Diane Rehm: On My Mind

WAMU 88.5

Diane Rehm’s weekly podcast features newsmakers, writers, artists and thinkers on the issues she cares about most: what’s going on in Washington, ideas that inform, and the latest on living well as we live longer.

6hr 32min

Thumbnail for "The case for abolishing the Electoral College".

Revisiting Diane’s 2020 with Jesse Wegman, author of “Let the People Pick the President.” They talked about the creation of the Electoral College and why he says it’s time to rethink our presidential election system.

August 22, 202436min 4sec69.28 MB

Thumbnail for "Behind the rising cost of veterinary care".

Journalist Helaine Olen explains how private equity and corporate takeovers are reshaping the pet care industry – and raising your bill.

August 14, 202437min 19sec35.83 MB

Thumbnail for "Dr. Fauci on AIDS Breakthroughs, Covid Setbacks and the Future of Public Health".

Dr. Anthony Fauci talks about his groundbreaking work on HIV/AIDS, the relationship between politics and public health, and whether the country is ready for the next pandemic.

August 8, 202437min 39sec36.14 MB

Thumbnail for "Biden's push to reform the Supreme Court".

President Biden's plan to reform the Supreme Court. Legal analyst Harry Litman breaks down the proposals and explains why he thinks Democrats are playing the long game.

August 1, 202437min 28sec35.98 MB

Thumbnail for "How serious is the threat of political violence in the U.S.?".

The ongoing threat of political violence in America. The Atlantic’s Adrienne France looks at how the escalating divisions and rhetoric are fueling attempts against our leaders and ordinary citizens.

July 25, 202430min 49sec29.58 MB

Thumbnail for "Understanding Project 2025 and how it could shape a second Trump presidency".

The Republican National Convention, J.D. Vance and the myths and realities of Project 2025. Diane talks to Andrew Prokop of Vox about the emerging picture of a Trump second term.

July 19, 202443min 51sec42.12 MB

Thumbnail for "The nation's first Black female billionaire on resilience, creativity, and following her passions".

A Diane Rehm Book Club conversation with Sheila Johnson, the nation's first Black female billionaire, recorded live at WAMU's Black Box Theater. They discussed her memoir "Walk Through Fire."

July 11, 20241hr 3min60.26 MB

Thumbnail for "A retired federal judge on his life on the bench and the current Supreme Court".

Retired DC Circuit judge David Tatel talks about his new book, "Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice," and his grave concerns about the direction of Supreme Court.

July 4, 202445min 14sec43.45 MB

Thumbnail for "The first Trump-Biden debate of 2024: "They both lost"".

The first presidential debate of the 2024 election took place last night. New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie breaks down what we learned, and how it might affect the race.

June 27, 202430min 20sec29.14 MB

Thumbnail for "How Barbara Walters changed the news media for women -- and everyone else".

Journalist Susan Page talks about the woman who blazed a trail in television news – and changed the media forever. Her new book is "The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters."

June 20, 202429min 58sec28.77 MB

The case for abolishing the Electoral College

August 22, 202436min 4sec

Kamala Harris currently leads Donald Trump in national polls by more than 3 percentage points according to the website 538. But if there’s one thing that recent elections have taught us, it is that a victory in the popular vote does not guarantee a spot in the oval office.

This is, of course, thanks to the Electoral College.

In two of the last six elections, more Americans punched their ballots for the eventual losers than the men who went on to claim the presidency.

And the same could happen again this year.

“My opinion is that it is a fundamentally unfair system because of the way it erases so many millions of Americans’ votes,” says Jesse Wegman, a member of the editorial board of the New York Times.

In 2020 Wegman joined Diane to talk about his book, “Let the People Pick the President,” and made his case for abolishing the Electoral College. With the 2024 election less than 75 days away, we revisit their conversation.