The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich

Epizódy

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  What the Hell Is Trump Doing in Iran? | The Coffee Klatch for Saturday, July 25, 2026 25.07.2026 37min

  Friends,Today, Heather and I take a dive into the muck of Trump, 101 days before the midterm elections. His war in Iran is worsening, with no end in sight. His economy is dropping, as gas and food prices soar and as his tariffs (import taxes) take their toll. His regime is descending into chaos, as public health is compromised, measles spreads, children aren’t getting nutrition assistance, and Medicaid is cut. But how do we peacefully and legally get rid of him between now and the 2028 election? What’s our 2028 strategy for regaining the White House? And our 2029 strategy for cleaning up this horrific mess? Heather and I discuss these questions and more. Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, and join the conversation. RR 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
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  Trump's Midterm Election Plot | The Coffee Klatch for Saturday, July 18, 2026 18.07.2026 49min

  Friends,Today, Michael and I take a close look at the sharp contrasts between artificial problems dreamed up by Trump (such as voter fraud) and real problems the nation is failing to deal with (such as big money poisoning our elections). Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, and join the conversation.RR 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
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  Trump's Downward Escalator | The Coffee Klatch for Saturday, July 11, 2026 11.07.2026 48min

  Friends, Welcome back to our 250th-plus-one-week anniversary edition! Hope you have had a good week, despite the cacophony out of Washington. Today, Heather and I try to understand the real source of Trump’s power — his power to berate the heads of state at this week’s NATO and yet have them defer to him. His power to conduct a war in Iran that’s increasingly bogged down and which the American people don’t support. And his power to keep Republicans in Congress quietly neutered while much of his Republican base is outraged at his never-ending war, the soaring prices of gas and groceries, and his continuing refusal to release half of the Epstein files. Trump is on an escalator heading downward at great speed, but his power seems to be intact. Why? We’ll get into that. Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, and join in the conversation. Robert Reich 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
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  Reading the Declaration of Independence on America's 250th 06.07.2026 8min

  I appreciate the active vocal participation of my neighbors, the organizing ability of Sally Baack, and excellent filming by Tia Liddell Ivery. RR 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
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  The Truth About America at 250 Years | The Coffee Klatch for Saturday, July 4th, 2026 04.07.2026 44min

  Friends,Today marks 250 years since we declared our independence from a vile, arbitrary, impulsive, capricious, greedy, selfish, narcissistic authoritarian. Oh, wait. Sorry, we’re not yet independent of Trump. But George III was pretty awful, too. Today Heather and I examine where America has come — with a Supreme Court that thinks Trump and any successor president needs more power, a president who is making billions off his office, and an utter dud of Trump-glorification activities on the National Mall. Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, and join in our 250th July 4th conversation. Oh, and Happy Fourth of July. 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
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  Trump's Strait of Warm Ooze | The Coffee Klatch for Saturday, June 27, 2026 27.06.2026 40min

  Friends,Today, Heather and I examine all sorts of things that went wrong this week for Trump, starting with Iran’s attack on an oil tanker moving through the Strait of Hormuz and including Trump’s latest problems with the Reflecting Pool — the Strait of Warm Ooze. Please grab a cuppa, pull up a chair, 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
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  President CHUMP! | The Coffee Klatch for Saturday, June 20, 2026 20.06.2026 32min

  Friends,On today’s episode of the Coffee Klatch, Heather and I discuss Trump’s outright surrender to Iran, his algae-infested Reflecting Pool, Democrats’ plan to tackle his staggering corruption, and much more. Please join us. 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
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  Live w/ Robert Reich 15.06.2026 24min

  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
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  Trillionaire Testosterone | The Coffee Klatch for Saturday, June 13, 2026 13.06.2026 44min

