The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich - podcast cover

The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich exposes where power lies in our system — and how it's used and abused.

robertreich.substack.com

Episodes

Mamdani! | The Saturday Coffee Klatch for June 28, 2025

Friends, Today, Heather and I come to you from Central Park in New York City, where we assess the remarkable upset victory of 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, over former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, in the race for New York City mayor . We also take a look at the bind Trump and his lackeys have gotten themselves into — with an attack on Iran that the Defense Intelligence Agency says sets back Iran’s nuclear program by only three months and that didn’t touch ...

Jun 28, 202522 min

Ultimate Fighting Championship | The Coffee Klatch for Saturday, June 7, 2025

Friends, That any of us have to care about the messy breakup of these two malignant narcissists — and that they both individually wield such massive power — is an indictment of our political system and further proves the poisonous influence of Big Money on our democracy. That’s today’s Coffee Klatch theme. Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, take our survey, and join the conversation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes...

Jun 07, 202548 min

Is Musk Gone for Good? | The Coffee Klatch for Saturday, May 31, 2025

Friends, Today Heather and I examine whether the three big political events of this week — Musk’s leaving the White House, the U.S. Court of International Trade’s striking down Trump’s tariffs, and Senate Republicans’ being stymied over Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful” (actually Ugly) budget bill — signal the beginning of the end of Trump. Is Elon really gone for good? Are Trump’s tariffs in real trouble? Is his Big Ugly bill destined for the political junkyard? We’ll probe these and other ques...

May 31, 202539 min

The Gerontocracy Problem

Friends, V Spehar invited me to join them today to talk about how we should deal with America’s aging politicians — our “gerontocracy.” I’m something of an expert on the subject because I’ve been around politicians for over 50 years. Also I’m getting up there (I’ll be 79 years old soon). And I recently retired from teaching because I didn’t want to give students anything less than my best. So I know how difficult it is to give up a job you love. But, as I mention to V, we need a system that allo...

May 29, 202530 min

What Should We Do Now? Live with Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II

Friends, One of my favorite people in the world is the Reverend Dr. William Barber, whose moral and strategic insights at this horrific moment in our nation’s history are invaluable. I asked him to join me today to talk about what all of us can do to unite people in America in pursuit of social justice and against Trump. Barber is a Protestant minister, social activist, professor in the Practice of Public Theology and Public Policy and founding director of the Center for Public Theology and Publ...

May 29, 202533 min

The New Fascism | Coffee Klatch for May 24, 2025

Friends, Today Heather and I look at the Trump regime’s decision to bar international students from Harvard and ask, what’s the difference between a neofascist diktat and Trump’s orders? As in fascism, Trump arbitrarily targets particular institutions and people, then takes away their freedoms for no reason other than that they’ve opposed the regime. (In recent days, the regime has also charged, investigated, or threatened to investigate Kamala Harris, Letitia James, Andrew Cuomo, Bruce Springst...

May 24, 202538 min

The Era of the Great Bamboozle | The Coffee Klatch for May 17, 2025

Friends, Today, Heather and I look into the schemes that Trump and the people around him are using to make themselves rich at the expense of the American people — starting with Trump’s business trip this week to the oil-rich kingdoms of the Middle East. Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, take our poll, and join the conversation. 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...

May 17, 202541 min

The Biggest Presidential Con in History | The Coffee Klatch for May 10, 2025

Friends, Today Heather and I take a deep dive into the most corrupt presidential administration in history. We look in detail at Trump’s crypto deals designed to enrich him and his family and milk the presidency, and Musk’s deals to enrich himself by, for example, having the State Department push other nations to use his Starlink satellites. The stench from these and other examples of self-dealing is worse by the day — even as the regime cuts programs most Americans depend on in order to make ro...

May 10, 202551 min

Where will we go from here? | The Coffee Klatch for May 3, 2025

Friends, Today Heather and I examine the outlook for Trump, the Trump White House, Congress, and the economy. Now that we’ve finished the first hundred days, where does America go from here? Is there room for hope? I’m more optimistic than Heather because I believe opposition to Trump is growing. And it will become even larger if Trump and Republicans in Congress cut programs most Americans depend on in order to make space in the federal budget for a tax cut that disproportionately benefits the ...

May 03, 202536 min

Trump's First 100-Day Sh*tstorm | The Coffee Klatch for April 26, 2025

Friends, Today, Heather and I take a look at the shi*tstorm of Trump’s first hundred days (which doesn’t officially conclude until Wednesday), and ask what happened, why it’s so horrible, and how we’re likely to look back on it. Along the way, we examine whether its major theme has been chaos or cruelty, what’s happened to the economy, and why Trump’s polls are taking a dive. In sharp contrast, we also discuss the legacy of Pope Francis. Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, take our poll, and j...

