Author: Robert Reich

January 6 will be the first anniversary one of the most shameful days in American history. On that date in 2021, the United States Capitol was attacked by thousands of armed loyalists to Donald Trump, some intent on killing members of Congress. About 140 officers were injured. Five people died. Even now, a year later, Americans remain confused and divided about the significance of what occurred. Let me offer four basic truths: 1. Trump incited the attack on the Capitol For weeks before the attack, Trump urged supporters to come to Washington for a “Save America March” on 6...

With the Senate adjourned for the holidays and Joe Biden’s Build Back Better social and climate package stalled, the president’s remaining agenda is at the mercy of the 2022 midterm election year. So the practical question is: what should be his, and the first priority of Democrats, when Congress returns in January? Biden obviously wants to get his spending package passed. But swift action on voting rights is essential. Republican state legislatures will soon begin drawing partisan congressional maps that federal legislation would outlaw. Several states have already changed election laws in ways making it harder for people in...

In mid-September, Clarence Thomas told a crowd of more than 800 students and faculty at Notre Dame University that the U.S. supreme court should not be viewed in political terms, and that justices do not base their rulings on “personal preferences.” But if not political or personal preferences, where exactly do they discover the law? Thomas never said. When asked whether the attorneys presenting oral arguments ever compel him to change his mind, Thomas said, “almost never.” In late September, the court’s newest member, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, told a crowd in Kentucky that supreme court justices are not...

America is overflowing with good news. Unemployment is down, wages are up, consumer confidence is rebounding, and consumers are spending more. COVID seems to be in retreat, at least among those who have been vaccinated. And two big parts of Biden’s legislative agenda, last spring’s $1.9tn American Rescue Plan and his recent $1.2tn infrastructure plan, have been enacted. So what’s not to be happy about? Apparently, plenty. Biden’s job approval rating is 12 points lower than when he took office – now just 41% (around where Trump’s was for most of his presidency). Most registered voters say that if...