The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich

Friends, Today Heather and I look at the Trump regime’s decision to bar international students from Harvard and ask, what’s the difference between a neofascist diktat and Trump’s orders? As in fascism, Trump arbitrarily targets particular institutions and people, then takes away their freedoms for no reason other than that they’ve opposed the regime. (In recent days, the regime has also charged, investigated, or threatened to investigate Kamala Harris, Letitia James, Andrew Cuomo, Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, Bono, Oprah Winfrey, James Comey, unnamed “treasonous” Biden aides, the Kennedy Center, and the city of Chicago.)At the same time, as in authoritarian systems, Trump has openly and eagerly accepted personal gifts in return for unspecified favors — including money (mostly from foreign sources) for his crypto business and that $400 million Qatar “palace in the sky” (which the regime accepted this week, but which will be for Trump’s personal use). Under Trump — as in neofascism — the boundary between his personal, arbitrary, unconstrained power and the power of the state is obliterated. 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 look into the schemes that Trump and the people around him are using to make themselves rich at the expense of the American people — starting with Trump’s business trip this week to the oil-rich kingdoms of the Middle East. 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 take a deep dive into the most corrupt presidential administration in history. We look in detail at Trump’s crypto deals designed to enrich him and his family and milk the presidency, and Musk’s deals to enrich himself by, for example, having the State Department push other nations to use his Starlink satellites. The stench from these and other examples of self-dealing is worse by the day — even as the regime cuts programs most Americans depend on in order to make room in the federal budget for another giant tax cut disproportionately benefiting big corporations and the super-rich. 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 Heather and I examine the outlook for Trump, the Trump White House, Congress, and the economy. Now that we’ve finished the first hundred days, where does America go from here? Is there room for hope? I’m more optimistic than Heather because I believe opposition to Trump is growing. And it will become even larger if Trump and Republicans in Congress cut programs most Americans depend on in order to make space in the federal budget for a tax cut that disproportionately benefits the rich and big corporations. Heather is less optimistic. So it’s one of the klatches where we disagree. Hope you find it informative nonetheless. 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 take a look at the shi*tstorm of Trump’s first hundred days (which doesn’t officially conclude until Wednesday), and ask what happened, why it’s so horrible, and how we’re likely to look back on it. Along the way, we examine whether its major theme has been chaos or cruelty, what’s happened to the economy, and why Trump’s polls are taking a dive. In sharp contrast, we also discuss the legacy of Pope Francis. 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 Heather and I take a deep dive into Trump’s three escalating confrontations — with Harvard University, China, and the Supreme Court — and ask what Trump’s strategy might be. He can’t “win” any of these because Harvard, China, and the Supreme Court are all large and powerful enough to force him to blink, but nor can he afford to “lose” and maintain his credibility as an invincible force. So what will he do?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, Heather and I take a deep dive into this week’s wild ride in the stock and bond markets — why it occurred and what it means. Ten and a half weeks ago, the American and world economies were in fairly good shape, but now there’s a serious risk of what’s called “stagflation.” Tens of millions of people could be seriously hurt. And even more will be hurt if the Republican budget plan goes through, cutting Medicaid and/or Medicare and/or Social Security. So what should be done? What should Democrats do? How will all this end? Pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, please 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 take a look at the economic emergency Trump created this week with his gargantuan tariffs on imports. It’s the largest peacetime tax hike in American history — and one that keeps rising as other countries retaliate by raising tariffs on our exports to them. It’s all based on another Trump lie — this one, that the tariffs will cause global corporations to create good manufacturing jobs in America. But, as Heather and I discuss, the major reason our manufacturing jobs paid so well from the 1950s through the 1970s was that most manufacturing workers were in unions. That gave them bargaining power to demand high wages. This is no longer the case. Not only have unions been clobbered by Trump, Musk, and their billionaire buddies, but new AI-powered technologies will eliminate the need for most manufacturing workers to begin with. Talk about a manufactured crisis!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 assess how far the Trump regime is falling — starting with this week’s “Signalgate” fiasco, the regime’s increasing detention of international students without due process of law, wildly unconstitutional executive orders, brainless tariffs, and coming assault on Greenland (of all places). We also take a look at how voters seem to be responding — overwhelmingly against Trump and Musk — and ask if the Trump fever is finally breaking. 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,Today Heather and I delve into the forces holding Trump back — specifically, the federal courts, Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post, and Republican constituents in Republican town halls. Which of these, if any, is likely to be most effective over the long term in preventing Trump and Musk from doing their worst? We also have a special guest — Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, who this week was illegally fired by Trump for no reason other than … well, we’ll talk with her about that. Please 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