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COMMENTARY THE COFFEE KLATCH ... OCTOBER 25TH, 2025 with Robert Reich and Heather Lofthouse Trump’s Wrecking Ball /b> PLAY YOUTUBE VIDEO Original article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAsbeDLUsrU&t=84s
Trump’s Wrecking Ball \| The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich Robert Reich Premiered Oct 25, 2025 1.38M subscribers ... 153,735 views ... 9.6K likes The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich Inflation is up. The East Wing of the White House is down. We talk through the week’s biggest stories on a new Coffee Klatch. Get your own official Coffee Klatch mug, featuring an original drawing by yours truly. The proceeds from all coffee mug sales will go directly to Inequality Media Civic Action to power our work to build a fairer economy, defend democracy, and stop Donald Trump’s authoritarianism. https://store.inequalitymediacivicact... Peter Burgess COMMENTARY This Saturday discussion is longer than usual ... for good reason. There is growing evidence that the Trump presidency is falling apart and 'decent' Americans are starting to rebel against the Trump agenda and the conversation in this episode of the Koffee Klatch discusses the many inidicators that a major shift of political attitude in the American society is well underway with Trump's popularity dropping sharply. A modicum of good news ... but more is still needed and Trump and his MAGA supporters still have the power to inflict a lot moor damage! Stay tuned! Peter Burgess Transcript 0:01 And it is the Saturday coffee clutch with Heather Loft House. Hello, Heather. And you, Robert Rush. And yours truly, Robert Rush. So, Heather, what are we going to be talking about today? Uh, well, how are you doing? Are you No, I'm I'm okay. I'm okay. A little bit of a letdown this week after Saturday. I know because Snow Kings was so successful. It was so successful and it had such a great feeling, right? And I just uh inevitably there's a little bit of a and also Trump is just doing crazy crazy. Okay, so let's get into that. But let's talk about the success of No Kings. We'll talk about the desecration of the White House and the ballroom that is being built. The desecration, the degenerative kind of decay, demolition, demolition and and destruction. Oo, I was going to say that. And then let's talk about where the government shutdown is stands. Let's talk about what should the Dems be doing that they're not. And also this Mani everything and the Mumani moment that we're in. Well, this is a lot to Let's begin. Let's get into it. I'm buoied by No Kings still. I am too. I am too. Wasn't that No, 1:05 seriously. It was just It turns out the numbers on No Kings, closer to 8.2 million. Uh, which means that approximately, now this is all still rolling in, but approximately one out of every 50 adults in the United States took part. Now, that may not sound like much, but that's 2% of the entire United States population. That's the largest demonstration ever. Ever. And it was against Trump. I know. And it was peaceful. And it was celebratory and patriotic. People had American flags but also full of passion. And I would say people channeled their anger in a beautiful healthy way. I think I think so. And people felt um just great to be part of uh this movement which is a pro-democracy movement. Uh it is and it was it's so clearly uh you know everybody there kind of a a new 2:05 appreciation that they're not alone. Uh and that we are not only all in this together but this is about the most fundamental things we can imagine about not living under a dictatorship. Not living under a dictatorship. I know. Can I say that again? Yes. Not living under a dictatorship. We refuse. And uh this is what you know 250 years ago we said no kings. And we're saying it again. Uh and Heather, I'm going to again you you knock me for this sometimes, but when I when I do the silver lining, here we go. When I do this silver lining, I I sometimes think we had to go through this horrible Trump era in order to appreciate better uh and guard better and preserve better uh you know the the most essential values of our of our country. I agree. The only thing I'll knock about that is you said we had to go through 3:03 this as though it's in the past. The problem is we're still going through it. We are still going through it. So it is a silver lining but it's hard to maintain that as you're you know watching it all happen. But so you have cited this um I think it was out of Harvard study that basically said to overtake a dictator um and to have a populace rise up you need 3.5% of that adult population to do so. Yes. The sociological study and it was very meticulous uh showed and it was a historical study worldwide uh of dictatorships that when the population that is opposing the dictator reaches and is willing to be on the streets opposing dictator approximately 2 3.5 3.5% of the total adult population that's the end and that's 11 million for the states for us United States of America we were just eight million. We were eight. We were 8 million. Uh now, this is not exactly