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 16min

Thumbnail for "The fate of the CFPB and why we should care".

February 27, 202536min 9sec34.71 MB

Thumbnail for "How deportations ignited a clash between the White House and the courts".

Can the courts act as a check on the Trump administration’s power? CNN chief Supreme Court analyst Joan Biskupic on how the clash over deportations is testing the judiciary.

April 16, 202535min 48sec34.37 MB

Thumbnail for "The impact of Trump’s about-face on tariffs".

The impact of Trump's tariff chaos. The Washington Post's Jeff Stein explains what it means for global trade, the U.S. economy and your pocketbooks.

April 10, 202525min 47sec24.76 MB

Thumbnail for "Uncovering the dark secrets of Johnson and Johnson".

Investigative journalist Gardiner Harris on his new book, "No More Tears." It tells the story of Johnson & Johnson, and a history of dark secrets he says endangered millions of lives.

April 3, 202544min 17sec42.52 MB

Thumbnail for "How Trump is using fear as a political tool".

The Atlantic's Isaac Stanley-Becker discusses the use of fear as a political tool in Trump's pressure campaigns against big law and higher ed.

March 27, 202537min 34sec36.07 MB

Thumbnail for "The latest on Alzheimer's research -- and why it might be at risk".

Diane talks to George Vradenburg of UsAgainstAlzheimer's about the latest breakthroughs in Alzheimer's research and how those advances could be undermined by cuts to the federal government.

March 20, 202540min 4sec38.47 MB

Thumbnail for "How the powerful are trying to undermine press freedoms in the US".

David Enrich of The New York Times discusses his new book, "Murder the Truth," about a growing movement to cripple the media and protect the powerful.

March 14, 202539min 17sec37.72 MB

Thumbnail for "A Trump critic on his worst fears -- and a way forward".

Political scientist Norman Ornstein weighs in on the Trump agenda, the Democrats’ response and what comes next in Washington.

March 6, 202541min 18sec39.65 MB

Thumbnail for "Understanding the threat of bird flu".

Bird flu has spread widely among chickens, wildlife, and cows. Are humans next? The Washington Post's Lena Sun gives an update an avian influenza.

February 20, 202539min 41sec38.1 MB

Thumbnail for "The ripple effects of Trump's plan to 'own' Gaza".

The impact of Trump's plan to take over Gaza. Middle East expert Aaron David Miller explains the region's reaction and what it means for the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.

February 13, 202536min 27sec35.01 MB

The fate of the CFPB and why we should care

February 27, 202536min 9sec

On February 7, billionaire Elon Musk posted a message on his social media platform X: “CFPB RIP,” along with a tombstone emoji.

In the days that followed, the workings of the government’s financial industry watchdog created in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis essentially ground to a halt.

More than a hundred and fifty employees were let go, with more layoffs expected. Donald Trump has explicitly said he wants to get rid of the agency. And when you try to access the CFPB’s website, you get an error message.

So, can the Trump administration actually kill the CFPB? Mallory SoRelle says no.

SoRelle is an assistant professor of public policy at Duke University and author of “Democracy Declined: The Failed Politics of Consumer Financial Protection.” She explains that only Congress can shutter the agency. But, she adds, the actions the Trump administration have taken so far are “fundamentally shifting the playing field in favor of the financial industry and away from consumer protection.”

SoRelle joins Diane on this week’s episode of On My Mind to talk about the history of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and what would happen if it went away.