The Hartmann Report

How do we reclaim an independent press so we can actually learn what our candidates will do and our elected officials are doing? By only talking about horse-races and scandals, the press is letting the GOP get away with murder, while keeping people ignorant about Democratic Party solutions to our problems.David Brock from Media Matters for America joins Thom to discuss why our media is broken, and why Billionaire owned media is working as a propaganda arm of the oligarchs-- threatening our very democracy.Plus- given the recent protests and internal instability in Iran, has Trump's policy there brought us closer to a nightmare scenario, what guest Jamal Abdhi calls a 'combustible moment'?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today - Thom's tips on talking impeachment at Thanksgiving Dinner- the latest on the impeachment inquiry- and with Guiliani's buddy Lev in custody, will we get to hear what recordings he may have of Trump? And then we once again get the straight scoop from House Progressive Democrat Mark Pocan.Plus- Thom reads from Michael Lewis's fascinating new book 'The Fifth Risk'.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thom discusses the recent debate with callers and reviews some of the key testimony from the impeachment hearings.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As Progressive congressman Ro Khanna once again joins Thom, a fascinating discussion of the powers of Congress- are we building an Imperial Presidency based on the Republican-packed supreme court? Can pardons apply to impeachable crimes? Is the House oversight committee powerful enough to police federal government corruption?Will the Roger Stone conviction of election crimes unlock the part of the Mueller Report we still have not seen? What would it take for the Senate to hold a secret impeachment vote? Will we ever repeal the so-called 'Patriot Act'?Plus Thom reads from 'Why You Should Be a Socialist' by Nathan Robinson. And- Thom reprises his recent widely published article that charts how far down the road we are to an all-out oligarchy, and what to expect if we don't succeed in pushing back.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On yet another anniversary of the JFK assassination, why has Trump -still- not followed the law Congress passed requiring the publication of all papers relating to the JFK assassination? Author-researcher Lamar Waldron joins Thom with evidence that ties JFK to Watergate to Donald Trump and Bill Barr- with stops along the way for Roger Stone and other career Washington shysters.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thom reviews the fifth Democratic debate and Netanyahu news plus caller questions before giving commentary on live congressional testimony. Fiona Hill, a former National Security Council official, and David Holmes, a diplomat in the U.S. embassy in Kiev, testify before the U.S. House Intelligence Committee. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A few notes from the inside track on Trump's RICO operation to force the Ukraine to smear his political opponent, as the impeachment hearings continue with Ambassador Sondland's damning testimony. Thom theorizes that Sondland may have figured out Trump and Giulianni decided to make Sondland the fall guy, a move that may have inspired Sondland to become yet another of Trump's fixers to open up and give us another good look at the ugliness of Trump's mob-like tendencies. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thom reviews the hearings with comments and callers.Colonel Vindman‘s testimony pretty much proves that Trump was trying to shake down Ukraine for information on Biden, and that the Republicans are doing everything they can to cover up this extortion attempt. The only question now is how far the Republicans are willing to go in supporting Trump’s effort to damage Ukraine and extort them to create false information about Joe Biden.We Know How Far Trump Will Go - How Far Will Republicans Go?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today we hear from co-chair of the House Progressive Caucus Primila Jayapal on the challenges facing Progressive Democrats, from impeachment to bringing health care to all. And then, Thom us joined by proud feminist Pat Mitchell. Author of 'Becoming a Dangerous Woman', Pat talks about the need to be safe in our workplaces, homes and communities. She says gaining equality in even its basic forms needs to be talked about, especially in politics. Plus - Thom wonders if Trump might be thinking about getting a doctor's note to escape impeachment. What would happen?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Guest-host Jefferson Smith speaks with Switchboard Inc's Mara Zepeda, who found that companies that were for-profit and enabled social good, face systemic challenges so we wrote the Zebra Manifesto which gave birth to the Zebras Unite movement!Drew Penrose from Fair Vote joins the program to explain how rank choice voting works. Jefferson concludes with a discussion of just what is a moderate anyway? Callers respond.Book Club reading from "Stop Being Reasonable: How We Really Change Our Minds" by Eleanor Gordon-Smith.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.