a scientific doesn't mean things immediately, but 4:04 we're on the way. And his polls keep dropping. In terms of his point in the presidency right now, he's at the lowest that any president in modern times has been at this point in his presidency. Lowest in terms of polls or lowest in terms of favorability? Well, in terms of morals, too. And degradation. Degradation. He's He's degrading the presidency, the White House, the office of the president, desecrating desecrating demolishing. Well, he's demolishing all that, too. And destroying and you saw that he his no king's reaction. He was not happy. I think he wanted violence or not. But talk about degradation. I mean, here he is. He puts up on his truth social. It's actually lie antisocial. Uh and he what does he do? He puts up an AI generated video of himself there in a plane, the 5:02 cockper pilot, and he's and he's he's he's he's delivering this plane is delivering poop right on on it's a brown liquid. Uh it's excrement. It's on all of these demonstrators on everybody who he he just can't stand because they don't like him. I mean, he's the president. He thinks only of the people who love and adore him. He's not the president of anybody who dislikes him. So that's what that's what this is what this is a pre-adolescent response. This is not only degrading and kind of undermining the dignity. I mean he doesn't even understand the word dignity. Uh but he is basically stooping to what a 13-year-old I'm sorry a 12-year-old. Yeah. Thank you. 11y old. I have a 13y old my boy. Oh, it's terrible. It's so terrible. So, okay. So, what do we what do we do? What do we do? Okay. So, I 6:00 feel like no king I saw a lot of people saying no kings is a win, but the shutdown isn't a win for the Dems. And doing this horse race. Well, the shutdown is a win for the Dems in the sense I mean, look at the polls. It shows that although Democrats are being blamed, Republicans are blamed much more. And it's easy to see why because the Republicans own the entire government. They run the the the executive branch. They run both houses of Congress. They for all intents and purposes run the Supreme Court. I mean, it is a Republican government. We are now able to see how Republicans do govern. And the fact of the matter is they desecrate. They desecrate. They denigrate. They destroy. That's what they do. I know it. And so the shutdown is happening. We're on day what is it? 35. It's just It's amaz October 1st. Yeah. Was the beginning of 20. So we are yeah we are in the fourth moving into the fifth week and there's not enough discussion about not only the people who are not getting 7:03 what they I mean here's a good example starting next week people who are entitled to food stamps because they are very poor and very needy and they are very vulnerable or they have uh you know problems in terms of just physical problems. uh they will not be getting food stamps. Snap. They won't be getting them. Uh says the administration. Even though there is a law on the books in Congress that says if there is any shutdown or those benefits still have to go to these vulnerable people. But Bob, so it just so they won't get food stamps. We haven't even talked about what's happening with the Affordable Care Act and health. At the same time that this ballroom is being built. Yes. The where I'm assuming you can't he's not going to be giving out free which the name of it is the Jeffrey Epsteal. Yeah. The Jeffrey Epste. It's really nice of him putting a ballroom. It's pretty in you know memorializing Jeffrey Epste and all of the gold leaf 8:06 that is I mean he's already but all these people need food. At the same time, this king would be whatever he is without the wouldbe tyrant is building a Versailles while people are not going to have food and we're giving money to Argentina. $40 billion of bailout to Melee and there's no USA ID and Well, you're pointing out all of the absurdities and and the See, I'm going to do this for lining again. You ready? Because people are now waking up to this. They see how can he be building a you gigantic ballroom to sit a thousand people. These are not going to be the people. These are not going to be a ballroom for working class people. This is these are going to be a ballroom for the people who are actually getting their names etched into the marble pediments of the ballroom. That is the billionaire class. The billionaires, the CEOs of the giant corporations. They are the ones who are going to actually be in 9:06 the ballroom and they are the ones who are financing the ballroom. They are the ones who are financing the desecration of the White House as the people's house. It becomes the billionaire's house. And how what is going to go on in this ballroom? I mean, it is just greased palms shaking hands. Corruption. Here we What's a grease palm? I don't Is it that? I think it's Yeah, I think it's a quick I think it's a quick Yeah. Take the money off the money. Yeah, I mean, you know, this reminds me, Heather, this is in the in the first guilded age that started in about the 1890s, ended about the 1920. Uh, you had the captains of industry who were