The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich

Friends, Today, Heather and I examine whether the protests against Israel’s slaughter in Gaza, now roiling university campuses across America, will harm Biden’s chances of being reelected next November. We also look at state anti-abortion laws — which now apply to 1 out of 3 American women of childbearing age — and consider how much they’ll harm Trump in November. Please pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and, if so moved, take our survey. (And May the 4th be with you.) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

Friends, Today Heather and I take a deep dive into why so many Americans are supporting a neofascist for president. Trump is the consequence rather than the cause of several major problems that have worsened over four decades — problems that have undermined the American middle class and caused a substantial number of people to become angry, anxious, and cynical. Please pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and (if so inclined) take our poll. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

Friends, Today, Heather and I discuss what to expect from the Trump trial currently underway in New York, as well as other pending Trump trials. And Speaker Mike Johnson’s newly found discovery of bipartisanship, which is driving the extremist right “Freedom Caucus” crazy. Please pull up a chair and join us, and consider taking our poll. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

Friends, Today we have a special guest to help us understand why food prices continue to go through the roof: Michael Pollan. Pollan is author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, How to Change Your Mind, The Botany of Desire, and other books. He and Eric Schlosser (whose new piece in The Atlantic, “Do We Really Want a Food Cartel?” is also a must-read), are just out with a new documentary available for streaming now, “Food Inc. 2,” which explains how giant corporations have taken over what we eat. We’ve asked Michael to tell us what steps we can take — as consumers and citizens — to reclaim our own nutrition. Please pull up a chair, grab a cup, and join us. Consider taking our poll below: This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

Friends, Welcome back to our Saturday coffee klatch, where today Heather and I look at the similarities between Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump, and the importance of Joe Biden’s standing up to both of them. Please pull up a chair, grab a cup, and (if so moved), take our weekly klatch poll: This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

Friends, Welcome back to our Saturday coffee klatch, where Heather and I review the highs and lows of the week. Today we look at the role of big money in the presidential races of both parties. And with Tax Day looming, we also ask what’s in store when the Trump tax cuts (mostly for the wealthy and big corporations) run out next year? What sort of tax reforms are possible if Biden is reelected and Democrats take over both houses of Congress? Our guest today, appropriately, is tax expert Solana Rice. And, of course, we talk about the new Beyoncé album (how could we not?). Please grab a cup, pull up a chair, and join us. (And take our poll.) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

Dear friends, Today Heather and I examine the potential bankruptcy of Trump’s finances as well as the bankruptcy of his mind. Please pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and join us. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

Friends, Welcome back to the Saturday Coffee Klatch, where today we’ll discuss whether TikTok should remain a Chinese company or be taken over by American billionaires (why would anyone trust billionaires to better guard their privacy and police against dangerous lies?). Which gets us into a discussion about big money in politics, and big money in housing. And what happens if Trump loses but the election is close — will he contest it, and, if so, how? Please grab a cup, pull up a chair, and (if so inclined) take today’s poll: This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

Friends, Welcome back to our Saturday coffee klatch, where today Heather and I talk about Biden’s State of the Union address, the Republican reaction to it, what we learned from Super Tuesday, and Trump’s mounting troubles — ranging from the upcoming criminal hush-money trial to his cash crunch. Please grab a cup, pull up a chair, and, should you wish, take our poll: This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

Friends, Welcome back to our Saturday coffee klatch, where Heather and I talk about the consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision to consider Trump’s immunity claim; the House Republicans’ (in particular, Speaker Michael Johnson’s) refusal to consider the Senate’s bipartisan bill to tighten border security and provide funding to Ukraine; Russia’s continuing efforts to help Trump through social media lies; and the coming end of Mitch McConnell’s reign as Senate Republican leader. Please grab a cup, pull up a chair, and, should you wish, take our poll: This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

Friends, Welcome back to our Saturday coffee klatch. This week, Heather and I try to figure out why the Republican Party has become an enemy of democracy — refusing to fund Ukraine against Putin’s aggression, supporting Trump’s invitation to Putin to attack other European countries and his threat to leave NATO if he’s reelected, and giving legitimacy to attempts to substitute scripture for law (as did the Alabama Supreme Court in deciding that embryos are “children”) and embrace white Christian nationalism. So pull up a chair, grab some coffee, and, if you wish, take our poll. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

Friends, This was not exactly Trump’s best week. New York Justice Arthur F. Engoron found Trump liable for conspiring to manipulate his net worth and ordered him to pay a penalty that will exceed $450 million — which, along with the $83 million judgment against him in the defamation suit brought by E. Jean Carroll — could wipe out his entire stockpile of cash. Meanwhile, a date was set for the hush money trial, in which Trump is alleged to have paid off a porn star to keep her quiet before the election but somehow failed to report it as an election expense. Oh, and a former FBI informant was found to have fabricated the Hunter Biden story — the allegation that President Biden and his son sought bribes from a Ukrainian energy company. The informant has been arrested. Meanwhile, Trump’s favorite murderous dictator, Vladimir Putin, seems to have knocked off his major opponent, Aleksei A. Navalny — an anticorruption activist who for more than a decade led the political opposition to Putin while enduring arrests, assaults, and a near-fatal poisoning — under mysterious circumstances. Navalny was 47. The apparent murder complicates Trump’s efforts to prevent Republicans from giving more aid to Ukraine. Heather and I try to make some sense out of Trump’s week from hell. Please grab a cuppa, pull up a chair, and join us. (And take our klatch poll, if you wish.) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

