Sue's Daily Stack, The Thom Hartmann Program 05/20/26
Your daily homework - links to everything discussed on today's show
Wednesday’s Daily Stack
Hour One: “People Have Got to Know Whether or Not Their President Is a Crook…”
Article: “People Have Got to Know Whether or Not Their President Is a Crook…“ by Thom Hartmann.
Article: “DOJ addendum to Trump settlement ends any IRS audits of him and his family“ by Alexander Mallin, Peter Charalambous, and Katherine Faulders.
Article: “News headlines adopted Trump’s deceptive framing of his new $1.8 billion taxpayer-funded slush fund“ by Dan Froomkin.
Site: “The Hartmann Report“.
Article: “Don Jr.’s $620 Million Pentagon Contract“ by Home of the Brave.
Article: “China Secretly Trained Russian Troops for Ukraine“ by Olga Lautman.
Site: “Find Your Legislators“.
Site: “Vote.org“.
Article: “Why is Maddow the Only One Getting the Worst Grift in U.S. History Exactly Right?“ by wruckusgroink.
Article: “Justice Department agrees to drop any pending tax claims against Trump as part of IRS deal“ by Ryan J. Reilly, Gary Grumbach and Dareh Gregorian.
Article: “‘I Am Not A Crook’: How A Phrase Got A Life Of Its Own“ by NPR.
Article: “With Trump’s Deal, a Possible $100 Million I.R.S. Penalty Melts Away“ by Russ Buettner.
Article: “Trump discloses thousands of stock trades, some in companies directly influenced by his policies“ by AP.
Article: “‘Absolutely insane’: DOJ under fire for handing Trump family ‘get-out-of-jail-free card’“ by Nicole Charky-Chami.
Article: “Trump’s deal to drop suit against IRS creates $1.8B ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’“ by Jeremy Roebuck, Mark Berman, Perry Stein.
Article: “Pentagon walks away from Canada-U.S. defence board“ by Mike Crawley.
Article: “Xi calls for end to Middle East hostilities, strengthens Russia trade deals as Putin visits China“ by AP.
Article: “January 6 officers sue Trump over $1.8bn fund, alleging ‘presidential corruption’“ (Harry Dunn, Daniel Hodges) by Guardian Staff.
Article: “Harry Dunn (police officer)“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “Daniel Hodges (police officer)“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “Michael Fanone“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “What was the Medicare donut hole, and what replaced it?“ by Rachel Nall, Mandy French and Alina Sharon.
Book: The Hidden History of American Healthcare: Why Sickness Bankrupts You and Makes Others Insanely Rich by Thom Hartmann.
Are Republicans Finally Cracking on Trump’s Iran War?
Article: “‘Republicans Are Starting to Crack’: After Primary Loss, Sen. Cassidy Helps Advance Iran War Powers Resolution“ by Jessica Corbett.
Article: “US Senate votes to advance resolution to curb Trump’s Iran war powers“ by Mollie Reilly and Lauren Gambino.
Article: “Republican Louisiana senator Bill Cassidy loses primary after Trump intervenes to oust him“ by Chris Stein.
Article: “Trump-backed challenger defeats Republican rebel Massie in primary“ (Ed Gallrein) by Max Matza.
Article: “Trump endorses Texas AG Ken Paxton in key Senate runoff that divided Republicans“ (over Sen. John Cornyn) by Joey Garrison, Zachary Schermele.
Article: “Ousted senator Bill Cassidy: no regrets over Trump impeachment vote“ by AP.
Article: “New Hawaii law targets corporate influence in politics after Citizens United ruling“ by Jennifer Sinco Kelleher.
Article: “Gov. Green signs law that targets corporate influence in politics “ by Jennifer Sinco Kelleher.
Shadow hearings and corruption
- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Senator (D-Rhode Island) BSky Twitter
Article: “ICYMI: Senate Democrats Spotlight Skyrocketing Energy Costs Amidst Cost-of-Living Crisis “ by Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW).
Article: “Whitehouse, Leader Schumer, and Senate Democrats Spotlight How Climate Change Drives Up Household Costs for American Families“ by Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW).