termed robber barons. They instructed their lackey to deliver sacks of money and put them on the desks of plant legislators. You see all these cartoons with the fat cats? I feel like you recreate them too, 10:02 but it makes me I immediately go to the that's what's happening now. It's exactly I mean there's there's absolutely no shame anymore with regard to money and power and what the king Trump is doing in terms of you know he's using his pardoning power to uh to say to uh Bance you know the uh the yes the person who he he was in jail he he was found to have been a major fencing operation one of the biggest white collar criminals uh of the recent memory the crypto universe. And but but why did he get a pardon? Because obviously he decided to invest in one of Trump's big crypto laundering schemes. Yeah, he pleaded guilty. He pleaded guilty. He pleaded guilty, but Peng Xiao, but he was known as CZ. Well, yes. So, okay. Um, degradation, degradation, degradation. That's what's happening all over. So, you have this is the split screen. On 11:01 the one side of the screen, you've got 8 million Americans out with, you know, with with flags and they're saying we and sassy signs and sassy great signs and we we love America and we are we are we don't want to live under a dictatorship. And the other side of the split screen, you've got Trump who absolutely has no guard rails. He's doing whatever he wants to do. He's he's pulling in money for himself and his family. Uh he's putting gold leaf all over the White House. What about the DOJ? And he's and he's c he's causing the do the Department of Justice to be his own personal vendetta farm. I mean he's asked for 230 million was it for reimbursement you know for reimbursement for him for damages for him. And he's sending how much to his dictator friends around the world. I mean in in Argentina 40 billion. Okay. So you he he doesn't want any US aid. He's wrecked that. So there's children 12:02 all over the world who are getting malaria. I know pregnant mothers pregnant mothers who are dying. All of that. You know, America's soft power is now gone. And instead we're sending $40 billion to an autocrat uh in Argentina. Not to not because the world economy needs it, but just because the autocrat needs it. So he's deciding all of this stuff so by himself, right? And but but he doesn't go to Congress. I mean, how about the tariffs in Canada right now? I mean, that's the latest here. Where where's my Oh, yeah. Here's my Constitution. There it is. Okay. Now, Article One gives the power of setting trade rules to Congress. Right. Oh, God. That's what I know that was a that's what dramatic movement. That was a Yes. I'm sorry. Sorry. I didn't mean that. But you know, but that's one that's what he's doing. That's what he's doing. He's saying uh I 13:04 don't care. I'm going to take the power of the purse. I'm right now government is shut down. Uh there is you don't have any authority, Mr. President, to move money around or not spend money. Oh, he says, 'Well, I do. I'm going to give the money. I'm going to take it from this pocket. I'm going to put it so the armed forces uh get paid. Uh but nobody else is being paid. Air traffic controllers, they're not being paid. Well, I'm not going to pay them. I'm going to This is an autocrat. This is a dictator. But so all these people are going to come back to a further desecrated government. I mean, it was already not good. I mean, hopefully it's going to end soon. And you heard the CPI report. I mean, you heard, you know, no one was able to work, but they all came back and they were dragged back in and they were nine days late with the report because, of course, the government isn't running. You're talking, you're talking about the Bureau of Labor Statistics that comes out with the Consumer Price Index. Uh, yes, translating my acronym and it 14:02 was and it was late. Uh, and it's they're not even guaranteeing it's going to come out again next month. Have you ever had this as a man who might have been Secretary of Labor? Who might have been? And and I think I was I think was I I lose, you know, my memory a little bit in this. But I mean late with all the firing all the statistitians and that's the thing. The White House said it might not come out next month. In other words, they want to bury it. They want to bury the inflation data because the the data we just got shows that since Trump started his tariff binge uh inflation has picked up every single You mean since liberation day since liberation day April whatever it was April 2nd should have been April 1st April Fool's Day uh so every month inflation has increased and so people uh are paying more for food and for gas and for utilities and for everything else. 15:00 Uh, and Donald Trump refuses. He doesn't want people to know next month. And what's going to happen when SNAP is taken away and when all of these um, health premiums go up. So, November 1st is a very important date across all of these states. Some states have been able to have an open enrollment period and people have been saying my premium people in California said went from 600 to 2,200 for the