  Friends,Today Heather and I take a deep dive into Elon Musk’s new status as America’s first trillionaire — worth one thousand billion dollars — and its meaning for the future of American capitalism. How much of SpaceX’s valuation is based on hype? How much on connections in the Trump regime? How much on Musk’s lobbying of major stock index funds? Answer: almost all of it. We also look at Musk and Trump’s (and Pete Hegseth’s and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s and JD Vance’s) obsession with male virility — where that comes from and how it’s connected to tomorrow’s cage match on the South Lawn of the White House. So please grab a cuppa, pull up a chair, 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
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  Trump Gets Screwwormed | The Coffee Klatch for Saturday, June 6, 2026 06.06.2026 42min

  Friends,Today’s weather is so beautiful that Heather and I decided to have our coffee klatch outside on the Berkeley campus. Much to talk about — including the giant initial public stock offerings of the Artificial Intelligence behemoths Anthropic, OpenAI, and SpaceX, in coming weeks, expected to generate over a trillion dollars each. AI may create all sorts of fabulous things, but it’s also dangerous as hell, and the window is rapidly closing on what can be done to stop AI from eating our jobs and destroying the human race. We also talk about Trump’s 10 days — the House voting to end his war in Iran (or get authorization to continue it), the courts ordering his name off the Kennedy Center and pausing his $1.8 billion Thug Fund, entertainers bailing out of his 250th anniversary megalomaniacal show on the mall, his endorsee losing Iowa’s governor’s race — and what it means for the future of his pathetic lame-duck presidency. So please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, and join the conversation.If you enjoy this Substack and are not yet a paid subscriber, please consider becoming one (and giving a paid subscription as a gift). 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
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  Trump's Department of Injustice | The Coffee Klatch for Saturday, May 30, 2026 30.05.2026 46min

  Friends,Heather is back (after a grueling week; we wish her mother a speedy recovery). Today we take a deep dive into Trump’s Department of Injustice, now headed by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who’s criminally prosecuting Trump’s enemies — including private citizens such as E. Jean Carroll. We also examine Trump and the Republican Party’s obsession with testosterone — part of the so-called “manosphere” — which includes the scheduling of UFC cage matches on the White House’s South Lawn, denigrating Democrats such as Senate candidate James Talarico as being “low T,” ridiculing LGBTQ+ people, Trump and Secretary of “War” Pete Hegseth’s hyper-aggressiveness, and Trump’s fear of strong women who stand up to him.We also discuss the blatant corruption of the Trump regime and its relationship to the horrific U.S. economy. So please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, 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
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  Trump's Gush of Slush | The Coffee Klatch for Saturday, May 23, 2026. A bit late this morning! 23.05.2026 38min

  Friends,Sorry for being a bit late this morning. Today Michael and I take a deep dive into Trump’s corruption — beginning with CBS’s merger deal with Skydance that was conditioned, in part, on its canceling Stephen Colbert’s show (which is why I’m wearing a T-shirt I got when I appeared on Colbert’s “The Late Show”). We then examine whether Jeff Bezos — the fourth-richest person in the world — is a knave or a fool for going on network television claiming that the richest 1 percent of Americans pay 40 percent of all taxes (a Trump-like lie). And, as long as we’re talking about rogues and corruption, we look at Trump’s Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s $1.8 billion Trump slush fund and immunity from all future IRS audits — and its political fallout. All that and more on today’s Coffee Klatch. So pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, and join in the discussion. (Heather will be back next Saturday.) 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
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  Bullsh*t in the China Shop | The Coffee Klatch for Saturday, May 16, 2026 16.05.2026 37min

  Friends,To say Trump’s trip to China was underwhelming is to give it even more credit than it deserves. In fact, Trump’s main purpose for making the trip probably wasn’t to accomplish anything important but to deflect attention, even for a few days, from his failing war in Iran (the strait is still closed, and Iran is more determined than ever to build a nuclear bomb) and his failing economy (the closure of the strait continues to push up gas prices in the U.S. to near record levels). Today, Heather and I take a hard look at these three items — Trump’s China visit, his war in Iran, and the U.S. economy — and put them in the context of the 2026 midterm elections. We also discuss Kevin Warsh’s Fed and the unlikelihood it will cut interest rates any time soon. And we examine the rampant, unprecedented corruption of the Trump regime. Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, 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
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  Desperate Donald's Debacle | The Coffee Klatch for Saturday, May 9, 2026 09.05.2026 49min

