Elsa Chang
Appearances
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The Trump administration's attacks on oversight of executive power
Trump told reporters he was keeping some inspectors general, including Michael Horowitz from the Department of Justice, whom he had singled out for his report that was critical of former FBI Director James Comey. Now, to be clear, a president can fire an IG, but he's required by law to give Congress a reason in writing, along with 30 days notice. And that didn't happen here.
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The Trump administration's attacks on oversight of executive power
The speaker here is Mike McCaul. He's a Republican from Texas, and in March of 2023, he was chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
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The Trump administration's attacks on oversight of executive power
Nothing about President Trump's second term is standard or conforms to norms of government. Consider this. Firing these inspectors general is just one of many moves that the president has made that undermine government systems designed to check presidential power. From NPR, I'm Elsa Chang.
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The Trump administration's attacks on oversight of executive power
It's Consider This from NPR. The Trump administration continues to fire, shut down, or defund independent elements of the federal government that traditionally work as a check on presidential power. Supporters of President Trump say that's exactly the point.
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The Trump administration's attacks on oversight of executive power
NPR justice correspondent Kerry Johnson and NPR political correspondent Susan Davis have been reporting on this effort and how it could change government. They join us now. Hey to both of you. Hi, Elsa. Hey there.
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The Trump administration's attacks on oversight of executive power
OK, can you just start by explaining first the kinds of actions that you're talking about here when you say that President Trump is weakening or eliminating parts of the federal government that would ordinarily be a check on the executive? Carrie, you first.
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The Trump administration's attacks on oversight of executive power
This hearing wasn't particularly memorable. It's just one example of the U.S. government in action. Congress conducts oversight on federal spending, like on aid to Ukraine. And so it called on the inspectors general of three different government departments or agencies.
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The Trump administration's attacks on oversight of executive power
So is the argument from some people on the right, essentially, there should be no independent checks on the president?
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The Trump administration's attacks on oversight of executive power
OK, that may be the theory of executive power of some people on the right. But what about critics against the Trump administration's actions? Like, how are they characterizing what President Trump is doing here?
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The Trump administration's attacks on oversight of executive power
Yeah, but I got to ask, you know, whatever your legal or constitutional theory of executive power is, politically speaking, pushing for extremely expansive executive power seems like a risky endeavor in this country. Americans fought a war so they didn't have to answer to a king. So is there much public support now for essentially a less accountable president?
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The Trump administration's attacks on oversight of executive power
Right. OK, so obviously many court battles ahead on this. But can we just presume for the sake of argument that Trump is successful in bringing some element of these functions directly under the control of the White House. How could that all play out, you think?
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The Trump administration's attacks on oversight of executive power
An inspector general is a nonpartisan watchdog inside the government. The role was created by a law, the Inspector General Act of 1978, which came out of post-Watergate efforts to put checks on executive power. And under that law, inspectors general set up independent offices within their government agencies to investigate things like waste, fraud, and abuse.
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The Trump administration's attacks on oversight of executive power
So far, at least. That is NPR's Susan Davis and Keri Johnson. Thank you to both of you so much. You're welcome.
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The Trump administration's attacks on oversight of executive power
This episode was produced by Brianna Scott. It was edited by Courtney Dorning, Patrick Jaron-Watananen, Kelsey Snell, and Nadia Lansing. Our executive producer is Sammy Yannigan. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Elsa Chang.
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The Trump administration's attacks on oversight of executive power
Waste, fraud and abuse has become a catchphrase for this Trump administration as a rationale for making cuts to the federal government. But at the end of his first week in office on a Friday night, President Trump fired inspectors general at 17 different agencies. He was asked about it the next day during a press gaggle on Air Force One.
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Who loses when Trump cuts funding to universities?
8.7 billion, 400 million, 175 million. These are just some examples of the money that the federal government has withheld or is threatening to withhold from various colleges and universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and Harvard University.
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Who loses when Trump cuts funding to universities?
Stanley is also the author of two books on fascism, and he says he sees that whole history as a cautionary tale here. It's played into his decision to leave.
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Who loses when Trump cuts funding to universities?
Consider this. Some educators say the administration's moves to cut funding at colleges and universities amount to a war on higher education. But the loss of those funds will be felt far beyond the college campuses. From NPR, I'm Elsa Chang.
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Who loses when Trump cuts funding to universities?
That $8.7 billion figure was announced earlier this week by the Trump administration, which said that it's reviewing federal grants and contracts awarded to Harvard because Harvard has not done enough to curb anti-Semitism on campus. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon explained the bold actions on NewsNation last month.
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Who loses when Trump cuts funding to universities?
It's Consider This from NPR. The dollar amounts being scrutinized and withheld from colleges and universities represent decades of partnership between academia and the federal government. But that money is used for purposes that stretch far beyond the classrooms on college campuses.