month. How these are middle class people, Heather. How can a middle class person pay 2,200 a month for healthare? I mean that makes it it it is it's devastating. I mean it just blows your budget up. I don't know. What do you lose? You lose your housing. You lose your cars. you lose your and remember this is all because of that big ugly bill that was passed through Congress that gave a huge disproportionate tax break to the billionaires and multi-millionaires and went after Medicaid and the subsidies built into the Affordable Care Act. Uh that's how it a big big portion of how it was paid for. So this is reverse 16:06 Robin Hood. This is robbing the poor and the working class and middle class to pay the rich. Give them a tax cut. This is part of the degradation. I know. So, we've used a lot of dwords. I'm going to use another dword. Democrats. Democratic party. What What is that? Where are the Dems? What What is that party you just said? Yeah. Dem Democratic Democratic with a capital D. Yeah. Well, good question. Where are the Democrats now in Should they be? Well, in fairness, uh, there is no Democratic spokesperson. There is in fairness, not in fairness to me. No, but in fairness to the Democratic party. It's not as if there is a, you know, a somebody who has been made the spokesperson for the Democratic party. I mean, normally it would be Chuck Schumer, uh, the Senate minority leader, uh, and 17:01 Hakeim Jeff, the the House minority leader. Uh but these people don't necessarily have the let me put it gently the heft or the gently charisma uh to to make the case. Mhm. So who is it? Charisma. Charisma and charisma. Charisma. It's a it's a Yiddish word. So they don't have the charisma. Who is it who's speaking for the Democrats? It's unclear. I mean Bernie Sanders is not a Democrat. I hate to say it. I I love Bernie. He's not a Democrat. AOC. I I love her. Um but and she's a Democrat, but she she was fabulous at her town hall with Bernie. I mean, they are they are terrific. And you know who else is terrific? Um Zorhan Mandani. I mean he is uh a week from Tuesday. Hopefully he's going to be the next mayor of New York City. You know, Eric Adams just endorsed Quomo. Well, what do you expect? I know. I mean, hello. This is this is this is what what drives me nuts about the Democratic Party. I love when you get fired up. Well, I'm Well, the Democratic Party, if 18:10 there was any time in history, Heather, when we need a strong, forceful, articulate, powerful opposition party, it is now. When the Democratic Party that used to Hello. When I was when I was growing up, the Democrats stood for uh the proposition that what you need to do is empower people who are the underdogs, who are poor or workingass or that was the whole FDR vision of the dem Democratic party. It was not perfect, but it was really a very important and understandable vision. Uh Mandani has it, AOC has it, Bernie certainly has it, but the rest of the Democratic Party, what they're they're pursuing, and they've been pursuing this for decades, what they call the center or the, you know, the the the swing the suburban swing voter. Yeah. If I ever hear that expression again, I'm going to scream. You're going to scream swing somebody. Suburban swing voter. Now, are you talking about the New York Times editorial? Well, I haven't, but I will. The what did the New York Times editorialized? And this was the editorial board. This was not just one of their columnists. The editorial board a few days ago said what Democrats need to do is move to the center. And they used these maps and they said this is our some evidence for it. And they had basically all these seats that were won um where Trump had won, but they but these Dems had won. And the reason they had won in the House in these House races was because they were centrists. No, but but look behind the facade of the New York Times reasoning and you see that every one of these so-called centrists, they actually appealed and used Trump's red meat. They actually 20:00 were anti-immigration or they said we need, you know, more law and order. We need to have troops in here. or they, you know, they they used uh kind of anti-bureaucratic. They say the real problem is bureaucracy. They they did the right-wing stuff. That's not the future of the Democratic party, right? I mean, you know, the the real question is, is there a center between democracy and fascism? There is none. There is none. Hello. Hello. New York Times political operatives of the Democratic Party. Can I Can I just make the point? Excuse me. I have to I want to talk to the political operatives in the Democratic party. Political operatives in the Democratic Party. New York Times. You I'm going to include you because you what you did you said and I like the New York Times basically. But I'm going to say something to you that's really very very important. Don't ever talk about Democrats having to move to the center because there is no center between 21:01 fascism and democracy. That's what we are dealing with right now. Okay. Do you get that? Did they get it? I'm sure I'm sure they're listening and processing and thinking