Afleveringen
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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 fig leaf of justification.
Make no mistake: The emergence of the Trump-Putin axis is the most cynical and dangerous change in American foreign policy in 80 years.
Also on our agenda today: Musk’s DOGE meltdown. The House Republican budget that’s taking from the poor and vulnerable to reward the rich and privileged. Jeff Bezos and the shamelessness of America’s oligarchy under Trump. Plus some reasons for hope.
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 this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe -
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 recently described by Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorganChase, the largest bank in the United States, as “an arrogant, out-of-touch, son-of-a-b***h who just made things worse for a lot of Americans.”
I consider Dimon’s condemnation a strong endorsement of Chopra. (And for the record, I think Jamie Dimon is an arrogant, out-of-touch robber baron who has made things far worse for a lot of Americans — and will shaft even more people now that Rohit Chopra has been fired by Trump.)
Whether the choice is posed by Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Jamie Dimon, or Elon Musk, the question is the same: Do we want democratic capitalism or oligarchy?
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 this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe -
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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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 District of New York and five other senior attorneys against orders that they drop charges against New York City’s mayor and thereby compromise the integrity of the department.
So grab a cuppa, pull up a chair, take our poll, and join in the discussion.
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 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 up a chair, 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 -
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 -
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 underlying question we ask is: What’s Trump’s real second-term agenda?
So grab a cuppa, pull up a chair, 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 -
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 this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe -
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 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 small number of hugely wealthy people who will control the information we get and control our government. And it’s blatant.
So please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, take our poll, and join our discussion.
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 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 small number of hugely wealthy people who will control the information we get and control our government. And it’s blatant.
So please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, take our poll, and join our discussion.
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,
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 person who is also unaccountable for wielding power — although in a very different way from Trump — is Elon Musk. He’s the richest person in the world; spent a quarter of a billion dollars getting Trump elected; and has the world’s largest megaphone, through which he is amplifying lies in support of right-wing parties and candidates around the world, and by which he blew up a bipartisan compromise on the federal budget that not incidentally barred him from working on Artificial Intelligence with the Chinese.
We talk about all this and more on today’s Klatch. Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, take our poll, and join in the discussion.
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 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 whatever happened to the Biden administration, which is still technically in office?
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 -
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 like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe -
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 “establishment” — big institutions that are no longer trusted by much of the public, including gigantic corporations like United Healthcare, Wall Street financial firms, and much of the federal government. And if so, is this upheaval related to the election of Donald Trump?
Which leads to a discussion of the extraordinary wealth of Trump’s Cabinet and White House picks so far. Even not counting Elon Musk, this is by far the wealthiest bunch ever to populate a U.S. administration. Hardly an anti-establishment crowd. In fact, how can this group ever know what Americans want or need?
Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, take our poll, and join the discussion.
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,
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 -
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? Where are the Democrats?
Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, take our poll, and join in the conversation.
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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 I discuss what Trump is doing and why, and how to stop him. 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 -
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 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 -
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, 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, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe -
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 through the anxieties of the next nine days and also (perish the thought) if Trump should be elected.
So 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 -
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 real wages, and lower interest rates.
Harris is also gaining support of former Republican leaders. At the same time, many of Trump’s former Cabinet officers and White House staff have come out against him.
Trump is planning to top off his campaign with a large rally at Madison Square Garden — echoing a Nazi rally that occurred at the same location in February 1939, in which the theme was “America First.”
Please pour yourself a cup, pull up a chair, take our poll, and join the conversation.
Thanks again for joining us. If you’d like our whole package and would also like to support our work, please consider a paid subscription.
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