Over the past few weeks, Elizabeth Warren has emerged as a leader of progressives on Capitol Hill. She led the charge against the part of the CRomnibus that gutted our financial regulations, and she is still fighting the White House over its nomination of bankster Antonio Weiss as Undersecretary of Domestic Finance in the Treasury Department.

But while those of us on the left are thrilled that Senator Warren is coming into her own as a voice for change in Washington, the right, well, isn’t so thrilled. In fact, it’s downright terrified.

During an episode of “Outnumbered” yesterday, Fox So-Called News host Melissa Francis said that as far as Wall Street was concerned, Elizabeth Warren was “the devil” and then warned that her populist message could be a big winner in 2016.

Melissa’s right to be scared, because Elizabeth Warren represents one of - if not the biggest - threat to Republicans winning the presidency in 2016. Warren is, essentially, a populist, and if there was one good sign from this year’s midterm elections it’s that Americans of all stripes, even those living in red states, support a populist agenda.

If Elizabeth Warren were to run for president on a populist platform, it could help the Democratic Party reclaim the so-called "red states." But a Warren presidential run wouldn’t just be good for the Democratic Party, it would be good for the entire country because it would change how we talk about politics.

Read more here.

-Thom

Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 10pm... Cuba...are we waking up from the anti-communist hysteria? (check your local listings for stations or stream at RT or Free Speech TV, and catch past shows on Youtube)

Be sure to check out our new videos: CARBON, LAST HOURS & GREEN WORLD RISING - narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio

Need to Know: Cuba...are we waking up from the anti-communist hysteria?
- Mavis Anderson, Latin America Working Group
- John Bradshaw, National Security Network

Lone Liberal Rumble:
- Horace Cooper, National Center for Public Policy Research
- Patrick Hedger, American Encore

What does the huge historic marijuana victory mean?
- Bill Piper, Drug Policy Alliance

Community Square

"What Would Make A Sound Foundation For A National Retirement Program?"
Posted by ulTRAX.

"Corporate America Using Tax Payers for World Domination"
Posted by jggrieco.

Wednesday's Daily Stack

Speech: "President Obama Statement on Cuba", 17 December 2014.

Article: "Transcript of President Obama’s remarks on Cuba", December 17, 2014.

Article: "Fact Sheet on Steps to Chart A New Course in Cuba" by the White House.

Article: "Bay of Pigs Invasion" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Raul Castro: Cuba and US to Re-Establish Diplomatic Relations" by teleSUR.

Article: "Terri Schiavo’s Husband Speaks Out On Jeb Bush’s Presidential Bid" by Josh Israel.

Movie: "Thirteen Days".

Clip: Phone conversation between President Lyndon Johnson and Sen. Everett Dirksen (R) Illinois, November 2, 1968.

Article: "Bob Menendez, Marco Rubio Torch Obama Administration Over Cuba Announcement" by Igor Bobic.

Hour Two: who would Jesus torture?
- Bryan Fischer, American Family Association

Article: "Fischer: Jesus Would Support The Use Of Torture" by Kyle Mantyla.

Article: "Bryan Fischer: Torture Is A Christian Value (VIDEO)" by Stephen D Foster Jr.

Article: "Fischer Doesn't Want His Bigotry 'To Distract' From Jindal's Prayer Event" by Kyle Mantyla.

Article: "To Fight Ebola, Cuba Is Sending Its Biggest Export - Doctors" by Benny Avni.

Article: "Arrest of Jesus" by Wikipedia.

Article: "History supports McCain's stance on waterboarding" by John Frank.

Bible: "Exodus 20 : Ten Commandments".

Bible: "Mark 12:30" Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'.

Bible: "Mark 12:31" The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.

Article: "John Brennan defends CIA after torture report in rare press conference" by Eric Bradner.

Article: "Pastor Ludwig Müller" by Wikipedia.

Law: "Title 18 - Crimes And Criminal Procedure: Part I - Crimes: Chapter 113c - Torture".

Article: "Cuba frees American prisoner Alan Gross" by Amanda Holpuch.