and reviewing their own actions. Um, but when you read that article, they they really I mean the thing that I find interesting is they really believe it. They really believe it and they really want Dems to win. Do they want Dems to win or they do they want corporate Dems to win? I think I think that there is a two there are two Democratic parties really and and I've seen this Heather I've seen this for 60 years. I mean before that I was still alive but I didn't really pay much attention. The one Democratic party is the people's democratic party. I mean this is the party that has you know been there for civil rights and voting rights and and healthcare and you know and workers and labor rights and it's you know it's it's the it's the underdog party. The other Democratic party party is the corporate Democratic Party. It's there because the 22:04 big corporations and Wall Street are the big funders. And starting in the 1980s and increasing in the '90s and in this century, they've been pushing more and more money into the coffers of the Democratic Party. And those two cannot be one. Well, they're different parties. They are different political parties. you know, the underdog Democratic Party and the corporate Democratic Party, they're different. The corporate Democratic Party just endorsed Cuomo or did it through the current mayor of New York. Uh, and they don't want Zorhan Mandani. They they don't like and they are afraid of AOC and Bernie Sanders and money out of politics and they got no they made sure that Bernie Sanders was not the Democratic candidate in 2016 uh and and once again in 2024. I mean they really I'm talking about the corporate Democrats. They 23:01 really are freaked out by the underdog Democrats. Yeah. But and who's going to win against Donald Trump and MAGA and Vance? Well, that's exactly that's exactly the question, but I'm asking you. Well, you can ask me. Ask me again. Who's going to win? Um, is it going to be a corporate Dem if you had to put money on it or just our lives? I thought you'd never ask. or the it has there is no real the the only way we prevail over Donald Trump and his neofascism is with an underdog Democratic party that is tough and clear and bold and comes up with, you know, things that are going to help people like paid family leave and and help making affordable homes and help making affordable child care and and stuff that people really care about. and authentic and moral. Yes. And this is what Mum Donnie is doing. This is, you know, I remember I'm old enough to remember Bobby Kenn, the real Bobby Kennedy, the real one. You mean the original 24:03 Bobby Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy during the Vietnam War years. Uh, these were people who summoned the power of the underdog Democratic Party. I mean they articulated the idea and ideals of the underdog Democratic party as FDR did. Um and as Mandani is doing and as Bernie Sanders and AOC are doing. Y let's be clear about these two parties. I know. And let's get let's get rid of the corporate Democratic party. Let's get rid of it here. Here. So we have voting. Um, election day is coming up soon in a number of states. In California, we have Prop 50. I'm voting for Prop 50. Okay. I want to endorse it. May I endorse it as a as a private individual? Yes, please. I'm endorsing it. So, but tell us more. Where do things stand in terms of gerrymandering around the country? Right. What's happening in um I mean, we have Texas obviously and 25:05 that kind of started it all, but what's happening Missouri? Well, the big the big Virginia the big fight obviously is the midterms. Can the Democrats get the House of Representatives back? Ideally, the New York Times told me that they can if they move to the ideally both the House and the Senate. Uh and uh and that's the only way we're going to stop this reign of dictatorship, you know, that that this degradation of of America. Now the question is can they do it? Um the the the margin is so tight, so close in both the House and the Senate. Uh what Trump ordered, he actually really did order uh the states, red states to redistrict, that is to change their you know uh the the the the boundaries of 26:01 their of their congressional districts. Yeah. To get to win more Republican seats. And this is this is half this is the midpoint between the census. I mean, normally you have a census a decade every decade. You have a census and then you have redistricting on the basis of what the census shows. No. Trump says data and facts. Yes. And Trump says, 'No, no, no, no, no. I want I want all the Republican states that can do it to do even more redistricting, even more gerrymandering, more more extreme, right? And so that's what that's why Greg Abbott in Texas got five more he thinks Republican seats. Uh North Carolina just redistricted got one more Democratic of Republican seat. Uh Missouri, Missouri, is it Missouri ah or Missouri? I say Missouri, but I think people from Missouri No, it depends on whether you're in the northern part of the southern part of 27:00 the state. No, northern it's Missouri and southern it's Missouri. But I think Missouri I