Well...looking at how the FBI is targeting animal rights activists - it appears anti-terror laws are being used strictly to protect corporate profits - at the expense of the public. A recent Freedom of Information Act request uncovered an FBI file that identifies animal rights activists who snuck into factory farms and videotaped the horrific conditions animals are kept in - as terrorists. That's right - those who make videotapes exposing animal cruelty - and distribute them to the public are on par with people like Timothy McVeigh and the 9/11 hijackers according to the FBI. Why? Because the FBI argues that actions like these do "economic damage" to farm factories. And under a controversial law passed by Republicans in Congress and signed by President Bush in 2006 known as the "Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act" - you can be brought up on charges of terrorism if you economically damage factories farms by vandalizing property - interrupting or invalidating experiments - or just simply costing a factory farm "profits." And since videos depicting animals being tortured before they're slaughtered - and videos depicting unsanitary factories - may cause people to not buy from that particular factory - then the FBI says that these activists disrupted profits and thus are terrorism.

Dr. Janette Sherman, MD, Internist and Toxicologist. There's more trouble at Fukushima. Nuclear safety experts are accusing the Japanese government of lying after 230 tons of radioactive waste was found in a tunnel underneath the crippled nuclear plant - just a few days after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko said the crisis is over. There's also news that Unit 4 at the plant is on the verge of collapsing - something that nuclear power expert Paul Gunter talked about on my radio show yesterday. This new information suggests that the Japanese government is still misleading the world on just how severe the Fukushima crisis still is. But even more troubling is the impact this nuclear crisis on the other side of the world has had right here in the United States. There's shocking new evidence out that the Fukushima disaster may have led to the deaths of as many as 14000 people...in America! For more on this - I'm joined by Dr. Janette Sherman - Internist and Toxicologist - and co-author of a new report on the link between an increase in deaths here in America and the ongoing Fukushima nuclear crisis.

The Good! Senator Ben Cardin. As Republicans around the nation work to restrict voting rights - Senator Cardin is working to expand voting rights. The Bad! Rick "Don't Google My Name" Santorum. Now that the issue of wealth inequality is at the forefront of public debate - Rick Santorum let everyone know where he stands. And the very, very ugly...Ubisoft. The video game developer is releasing the latest installment of its Rainbow 6 gaming franchise - it's called: "Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6: Patriots"

Retired Bishop George E. Packard & his wife, Brook Packard join Thom Hartmann. Last weekend - patriots with the movement attempted to set up a new occupation in New York City - near Trinity Church - one of the oldest churches in the city. But that effort was blocked - when the church refused to give sanctuary to the movement - and the NYPD moved in. Bishop Packard and his wife Brook Packard - who was also on hand for last week's demonstrations - join me now from our studios in New York to talk about what happened to them - and what's in store for the movement in the future.

Vince Coglianese, Daily Caller & Karl Frisch of Bullfight Strategies join Thom Hartmann for the Big Picture Rumble.

Eric Burns, Bullfight Strategies joins Thom Hartmann. The game of tag on Capitol Hill raged on today as the GOP threw another tanturm about a short-term extension of the payroll tax cut. Let's call it the "Tea Party Tax Increase." Today - House Republicans - led by the Tea Party - chose not only to reject - but not even vote on a 2-month extension of the payroll tax cut - that was approved by 89 Senators of both parties in the Senate - approved by the White House - and approved by Speaker of the House John Boehner himself...albeit before Eric Cantor poked him in the back with a metaphorical shiv. That means that 11 days from now, 160 million working Americans will see their taxes go up unless Republicans have a change of heart. So that's where we stand right now - either House Republicans kick the Tea Party to the curb and approve the Senate's payroll tax cut extension - or taxes go up on us all.

Thom explains how the GOP gridlock on Capitol Hill centered around the payroll tax cut extension is courtesy of the Tea Party supporters within the Republican party.

In tonight's Daliy Take - I'll tell you why corporate CEO's are unwrapping huge end-of-year bonuses this holiday season thanks to you and me.

Igor Volsky, Think Progress, joins Thom Hartmann. Earlier this week - Thom called Politifact's bluff about their annual "Lie of the Year" list. And you won't believe what they picked as the winner today.

Jennifer Pozner, Women in Media & News joins Thom Hartmann. Wireless consumers won big yesterday as AT&T officially dropped its bid to buy T-Mobile and dominate the wireless market. Despite spending millions on advertising and lobbying - antitrust officials at the Department of Justice and the FCC blocked AT&T's purchase - saying that it would hurt consumers and lead to less competition. Had the merger gone through - then a duopoly of two companies - AT&T and Verizon - would own 80% of the national wireless market. So what does this victory for consumers mean? And might it trigger a new wave of trust-busting to even break up the transnational corporate giants that have come to dominate our markets?

The Good! Democratic Congressman John Yarmuth and Republican Congressman Walter Jones. They are the latest Members of Congress to hear the message of the Occupy Wall Street movement and introduce legislation to overturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision and kick corporate money out of our politics. The Bad! New Hampshire Republicans. Six right-wing lawmakers in the Republican-controlled state legislature are pushing legislation to display warning signs on the road for drivers about to enter nearby Massachusetts. And the very, very ugly...Rush Limbaugh. Making this list for the second day in a row - Limpballs declared that last year's BP oil spill was "a nonstory."

Teisha Powell, Conservative Commentator joins Thom Hartmann. We know millionaires and billionaires aren't paying THEIR fair share - but what about churches? Especially the churches that have made their ministers into multi-millionaires. Currently - churches and religious organizations collect a slew of benefits courtesy of you and me the taxpayer. They can opt out of Medicare and Social Security withholding - they're exempted from paying unemployment taxes - and in some states even sales taxes. Ministers can define part of their salaries as "housing allowances" - and not pay taxes on it. And churches are exempt from paying property taxes and income taxes...which makes even Mitt Romney jealous. According to some estimates - the government loses out on over $100 billion every year from churches not paying property taxes. So during a time of huge deficits - and massive wealth inequality - shouldn't we reconsider the contributions churches should be making to our society?

Lois Beckett, ProPublica joins Thom Hartmann. And Ohio has 16 new congressional districts thanks to the post-census redistricting process. But is it merely a conincidence that 12 of the new 16 districts favor Republican candidates?...

What happened to the bust of Winston Churchill?

No, the world is NOT coming to an end, but I do agree with Newt Gingrich AGAIN. No, really, Newt's right. We need a president to take on the Judiciary that has grown far too powerful. Here we have on the Supreme Court - nine unelected officials - who serve for life - and have the sole power to strike down or create new laws in America. They took that power way back in 1803 - in the case of Marbury versus Madision - when Chief Justice John Marshall claimed the right of Judicial Review - which allows the high court to strike down laws passed by Congress and signed by the President. In other words - give the Supreme Court supremacy over the other two co-equal branches of government: the legislative and the executive. Thomas Jefferson even agrees with Newt. Horrified by the Judiciary's power grab - Jefferson wrote in an 1820 letter to Mr. Jarvis, who thought Supreme Court justices should have the power to strike down laws, "You seem to consider the judges the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions; a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy....The Constitution has erected no such single tribunal... I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society, but the people themselves."