Apr 26, 202543 min

Humpty Trumpty Sat on a Wall: The Coffee Klatch for Saturday, April 19, 2025

Friends, Today Heather and I take a deep dive into Trump’s three escalating confrontations — with Harvard University, China, and the Supreme Court — and ask what Trump’s strategy might be. He can’t “win” any of these because Harvard, China, and the Supreme Court are all large and powerful enough to force him to blink, but nor can he afford to “lose” and maintain his credibility as an invincible force. So what will he do? Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, take our poll, and join in the discus...

Apr 19, 202544 min

Is Trump Fu*king the Economy? | The Coffee Klatch for April 12, 2025

Friends, Today, Heather and I take a deep dive into this week’s wild ride in the stock and bond markets — why it occurred and what it means. Ten and a half weeks ago, the American and world economies were in fairly good shape, but now there’s a serious risk of what’s called “stagflation.” Tens of millions of people could be seriously hurt. And even more will be hurt if the Republican budget plan goes through, cutting Medicaid and/or Medicare and/or Social Security. So what should be done? What s...

Apr 12, 202547 min

Trump’s Terrifying Tariff-Taxes! The Coffee Klatch for Saturday, April 5, 2025

Friends, Today Heather and I take a look at the economic emergency Trump created this week with his gargantuan tariffs on imports. It’s the largest peacetime tax hike in American history — and one that keeps rising as other countries retaliate by raising tariffs on our exports to them. It’s all based on another Trump lie — this one, that the tariffs will cause global corporations to create good manufacturing jobs in America. But, as Heather and I discuss, the major reason our manufacturing jobs ...

Apr 05, 202537 min

Is the Trump Fever Breaking? | Saturday Coffee Klatch for March 29, 2025

Friends, Today Heather and I assess how far the Trump regime is falling — starting with this week’s “Signalgate” fiasco, the regime’s increasing detention of international students without due process of law, wildly unconstitutional executive orders, brainless tariffs, and coming assault on Greenland (of all places). We also take a look at how voters seem to be responding — overwhelmingly against Trump and Musk — and ask if the Trump fever is finally breaking. Please pull up a chair, grab a cupp...

Mar 29, 202542 min

Giving Trump S**t | The Coffee Klatch for March 22, 2025

Friends, Today Heather and I delve into the forces holding Trump back — specifically, the federal courts, Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post , and Republican constituents in Republican town halls. Which of these, if any, is likely to be most effective over the long term in preventing Trump and Musk from doing their worst? We also have a special guest — Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, who this week was illegally fired by Trump for no reason other than … well, we’ll talk with her about t...

Mar 22, 20251 hr

Who will Trump disappear next? | The Coffee Klatch, Saturday, March 15, 2025

Friends, Today Heather and I take a deep dive into the Trump regime’s efforts to suppress free speech on university campuses in America, starting with the detention of a Columbia University graduate student for no reason other than his beliefs and his participation in peaceful demonstrations that the regime disapproves of. We then zoom out to the larger story of the Trump-Musk attack on American universities, and the simultaneous crackdown on dissent by the American oligarchy with power over soc...

Mar 15, 202545 min

The End of the Trump Honeymoon | Coffee Klatch for March 8, 2025

Friends, Michael is filling in for Heather today (thank you, Michael, and we miss you, Heather). Michael and I assess week 7 of this horrendous regime, starting with Trump’s interminable speech and ending with his decision to pull back from imposing tariffs on Canada and Mexico, after the stock market nearly tanked. We also examine the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision to rein in Trump, congressional Republican resistance to Musk’s “chainsaw” cuts, and the beginnings of a Democratic backbone to resis...

Mar 08, 202543 min

The Trump-Putin Axis of Evil | Coffee Klatch for Saturday, March 1, 2025

Friends, Today, Heather and I discuss Trump’s and Vance’s disgraceful treatment of Ukraine President Zelensky in the Oval Office yesterday — a man who for more than three years has courageously held off Putin’s aggression, maintained the will of the Ukrainian people, and risked his life to contain the Russian dictator. Trump did this to undermine Zelensky’s heroic image in the eyes of the American people so that when Trump bows to Putin’s demands for Ukraine, Republicans in Congress will have a ...

Mar 01, 202546 min

The Trump-Putin regime? The Coffee Klatch | February 22, 2025

Friends, Today, Heather and I assess the fifth week of the regime, when Trump took America over to the dark side by endorsing Vladimir Putin’s narrative of how the Ukraine war began and why Europe should defend itself rather than be an ally of the United States. We also have as our special guest Rohit Chopra, the former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, who was fired by Trump at the same time Trump imposed on the CFPB a stop order that closed much of it down. Chopra was recen...

Feb 22, 202556 min

The Musk Show | Coffee Klatch for Saturday, February 15, 2025

Friends, Today, nearing the end of the fourth week of the Trump-Vance-Musk regime, Heather and I assess Musk’s Oval Office press conference — in which he accused federal employees of dishonesty but provided no evidence — and analyze Musk’s own dishonesty and conflicts of interest. We also examine Trump’s promise in the 2024 election to bring prices down, in light of new evidence of inflation. We also delve into Trump’s Justice Department, and the revolt by the U.S. attorney for the Southern Dist...