Tweet: “Top 10 reasons why Democrats need to talk about climate change now:“ by Sheldon Whitehouse.
Tweet: “Shared this thread with a friend in the investment space (no greenie!), and here’s what he had to say: “In ten years, no one will buy a house without thinking about climate change-induced risks and costs … It is a future that is rapidly coming into focus.” Exactly.“ by Sheldon Whitehouse.
Tweet: “Even the WSJ sees the home insurance meltdown. It’s a big expense to start with, so these big increases can be devastating. “ by Sheldon Whitehouse.
Article: “Natural Disasters Are Rewriting Home-Insurance Costs. See How It Impacts You.“ by Carl Churchill, Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky, Jean Eaglesham and Jason French.
Video: We’ve gotta protect our phony baloney jobs! (Blazing saddles).
Law: “Constitution of the United States“ Article 1 section 9. “No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States: and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.“ (foreign emoluments clause).
Article: “Constitution of the United States“ Article 2 section 1. “The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be encreased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.“ (domestic emoluments clause).
Book: “The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: Revised and Updated: The Fate of the World and What We Can Do Before It’s Too Late“ by Thom Hartmann.
Documentary: Ice on Fire.
Documentary: Last Hours.
Documentary: Green World Rising.
Article: “As Insurers Around the U.S. Bleed Cash From Climate Shocks, Homeowners Lose“ by Christopher Flavelle, Mira Rojanasakul.
Article: “Used EV sales are up 54%. Here’s why, and how one can save you money“ by Keith Laing.
Article: “Keith Murdoch“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “3 Baby Boomer presidents all set to turn 80 in 2026 — including Clinton, Trump and Bush“ by Brigid Brown.
Article: “One Big Beautiful Bill Act“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “Iowa Redistricting“ by Iowa Legislature.
Hour Two: Bond Markets Sending a Warning to America... Are You Paying Attention?
Article: “30-year Treasury yield tops 5.19%, highest since before the financial crisis“ by John Melloy, Yun Li.
Why Is Trump Indicting a 94-Year-Old Cuban?
Article: “Raúl Castro is expected to be indicted by U.S. on Wednesday, sources say“ by Michael Kosnar.
Article: “Trump Announces U.S. Military’s Capture of Maduro“ by Matthew Olay.
Article: “1996 shootdown of Brothers to the Rescue aircraft“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “U.S., Escalating Pressure on Cuba, Hits Top Officials With Sanctions“ by Frances Robles.
Article: “Delcy Rodríguez“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “Fulgencio Batista“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “Congress Could Require EV Drivers to Pay $130 a Year for Road Maintenance“ by Omar Gallaga.
Article: “Abigail Spanberger“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “Cannabis industry looks ahead after Gov. Spanberger vetoes retail marijuana bill“ by Rebecca Turco.
Video: Governor Spanberger vetoes collective bargaining bill, drawing sharp reactions from Virginia workers.
Article: “Eight Democrats vote to confirm a lifetime judge who wouldn’t say Biden won in 2020“ by Patrick McNeil.
Article: “How Donald Trump avoided the draft 5 times as president vows end to ‘woke’ military culture“ by Reanna Smith.
Article: “John McCain“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “Trump On McCain: “He Is A War Hero Because He Was Captured... I Like People Who Weren’t Captured”“ by Tim Hains.
Article: “Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’“ by Jeffrey Goldberg.
Article: “John S. McCain Jr.“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “Adam Kinzinger“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “Neal Katyal“ by Wikipedia.
Awe Is the Cheapest Medicine We’ve Got
Article: “The Wisdom School: What it Means to be Human“ by Thom Hartmann.
Article: “Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Law“ by Justia.
Site: “Democratic Attorneys General Association“.
Article: “State Racketeering Laws in the U.S.“ by ICNL.
Article: “Wisconsin District Attorneys Association“.
Article: “Trump’s crooked ‘art of the deal’ with Big Oil“ by William S. Becker.
Article: “What Trump promised oil CEOs as he asked them to steer $1 billion to his campaign“ by Josh Dawsey, Maxine Joselow.