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Who loses when Trump cuts funding to universities?
Earlier this week, Harvard's president, Alan Garber, said the administration's cuts would, quote, "...halt life-saving research and imperil important scientific research and innovation." For more insight on the areas of work these cuts could affect, I spoke with Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the Vice Provost for Global Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania.
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Who loses when Trump cuts funding to universities?
He also served under the Obama administration, and we should also note he is the father of Gabriela Emanuel, who is with NPR's Science Desk.
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Who loses when Trump cuts funding to universities?
Right. This money, it's not just for research. It's also for grants and loans to students. It also supports local economies, the community that lives around these universities. But let me ask you this, if I may push back a little. Harvard has the largest academic endowment in the world. Like in 2024, it was valued at more than $53 billion.
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Who loses when Trump cuts funding to universities?
I imagine there are a lot of people out there who might be wondering, why do schools like that need so much money from the federal government to begin with?
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Who loses when Trump cuts funding to universities?
Yeah. Well, the Trump administration says that it is yanking money from many of these universities, though not from all of them, because of what it sees as a failure to combat anti-Semitism on campuses. Why can't the federal government use funding as leverage to address anti-Semitism?
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Who loses when Trump cuts funding to universities?
That was Dr. Zeke Emanuel of the University of Pennsylvania. This episode was produced by Elena Burnett and edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sammy Yannigan. From NPR, it's Consider This. I'm Elsa Chang.
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Who loses when Trump cuts funding to universities?
But Yale philosophy professor Jason Stanley sees something else happening with these threats over money.
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Who loses when Trump cuts funding to universities?
Stanley believes that ultimatums tied to federal funding are such a threat to academic freedom that he's leaving Yale University and the United States altogether to teach American Studies at the University of Toronto.
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The fallout from the Signal breach begins
If you could boil down how Democrats versus Republicans are reacting to Monday's bombshell Atlantic magazine story into a single 15-second clip, it might be this one. Georgia Democratic Senator John Ossoff questioning CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
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The fallout from the Signal breach begins
The bombs fall and Goldberg realizes this group chat is indeed very real. And eventually he writes all about it in the article. All of this was, as Goldberg described it, a massive security breach.
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The fallout from the Signal breach begins
The National Security Council has acknowledged that the messages appear to be authentic. But 24 hours and counting since that article dropped, there are no signs yet that anyone involved will face any repercussions. Defense Secretary Pete Hegstead called Goldberg, quote, deceitful and said this on Monday. Nobody was texting war plans.
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The fallout from the Signal breach begins
The White House said that President Trump retains confidence in his national security team. On Tuesday, Trump defended his national security advisor, Mike Waltz.
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The fallout from the Signal breach begins
Consider this. The administration is trying to brush off any potential scandal over the leaked chats. But the fallout is still playing out in Congress and among U.S. allies. From NPR, I'm Elsa Chang. It's Consider This from NPR. That clip we heard at the very beginning of this episode came from a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday.
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The fallout from the Signal breach begins
It was scheduled long before the story about the signal thread broke, but it happened to feature two of the group chat's participants, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. NPR's Ryan Lucas was following the hearing where the group chat fiasco was a major topic of discussion, at least on one side of the aisle.
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The fallout from the Signal breach begins
Okay, to back us up a bit, that Atlantic story was written by Jeffrey Goldberg, and in it, he details how he was included, apparently by accident, in a group chat on the encrypted messaging app Signal. He spoke with me about what happened next.
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The fallout from the Signal breach begins
OK, so what happens next at this point? Anything?
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The fallout from the Signal breach begins
That is NPR's Ryan Lucas. Thank you, Ryan. Thank you. And we'll note that NPR's CEO, Catherine Marr, is chair of the board of Signal Foundation, which runs the Signal messaging app. Ryan mentioned that adversaries like China or Russia might be interested in the contents of the Signal chat. Well, U.S. allies might as well.
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The fallout from the Signal breach begins
Willem Marx in London has been following European reaction to the leaked texts.
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The fallout from the Signal breach begins
Goldberg says he thinks it's a hoax at first, but he stays quiet and watches the conversation unfold. Eventually, they begin discussing a potential U.S. strike on Houthi targets in Yemen.
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The fallout from the Signal breach begins
That was Willem Marx in London. This episode was produced by Connor Donovan, Mia Venkat, and Michelle Aslam. It was edited by Christopher Intaliata, Anna Yukinonoff, and Nick Spicer. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Elsa Chang.
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The fallout from the Signal breach begins
But just to describe that, information about the targets, weapons that the U.S. would be using, and how the attacks would be sequenced, right?
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Measles is spreading. Are you safe?
Dr. Alex Yanovich, a pediatrician, is still haunted by the memory of a teenage boy whom she treated at the start of her career. He had contracted measles when he was just seven months old, too young to have been vaccinated.