Feb 15, 202530 min

Fusk Muck! | The Coffee Klatch, Saturday, February 8, 2025

Friends, Today Heather and I assess week 3 of the Trump regime — a week marked by Trump’s bonkers talk about turning Gaza into a riviera tourist destination by removing all Gazans and setting up “beautiful” beachfront resorts, and by Elon Musk’s almost total takeover of the federal government, including the destruction of USAID. Where is this heading? What’s the meaning of “law” in this lawless environment? Are there any signs that Democrats and other are fighting back? Please grab a cuppa, pull...

Feb 08, 202534 min

Trump’s Rampage | Coffee Klatch for February 1, 2025

Friends, Today Heather and I assess the first two weeks of Trump II, the damage he’s done to individuals and to democratic institutions, and what decent people can do to fight back. Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, take our poll, and join in the conversation. 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...

Feb 01, 202544 min

Trump’s Real Agenda | The Coffee Klatch for January 25, 2025

Friends, Some pundits are saying that Trump II is basically just a rehash of Trump I. Heather and I are here to tell you they’re wrong. Trump II is far worse. Today we discuss Week 1: Trump’s cruel and unconstitutional executive orders; his use of active duty military at the border; his pardons to the 1,500 thugs who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, at Trump’s behest; Elon Musk’s nods and winks to neo-Nazis; and Trump’s conspicuous alliance with the richest oligarchs in America. The...

Jan 25, 202537 min

The Trump takeover: Fascism or oligarchy? Coffee Klatch | January 18, 2025

Friends, Today Heather and I look at the last week of the Biden administration and ahead to the first week of Trump’s. What can the confirmation hearings tell us about what to expect? What was the real significance of Biden’s “farewell” address? Will it be fascism or oligarchy, or both? And, by the way, what should we take away from the imminent end to TikTok? Please grab a cuppa, pull up a chair, take our poll, and join in the conversation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss thi...

Jan 18, 202532 min

Trump's Oligarchy | The Coffee Klatch for January 11, 2025

Note: I’m reposting this edition of The Coffee Klatch as there seem to have been delivery issues and many people have reported not receiving it. Apologies to anyone receiving this late, or twice. Friends, Today we talk about the L.A. fires, the human disaster as well as its connection to climate change, as well as the firestorm of dangerous and nasty misinformation about it on X, and the future of places like L.A. that are subject to climate disasters. Also: Trump — the first president to enter ...

Jan 12, 202538 min

Trump's Oligarchy | The Coffee Klatch for January 11, 2025

Friends, Today we talk about the L.A. fires, the human disaster as well as its connection to climate change, as well as the firestorm of dangerous and nasty misinformation about it on X, and the future of places like L.A. that are subject to climate disasters. Also: Trump — the first president to enter office as a convicted felon — has a news conference that shows how bonkers he is. And Mark Zuckerberg joins Elon Musk to allow vicious lies on his giant platform. We are witnessing a takeover by a...

Jan 11, 202538 min

The Republican Takeover. Oof. | Coffee Klatch for January 4, 2025

Friends, Yesterday, Michael Johnson was voted in (barely) as speaker by the new Republican-controlled Congress. This Monday, Kamala Harris will preside over Congress to certify the electoral vote, making Donald Trump the next president. The last time Congress met to certify an electoral vote, it was invaded by Trump supporters who threatened the lives of all members along with the Capitol Police, at Trump’s urging. But instead of being held accountable, Trump is about to become president. The pe...

Jan 05, 202541 min

Shutdown averted but Republicans deserted | Coffee Klatch for December 21, 2024

Friends, Today we explore how and why the United States government nearly shut down — due to the ineptitude of Donald Trump, Elon Musk, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and right-wing House Republicans. The shutdown was averted, but a significant number of Republicans deserted Trump. Is this a preview of the chaos we’re likely to see over the next four years? Why does an unelected multi-billionaire have so much power? Will Johnson survive? Why did Trump insist on raising the debt ceiling? And whateve...

Dec 21, 202427 min

Time Magazine’s Jackass of the Year | The Coffee Klatch, December 14, 2024

Friends, Heather couldn’t join us today, so I asked two other colleagues to join today’s conversation. We discuss Time magazine’s decision to name Trump “Man of the Year,” Trump’s decision to name several more questionable people to his upcoming administration, why the murderer of the CEO of United Healthcare has emerged as something of a folk hero, and other contentious topics. Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, take our poll, and join in the conversation. This is a public episode. If you'd ...

Dec 14, 202442 min

Rage Against the Machine | The Coffee Klatch, December 7, 2024

Friends, Today, Michael joins Heather and me to discuss ways in which Americans seem to be “raging against the machine.” We begin with the tragic shooting death of the CEO of United Healthcare, which unleashed a surprising lack of sympathy on social media — “thoughts and deductibles to the family,” wrote one commentator, “unfortunately my condolences are out-of-network,” wrote another. We explore whether this lack of sympathy is related to a larger social and political upheaval against the “esta...

Dec 07, 202440 min
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