Article: “Trump claims he would have won California had Jesus counted the votes“ by Joey Garrison.
Videos: keeptheflow33.
Bible: “...And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:...“ - Matthew 25.
Article: “Liz Cheney“ by Wikipedia.
Quote: “Dank Ihrer Führung wird Deutschland sein Ziel erreichen, Heimat zu sein. Heimat zu sein für alle Deutschen der Welt.“ by Rudolph Hess, 1934 Nuremberg rally.
Article: “Long Island Rail Road resumes operations following strike agreement“ by AP.
Post: “‘The Bullshit Weaver’. Oils on gessoed paper.“ (”Careful mate, that foreigner wants your cookie”) by Denis Lushch.
Article: “Jeff Bezos Praises Trump’s Second Term as ‘More Mature’“ by Katie Robertson.
Article: “Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action“ (JCPOA) (Iran nuclear deal) by Wikipedia.
Book: General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine by Miko Peled.
Article: “Miko Peled“ by Wikipedia.
Case: “Buckley v. Valeo“, 1976.
Case: “First National Bank Of Boston V. Bellotti“, 1978.
Case: “Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission“ (2010).
Case: “McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission“, 2014.
Article: “Volstead Act“ (prohibition) by Wikipedia.
Law: “26th Amendment“. “The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.“.
Article: “Dark Money Hit a Record High of $1.9 Billion in 2024 Federal Races“ by Anna Massoglia.
Hour Three: Rejecting the Health Care Trap (David’s article)
- David Sirota, founder & editor-in-chief of The Lever / Oscar-nominated writer (”Don’t Look Up”) / former speechwriter for Sen. Bernie Sanders presidential campaign BSky David Sirota BSky The Lever X @DavidSirota X @LeverNews
Article: “Rejecting The Health Care Trap“ by David Sirota.
Podcasts: “Searchlight Institute“ by Influence Watch.
Site: Master Plan: An investigative podcast series exposing the 50-year plot to legalize corruption in America..
Article: “Unitary executive theory“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “Palpatine“ (Star Wars) by Wikipedia.
Article: “Cui bono?“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “Powell Memorandum: Attack On American Free Enterprise System“ by Scholarly Commons.
Book: I Paid Hitler by Fritz Thyssen.
Article: “Serfdom“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “Donors Trust“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “Koch network“ (Koch brothers) by Wikipedia.
Article: “Bradley Foundation“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “Heritage Foundation“ by Wikipedia.
Book: Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right by Jane Mayer.
Book: Democracy in Chains by Nancy MacLean.
A Freight Train of Hot Water Is Coming for You
Article: “See how this 9,000-mile freight train of warm water may fuel a super El Niño“ by Ben Noll.
Article: “Epstein files“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “Virginia Giuffre“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “Judgment Fund“ by Bureau of the Fiscal Service.
Article: “What Is It About Women in Leadership That Reduces Corruption?“ by Debbie Peterson.
Article: “GOP bill attempts to gradually privatize VA care“ by Jerry Wu.
Article: “Raul Castro charged with murder for Cuba’s shootdown of humanitarian planes“ by Katherine Faulders, Luke Barr, Pierre Thomas, and Alexander Mallin.
Article: “FACT FOCUS: Why nearly 4.3 million people are no longer receiving food stamps“ by Melissa Goldin.
Law: “Davis–Bacon Act of 1931“.
Article: “Ed Gallrein“ by Wikipedia.
Tweet: “Multiple clips of Ed Gallrein talking about “farting in church” while on the campaign trail. This is who Trump endorsed against Thomas Massie. [video]” by PatriotTakes.
Article: “‘Hungry all the time’: US Navy denies food shortages after grim photos emerge“ by Vedika Bahl.
Article: “Dem mayor faces reality check after accusing rival of ‘exploiting’ Palisades Fire: ‘Absolute tone deafness’“ by Alec Schemmel.
Article: “Gulag“ by Wikipedia.
Article: “Alexei Navalny“ by Wikipedia.