We can have democracy here in America, or we can have leaders of government beholden to billionaires and corporations - we can't have both.

As long as money is considered First Amendment-protected "free speech" under US law, we will remain gridlocked in a corrupt stasis where the will of the American people is ignored in deference to the will of billionaires and giant corporations.

I just checked, and there's $86 in the pocket of my jeans. I rarely use cash anymore; it's probably been in there for at least a month, maybe two. And in that entire time, I've never heard a single word, sound, or even a grunt from my small wad of dollar bills.

Nonetheless, in defiance of literally hundreds of good government laws passed over a 200-year period by both federal and state legislatures and signed by multiple presidents and governors, "conservatives" on the US Supreme Court have declared that my $86 is "speech."

Read more at HartmannReport.com.

-Thom

Friday's Daily Stack

Article: "Ending "Money Is Speech" Is the Only Way to Restore Democracy" by Thom Hartmann.

Article: "Saudi Prince Lashes Out At Greenpeace During COP26" by Irina Slav.

Tweet: "Divide & conquer: A sample of 32,315 pro-Rittenhouse hashtag tweets, Nov 19-20, showed 29,609 with disabled geolocation. Of those, 17,701 were listed as "foreign", but a deep scrub revealed most of those were in Russia, China, and the EU. @Tara_Writer @TAPSTRIMEDIA #Rittenhouse" by Frank Figliuzzi.

Book: The Hidden History of American Oligarchy: Reclaiming Our Democracy from the Ruling Class by Thom Hartmann.

Book: The Hidden History of Big Brother in America: How the Death of Privacy and the Rise of Surveillance Threaten Us and Our Democracy by Thom Hartmann.

Article: "Canadian Drug Prices vs. U.S. Drug Prices" by Canadian Pharmacy.

Article: "How 'Tokyo Rose' Became WWII's Most Notorious Propagandist" by Evan Andrews.

Article: "Big Business Is Overcharging You $5,000 a Year" by David Leonhardt.

Article: "Judge who ruled against CFPB took thousands in Wall Street campaign cash: Watchdog" by Julia Conley.

Article: "Taxes" by Norwegian Tax Administration.

Article: "'It's a miracle': Helsinki's radical solution to homelessness" by Jon Henley.

Article: "Taiwan's single-payer success story — and its lessons for America" by Dylan Scott.

Article: "Why Danish students are paid to go to college" by Rick Noack.

Article: "Board-level Representation" by worker-participation.eu.

Law: "Tillman Act of 1907".

Case: "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" (2010).

Bill: "H.R.1 - For the People Act of 2021" by Rep. Sarbanes, John P. [D-MD-3].

Article: "Biden Goes to Bat for John Fetterman in Pennsylvania" by Jordan Fabian and Nancy Cook.

Article: "Steve Bannon: Ex Trump adviser sentenced to four months in jail for contempt of Congress" by Bernd Debusmann Jr.

Article: "Unemployment Rate by Year Since 1929 Compared to Inflation and GDP" by Kimberly Amadeo.

Quote: "Prosperity is just around the corner" - Herbert Hoover.

Article: "Mar-a-Lago classified papers held U.S. secrets about Iran and China" by Devlin Barrett.

Article: "Ron Klain pressed on high prices ahead of the midterms: 'We have higher inflation rates in Europe'" by Hanna Panreck.

Site: End The Bribe System.

Article: "Eagle County GOP leaders text unaffiliated voters, echoing election conspiracy theories " by Seth Klamann.

Article: "United States Senate election in Colorado, 2022" by Ballotpedia.

Article: "2022 Colorado gubernatorial election" by Wikipedia.

Article: "What's in the House-passed Build Back Better bill? Paid leave, universal pre-K and more" by Joey Garrison and Ledyard King.

Article: "Jamie Raskin" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Jaime Harrison" by Wikipedia.

Tweet: "That's a lot of Biden wins [list]" by The Democrats.

Article: "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood.

Article: "Would a Casino Be Good for Times Square?" by James Barron.

Article: "Dopamine and Risky Decision-Making in Gambling Disorder" by Jan Peters, Taylor Vega, Dawn Weinstein, Jennifer Mitchell, Andrew Kayser.

Article: "'We needed to get people back': Sanibel Causeway opens two days ahead of schedule, DeSantis says" by Samantha Neely.

Article: "Ron DeSantis Trolled For Gubernatorial Ad Featuring Wife's Cancer Battle" by Yasmin Tinwala.

Article: "Hurricane Ian" by Wikipedia.

Article: "The Debt Ceiling: An Explainer" by Cecilia Rouse, Ernie Tedeschi, Martha Gimbel, and Bradley Clark.

Article: "U.S. National Debt by Year" by The Balance.

Hour Two: Ben Dixon is on the ground in Gulfport MS on the Shooting of a teenager
- Ben Dixon, Host - The Benjamin Dixon Morning Show

Article: "Jaheim McMillan Witnesses Contradict Cops After Mississippi Police Shoot Black Teen In The Head" by NewsOne.

Tweet: "EXCLUSIVE: Our team obtained cell footage of the aftermath of police shooting of 15 year-old Jaheim McMillan by Gulfport Mississippi Police. Eyewitness BERATES OFFICER for shooting Jaheim with "nothing in his hands" and "POINT BLANK!" Chief says "End of year" for bodycam [video]" by Benjamin Dixon.

Article: "Here's What Donald Trump Is Being Investigated For" by Jason Lemon.

Article: "Would Pence vote for Trump in 2024? 'There might be somebody else I'd prefer more,' he says" by Brittany Shepherd.

Article: "Oklahoma Democrat mocked for rightly saying state has higher crime than New York and California" by Shweta Sharma.

