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, 2025•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2025•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2025•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2025•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2025•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2025•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2025•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2024•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2024•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2024•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, Heather and I thought today a good one to seek silver linings in the darkening clouds over America, so we’ve dedicated this Thanksgiving week coffee klatch to the proposition that we’re not going to be living in Trump’s America. 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...
Nov 30, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, Today Heather and I ask whether Trump has a mandate (spoiler alert: the answer is no). We also take a close look at his new pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi, and ask whether she’s more likely to regard the American people or Trump as her client (answer: Trump). And what is Elon Musk really going to try to do in his position as unofficial Secretary of Cutting Government Waste? Finally, we examine what Democrats should do to fight back. And who speaks for the Democrats now, anyway? Wh...
Nov 23, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, Like all authoritarians, Trump wants us to become so hopeless that we give up. Well, guess what? We’re not giving up. He can flood the zone all he wants with gonzo nominations — a Fox News host to lead the Defense Department, a sex trafficking clown to lead the Justice Department, a Russian troll to become Director of National Intelligence, a conspiratorial fanatic to run the Department of Heath and Human Services — but we will go on fighting, even harder than before. Today, Heather and...
Nov 16, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, Like many of you, I’ve been wrestling with grief, fear, and anger. The outcome of the election was far worse than I had feared. On today’s Klatch, Heather, Michael, and I take a deep dive into what happened and why. We also ask: What do we do now ? I don't have all the answers, but I believe Heather, Michael, and I are at least asking the right questions. We’re eager to have your thoughts as well. Please grab a cuppa, pull up a chair, take our poll (if you wish), and join in the convers...
Nov 09, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, Today, with the election just three days away, Heather, Michael, and I take a deep dive into the Trump Republican Party. We look at its malicious misogyny — why it exists, how it will harm women, how it’s communicated, and what its electoral result is likely to be. We also look at the party’s obsession about voter fraud — which is extraordinarily rare but gives Trump and his lapdogs an excuse to demonize Democrats, Harris, immigrants, and the all-purpose “them.” Please pull up a chair, ...
Nov 02, 2024•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, The election is nine days away, and there’s a good chance we won’t know the outcome until days or possibly weeks beyond. On Tuesday, Harris will be giving her final message to America, at the same place on the Washington mall where Trump held his rally on January 6, 2021. Heather and I discuss what that final message ought to be. We also examine why Trump is gaining ground in almost every poll, not just in the battleground states but even in the popular vote. And we ask how best to get ...
Oct 26, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, Today, Heather and I discuss why we’re optimistic about the election, just over two weeks away. Harris is showing more of her strengths as she subjects herself to interview after interview (including on Fox News). Trump is revealing more of his instability, as he calls the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol “a day of love,” talks about using the military on his political opponents, and continuously veers into incoherence. Meanwhile, the economy continues to improve — more jobs, higher ...
Oct 19, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, Today Heather and I assess the election outlook, specifically the widening gender gap, which is turning into a gender chasm. American women are overwhelmingly for Harris; men (especially those without college degrees) are overwhelmingly for Trump. Meanwhile, Elon Musk and Trump have become the nation’s most dangerous bromance. Each wants what the other possesses: Trump wants vast wealth and a social media platform that reaches billions; Musk wants more power. Beware. We also explore whe...
Oct 12, 2024•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, This morning, Heather and I explore the biggest issues of the week: the remarkably good economy (September’s jobs report, out yesterday, was about the best you could possibly hope for); the VP debate last Tuesday; special counsel Jack Smith’s additional revelations about January 6; and Hurricane Helene. And, of course, we’ll assess what all this means for the upcoming election (a bit over four weeks away) and whether there will be an “October surprise” for Harris or Trump, and, if so, w...
Oct 05, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, Today is the third anniversary of the launch of this newsletter community, and I want to thank you. Three years ago today I posted my first daily letter, not knowing who would be out there to receive it. Heather Lofthouse egged me on. (A special thanks to her, as well. And to Alessandra Bosco, whose gimlet eye has caught misspellings and grammatical mistakes I’m too embarrassed to admit, and to Michael Lahanas-Calderón, for his technical help.) I wanted to key off current news but didn’...
