The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich

Friends,

Good morning and welcome back to my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action), where we examine the highs, lows, and even lower points of the previous week. This morning we’re looking at:

— The Trump arraignment in Washington on Thursday. What was notable? What does it suggest about Trump’s future?

— Friday’s jobs report. Are we about to have a “soft landing” — getting inflation down to 2 percent while avoiding a recession? And if so, how responsible is the Biden administration for this Goldilocks economy? (And by the way, why isn’t Biden getting credit from the public, at least as yet?)

— Elon Musk’s X threatens to sue a nonprofit that’s been monitoring hate speech on Twitter X. Is Musk out to make X into a major source of hate in America? Will he succeed?

Please grab a cup, pull up a chair, 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,

Welcome back to our Saturday coffee klatch, where Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action, and my former student) and I discuss the highlights and lowlights of the week.

Today we share with you our discussion before a live audience at the San Francisco Arts and Lectures series. We focus on:

— Parallels between what occurred in the midterm elections of 2022 and the midterms of 1954 (the first election I focused on, when I was eight years old).

— How political communication has changed over the last half-century.

— Why and how I got involved in social media, film, and video, including TikTok.

— How young people are processing information online, especially information about public issues.

— Questions from the audience.

Please join us, and feel free to 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 Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action, and my former student) and I discuss the highlights and lowlights of the week.

Today, on our roster:

— The pending Trump indictment for his attempted coup. When will it drop? What does it mean? Will it strengthen democracy or drive us farther apart? Where will this end?

— The “unitary executive” theory that Trump will likely utilize should he be reelected, along with several Republican-appointed justices on the Supreme Court. What is this theory, and why is it troubling? Where will this end?

— The Republican Party’s emerging strategy for 2024. Will it be all about Democrats’ alleged persecution and prosecution of Trump? Where will this end?

— The “No Labels” attempt at a third party. Is this going anywhere, and, if so, should we be pleased or worried, and why? Where will it end?

— More sources of big money behind Clarence Thomas. Where will this end?

— The hottest June on record. Where will this end?

— The summer of labor activism. Where will this end?

— Heather’s upcoming family reunion.

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

Welcome back to another Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse, where we examine the lows and even lowers of the previous week. Today on our roster:

— The Hollywood strike, and what it really means for the new economy.

— The FTC’s setback on its attempt to stop Microsoft from acquiring Activision, and what it means for the new economy.

— The good news on inflation, and what it means for Biden (and why the Fed should relax now and stop raising interest rates).

— Special Counsel Jack Smith has called Jared Kushner before the grand jury, and what this means for Trump.

— The Family Leader Summit in Iowa, and what it means for every Republican candidate except Trump.

— We’ll also talk about why I’m so short.

So please grab a cup, pull up a chair, and join us. (And take our 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

Welcome back to another Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse, where we examine the lows and lowers of the previous week. Today on our roster:

— Jobs, the economy, and Bidenomics. With everything going well, why are Americans so unhappy?

— The presidential sweepstakes. Should we worry that Trump is even more outrageous but seemingly physically strong, while Biden is competent but seemingly frail?

— The Supreme Court’s continued rightward drift. If it continues to move in a direction counter to what most people want, how does it maintain public trust?

— Twitter versus Threads. Zuckerberg and Meta are now taking on Musk and Twitter. What’s the likely outcome?

— Weather weirdness, all over America. Will it end in fire or ice?

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

Welcome back to our coffee klatch, where Heather and I discuss the lows and lowers of the previous week.

Today we examine:

— Inequality on the high seas. Billionaires’ yachts, unsafe submersibles, and dangerous crossings for migrants. Where will this end?

— Inequality on the high court. Billionaires and the justices. Where will this end?

— Inequality in Big Tech. Google, Facebook, and Twitter open for demagogues again. Where will this end?

— How Republicans are undermining public trust in the Justice Department. And why the department’s decision to accept Hunter Biden’s plea deal is nothing whatever like the special counsel’s decision to indict Trump.

— And how Republicans are weaponizing Congress. Look at the bizarre censure of Adam Schiff.

And more.

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 another Saturday coffee klatch, where Heather and I review the highs and lows (and even lowers) of the week. Today we focus on:

— Trump’s arrest. Why was there no violence, as many had feared? Can we possibly elect a president who’s in prison?

— Trump’s promise to appoint a special prosecutor to “go after Biden and the entire Biden crime family” if Trump is reelected president. Do we need to take Sam Ervin’s advice after Watergate?

— The GOP House loonies. Is Kevin McCarthy regretting the Faustian bargain he made to become speaker?

— Candidates running for president on the Republican side who no one has ever heard of. Why are they running?

— This week’s upbeat news — including Democratic “trifecta” states and the best series on television.

Thank you to Deirdre Broderick / Corey Kaup and Joseph Lawson for today’s theme songs, and to all of you for listening. And now our weekly poll:

So glad you joined us for today’s coffee klatch. If you’re receiving this free of charge, please consider a paid subscription (or a paid gift subscription) so we can do even more.

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 my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action, and my former student) where we discuss the highs and lows (and often, these days, even lowers) of the week. On tap for today:

— The Justice Department’s momentous decision to indict Trump. What’s the likely political and legal fallout?

— The Supreme Court’s decision to save Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Why did the court suddenly change direction?

— CNN’s decision to fire its CEO, Chris Licht. What should CNN have learned from this disaster?

— Last word: Heather’s “litotes” obsession. What’s your favorite example of litotes?

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

Lots of news this week, but we thought it a good time to push the pause button for a moment. We get so much mail from so many of you who are curious about, well, us — especially how we got to political views and values we have, and how our stories compare to yours. So we thought we’d spend today’s klatch on the personal and political. 

Among the issues we talk about are:

— Our political “awakenings.” What were the triggers and circumstances?

— How our political views have evolved.

— How and why we got into the work we’re now doing.

— What we’d tell a young person today who wants to make a difference, and how it’s different from what we were told.

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 my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action, and my former student), when we review the highs and lows (and sometimes very lows) of the week.

Today we focus on:

— Ron DeSantis will be announcing his run for the Republican nomination next week. Does he have a prayer?

— Trump’s Georgia indictment will likely be announced in August. Will it make any difference?

— Joe Manchin is causing trouble again. Will he make a third-party run?

— Kevin McCarthy’s showdown with Biden on the debt ceiling is imminent. Will the United States default and, if so, when?

Grab a cup, pull up a chair, and (if you’re 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