Article: "Grand Coulee Dam" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Hanford Site" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Hoover Dam" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Works Progress Administration" (WPA) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Civilian Conservation Corps" (CCC) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Dust Bowl" by Wikipedia.

Article: "McCarthy plans to abet Putin's fascist push in Ukraine if Republicans retake House majority" by Kerry Eleveld.

Article: "Vladimir Putin tried to detonate nuke but his plans were 'sabotaged', insider claims" by Will Stewart, Shawaz Ahmad.

Article: "Ukraine news LATEST: Evil Putin ‘plans to blow up major dam' & create ‘historic disaster' after telling citizens to flee" by Louis Allwood.

Article: "Thousand Ukrainian Children Given 'New Families' in Russia: ISW" by Isabel van Brugen.

Article: "Morning Digest: Major Montana elections could reshape state government and abortion rights" by Daily Kos Elections.

Article: "Montana LR-131, Medical Care Requirements for Born-Alive Infants Measure (2022)" by Ballotpedia.

Article: "The referendum on Montana's 'born alive' bill, explained" by Olivia Weitz.

Article: "A little-watched Montana race has become a contentious abortion fight" by Karin Brulliard.

Article: "Louis DeJoy" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Federal judge faults Postmaster General DeJoy in mail delays" by David Sharp, Matthew Daly.

Article: "Albertsons merger with Kroger could be announced this week" by Melissa Repko.

Tweet: "Bigger corporate profits account for *over half* of the higher prices people are paying. [video]" by Rep. Katie Porter.

Article: "The world's rivers are drying up from extreme weather. See how 6 look from space" by Natalie Croker, Renée Rigdon, Judson Jones, Carlotta Dotto and Angela Dewan.

Article: "India's groundwater crisis deepens: Economic Survey".

Article: "The biggest threat to Medicare you've never even heard of" by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Susan Rogers, M.D.

Article: "Direct Contracting Model: Professional and Global Options Medicaid Managed Care Organization (MCO)-based Direct Contracting Entity (DCE) Fact Sheet" by CMS.

Article: "Understanding the Direct Contracting (DC) Payment Model" by Joe Mercado.

Site: Social Security Works.

Article: "Pocan, Khanna Introduce Bill to Strengthen Medicare, Define Alternative Plans" by Mark Pocan.

Article: "Tim Ryan Is Winning the War for the Soul of the Democratic Party" by Alec MacGillis.

Book: Healing America: How a Simple Practice Can Help Us Recapture the American Spirit by Tim Ryan.

Book: A Mindful Nation: How a Simple Practice Can Help Us Reduce Stress, Improve Performance, and Recapture the American Spirit by Tim Ryan.

Law: "President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law".

Article: "Here are the 19 Republican senators who voted for the bipartisan infrastructure bill" by Ali Zaslav, Clare Foran, Morgan Rimmer and Kristin Wilson.

Article: "Full List of 13 Republicans Who Voted for Biden's Infrastructure Bill" by Darragh Roche.

Article: "Saudis take 100% control of America's largest oil refinery" by Matt Egan.

Article: "Donald Trump finally gets served $250 million NY fraud lawsuit after 3 weeks — and a court order" by Laura Italiano.

Article: "Jan. 6 panel subpoenas Trump, demanding historic testimony" by Farnoush Amiri, Mary Clare Jalonick.

Article: "The New Brand of Meth That's Fueling L.A.'s Homelessness Crisis" by Maer Roshan.

Article: "Methamphetamine" by Wikipedia.

Article: "More Stupid Gun Owner Tricks" by Lefty Coaster.

Article: "'Stand your ground' laws linked to 11% rise in U.S. firearm homicides, study says" by Hannah Knowles.

Article: "American Legislative Exchange Council" (ALEC) by SourceWatch.

Article: "High BPA Levels Found in Popular Sports Bra and Athletic Gear Brands" by Olivia Rosane.

Article: "Earth Day" by Wikipedia.

Site: Senior Savings Network.

Article: "Indiana Avenue" by Braden Catt, Carey Nigh, Jonnie Fox.

Article: "President Trump's Union Busting Executive Orders: What You Need To Know" by NFFE.

Movie: "Amsterdam".

Article: "Business Plot" (1933, Smedley Butler) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Smedley Butler" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Herschel Walker" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Traumatic brain injury" (TBI) by Mayo Clinic.

Article: "Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy" (CTE) by BIRI.

Article: "Department of Veterans Affairs to offer abortion counseling and certain abortions to veterans" by Veronica Stracqualursi.

Article: "What's Next For Lawsuit Over Wisconsin's 1849 Abortion Ban?" by Sarah Lehr.

Article: "Revenue Sharing" by Britannica.

Article: "Tony Evers" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Tim Michels" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Biden announces release of 15 million barrels of oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve" by CBS/AP.

Article: "Drought Forces British Columbia To Suspend Water Permits For Oil Firms" by Josh Owens.

Article: "Drug overdoses in public bathrooms are common. New tools could prevent harm and improve response" by Trevor Goodyear and Marilou Gagnon.

Article: "Arnon Milchan" by Wikipedia.

Monday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET

I'll be talking with Julia Rock, Reporter - Lever News about North Carolina Republican Senate candidate Ted Budd helping donors to bypass predatory lending laws.

Plus, Alex Lawson, Executive Director - Social Security Works / Strengthen Social Security on the GOP going after Social Security & Medicare again and the new DCE's

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

The Thom Hartmann Program, Occupying The Media 3 hours a day 5 days a week for "we the people"

And don't forget...Democracy is NOT a spectator sport...it begins with you...

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