Founder and host of We Act Radio shares a public thank you to Sean Doolittle for his rebuff of Trump's h...

Congressman Ro Khanna, a leader of the Progressive Caucus in the House of Representatives, takes listener calls, including challenging questions on what Progressives are really doing to overcome Republican moves to cheat Americans out of their votes. And what can we all be doing about it? And meanwhile, what other scams and hustles are Republicans running in the shade of their propaganda...

Donald Trump moving to Florida is just one more rich man's scam. Why do Republicans oppose Elizabeth Warren's health care plan to tax- and especially to audit- the very rich? The same very rich who hugely benefited from Trump's trillion dollar tax cut own the Republican legislators who make sure the interests of the wealthy are always at the forefront. If Trump is re-elected, and we never get...

Open enrollment for Medicare and Obamacare plans started November 1st. In this program Thom and Medicare expert Alex Lawson take us through the history, politics, and practicality of the system that both Republicans who are quietly trying to undermine Medicare... and insurance companies looking to make a buck don't want you to know. To this we add the wisdom, experience, and opinions of Thom's lis...

What will happen if the economy crashes? Dr. Richard Wolff asks whether the credit rating agencies should have lowered the credit ratings of corporations due to their level of debt. Judd Wanniski's Two Santa Clause Theory has been a Republican tactic since the 1980s and it looks like they are up to their old tricks again. Ronald Reagan lit a match of deregulation and privatization that set ou...

In the wake of the House vote, impeachment in the House moves forward. But what power does Congress really have to enforce their subpoenas now that Trump is telling federal employees to ignore them? In the Senate, is Trump putting his thumb on the scale of justice by raising money for the potential jurors in his impeachment trial? And did Senate Republicans just vote to end health insurance protec...

From the real cause of the wildfires, the truth about the killing of Baghdadi, a witness to Trump's Ukraine call who says the released notes cut out part of the conversation, and the endless Republican campaign to starve Social Security, Thom surveys the news of the day and what it means for the common person. First Thom is joined by Wisconsin Congressman and co-chair of the House Progressive Cauc...

Ever since 1980 our government has stopped reflecting the will of the people. And yet at every level the Republicans continue to push their neo-conservative agenda that in reality serves to bring ever greater wealth to the already wealthy. Bottom line: will we lose our democracy, or is there a chance Progressive Democrats could take back our government for the people in 2020? Thom checks in with i...

Thom reflects on the passing of retired U.S. Representative John Conyers, Jr., Donald Trump getting Boos and “Lock Him Up” chants at World Series Game 5, and studies the many reported deaths of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before last weekend's announcement. Judd Legum at Popular Information speaks with Thom about new news about facebook. Book Club reading, "Mindf*ck: Cambridge Analytica and the Plot...

Ernst & Young corporate called out for requiring women to dress to not overstimulate men and behave deferentially to the male sex. ~ Planned Parenthood loses federal funding after Trump administration's abortion rule. Rural women most impacted. ~ Book Club reading from "No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us" by Rachel Louise Snyder. ~ Women callers sha...

Today - the chaos Republicans are creating to hide Trump's crimes and his impeachment. Does Bill Barr really believe the Democrats hacked their own servers on the orders of Obama, or is this an example of 'the noble lie' that Barr- a Roman Catholic activist- has stated he believes in. Can the disinformation campaign distract enough people from the damage Trump is doing to America to get him re-ele...

Thom faces off with conservative group Job Creator Network's Dr. Scott Barbour on whether Medicare for All, or for-profit health care is most likely to bring Americans the medical care they need to live long, healthy lives. And then, Progressive congressman Mark Pocan updates us on the current status of legislation that could affect the who gets- and doesn't get- care. See Privacy Policy at https:...

Thom considers theories on how Trump might handle impeachment, and where the battle lines are being drawn. Can our democracy survive this level of corruption and denial of reality? Is Trump throwing caution to the wind, committing crimes including treason to get re-elected in 2020? Is it because he fears what will happen to his crime family if he does not? Is Pelosi delaying impeachment until afte...

Why Do The Wealthy Want to Throw Children Off Food Stamps & Medicaid? ~ Seattle Council member Kshama Sawant is angered by Amazon trying to buy the election on Seattle City Council with $1.45m spent to swing the election. She claims that Amazon and Jeff Bezos are using Seattle as a test-bed to see how they can influence moving politics to the right. Big corporations vs socialism are becom...

Thom delves deep into the implications of 'Democratic Peace Theory' for our times. How do the thoughts of Kant, Paine, and Franklin shine light on our present political moment? For what reason did the framers give the power to declare war *exclusively* to the House of Representatives? And is the soul of religion entangled with the decline of democracy? What should our priorities be for restor...

In a 5-4 decision, conservatives on the Supreme Court have said gerrymandering in Michigan is A-OK! Is this a sign that our democracy is unraveling and becoming a corrupt insider's game? And speaking of corruption, someone appears to be making massive billion dollar bets on stock market moves that anticipate Donald Trump's major announcements. Economist Richard Wolff joins Thom to discuss what thi...

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 .