Archives

  • For tonight's Conversation With Great Minds - Thom is joined by someone who played an essential role in one of the most important First Amendment cases in modern American history. James C. Goodale was vice chair and general counsel for the New York Times when it published the Pentagon Papers and led the paper's legal team in its fight against the Nixon administration. He is often called "the father of reporter's privilege" and remains to this day and powerful advocate for the freedom of the press. In addition to his legal work - Goodale has taught at Yale, NYU and Fordham University. His new book - "Fighting for the Press: The Inside Story of the Pentagon Papers and Other Battles"
    is a must read for anyone who wants an in-depth look at one of the most famous Supreme Court cases of the past 40 years. James Goodale joins us now from our New York studios.


  • For tonight's Conversations with Great Minds - Thom is joined by Michael W. Hudson. Mike is a former reporter for the Wall Street Journal and was also an investigator for the Center for Responsible Lending. His writing has appeared in the publications like Forbes Magazine - the New York Times and Mother Jones. And much of that writing has been devoted to the foreclosure and mortgage crisis still plaguing the nation today - as well as the corruption in the big banks on Wall Street that underlie our current financial crisis. Mike is widely recognized for his work - and has been awarded the George Polk Award for magazine reporting - the John Hancock Award for business journalism and has received multiple accolades from the National Press Club and American Bar Association, among others. Currently - Mike is a Business and Finance writer with The Center for Public Integrity - and is the author of the book, "The Monster: How a Gang of Predatory Lenders and Wall Street Bankers.


  • As the number of people living on planet earth grows by the minute - we are sitting on a ticking time bomb - all 7 billion of us. So does overpopulation actually pose a bigger threat than climate change? I'll ask activist and author Karen Shragg in tonight's Conversations with Great Minds.

    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 Dr. Ron Daniels - President of the Institute of the Black World - 21st Century. Dr. Daniels has had a wide ranging career in politics and activism - previously serving as the Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights - the Executive Director of Rainbow / PUSH - and the Deputy Campaign manager for Jesse Jackson's 1988 presidential campaign. In 1992 - he ran for President himself as an independent candidate.


  • Journalist/Author Max Blumenthal, The 51 Day War-Ruin and Resistance in Gaza/Alternet joins Thom. My guest for tonight's Conversations with Great Minds is award-winning journalist and author Max Blumenthal. Currently a Senior writer at Alternet and a former fellow at the Nation Institute - Max is one of the leading American journalists covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He’s reported on the ground from war-torn Gaza and has written a series of bestelling books on the topic - including his latest "The 51 Day War: Ruin and Resistance in Gaza" - a must-read account of the 2014 conflict that destroyed 10,000 homes - killed 2,200 people - and displaced 300,000 others.

    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.


  • Paul Stamets, Fungi Perfecti / Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World


  • Founder and producer of the Latino activist site, Cuentame.org (a Brave New Foundation Campaign), Axel Caballero joins me for our first half hour for Conversations with Great Minds. We'll discuss his mission on bringing awareness to Latino issues, to the unholy alliance between the prison industrial complex, the Republican Party, OWS, ALEC, and Herman Cain's immigrant "electric fence" so-called joke!


  • Scott Horton, Lords of Secrecy: The National Security Elite and America's Stealth Warfare / Harper's Magazine joins Thom Hartmann


  • Craig Unger, Journalist /Author, latest is "Boss Rove: Inside Karl Rove's Secret Kingdom of Power" joins Thom Hartmann. Karl Rove plans to spend as much as half billion dollars this election to defeat President Obama and Democrats. What's motivating him - and what happens to America if he succeeds?


  • Greg Palast, BBC News / Al Jazeera / The Guardian / Vultures and Vote Rustlers & Brad Friedman, The Brad Blog join Thom Hartmann. Americans love to think they're number one at everything. But when it comes to the integrity of our election process - new studies say that we're more like 26th. Why is that?


  • Professor Gary May, Professor Emeritus of History-University of Delaware/The Daily Beast/Bending Toward Justice: The Voting Rights Act and the Transformation of American Democracy joins Thom. The Voting Rights Act and the Transformation of American Democracy joins Thom. And over 50 years ago civil rights protestors were brutally beaten while marching to Montgomery, Alabama. That incident sparked the creation of one of the most important pieces of legislation ever written. We’ll be going in-depth on the Voting Rights Act.


  • If the 2016 presidential race has proven anything - it's that for Republicans - the facts simply don't matter. Since day one of his campaign - Donald Trump has been making stuff up - and he's now - according to some polls - beating Hillary Clinton - someone who's inarguably one of - if not the most - qualified person ever to run for president. This is shocking - but it should surprise absolutely no one. The Republican Paryt has been living in a world outside the bounds of reason for a long time now. What we're seeing now is just the culmination of a decades-long trend. Which raises the question - how did we get in the situation we're in right now - where one political party, the conservative one, lives in a fantasy world? Joining me now for tonight's Conversations with Great Minds is JP Bernbach - author of the new book "Beyond Reason: Debunking Conservative Lies, Delusions, and Falsehoods and What You Really Need to Know Before You Vote." JP is a board member of the Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century - a former spokesperson for the Democrats Abroad.

    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!


  • If the 2016 presidential race has proven anything - it's that for Republicans - the facts simply don't matter. Since day one of his campaign - Donald Trump has been making stuff up - and he's now - according to some polls - beating Hillary Clinton - someone who's inarguably one of - if not the most - qualified person ever to run for president. This is shocking - but it should surprise absolutely no one. The Republican Paryt has been living in a world outside the bounds of reason for a long time now. What we're seeing now is just the culmination of a decades-long trend. Which raises the question - how did we get in the situation we're in right now - where one political party, the conservative one, lives in a fantasy world? Joining me now for tonight's Conversations with Great Minds is JP Bernbach - author of the new book "Beyond Reason: Debunking Conservative Lies, Delusions, and Falsehoods and What You Really Need to Know Before You Vote." JP is a board member of the Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century - a former spokesperson for the Democrats Abroad.

    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!


  • Sasha Reuther, Producer/Director joins Thom Hartmann. His latest project is the documentary film, "Brothers On The Line" - A provocative historical narrative of power, commitment, and brotherhood, the film explores the legacy of union organizers and social justice statesman Walter, Roy, and Victor Reuther (his grandfather) and their leadership of the United Auto Workers (UAW). With the rise of the American automobile industry came the rise of organized labor - but the fight for workers' rights did not come easy in the Motor City. These three men helped lead the charge to bring unions to Detroit - and revolutionized the American workplace at the same time.


  • Katrina Vanden Heuvel, The Nation Magazine joins Thom Hartmann. For tonight’s Conversations with Great Minds - we’re going to take a closer look at the momentous decision by the Obama administration to normalize relations with Cuba. First announced on Wednesday - the move - which came after months of secret negotiations - is the most significant shift in American foreign policy towards Latin America in decades. Not surprisingly - it’s also causing a lot of controversy back here in the U.S. - with many Republicans slamming the president for what they say is another example of his “weakness” But what's the real deal with America's new policy towards Cuba? And who stands to benefit most from the end of one of the last remaining Cold War standoffs?