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. Today we look at: — The “Goldilocks” economy — inflation is coming down, but we’re not heading into a recession. Yesterday’s jobs report showed continuous buoyant growth of jo...

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. Pull up a chair and grab a mug shot. This morning we’re looking at: — Trump’s arraignment in Georgia on Thursday, and his brazen use of imagery and marketing to circumvent rat...

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: — Trump’s FOURTH indictment, this one in Georgia, and why it could be the one that sends him to jail. — The upcoming Republican primary debate,...

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: — Merrick Garland’s appointment of a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden. Will this hurt or help Joe Biden? — Judge Tanya Chutkan’s thre...

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 ab...

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 a...

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...

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 Bid...

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...

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...

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 presi...

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 s...

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 “awakening...

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 announ...

Friends, While MAGA Republicans in the House attack and investigate what they dub Biden’s “weaponized” federal government and blast Democratic mayors for being “soft on crime,” they are blatantly ignoring the crimes of their allies in plain sight. After Rep. George Santos was arrested and charged with 13 federal crimes — seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of th...

Friends, On Sunday I experienced the perfect antidote to the resurgent Trump and Trumpism. I met with Tennessee Representative Justin Jones right after he gave an inspiring talk to our graduating UC Berkeley public policy students. As you may recall, Jones and another young Black Tennessee legislator, Justin Pearson, were expelled last month from the state’s General Assembly for protesting Tenness...

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. This week we focus on: — Donald Trump’s horrible lie-fest on CNN. Why did CNN give him a full hour in front of a fawning audience of Trump fans? — E. Jean Carroll’s courtroom...

Friends, Retiring from the university means I have to vacate my office. The university has already scheduled a cleaning and new paint job (as if my years of habitation have somehow infested it). What to do with my books? I’ve accumulated several hundred over the years, now scrunched together on shelves running floor to ceiling. I’ve considered carting them to the student common room with a sign re...

Friends, The same Republican state lawmakers who are prohibiting transgender care for young people and barring them from using school bathrooms or playing on sports teams according to their gender identity — all in the name of “protecting children” — are actively subjecting children to more gun violence and pushing younger children into more dangerous jobs. Consider Arkansas, which in April 2021 b...

Friends, Welcome back to another Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media and my former student) where we look at the highs and lows and even lowers of the week. Today, we examine: — Joe Biden’s unsurprising announcement that he’s running for reelection. But what does it really mean, and what are his chances? — Kevin McCarthy and the radical House Repub...

Friends, Ever since word got out that I’ll be retiring from teaching at the end of this semester, people have been asking me what I’ll be doing next? I try to respond politely, but the question annoys the hell out of me. I’m reminded of singer-songwriter Willie Nelson’s response to a fan who asked him when he’ll be retiring: “Retiring from what? ” Most people who “retire” usually stop what they ca...

Welcome back to my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse, when we consider the lows and lower points of the week. Today we look at: — The latest revelations about Clarence Thomas’s corruption — financial gifts from Harlan Crow that by law must be reported. Will Thomas finally be held accountable? — The district court ruling in Texas that overruled the FDA’s decision that a major abortion m...

Friends, The $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News — which starts Monday, with jury selection tomorrow — has uncovered a trove of damning text messages and emails showing that Fox News hosts like Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham knowingly lied to their viewers about false claims of voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election. A few weeks ago, Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Da...

Friends, Welcome back to my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse, executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action (and my former student), where we examine the lows and even lowers of the week. Today we look at: — Consequences of the Trump indictment: The Grifter-in-Chief rakes in more money and surges to the top of the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. — Tennessee...

Friends, Welcome back to my Saturday coffee klatch with Heather Lofthouse (executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action, and my former student), where we examine the lows and even lowers of the preceding week. Today we talk about: — Trump’s indictment, and what it really means. — Starbucks’ anti-labor strategy, and what we should do about it. — The Gwyneth Paltrow case, and why it’s gotten...