October 20, 2026
Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams
Why Everything Costs More—and Who’s Really Paying (w/ Robert Reich)
In This Episode
How are affordability and corruption connected? Professor and former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich joins Stacey to unpack rising gas prices and the cost of living, why he sees Trump’s White House as a symptom of a much deeper culture of government corruption, and what’s at stake in the upcoming midterm elections. Then, they discuss how 2026 is shaping up to resemble a new “Gilded Age,” marked by extreme wealth inequality and a government struggling to address the consequences. Stacey also sits down with Sheila Nix, CEO of the Mobile Voting Project, to discuss voter suppression, expanding access to the ballot, and how bringing mobile voting to all 50 states could help increase voter turnout.
Learn & Do More:
- BE CURIOUS: For more sharp insight into the economy and how corruption affects us all, follow Robert Reich on Substack and check out his course on wealth and inequality. Also, check out his new book Coming Up Short and his new film The Work in Progress.
- SOLVE PROBLEMS: State and local elected officials play critical roles in protecting our democracy. School board members, city council members, county commissioners, state legislators, and judges are the officials closest to our communities. Right now, they’re some of the most targeted, especially women. Threats, harassment, doxxing, even political prosecution. Too many elected women spend their first year in office shocked by how bad it is, and most of them face it alone. Women’s Democracy Lab is changing that. They build safety and support infrastructure for women in state and local office, because when you make it safe for the most targeted, you make it safe for everyone. We work hard to elect bold leaders. Join them in making sure those leaders can stay.
- Give: Help fund rapid-response support for a woman under threat. Go to womensdemocracylab.org.
- Share it with an elected official you know: If she’s facing threats, she can reach WDL at safety@womensdemocracylab.org for direct support.
- Show up for your local elected officials: Go to the meeting. Show your support. Report harassment when you see it.
- Stay connected: Sign up for WDL’s updates and follow their work at hello@womensdemocracylab.org.
- DO GOOD: As prices continue to soar, food insecurity remains an urgent problem. Ten Steps partner 901 Community Fridges is committed to fighting food insecurity in Memphis by partnering with neighborhoods to place fridges stocked with food and sundries in the areas where they’re needed most. If you’re in the Memphis region, check out https://10stepscampaign.org/partners to learn more and get involved. You can also look for opportunities in your local community to address hunger by supporting.