think it's fas. No, even the north it's Missouri, right? But Missouri, you say Missouri? Yeah, I was just trying to say it as though, you know, a little more legit, you know, kind of. I know, but it's not. It's really not. Oh, okay. Maybe can someone type can someone write in? Yeah. I said something last week where I said, 'So, here's Syscue County in California.' And someone corrected me that it was two syllables because I had said it three syllables. I'm not going to say it wrong. And so I actually we appreciate when people put in the comments pronunciations. It's important we back to Missouri. Back to Missouri. So uh Missouri or Missouri uh they're going to they're trying to get one Indiana. We're talking about additional Republican seats. U now this is why Proposition 50 is so important in California because that would allow California to offset Texas temporarily. This is only a temporary. This is a counter move that's very finite and 28:04 defined around what's happening careful counter move. So anybody who is a purist who says no I don't want to have you know politics intrude in the district you know well I agree with that basically I mean I was chair of common cause the stitson lobby uh but uh in this case for a temporary purpose to match what Texas is doing absolutely vote for Proposition 50 and let's uh let's offset that advantage. Um, but what really worries me, Heather, is the Supreme Court because in the argument that we had recently the Supreme the justices sounded like they were very amanable to the argument that Louisiana was making uh that districtricting shouldn't take any account of race at all. And under the 14th amendment, uh that 29:01 means that if the Supreme Court agrees with that, the entire section two of the Voting Rights Act, which essentially said you can't, government cannot, you know, uh have racial outcomes, I mean, racist outcomes, uh that section two is obliterated. I'm scared. And if the Supreme Court comes out with that fairly soon, that will give enough time for every state that's a Republican dominated state to redistrict. And what's their justification for this? I mean, on Fox News, I mean, do they say I feel like they say, you know, racism's over. It's not a thing. Well, that's exactly what they did with section that's what some of the justices argued. Uh and when they got rid of section five, which was the mechanism for Justice Department oversight of all of the states that have a record of racism, uh they said the argument that the right made, the Republicans made is it's it's no longer a problem. Racism is 30:04 no longer a problem. We didn't. And so the the court went along with that and got gutted section five of the Voting Rights Act. That was bad enough. If they got section two, that's essentially the entire voting rights act of 1965, Heather, which was a huge achievement. Uh achievement that many people worked for. Uh some people I know died for in terms of trying to register voters uh in the south. Um it would be a horrible horrible outcome. So, how do we maintain our faith in the fact that we still have some agency in the midterms even if all of this stuff happens? I mean, there are still some competitive seats where if there is a blue wave, we it can happen. Yes. Because remember, um the the in the nonvoters, people who don't even bother to vote, the largest party in America, they are the largest party. They are there are more non voters than there are 31:05 Republicans. More non voters than there are Democrats. Uh if we can appeal to the non voters, which is not easy. Well, but it's even even a small amount get them to vote. Uh now there are more non- voters in a midterm u because you don't have a president on the ballot. Uh so I think that the challenge may be larger but so many people are so upset by what this administration is doing by the degradation of our entire government. It's not just the shutdown. It's it's basically the the lawlessness the corruption everything else that this administration represents and the Republican and the cruelty and the the sadism. I mean, it's almost sadism and the Republicans willingness in Congress to rubber stamp almost everything that Trump wants. Well, they're angry enough. Now, maybe my 32:00 silver lining here is too silver or too much of a lining. Oh, okay. Okay. But but I think that there is going to be a a title wave of people voting for Democrats. I mean, really, I really do. So, let's make it happen. I do I we could nerd out on how you get people to vote because it's fascinating. I mean, people have been working on it for years trying to get non- voters to be voters. Um, it helps. It helps. It helps when everything it's person to person. Yeah. And if you can get I mean I I say to people here in blue California, I mean, we are wasting our votes. I mean, I I want people to vote. I want people to vote. Uh but if we have friends or relatives in red states or purple states, persuade them, right? Get them on on on the side of the people instead of the on the side of the powerful, right? But you got to motiv I mean, you've got to there are certain phrases 33:00 that people find motivating. There are certain phrases that people find shameful, you know, like you didn't do it last time. I mean, that's not how you get No, you do it your kid to take out the trash. So, you do it by motivating. You know, I have a 17-year-old granddaughter. She is doing she's going doortodoor fabulous for mom Donnie now. Why? I haven't seen that kind of motivation among young people for years. Uh and I say to myself, well mom Donnie, if he's getting inspiring young people like that, that's the future of the Democratic party. And I like that too. It's she can't vote yet, but I want you all to vote. Yeah. Yeah. She's going door todo with her friends uh in New York City. Yeah. Um, and hopefully it's a it's it's the beginning of a wave, right? Hopefully it's the beginning of something that is is the underdog Democratic party instead of the corporate Democratic party, right? Hopefully, it's the end of the degradation of our governmental system and the presidency and the White House 34:01 and everything else we're seeing. Was it the whole thing with Paul and Gracia and some of Trump's nominees hitting walls? Yeah. or hitting the bottom. Hitting the bottom. It's hitting something. And Graciio was a well, you know, he was one of the people who was found on one of those text message boards uh to have said that he was a what would he say? A casual Nazi sometimes. He has a Nazi streak here, a Nazi streak here and there. He said he had a Nazi streak. Well, he already is. In fact, he still is the liaison person between the Department of Homeland Security and the White House. He's still in that job with the Nazi streak. Uh but the White House had also because he's such a Trump loyalist, right, had also nominated him to become the head of the office of special counsel, which is a very delicate office. It it protects whistleblowers. It's supposed to. And and uh but but it was even too much for the Senate. Senate 35:00 Republicans when they said, 'Well, wait a minute. He has a he sometimes he admits to being has having a Nazi time to time streak to from from time to time.' Even Senate Republicans saying said this is too much even though he's a Trump loyalist. So that gave me a little bit of Yes, there's a bottom. Yeah, there is a bottom at least for the Senate Republicans, right? Um, no, that's that's good news and we should celebrate the good news and and the split screen we're talking about this week. You know, we've got one out of 50 Americans out out there last Saturday and we've got the Senate, you know, bucking Trump in terms of in terms of Ingrassia and we've got u, you know, a lot of uh a lot of good things are happening in terms of the media. you know, the entire the entire media said no to Pete Hegsth when he said, uh, you've got to turn in, you know, if you if you don't agree just to publish what we tell you to publish about the Pentagon, uh, then you've got to turn in 36:04 your Pentagon press passes and everybody turned in their press passes, even Fox News, right? There was one that didn't. O, I think didn't. Yeah. Well, but basically it means that Pet XF has a press conference and there's nobody there, which is not great, but also stand up for what you believe in. And well, it's just journalists. It's it's just there is a push back. I mean, all of the law firms uh that did not cave, they are doing better. They're actually having an easier time recruiting people than the law firms that cave to Trump. Oh, I hadn't heard that one. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. In fact, uh, and then you've got the universities. Uh, Trump went to nine major universities that had looked like they were going to surrender to him and said, 'I got a compact. I've got an idea. Get in on this. Yeah. You you you do this, this, and this, and this. Let us deal. Let us let us control you, and you'll get priority 37:04 in terms of federal funding.' And seven of the nine said, 'No.' Yep. I mean, this is push back. This is Well, we need more. This is part Well, we need more, but this is part of, you know, part of what's what's so encouraging about what's happening now. I like having coffee with you. I like having coffee. Makes me feel better with you. And, you know, you can we now are offering these mugs, but I have we are we want to do a 2.0 version of this mug. So, this is the original mug that you all can get. Can Can I put it maybe for 2026 we do a second one? I'll do I'll do another drawing. First of all, it says the coffee clutch. It doesn't say with Heather Loft House and Robert Rush. It says with Robert Rush. I did not write with Robert Rush. I said with Heather and you didn't and we didn't scribble out with I know we got it. We'll figure out kind. You're very kind. No, it's not kind. It's, you know, you were a critical part of this. Well, thank you. But so anyway, you can buy a mug. Also, the I will just put a plug for the film this week. There was an education and democracy night, the 38:05 last class about your final semester teaching and you can find it on the lastclassfilm.com. The lastclassfilm.com. You set me up so beautifully. Um, so yeah, so it did. We had this education and democracy night and 4,500 people saw the film in 40 different states. It's really amazing uh what you and the 25 states. 