The Hartmann Report Daily Take: Can Freedom Exist Without “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”?
Feb 23, 2026
A spirited look at how policies are reshaping life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Topics include abortion bans and rising maternal risks. Discussions cover policing, surveillance, and targeting of protesters. Economic pressures like student debt and weakened unions get attention. Media attacks, environmental rollbacks, voter suppression, corruption, militarism, and threats to children are also explored.
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Republican Policies Undermine Founding Freedoms
- Thom Hartmann argues that current Republican policies are eroding Jefferson's trio: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
- He ties examples like abortion bans, secret police tactics, voter purges, and environmental rollbacks to a systemic attack on freedom.
Abortion Bans Double Maternal Mortality Risk
- Hartmann highlights that abortion bans in red states correlate with higher maternal mortality and direct harm to pregnant women.
- He cites data showing women in states with abortion bans are more than twice as likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth.
Lack Of National Healthcare Costs Lives
- Hartmann connects lack of national healthcare to tens of thousands of annual deaths and growing economic insecurity.
- He estimates about 50,000 Americans die yearly due to no universal health care while billionaires avoid taxes.