Hello friends, Welcome back to our Saturday Coffee Klatch, where Heather and I consider special counsel Robert K. Hur’s report emphasizing Biden’s age and memory loss. Was it politically motivated? Is Biden really too old to be president? We also examine the Supreme Court’s oral argument on Colorado’s decision to bump Trump from the ballot on the basis of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment; the decision of the three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia that Trump doesn’t have broad immunity from criminal indictments; and what this means for whether Trump will be tried before the election. And the GOP’s bad week on the border bill and on trying to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas. And, of course, tomorrow’s Super Bowl. Please grab a chair and a cup of coffee and join us. Also, please take our poll. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

Hello friends, Welcome back to our Saturday Coffee Klatch. Today is the South Carolina primary, but rather than spend much time on it (Trump will get his party’s nomination), Heather and I consider the remarkably good set of economic reports that emerged this past week and what, if anything, they mean for Biden’s reelection bid — plus why more than 70 percent of Republicans say the economy is terrible. We also look at the U.S. military’s attacks on Iranian forces and the militias Iran is backing, in Iraq and Syria, in response to Iran’s drone attack last Sunday that killed three American soldiers and injured at least 40 others. Is this the start of a regional war? Along the way we look at the new Child Tax Credit bill and why so many progressives are against it. And why the border security bill emerging from the Senate, as well as additional funding for Ukraine, are unlikely to pass (the answer is spelled TRUMP). Finally, we examine whether the Delaware chancery court is correct — that there is such a thing as excessive executive compensation — and why Elon Musk is living proof. Please grab a cup, pull up a chair, and join us. And, if so inclined, take today’s klatch poll: This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

Hello friends, Welcome back to our Saturday coffee klatch, where today we explore the real story behind Trump’s so-called “wins” in the New Hampshire primary and last week’s Iowa caucuses — and why they’re actually big losses for Trump. After all, he was president between 2017 and 2021, and a former president has a presumed lock on his party’s nomination. What’s extraordinary is how well Nikki Haley did on Tuesday. We also talk with Congressman Ro Khanna — one of the sharpest and most progressive members of Congress — about these Trump losses, what they signify for the general election, and how Biden can best cut through the noise and demagoguery to show voters why he deserves another term. So please grab a cup, pull up a chair, and join us (and if you wish, take this week’s coffee klatch poll). Thanks for joining us. If you can, please consider a paid or gift subscription, so you’ll get the whole package and we can pay our bills! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

Hello friends, Today Heather and I look back three years to Biden’s inauguration and Trump’s no-show, and ahead to next week’s New Hampshire primary and the coming fight over funding for Ukraine — and wonder what happened to the Republican Party. Lots more to talk about today. Please grab a cup, pull up a chair, and join us. And if you wish, take our poll. A paid or gift subscription will give you the whole package and enable us to do even more. Please consider. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

Hello friends, Today Heather and I look ahead to Monday’s Iowa caucuses — and ask whether Nikki Haley has a chance to become the Republican nominee in 2024. Or are Haley and DeSantis simply laying foundations for their 2028 runs, assuming Trump relinquishes his dictatorship then? Lots to talk about today. Please grab a cup, pull up a chair, and join us. And if you wish, take our poll. Please consider a gift subscription for someone you care about. They’d receive the whole package. And your generosity would help us pay the bills. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

Today marks the third year since the attack on the Capitol. The person responsible is now leading the race to become the Republican candidate for president, and, if polls are to be believed, is even leading incumbent President Joe Biden. Heather and I discuss whether Trump will ever be held accountable. We also address the so-called “crisis” at the border and the ouster of Harvard President Claudine Gay, as parts of the Trump-Republican strategy. Please grab a cup, pull up a chair, and join us. And if you wish, take our poll. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

[Most of you wanted us back in video, so here we are.] This week, the secretary of state of Maine decided — as did the Colorado Supreme Court last week — that under Article 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, Donald Trump should not appear on the Republican primary ballot. So what will and what should the Supreme Court do? More generally, how are you feeling about 2024? These are among the questions Heather and I discuss on this morning’s klatch. Please grab a cup, pull up a chair, and join us. And if you wish, take our poll. And Happy (if possible) New Year! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

(We’re in audio only today, as several of you requested — but let us know in the comments if you’d rather we return to video.) This week, the Colorado Supreme Court decided that under Article 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution (which bars anyone from holding office if they’ve previously sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution and participated in an insurrection against the United States), Donald Trump should not appear on the ballot in Colorado. Maine’s secretary of state is now pondering whether to allow Trump on Maine’s ballot, for the same reason. Trump is appealing the Colorado decision to the Supreme Court. In the event that the Supreme Court affirms the decision (unlikely, in my view), the court could strike him from the ballots of all 50 states. So … what will and what should the Supreme Court do? It’s among the questions Heather and I discuss on this morning’s klatch. Please grab a cup, pull up a chair, and join us. And if you wish, take our poll. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe