Friends,

Today is the third (and hopefully the largest) No Kings Day demonstration across the nation — and Heather and Michael and I focus today’s Klatch on how Trump has managed to exert near-regal powers in America. We also give you an update on his calamitous war in Iran and how average Americans are paying for it. But — good news — we focus on how public opinion has shifted against him, as illustrated not only by his awful poll results but also a blue wave of Democratic wins in special elections. And as a special bonus, we offer our recommendations for the best books we’ve been reading.

So pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, and join in the conversation. Then demonstrate! (Your nearest No Kings action can be found here.)

Friends,

That quote comes from someone who voted for Trump three times and now feels betrayed by his war in Iran and its consequential price increases for gas, food, and much else.

Today, Heather and I delve into why Trump is losing his MAGA base, why he’s losing his war in Iran, why he’s losing the economy — and why he’s losing his mind.

We look at Iran’s strategy for outlasting Trump and Israel, based on maximizing the political and economic pressure on Trump.

We also look at Trump’s likely plans for subverting the midterm elections and what must be done to protect those elections from his plans.

And we’re joined by special guest Leah Greenberg, co-founder with Ezra Levin of Indivisible — the powerful decentralized organization that’s leading the way on No Kings.

So please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, and join in the conversation.

Friends,

Today Heather and I are joined by E. Jean Carroll — journalist, author, advice columnist (her “Ask E. Jean” column appeared in Elle magazine from 1993 through 2019) … and target of Trump’s sexual assault. Her book Not My Type, subtitled One Woman Against a President, chronicled what happened, and the court cases she initiated against Trump — and won. It’s a fabulous, frightening, but also funny (really!) account. Heather surprised me by snagging E. Jean for our Klatch.

We’ll start with an assessment of Trump’s war, then turn to E. Jean.

Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, and join in the conversation.

Friends,

Heather is traveling. I’m delighted that our friend Kamau Bell has stepped into the breach.

Today, Kamau and I take a deep dive into Trump’s War — his shifting rationales for it, his changing goals, his ambiguous endgame, the human costs of the war so far, the American public’s unhappiness with it, and what Trump is trying to deflect attention from (spoiler: Trump’s shitty economy and his connections to Jeffrey Epstein).

We then turn to Kristi Noem’s brief and ignoble tenure as secretary of Homeland Security, why Trump really sacked her, and whether her successor is likely to do any better.

Finally, we look at this past week’s primary elections and ask what they portend for Democrats in the midterms and beyond.

All this and more on today’s Klatch. Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, and join in the discussion.

Friends,

Today, Heather and I ask and try to answer: Why is Trump attacking Iran?

Also: Why is he so gracious to Mayor Mamdani? Why does ICE continue to be so out of control? Why did the Republican House Oversight Committee want Hillary Clinton to testify about Jeffrey Epstein? Are the Epstein files finally closing in on Trump? Why worry that CBS, CNN, HBO, and Comedy Central are all coming under the control of a Trump crony? Why be concerned that Pete Hegseth won’t let a crucial AI tool bar spying on Americans and prohibit non-human control over lethal weapons? And, not the least, why am I so short?

All this, and more! on today’s Klatch. Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, and join in the conversation.

Friends,

A big week, including the arrest of Prince Andrew, the best of the Supreme Court, and the stress of the sociopath in the Oval Office. We get into all of this, along with our special guest David Hogg, on today’s Klatch. Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, and join in the conversation.

Friends,

Happy Valentine’s Day. Thanks for joining us.

Today, Heather and I delve into the extremely un-Valentine-like world of Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and America’s ruling class. What do they have in common, and what does this tell us about America? Along the way we examine Pam Bondi’s belligerence, Steve Bannon’s complicity, and the Trump economy’s woes.

We’ll also look into the real economy — you know, the one that most of us live in — and why so many Americans are feeling pinched and angry (and deserting Trump). And we’ll look at the continuing calamity of ICE, Trump’s (and Stephen Miller’s and Kristi Noem’s) war on Latinos, and the shutdown (starting this morning) of the Department of Homeland Security.

Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, and join the conversation.

Friends,

Today Heather and I examine the unchecked power that now pervades our political system — starting with the Justice Department’s (and Trump’s) unwillingness to turn over more than 3 million of the more than 6 million Epstein files in its possession (in which Trump is already mentioned 5,300 times). We then examine the continued lawlessness of ICE and Border Patrol, despite the public’s (including many Republicans’) growing revulsion against these rogue agencies.

Which leads us to Democrat Taylor Rehmet’s astounding victory in a special election for a seat in the Texas state Senate — in a district Trump won by 17 percentage points in 2024 but Rehmet won by 14 percentage points this past week, a 30-point swing. And Trump’s increasing anxiety about the 2026 midterm elections — leading him to threaten to “take over” the voting.

And, of course, tomorrow’s Super Bowl, featuring Bad Bunny at halftime — and Bad Bunny’s memorable acceptance speech at last Sunday’s Grammy Awards.

All this, and more, on today’s Coffee Klatch. Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, and join in the conversation.