A Warning from 1994 of a Two-tiered Society | Robert Reich

Nov 21, 2023 | In 1994, I took a lot of heat for this speech warning that the American middle class was in danger. That was 29 years ago this week. Watch and tell me if I was wrong.

Billionaires Are Lining Up to Fund Donald Trump’s Anti-Democratic Agenda

THE GUARDIAN: The more disturbing Trump’s public proclamations become, the more US plutocrats seem to want him to win

‘On Veterans Day, Trump pledged to ‘root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical-left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country’.’ Photograph: Carlos Barría/Reuters
As an ever-greater portion of the nation’s total wealth goes to the top, it’s hardly surprising that ever more of that wealth is corrupting US politics.

In the 2020 presidential election cycle, more than $14bn went to federal candidates, party committees, and Super Pacs – double the $7bn doled out in the 2016 cycle. Total giving in 2024 is bound to be much higher.

That money is not supporting US democracy. If anything, that money is contributing to rising Trumpism and neofascism.

There is a certain logic to this.

As more and more wealth concentrates at the top, the moneyed interests rationally fear that democratic majorities will take it away through higher taxes, stricter regulations (on everything from trade to climate change), enforcement of anti-monopoly laws, pro-union initiatives and price controls

So they’re sinking ever more of their wealth into anti-democracy candidates.

Donald Trump is going full fascist these days and gaining the backing of prominent billionaires. » | Robert Reich | Tuesday, November 21, 2023

The public doesn’t understand the risks of a Trump victory. That’s the media’s fault: With democracy in the balance, the press must relay the crucial importance of this election and the dangers of a Trump win »

Patient privacy fears as US spy tech firm Palantir wins £330m NHS contract: Awarding of contract to create new data platform prompts immediate concerns about security of medical records »

They Aren't Stopping with Roe v. Wade | Robert Reich

Jun 24, 2022 • What rights will be stripped away next? Contraception? Same-sex marriage? Consensual same-sex sexual activity?

Clarence Thomas said it himself: the Supreme Court is coming for your right to privacy.

How Corporations Are Using Inflation to Take Your Money

May 31, 2022 • Don’t tell me corporations have no choice but to raise prices. Corporate profits are at a 70-year high. Stock buybacks are expected to reach $1,000,000,000,000 this year. News flash: They’re using inflation as cover to squeeze more money out of you.

Why Republicans are NOT the Party of Freedom | Robert Reich

May 9, 2022 • Why is the party of "freedom" trying to ban abortion? Because it's not actually about freedom. It's about power.

Robert Reich : The End of Roe v Wade?

What does the leaked opinion mean for abortion access right now? Will it affect other privacy rights? What can be done to protect abortion? Here's what we know.

Musk's Twitter Takeover: A Win for Oligarchy

When billionaires like Musk justify their motives by using 'freedom,' beware. They want to use their vast fortunes to do whatever they please – unconstrained by laws or regulations, shareholders, or even consumers. This is not a win for free speech. It’s a win for oligarchy.

Here’s What It’s Like Having $100 Billion vs. $1 Billion | Robert Reich

Mar 29, 2022 • Americans worth over $100 billion:

Elon Musk: $270B
Jeff Bezos: $190B
Bill Gates: $135B
Warren Buffett: $130B
Larry Page: $119B
Sergey Brin: $115B
Larry Ellison: $113B

4 Key Takeaways from the Harris-Pence VP Debate | Robert Reich

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich breaks down four key takeaways from last night's Vice Presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris.

This debate didn’t have the fireworks of the first presidential debate, but Pence’s lies were just as egregious as Trump’s.

The only honest thing about Pence last night was the fly on his head.

From the moment he was tapped to be Donald Trump’s second-in-command, Mike Pence has served a single purpose: To put a placid face on the disastrous, cruel policies of his boss. And that’s exactly what he did last night. Pence lied just like his boss, he flouted the debate rules like his boss, he evaded hard questions like his boss.

From refusing to condemn white supremacy to doubling down on dangerous conspiracies, Pence showed us he is just a slick version of Trump -- and just as dangerous as the liar-in-chief.

GOP Takeover of the Supreme Court: What You Need to Know

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich explains what's at stake in the SCOTUS nomination fight to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Led by Mitch McConnell, Republicans are gearing up to reverse the precedent they themselves set in 2016, when they blocked President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee for 293 days because, they said, “this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president.” They know if they let the people decide who should appoint the next Supreme Court justice, their last chance to implement minority rule could be lost.

