Coffee Klatch: CPAC in Budapest, Bezos and Musk, Doug Mastriano, a new progressive era, and my debut on the Simpsons

My informal weekly coffee with Heather Lofthouse (my former student and executive director of Inequality Media Civic Action), exploring the lows and few highs of the week. As usual, pull up a chair and bring your morning cup.Today our conversation touches on the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) being held in Budapest, why Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have it out for President Biden and the Dems, what Doug Mastriano’s Pennsylvania primary win could mean for the 2024 election, what’s happening with the stock market (which, as we know, is not the economy), and why I’m hopeful about the state of worker power, the increasing diversity of America, and a new progressive era. We close with a plug for something I still can’t quite believe is happening. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that The Simpsons wanted to tackle the topic of economic inequality this season. And I was really surprised when they asked me to sing about it with Hugh Jackman for the season finale. You’re welcome to tune in to the episode tomorrow, Sunday, May 22 at 8 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. CT on Fox. I also plan to post the main musical number — a duet about the demise of the middle class — here on Substack in the coming days. If you somebody who might enjoy a conversation over coffee, please share. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe