Jim Hightower, Swim Against The Current: Even A Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow, joins Thom. The media has dubbed this presidential election the "populist moment." But what does it actually mean to be populist?

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!

During his first presidential campaign - then Senator Barack Obama said that people would look back on his time in office and say that that was the "moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal" But has he really lived up to his own high standard on climate policy? I'll ask Dr. Michael Dorsey in tonight's Conversations with Great Minds. Dr. Michael Dorsey is currently the Interim Director of the Energy and Environment Program at the Joint Center for Political and Economic studies - where he works to combine the study of climate policy with the study of social justice issues. Before taking this position - Dr. Dorsey taught environmental studies at Wesleyan University and Darthmouth University. He was also a member of Barack Obama's energy and environment campaign team in 2008 and is on the Environmental Protection Agency's national advisory committee.

Bob Edgar joins Thom Hartmann tonight for Conversations with Great Minds. He has an extraordinary resume: author, pastor, former Congressman and CEO of the non-profit organization "Common Cause." We'll discuss his time in office and the issues he's now taking on of war, peace, and the corruption of the Supreme Court.

While the East Coast is digging out from the latest massive Winter Storm - the West Coast is dealing with a devastating drought. How much more severe weather does America need before lawmakers in Washington get serious about fighting climate change?

For tonight's Conversations with Great Minds - I'm joined by award-winning journalist Sebastian Junger. Currently a contributing editor at Vanity Fair - Sebastian is also a filmmaker and the co-director of the academy-award nominated film Restrepo - which won the Grand Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival. He's also the author a number of books - including the bestelling Perfect Storm - which was made into the film starring George Clooney - and his latest - "Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging" - a fascinating look at the breakdown of community in America - and what it means for returning veterans.

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!

For tonight's Conversation With Great Minds - I'm joined by one of the country's foremost experts on nuclear security and nuclear nonproliferation. As the president of the global security organization the Ploughshares Fund - Jospeh Cirincione is on the frontline of the fight to prevent the spread of dangerous nuclear weapons. He is also a member of Secretary of State John Kerry's International Security Advisory Board and the Council on Foreign Relations. Before taking his position at the Ploughshares Fund in 2008 - Joseph worked on nonproliferation issues for the U.S. House of Representatives - Center for American Progress - and the Carnegie Center for International Peace. He is the author of a number of books on nuclear weapons policy - including his latest -"Nuclear Nightmares: Securing the World Before It Is Too Late" - a fascinating - and often sobering - look at the reality of modern day nuclear destruction.

Thom's guest for tonight's Conversations with Great Minds is one of America's most influential thinkers on muliticulturalism and race - Professor Derald Wing Sue. Currently a Professor of Psychology and Education at the Teacher's College at Columbia University - Professor Sue has been at the forefront of some the most forward-thinking scholarship on race relations in America. His book "Microaggressions in Everyday Life" is now considered a classic of its kind - and it won the inaugural UnityFirst dot com National Diversity and Inclusion Book Prize .Professor Sue is also the co-founder and first President of the Asian American Psychological Association. His new book - "Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence: Understanding and Facilitating Difficult Dialogues on Race" - is a fascinating look into how we talk about race and racism.