Thom Hartmann answers viewers' and listeners' questions

Activist & former State Senator Tom Hayden, joins Thom Hartmann. Based on what the government tells you - and what the mainstream media reports to you - you probably think America is out of Iraq - right? Wrong! Why are American special forces back in Iraq - and when will this miserable chapter in American history finally be finished?

Craig Unger, Vanity Fair Magazine, joins Thom Hartmann. We all know Mitt Romney wouldn't know foreign policy if it hit him in the head - but now Fox News is trying to make President Obama look like a foreign policy quack too. Is this the Right's plan heading into November - and their so-called October Surprise for American voters?

Thom Hartmann's crazy alert

Adele Stan, Alternet, joins Thom Hartmann. If you look at nationwide polling - it appears that President Obama is pulling away from Mitt Romney - even in the all-important swing states. But Conservatives are saying that's hogwash - and that the polls are being "skewed". Could this outlandish conspiracy theory actually prove valuable for Conservatives come November?

Brad Friedman, The Brad Blog, joins Thom Hartmann. Voters in Pennsylvania got their voice back - as a judge blocked that state's Voter Suppression ID law from going into effect. But what about the millions of other Americans who's votes are under attack by Conservatives. How do they get their say back? And ultimately - this issue will likely be settled by the Supreme Court in the near future - a court whose right-wing members have already ruled, 5 to 4, that Americans do not have a fundamental right to vote.

Tom Gaulrapp, Sensata employee of 33 years joins Thom Hartmann.

Thom Hartmann vs. Neal Asbury, host-Truth for America. If you were the CEO of a failed bank that lost a staggering $11 billion dollars on your watch - you probably shouldn't be Secretary of the Treasury - right? Why is Mitt Romney considering a Wall Street crony to be his Treasury Secretary - and what does this say about Romney's view for America?

The banksters' blatant fraud in the run-up to the financial crisis hasn't gone unnoticed by one top lawyer in the nation. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman - who also chairs the President's Mortgage Fraud Task Force - filed a civil suit against JP Morgan Chase for "widespread fraud in the sale of mortgage-backed securities." This is the first legal action brought against the banks by this taskforce. Most of the allegations are actually against failed bank Bear Stearns, which was bought by JP Morgan Chase just before the economy went into meltdown in 2008. According to the lawsuit - banksters at Bear Stearns knowingly sold defective loans and mortgage backed securities and kept their investors in the dark about how crummy these deals were. And just like banksters at Goldman Sachs, Bear Stearns' banksters openly bragged to each other about how bad the deals were and how much their customers are getting screwed. And Bear Stearns made big money off the fraud.

Thom discusses which former Wall Street executive would be Romney's Treasury Secretary if he's elected president. Also discussed: the ruling in Pennsylvania against the GOP's efforts to suppress the vote, what the Republicans October Surprise may be and why the US has deployed more troops to Iraq. In tonight's "Daily Take" Thom looks at how Romney's beloved Staples is the cancer of capitalism.

Thom Hartmann's crazy alert.

Robert Stephens II, participant-Occupy DC & law student, joins Thom Hartmann. Happy Birthday Occupy DC. Demonstrations took place all across the nation's capital today, as Occupy participants marked the one-year anniversary of the occupation of Washington, DC. Targeting the corruptive influence of lobbyists on our government, demonstrators planned to "shut down K Street." The corporate capture of our democracy is more evident than ever today - which is why we need grassroots movements in the streets to push back against it. What we've learned in the year since Occupy DC was birthed - and where does it goes from here.

Josh Eidelson, Labor Reporter-Salon & In These Times joins Thom Hartmann. If you want to see the devestating results of global capitalism - look no farther than Camden, New Jersey. Why has the city been called a "sacrifice zone" - and why are city officials trying to save money by putting the lives of residents at risk?

Chief Justice John Roberts cast the deciding judgment upholding Obamacare as constitutional - and triggered a near mutiny by his right flank on the high court. Right after the decision - Roberts left the country and went to Malta to dodge all the criticism he knew he was going to get from Conservatives in the coming days and weeks. And that's how the last Supreme Court term ended. Now - three months later - a new Supreme Court term kicks off today. And though Obamacare isn't on the docket this term - a bunch of other high profile, crucially important cases are. First on the list - affirmative action for college admissions. Arguments in "Fisher v. The University of Texas" are scheduled to begin on October 10th - and the court could strike down racial or economic preferences in college admissions. And given the court's 5-to-4 Conservative advantage - it's likely they'll do just that. Next up - the court will weigh in on whether or not corporations can be liable for human rights abuses overseas - namely whether or not Royal Dutch Petroleum can be sued for being complicit in atrocities committed by the Nigerian Government. The court is also scheduled to hear cases about drug-sniffing dogs and warrantless searches. And legal questions concerning the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act - known as FISA - which allows the US government to eavesdrop on overseas communications - are expected to be addressed by the high court as well.

Thom discusses the start of the new Supreme Court term with "The Nation's" Founder and Editor Katrina vanden Heuvel. Also discussed: election and voter fraud with Investigative Journalist Greg Palast and the latest on the labor movement with "In These Times" Contributor Josh Eidelson. In tonight's "Daily Take" Thom looks at why the mainstream news media no longer cares about providing actual news.