Talk Radio News Segment:
- Ellen Ratner

Article: "Obama Announces Historic Move To Normalize Relations With Cuba" by Nicholas Salazar.

Article: "Lindsey Graham Balks at Funding U.S. Embassy in Cuba" by Niels Lesniewski.

Article: "Jeb Bush: No talks with 'repressive regime'" by Peter Sullivan.

Article: "Obama and Raúl Castro thank pope for breakthrough in US-Cuba relations" by Dan Roberts and Rory Carroll.

Article: "USAID head resigns as US & Cuba plan 'normalizing' relations" by RT.

Article: "GOP Senator Blocks Congress From Extending Terrorism Insurance Program; Bill Likely To Die" by Morgan Winsor.

Article: "Clay Hunt Veteran Suicide Bill Blocked in Senate by Coburn" by Bryant Jordan.

Article: "Cuomo to Ban Fracking in New York State, Citing Health Risks" by Thomas Kaplan and Jesse McKinley.

Site: "Goats for the old Goat".

Site: Governor Free Don Siegelman.

Article: "TRNS News Notes- 12/17" by Victoria Jones.

Article: "TRNS News Notes- 12/16" by Victoria Jones.

Hour Three: Thom Hartmann University Book Club - chapter 7
- Dan Sisson, The Revolution of 1800

Law: "Alien and Sedition Acts", 1798.

Article: "Kentucky and Virginia Resolution" by Wikipedia.

Letter: "To Rufus King, 5 January 1800" by Alexander Hamilton.

Bill: "An act prescribing the mode of deciding disputed elections of President and Vice- President" by James Ross (The Ross bill, 1800).

Letter: "From Alexander Hamilton to John Jay, 7 May 1800".

Article: "8th Amendment" (cruel and unusual punishment).

Letter: "From Alexander Hamilton to Timothy Pickering", 14 May 1800.

Article: "Marco Rubio Challenges The Pope On Obama's New Cuba Policy" by Sahil Kapur.

Article: "Russia’s Rosneft to help Cuba explore offshore oil reserves" by RT, July 12, 2014.

Article: "Conversation with Edward Snowden", December 12, 2014 by C-SPAN "...just two days ago come report was released that the Central Intelligence Agency tortured at least one man to death. he died after being tortured, chained to a concrete floor without pants, apparently, and froze to death. beyond that, 29 more were disappeared.".

Article: "Exclusive: Lee Atwater’s Infamous 1981 Interview on the Southern Strategy" by Rick Perlstein.

Article: "Dick Cheney on “Meet the Press”: Forced rectal feeding was “for medical reasons”" by Salon.

Thursday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 3-6pm ET

Is Russia headed for economic collapse? I'll be asking Stephen Cohen of The Nation.

And, the best of the rest of the news along with your calls right here on...

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Should medical marijuana be legal in every state?

Vote here!

Politics Panel - What You Don’t Know about Jeb Bush

Politics Panel - Elizabeth Warren’s Rise

We Thought We Were Free

Will Europe Prosecute Bush & Cheney for Torture?

Alan Keyes - Shut Down Fast Track & TPP!

The Big Picture Full Show 12/16/14: Torture prosecution, TPP and the Politics Panel

Thom talks torture prosecution with President Emeritus at Center for Constitutional Rights, attorney Michael Ratner.

On the “Politics Panel,” Hughey Newsome, National Advisory Council at Project 21 Black Leadership Network, Ben Wikler, Senior Strategist at MoveOn.org, and Jennifer Kerns, Contributor at Washington Times and The Blaze discuss Jeb Bush’s presidential run, Sen. Ted Cruz’s budget backfire, Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s rise and Maine’s ranked-choice voting proposal.

Conservative political activist, Amb. Alan Keyes talks about Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and free trade.

Plus, Thom gives his Daily Take on the state of our nation’s morals.

Caller: JFK & Johnson Pushed the Fight Against Communism...

Cuba: America Finally Waking from the Nixon Fog

The Prosecution of an American President

Alan Keyes: Stop Fast Track

Caller: I've Told my Son not to Stand up for Himself!