For tonight's special hour-long Conversations with Great Minds - I'm joined by legendary journalist Phil Donahue. Phil is a longtime talkshow host - writer - and film producer best known as the creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show - which ran for 29 years. Phil is also the co-director of the Oscar-nominated 2006 documentary Body of War - which chronicled the life and story of Tomas Young - an Iraq War veteran turned anti-war activist - who recently passed away. Over the course of his career - Phil has received nine Emmy Awards - has been named one of TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time - and has been inducted into Academy of Television and Sciences Hall of Fame.

Dr. William Ferguson "Fergie" Reid, Sr., M.D., Civil Rights Pioneer/90For90 & Dr. William Ferguson Reid, Jr., M.D., 90For90 joins Thom. For tonight's Conversations with Great Minds I'm joined by two generations of activists. Dr. William Ferguson Reid, Sr. is a civil rights icon and a true American hero. A former Marine and trained physician - he was the first African-American elected to the Virginia Assembly since Reconstruction and played a pivotal role in that state's Civil Rights Movement by founding the Richmond Crusade for Voters in 1956. Dr. Reid is still fighting for equal rights more than half a century later - and recently founded the the 90 for 90 Campaign to help get out the vote in his native Virginia. Dr. Reid's Son - William Ferguson Reid, Jr. - is also a trained physician and is helping carry his father's legacy on to the next generation of activists.

For more information on the stories we've covered visit our websites at thomhartmann.com - freespeech.org - and RT.com. You can also watch tonight's show on Hulu - at Hulu.com/THE BIG PICTURE and over at The Big Picture YouTube page. And - be sure to check us out on Facebook and Twitter!

Could a change in diet be the first step to saving our Democracy? Thom and Frances Moore Lappe discuss how activists in the anti-war movement turned to veganism as a sign of their commitment to non-violence.

The book Diet for a Small Planet is one of the most amazing books written and explains what we need to do to improve our diet and have enough food for everyone.

Frances Moore Lappe joined Thom to share how we can all eat better and improve our diets.

For tonight's special hour-long Conversations with Great Minds - I'm joined by legendary journalist Phil Donahue. Phil is a longtime talkshow host - writer - and film producer best known as the creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show - which ran for 29 years. Phil is also the co-director of the Oscar-nominated 2006 documentary Body of War - which chronicled the life and story of Tomas Young - an Iraq War veteran turned anti-war activist - who recently passed away. Over the course of his career - Phil has received nine Emmy Awards - has been named one of TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time - and has been inducted into Academy of Television and Sciences Hall of Fame.

Sarah Jaffe, NECESSARY TROUBLE: Americans in Revolt/Nation Institute/Belabored Podcast/Dissent Magazine joins Thom. When Bernie Sanders emerged earlier this year as a serious contender for the Democratic nomination - many mainstream pundits were caught off guard. They simply could not understand how a self-described socialist was close to beating Hillary Clinton. Well - they couldn't understand because they hadn't been paying attention. Contrary to what the talking heads on cable news thought - Bernie's campaign wasn't some kind of magical explosion of populism. It was an extension of the surge in political activism that has emerged out of the 2008 financial crisis - a phenomenon that has seen Americans of all races taking to streets in a way we haven't seen in decades. My next guest has written about this movement in depth - and has traveled across the country to learn from the leaders of this new era in American activism. Joining me now for tonight's Conversations with Great Minds is journalist Sarah Jaffe - author of the new book "Necessary Trouble: Americans in Revolt." Sarah is also a Fellow at the Nation Institute and the Host of the "Belabored" Podcast for Dissent Magazine.

For more information on the stories we've covered visit our websites at thomhartmann.com - freespeech.org - and RT.com. You can also watch tonight's show on Hulu - at Hulu.com/THE BIG PICTURE and over at The Big Picture YouTube page. And - be sure to check us out on Facebook and Twitter!

Dr. Joe Romm, Climate Progress joins Thom Hartmann. Right now - we still have have a chance to save our planet from the greatest threat it's ever faced: climate change. But at what point will our efforts be in vain? At what point will climate change become permanent?

Dale is the founder and brainchild behind UnCollege - an organization that provides resources for those students pursuing a self-directed path to higher learning. A critic of the traditional higher education system - he left college during his second semester and has been "unschooling" himself ever since. He's also a recipient of the prestigious Thiel Fellowship and a frequent commentator on education at the Washington Post - New York Times - and the Huffington Post. His new book is called Hacking Your Education: Ditch the Lectures - Save Tens of Thousands, and Learn More Than Your Peers Ever Will.