US Rep. Dennis Kucinich has been a mayor - is currently a United States Congressman - and has run for President of the United States twice. As a servant of the people - he's spoken out FOR working families across our nation - and spoken out AGAINST foreign wars and corporate power.
Thom Hartmann is joined by an author and columnist Les Leopold whose work is focused on holding Wall Street accountable for its crimes and raising awareness about the dangerous dependence of the American economy on the financial sector today. He is currently the executive director of the Labor Institute and the Public Health Institute in New York - and his latest book is titled: The Looting of America: How Wall Street's Game of Fantasy Finance Destroyed Our Jobs, Pensions, and Prosperity - and What We Can do About it.
Dr. Cornel West, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud joins Thom Hartmann. For tonight's Conversation with Great Minds Thom is joined by Dr. Cornel West. A self-described "champion of justice through the traditions of the black church" - Dr. West is one of America's most important public intellectuals and a fierce advocate for democracy. He currently serves as the Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice at the Union Theological Seminary and is the author of 20 books - including the classics "Race Matters" and "Democracy Matters."
For tonight's Conversations with Great Minds - Thom is joined by an icon of American journalism. Bill Moyers most famous project was Bill Moyers Journal - a weekly television show that was one of the highest rated public affairs programs ever on public television. Between 2007 and 2010 - as many as 2 million viewers tuned in to hear what he had to say every single week. He is the recipient of more than 30 Emmy Awards and 9 Peabody Awards - as well as a slew of other honors. This month he released his latest book - Bill Moyers Journal: The Conversation Continues
Thom recently interviewed oncologist and author Dr. Mitchell Gaynor on alternative healing, gene therapy, and the rule of thirds. Soon after the interview Dr. Gaynor suddenly passed away, so this special hour-long interview was his last. Rest in peace, Dr. Gaynor.
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!
Lori Wallach has been director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch division for nearly 20 years. She is an expert on the operations and outcomes of trade policies like NAFTA and the WTO - and currently is leading her organization's efforts to reveal the truth behind the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Lori has appeared on a variety of television networks - including CNN, the BBC and PBS - and she also the author of numerous articles and books - including her most recent book Whose Trade Organization? What is the Trans-Pacific Partnership - a so-called free-trade deal that the US is close to signing? What are the specifics of the deal - and just how much harm is it going to do to you and me?
In Conversations with Great Minds Thom Hartmann is speaking with award-winning American novelist Walter Mosley whose written 34 critically-acclaimed books. His most recent is titled: "Twelve Steps Toward Political Revelation"
Tonight we have a special edition of Conversations with Great Minds is David Stockman. He is a former United States congressman - representing the state of Michigan - who was elected to three terms before stepping down to head up the Office of Management and Budget under President Ronald Reagan in 1981. He is credited with writing the Reagan Budget - and continued his work on federal budgeting through 1985. After leaving politics, David Stockman pursued a career in investment banking and joined Blackstone Group as one of its earliest partners. He is the author of the book, "Triumph of Politics: How the Reagan Revolution Failed" and his new book - tentatively titled "The Triumph of Crony Capitalism" - will explore how crony capitalism reached a peak during the recent financial meltdown. David talk to Thom about Reagan would be raising taxes right now, the republican party has gone crazy and we need to get control of the Fed.
How is power over others measured? How does power change us? Dr. Brian Klaas has the answer.
Do people who want control, seek a position of power for good or otherwise? And, does power corrupt?
Dr. Brian Klaas joined Thom to answer and debate power.
Bio: Dr. Brian Klaas - Associate Professor- Global Politics. University College London / Columnist, Washington Post / Host, Power Corrupts podcast and author of the new book, Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us
Many of us buy into the common myths about happiness - but by doing so - we often end up feeling like something is wrong - and that we are destined to always be unhappy. What can we do to avoid these happiness myths - and live happier and more fufilling lives? We'll ask Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky is tonight's Conversations with Great Minds.
In this week's Conversations w/Great Minds Jeff Clements joins Thom Hartmann. Jeff is an attorney, author, is the co-founder of Free Speech for People, a national, non-partisan campaign to challenge the creation of Constitutional rights for corporations, overturn Citizens United v. FEC, and strengthen American democracy and republican self-government. He is the author of the Corporations Are Not People (Berrett-Koehler, 2012).
For tonight's Conversations with Great Minds I sit down with Gunnar Tomasson. Gunnar was originally born in Iceland - but now resides in nearby Maryland. He studied at both the University of Manchester and Harvard University - before going on to become a senior staff member with the International Monetary Fund from 1966 to 1989. Currently - Gunnar is a financial consultant - and with global markets around the world in turmoil - and the nation of Iceland taking a unique approach to shoring up its' economy - he can offer some much needed insight into solutions to get us all out of this mess. He knows a thing or two about world economies, their debts and the revolutions that followed bankrupt countries. He'll cover the collapse of Iceland and what can we can learn from that.
Susan Jacoby, Journalist/Author, "Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism," and most recently, "Never Say Die: The Myth and Marketing of the New Old Age" is tonight's Greatest Mind. Forty years ago - very few politicians flaunted their religious beliefs for personal gain. So what's changed - and what's given rise to the Christian Right in American politics? Her latest piece is - How The Founders Ensured America Would Not Be a Christian Nation.
The US government freaked out when a Soviet spy claimed that telepathy was possible. The government, and 19 US military and the intelligence communities launched a 20-year research program to investigate whether it would be possible to spy on Russia while sitting on the couch. Some of the experiments were quite unnerving.
Dr. Edwin C. May was part of the research project and shared his experience with Thom during an extended session.
Is it some form of ESP? Space time distortions? Information from the future? The Space Time Continuum?
How are progressive victories built? What is the foundation of the progressive victories of the past, like the New Deal? What foundation will the next progressive victories be built upon?
According to Gar Alperovitz, no progressive victory from the New Deal to the Civil Rights movement came about without activists on the ground building up movements.
Gar Alperovitz, the Co-Founder & Principle of the Democracy Collaborative joins Thom Hartmann to discuss the laboratories of democracy being built from the ground up by activists on the ground right now.