25 states and the director Elliot Kersner are actually pulling off and the whole team. Meredith D Salazar and Anna Elely and Josh Melrod who is our editor and our producer. I mean people it's it's I don't know. It's fascinating to see people say I want a reason to meet in a movie theater and connect with my peers and feel solidarity and then we get together and we do more from that. We use it as a spring. Well, it's it's sort of um a miniature version of what happened last weekend. uh when you have eight million people uh they they see each other, they meet each other, they talk to each other, they start they start creating these new communities uh they link up with each other, they're they're networking and and that is what is so critical now particularly for the midterms but it's 39:13 also critical for the future but they meet on personal levels like we my kiddo had his sweatshirt from his middle school and a guy said oh I used to be the principal there and then we started talking but then also a lot of different organiz ganizations are coming to these events and they have QR codes and sign up lists and so you can get involved. It's a new way to find out who's doing what in your community so you can and and they're creating they're creating book groups. Yes. And and they're reading coming up short are Yeah. No, definitely. And so you know No, it's true. No, there are book groups and there is coming up short which is groups. Yes. Anyway, coming up. Oh, you had a terrific event with Michael Lewis this week for your book. You know, I did not know Michael Lewis and I both live here in Berkeley. Um, 40:01 and uh, you know, we we see each other and we pass on the, you know, we pass each other and I like him a lot, but I had not had a chance to actually sit down and talk with him for an hour and a half. It was so and he read the book and he asked so many good questions. Um, and it was fasc I mean he really was so thoughtful and he was funny and he also has a fabulous book that he edited who is government and Pegasus Books was in the lobby offering coming up short your memoir and his book. Yeah. And I think that um uh we're going to we're going to show parts of that Yeah. interview. Yep. Yep. Yep. The Goldman School re uh and the Goldman School the Goldman School sponsored it. Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. Uh Heather, our time is just about finished. But I want to thank you. I want I want to thank you again again for being so right articulate and powerful. You are articulate and powerful. You are the future of the Democratic Party. 41:02 Oh, please. You are. Thank you. And no thank you. Well, but honestly, thank you. Have you thought about running? No, I can't hear you. It's so weird. There's like a disconnect. You know, I think she would be a great candidate. And I want to thank Jordan Alport who's today behind this. Oh, wait. Michael is not here. Michael Calderon, who you all know, but we have this great quick um clip of him walking at No Kings, marching at No Kings. Should we show it? Yeah, let's show it. Today I'm in San Francisco for the No Kings rally. As you can see, there's lots and lots of people out and uh let's hope that we saw more of these all around the country. It's a lot of fun. How great is he all dressed up? Well, he's fabulous. I um and Naomi, thank you for doing that. Uh and um for editing for us. Naomi Bradford. Naomi Bradford. We don't mention her enough. Naomi is a fabulous editor and I 42:01 want to just thank her. Uh and let me just close by thanking all of you. Thank you for turning out last weekend, last Saturday. Um, I know for some of you this week has been harder because it's a letdown. I mean, some of you have come up to me and you you've said, you know, it was such a high uh to be out there with signs and with flags and and and feeling the power of the people and solidarity uh last week, last Saturday, and it's been a little bit harder because we don't know exactly what next, what to do next. And we and I understand that. And meanwhile, Trump continues his campaign of degrading uh the institutions of government and the presidency and himself in the process. It is hard. This is hard work. But what pays off ultimately is, and I'm going to use this word I've used before, it's tenacity. Sticking to it. understanding that our 43:05 goal is not going to be met next week or next month. Hopefully, the midterms will turn out in a way that gives Democrats the power to stand up to Trump in Congress. But the goal we have of recreating or creating a democracy that works for everyone, an economy that works for everyone, uh a social justice, a fair system that works for everyone. Uh this goal is elusive. It always requires and will inevitably require work. The silver lining on this terrible cloud is that we are reminded how much work it requires and we are reminded of the importance of our solidarity. Thank you. Thank you, Heather. Thanks, Bob. See you next weekend. [Music]

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