The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich

Latest Episodes:

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

Show notes

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

Trump's Oligarchy | The Coffee Klatch for January 11, 2025 Jan 12, 2025

Show notes

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

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

Show notes

Friends,

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

The Republican Takeover. Oof. | Coffee Klatch for January 4, 2025 Jan 05, 2025

Show notes

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

The Coffee Klatch Holiday Special | December 28, 2024 Dec 28, 2024

Show notes

Friends,

Today, at the halfway point between Christmas-Hanukkah and the New Year, Heather and I thought we would answer questions you’ve submitted to us. That’s our very simple holiday special. Hope you enjoy.

Grab a cuppa, pull up a chair, take our poll, and join in the conversation.

And thanks for being part of this wonderful community.

— Heather and Bob

PS: We’d also love to have your feedback about the Coffee Klatch!

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

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

Show notes

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

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

Show notes

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

Rage Against the Machine | The Coffee Klatch, December 7, 2024 Dec 07, 2024

Show notes

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

This is NOT Trump’s America! | The Coffee Klatch, November 30, 2024 Nov 30, 2024

Show notes

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 beliving 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

Trump’s Schmucks | The Coffee Klatch, November 23, 2024 Nov 23, 2024

Show notes

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.

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