Remember: Trump lost the popular vote by 3 million people. And he was impeached. If confirmed, his nominee would be approved by Senate Republicans representing 11 million fewer Americans than their Senate Democratic counterparts. That justice would join a Supreme Court alongside four conservative justices who were nominated by Republican presidents who also lost the popular vote. And these 5 would have the power to negate laws supported by a majority of Americans.

In other words, a president elected by a minority will appoint a justice who will be confirmed by senators representing a minority. That justice will have the power to subvert the will of the majority and possibly hand the election to a president who’s already been impeached.

The majority of Americans will not go down without a fight. First, we must defeat Trump and his Republican enablers in the upcoming election. Next, when Democrats have control of the Senate, the House, and the presidency, the top priority must be to restructure the Supreme Court so it better reflects the will of the people.

We must see the GOP’s exercise of raw power for what it is and meet it with even greater force.

Trump and McConnell Are the Twin Tribunes of America's Ruin – Vote Them Out

THE GUARDIAN: Under leaders as callous as these, the ravages of Covid-19, economic disaster and systemic racism can only get worse

Fate has been unkind to the United States. The nation is grappling simultaneously with a pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 130,000; the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression; and mind-numbing police brutality, which has generated the largest outpouring of grief and anger against systemic racism in memory.

Perhaps America’s greatest misfortune is that these crises have emerged at a time when its leadership is too incompetent to respond to them, if not maliciously dedicated to worsening them.

Donald Trump has not only refused to contain Covid-19 but is actively pushing Americans into harm’s way, demanding the nation “reopen” while cases and deaths continue to rise. Meanwhile, he’s siphoning federal money intended to dampen the economic crisis into the pockets of his cronies and family. And he is deliberately stoking racial tensions to energize his “base” for the upcoming election. As if this weren’t enough, Trump continues to attack the rule of law, on which a democracy depends in order to deal with these and all other challenges.

But he could not accomplish these abhorrent feats alone. Senate Republicans are either cheering him on or maintaining a shameful silence. Trump’s biggest enabler is the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell. » | Robert Reich | Sunday, July 12, 2020

Robert Reich: The Deadly Fox News-Trump Syndicate

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich exposes Fox News’ endless circuit of lies. As the coronavirus crisis rages on and protests against police killings and centuries of Black oppression sweep the country, Fox News is contributing almost as much to the deaths, disease, and brutal treatment of protesters as is Trump’s White House.

Trump spouts a shocking amount of misinformation from his bully pulpit, but it’s Fox News’ equally misleading coverage of the dual crises that closes the lethal circuit of lies.

Fox News called white protesters with AR-15s demanding haircuts "patriots"; they called Black protesters demanding an overhaul of our racist systems of oppression "thugs" and "looters". And their biased coverage of the protests hasn't stopped them from continuing to spew lie after lie about the coronavirus pandemic, even as the death toll surpasses 100,000.

Trump's propaganda machine is a clear and present danger to the United States. It's up to us to shut it down.


What a wonderful world it would be without Trump and Fox News! – Mark

Reich at Home: Trump Golfing as the US Mourns 100,000 Dead

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich is discussing Trump's criminal negligence, as he takes to the golf course this Memorial Day weekend while Americans mourn 100,000 lives lost to coronavirus. So far his golf trips have cost taxpayers more than $134,000,000 — 335 years of presidential salary. This November 3, we dump Trump. In the meantime, pray for America.

Reich at Home: Alarming Lockdown Protests, Unemployment Benefits in Limbo, Mixed Families Ignored

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich is discussing the latest coronavirus developments, including how most of the promised $600 weekly extra unemployment benefits remain stuck in state offices overwhelmed with claims, what it will actually take for the economy to “reopen,” how American citizens in mixed status families are not receiving the economic stimulus, and the dangerous, right-wing protests against stay-at-home orders popping up across the country.

Robert Reich: Who Will Be the Next President?

Robert Reich offers looks at the 2020 candidates for the Democratic nomination for president.

Robert Reich: Closing the Border to Mexico Is "Insane"

$1.5 billion dollars per day cross the US-Mexico border and closing it, as Trump has proposed would be "cataclysmic," says former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, whom Laura Carlsen interviewed in Mexico

Robert Reich: President Trump Spewing 'Venom' At Independent Powers | MSNBC

What is the president trying to do when he attacks judges? Is he trying to stand up for himself, or is there something darker at play? Robert Reich from the University of California at Berkeley joins to discuss.

Robert Reich: Trump's Cabinet Has No Idea How Working People Live

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich is no fan of the President-elect and fears his authoritarianism, and Tucker takes him on their economic similarities

Inequality for All

Bill Moyers talks with Economic analyst Robert Reich about the new film Inequality for All. Opening in theaters across the country next week, the film aims to be a game-changer in our national discussion of income inequality.