  Friends,This morning, Michael and I (Heather is out today) delve into the redistricting wars — including the decision by the Virginia Supreme Court to cancel that state’s redistricting — and examine strategies still open to Democrats before the midterms. We also try to decipher what’s really happening in the Persian Gulf. And we take a close look at Trump’s sycophants Kash Patel at the FBI, Todd Blanche at Justice, Brendan Carr at the FCC, and Bill Pulte at the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the wrecking balls they’re wielding. Given all this, we compare Michael’s Gen Z’s outlook on America with my postwar boomer’s outlook.So please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, and join in today’s conversation. RR 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
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  Is This the Shittiest Supreme Court in History? | The Coffee Klatch for Saturday, May 2, 2026 02.05.2026 53min

  Friends,Today, Heather and I ask: Why is Trump so obsessed with his ballroom? What is actually going on in Iran? Is this the worst Supreme Court of all time? We look ahead to the midterm elections in six months and make some predictions. We’re also joined by Ben McKenzie to discuss Trump’s crypto corruption.So please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, 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
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  Live with Joyce Vance, on today's shameful and dishonest Supreme Court decision 29.04.2026 54min

  Joyce Vance was U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama. I’m grateful to her for sharing her views on today’s shameful and dishonest Supreme Court decision kneecapping Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, in which Samuel Alito pretends he’s not nullifying Section 2 while doing exactly that. It’s a bad day for American democracy. 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
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  Trump's Dire Straits: The Coffee Klatch for Saturday, April 25, 2026 25.04.2026 37min

  Friends,Today, Heather and I try to make sense out of this week’s riddles: What is Trump’s strategy for reopening the Strait of Hormuz? What’s he doing to stop his base from unraveling over his failed war? How can he avoid a “blue wave” in the midterm elections? And, by the way, why are jobs so hard to come by these days, anyway? We answer these and other riddles of the week. Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, 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
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  The Good Pope vs. The Shitty President | The Saturday Coffee Klatch for April 18, 2026 18.04.2026 37min

  Friends,Today Heather and I are joined by our colleague Michael, who helps us dissect a wild week. What’s the truth about the Strait of Hormuz? Why did Trump and Vance pick a fight with Pope Leo? Who or what’s behind the booming stock market? We grapple with these and much more on today’s Klatch. Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, 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
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  War Criminal-in-Chief | The Coffee Klatch, April 11, 2026 11.04.2026 47min

  Friends,Today, Heather and I examine this wildly horrendous week and tackle a basic question: Did the United States win its war with Iran, or lose it? We also take a deep dive into whether Trump is a war criminal for having threatened to cause the death of an entire civilization. And we talk with our friend journalist Amy Goodman, who’s out with a new movie about her life speaking truth to power. So, please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, 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
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  What Planet Is Trump Now On? The Saturday Coffee Klatch for April 4, 2026 04.04.2026 40min

  Friends,Today Heather and I venture to the far corners of Trump’s galaxy. First, to the planet from which he’s viewing his war in Iran. He says he’s eliminated Iran’s capacities to threaten U.S. air power, but on Friday Iran shot down an American F-15E bomber.Next we travel to planet Bondi, whom Trump has sacked. We ask why, and whether this is good news or bad — I think it’s bad. Then on to Trump’s ballroom fiasco, which a federal judge has halted. And we look at Trump’s Supreme Court, which is decidedly skeptical about his argument against birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to undocumented people (the plain wording of the 14th Amendment says “all persons born” in the U.S. are citizens). Much else to explore today, including the Artemis II mission, now taking four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth. And Larry Ellison’s layoffs of 30,000 Oracle workers on the same day he became $9 billion richer. What planet is he on?So please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, and join our 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