Sep 20, 2024•1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, It was quite a debate and quite a week. Today, Heather and I look back on both and do our best to peer into the future. What effect will the debate have on undecided voters? What does Kamala Harris need to do in the remaining weeks? What will Trump do? Why is Trump refusing a second debate with Harris? We also examine the consequences of Taylor Swift’s endorsement (and Elon Musk’s grade-school bully boy response). And we take a look at yesterday’s 30th anniversary of the Violence Agains...
Sep 15, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, Today, Heather and I examine the upcoming Tuesday night debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. The American public knows Trump. He has forced himself into our minds for the last decade in every possible way. Yet much of the public doesn’t yet know Harris. Before Biden bowed out on July 21, she was a vice president who, like every vice president before her, was almost invisible. Heather and I discuss whether it’s most important for her to define herself as strong and competent or...
Sep 07, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, Sharing is the key — with friends, relatives, and acquaintances. Especially (but not exclusively) those who live in the “swing” states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada. Nothing is more powerful than an encouragement from you to get the facts and spread the truth. Please do your part. We must win this. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack...
Sep 05, 2024•49 sec•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, Many of you ask me what you can do to help ensure that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are elected on November 5, and that the House and Senate have majorities in support of economic and social justice. In previous posts I’ve given you some ammunition — correcting some of Trump’s and Vance’s whoppers (such as Vance’s assertion last week that Trump’s tariffs generated revenue for America and created jobs), showing what Trump and his Republican lapdogs want to do if given the chance, and offer...
Aug 30, 2024•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, Today Heather and I look at the real significance of this week’s Democratic convention — how well did it introduce Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to America? How powerfully did it set them up for the election? How effectively did it trounce Trump? And we look ahead to the debate on September 10 and Trump’s likely strategy between now and Election Day. Please join us, grab a cup, pull up a chair, and take our poll. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscriber...
Aug 24, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, On Thursday, Trump was supposed to have had a press conference on the economy. Instead, it turned into another one of his rambling, incoherent rants against Kamala. On Friday, Kamala pointed the way to a new economy. Trump continues to melt down; she continues to surge upward. Today Heather and I compare Kamalanomics and its focus on corporate power with the garbage economics Trump is peddling — at least when he’s not attacking Kamala — including his bonkers idea to eliminate taxes on S...
Aug 17, 2024•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, Today Heather and I examine the extraordinary positive energy released by Kamala Harris and her pick for vice president, Tim Walz. And the apparent inability of Trump and JD Vance to fight back — leading to Trump’s disastrous news conference on Thursday in which he seemed more unhinged than ever. Please pull up a chair, join the discussion, 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...
Aug 10, 2024•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, This morning, Heather and I drill down into this week’s misogynistic and racial stumbles of Trump and Vance and this second week of Kamala Harris’s extraordinary campaign. We explore whether Trump will dump Vance in favor of Nikki Haley or Elise Stefanik. And whether Kamala Harris will come down against big corporations that continue to keep prices high. Please 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 bon...
Aug 02, 2024•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, Well, maybe not yet. But he’s on the way to being toast. Today, roughly 100 days before the 2024 election, Heather and I assess the first extraordinary week of Kamala Harris’s remarkable campaign — what she’s done, how she’s done it, what it will mean for Trump and JD Vance, and what it can mean for America and the world. Please 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.sub...
Jul 27, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friends, Today, Heather and I assess the Democratic and Republican parties at a particularly dispiriting point, when the Republicans have coronated Trump, who is taking a wide lead in polls over Biden. Anything can happen between now and Election Day, but at this point things look grim. Will Biden drop out in favor of Kamala Harris? Will Trump stumble? Will America come to its senses? Please join us as we discuss these and other related issues. And, if you’re so inclined, please take our poll. T...
Jul 20, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
