Thom discusses Supreme Court Justice, Clarence Thomas' unethical relations with right wing think tanks and the lack of disciplinary actions taken by courts to impeach him. Later in the show, a former federal prosecutor explains the process of making a citizen's arrest.

This Friday in Conversation with Great Minds Thom sits down with Thomas Frank, author of "What's the matter with Kansas" and author and journalist Bill Moyers.

Lucy Kafanov fills in for Thom Hartmann, she discusses Wiener resignation with Todd Zwillich from Public Radio International and Democratic strategist Erikka Knuti. Later in the show Nomi Prins, journalist and author, joins Lucy from Los Angeles to talk about the riots in Greece over austerity measures.

Lucy Kafanov fills in for Thom Hartmann, she discusses Wisconsin's state supreme court's ruling to approve Governor Scott Walker's "budget repair" bill. Later in the show, Colonel Cedric Leighton talks about the role of American troops in the middle east.

GOP candidates converged in NH to debate who will be the better President. Thom is joined by Daniel Halper, online editor for the Weekly Standard and Jamie Wienstein, deputy editor of dailycaller.com to discuss their take on the debates. Later, Sarah Anderson, Director for Institute for Policy Studies joins Thom to talk about high-frequency trading and its consequences.

Main Street America is on life support while Wall Street is making a full recovery, so much in fact the banksters are crowded up to their ears in BILLIONS! So will they share the wealth or stand by and watch the "USSOL" sink?

David Selig, Conservative Commentator joins Thom Hartmann. New Jersey is becoming ground zero in the Republican campaign to turn public schools into corporate profit centers. Governor Christie's education plans include a new $825 million private school voucher program paid for by cutting $820 million out of the public education budget. The program was designed by Christie and his Education Commissioner - Christopher Cerf - who just happened to previously be the President of the world's largest for-profit school corporation - Edison Schools, Inc

Sarah Anderson, Director, Institute for Policy Studies joins Thom. Wall Street has grown from being one-tenth of our economy in 1947 - to more than twenty percent of our economy today. And during this surge in profitability - Wall Street's "mad scientists" have mixed together an array of complex financial concoctions like credit default swaps and collateralized debt obligations to make more and more money. But perhaps the most frightening Wall Street creation is what's known as high-frequency trading. But this new economy dependent on high frequency trading and exotic financial instruments has consequences - as we learned in the 2008 financial crisis that exposed the underlying danger of complex derivatives. And as we learned last year when high frequency trading computers caused a flash crash of 1000 points on the stock market. So how do we reign in Wall Street - and keep our economy safe from its tricks? Sarah Anderson has an idea - and it has something to do with a stet tax.

Free Trade has created a race to the bottom around the world - where the most in-demand labor force is the least protected. Though conditions in factories across America have drastically improved in the one hundred years since the Triangle Shirtwaist factory went up in flames - we shouldn't sleep any easier at night just because employee abuse is out-of-sight and out-of-mind. It exists all around the world in places like Jordan and Bangladesh where corporate power has overtaken sovereign governments and devoured the protections offered to average workers. As long as so-called American corporations like Wal Mart are dealing in abusive labor practices around the world - then so too is America. And the only way to put an end to the abuse - is to put an end to Free Trade.

Thom speaks with investigative journalist, Gareth Porter about his discovery on the misconception General Petraeus gave America concerning the capture of Taliban fighters. Later in the show, Congressman Earl Blumenauer discusses the Democrats' plan to raising the nation's debt ceiling.

Thom Hartmann: Sexual predators and serial rapists run wild in free trade Free Trade has created a race to the bottom around the world - where the most in-demand labor force is the least protected. Though conditions in factories across America have drastically improved in the one hundred years since the Triangle Shirtwaist factory went up in flames - we shouldn't sleep any easier at night just because employee abuse is out-of-sight and out-of-mind. It exists all around the world in places like Jordan and Bangladesh where corporate power has overtaken sovereign governments and devoured the protections offered to average workers. As long as so-called American corporations like Wal Mart are dealing in abusive labor practices around the world - then so too is America. And the only way to put an end to the abuse - is to put an end to Free Trade.

Eric Sapp, American Values Network joins Thom Hartmann. There's an inherent contradiction emerging within today's Republican Party. For decades now - Republicans have been courting the religious right - claiming to be the party of family values and morality - and that courtship has paid off very well at the polls. But now - as highlighted by the emergence of the Tea Party - and the passage of Paul Ryan's budget plan - the Republican Party has embraced a new ideal...one belonging to Ayn Rand - an atheist who despised common religious morality.

Thom talks to Congressman Earl Blumenauer(D-OR, 3rd district). Since Republicans in the House are refusing to vote for a clean bill to raise the debt ceiling - some Democrats are offering up their own list of demands on a debt ceiling increase and budget for next year. Led by Congressman Earl Blumenauer from Oregon - a group of Democrats penned a letter to the White House last week calling for any debt-ceiling deals to include an expiration of the Bush tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. The letter points out that ending the Bush tax cuts will "stop the growth of the deficit over the next decade." On the other hand - the enormous spending cuts that Republicans are pushing for will - as the letter also notes - "risk plunging our economy into a double-dip recession that will cost further jobs and ultimately worsen our fiscal situation."

For this week's Conversations with Great Mind Thom Hartmann sits down with economist Dr. Jared Bernstein, former advisor to the Obama Administration, previous Chief Economist and Vice President Joe Biden. He currently is a Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Later in the show, Thom is joined by Heather Cirmo, 440 Public Relations, Joe Madison, Joe Madison Show & Brian Darling, Human Events for the weekly rumble

In another sign of just how bad our nation is treating the working class - a new study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute shows that most Americans today will have to work until their late seventies - before they can think about retiring. According to the study - If you make roughly $31000 a year - which is about the average for 40% of Americans - and more than twice minimum wage - you'll have to work until you're 76-years-old just to have a chance at retiring. And I say chance because even if you do work until 76 - you still only have a fifty-fifty shot at having enough money to live off in retirement - a fifty-fifty chance IF you don't get sick - IF your house isn't blown away in a tornado - or IF you're pension isn't stolen by banksters on Wall Street. This Republican idea of forcing Americans to work until they die is unacceptable - this isn't a death camp...this is the United States of America. Let's rebuild the middle-class - and take care of our elderly.