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Measles is spreading. Are you safe?
An update on measles in the U.S., From NPR, I'm Elsa Chang.
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Measles is spreading. Are you safe?
Throughline It's Consider This from NPR. As measles continues to spread in West Texas and New Mexico, isolated cases have been reported in about a dozen other states. Now, those isolated cases are largely linked to international travel, not to the Texas outbreak.
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Measles is spreading. Are you safe?
The infection was relatively mild, and the infant recovered and grew up to be a bright, healthy kid.
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Measles is spreading. Are you safe?
And I spoke with NPR's Maria Godoy about all things measles, starting with the difference between the Texas outbreak and those isolated cases.
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Measles is spreading. Are you safe?
But then he started developing troubling symptoms in middle school.
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Measles is spreading. Are you safe?
I had no idea measles lingers in the air for two hours. Wow. OK. How is the federal government right now responding to this outbreak?
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Measles is spreading. Are you safe?
I mean, can vitamin A actually treat measles?
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Measles is spreading. Are you safe?
Eventually, he was diagnosed with a degenerative neurological condition called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE. It generally develops 7 to 10 years after a measles infection.
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Measles is spreading. Are you safe?
OK, well, another claim that we're hearing is that the vaccine is more dangerous than the measles virus. What are doctors saying about that?
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Measles is spreading. Are you safe?
Wow. Well, given these potentially very, very serious consequences for measles, how worried should people be right now in light of this current outbreak?
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Measles is spreading. Are you safe?
Okay, let's just say you do the right thing. You get vaccinated. Like I was vaccinated as a kid, and I think I even got the booster. What are the chances that you could get the measles even though you're vaccinated?
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Measles is spreading. Are you safe?
Absolutely. That is NPR's Maria Godoy. Thank you so much, Maria. My pleasure. This episode was produced by Mallory Yu and Connor Donovan. It was edited by Jeanette Woods, Nadia Lansi, Jane Greenhalgh, and Courtney Dorney. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Elsa Chang.
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Measles is spreading. Are you safe?
And studies suggest that this condition, which is almost always fatal, is more common than once thought. Since the measles outbreak in remote parts of West Texas and New Mexico began in January, more than 300 cases have been reported. And the communities where measles continues to spread, they're largely unvaccinated. Consider this.
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Measles is spreading. Are you safe?
In most of the U.S., vaccination rates are still high enough to stop a major outbreak. But vaccination rates are falling. And if they continue to fall, we could see long-term consequences of measles in the future. Which is why experts continue to say that the best way to protect yourselves and your children from measles... Vaccinate them.
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Fentanyl deaths are plunging, but it's just the first step
The Walkers began raising Mazzy and Ransom after their parents got caught up with pain pills and fentanyl.
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Fentanyl deaths are plunging, but it's just the first step
Both Vincent and the Walkers spoke to Mann back in 2023, the same year that drug deaths in the U.S. reached their peak at 114,000, many of which were caused by fentanyl. Data now shows that overall drug deaths in the U.S. are down nearly a quarter, and that includes fentanyl and other illicit drugs. Consider this.
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Fentanyl deaths are plunging, but it's just the first step
Drug deaths in the United States are falling, but that good news comes with challenges, including caring for a larger population of people who may be surviving, but who are deeply unwell. From NPR, I'm Elsa Chang.
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Fentanyl deaths are plunging, but it's just the first step
Jeff, what is this?
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Fentanyl deaths are plunging, but it's just the first step
What I'm seeing here, at least, is that it's very high clarity.
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Fentanyl deaths are plunging, but it's just the first step
It's Consider This from NPR. The deadliest phase of the U.S. fentanyl crisis appears to be over. That's according to new research showing that fatal overdoses from fentanyl and other street drugs continue to plunge and have now dropped from their peak in all 50 states. NPR addiction correspondent Brian Mann dug into the numbers and what that drop could mean going forward.
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Fentanyl deaths are plunging, but it's just the first step
Vincent, who says that she has used fentanyl and heroin since she was 13, runs what's called a drug users union. That's a group that seeks to treat drug users with dignity by giving them a place where they can get a meal, a cup of coffee, even treatment. She was speaking to Mann about harm reduction for drug users.
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Fentanyl deaths are plunging, but it's just the first step
Vincent is one of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have been affected by the nation's opioid crisis, a crisis that has reached almost every corner of the country. including the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. That's where Brian Mann met Gary and Cassie Walker on their family farm a couple years ago. They've taken in nine Cherokee kids whose parents have been affected by drugs.
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Fentanyl deaths are plunging, but it's just the first step
I relapsed like a week ago, but I'm trying to stay clean.
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Fentanyl deaths are plunging, but it's just the first step
That's Louise Vincent talking to NPR addiction correspondent Brian Mann a few years ago as fentanyl deaths in the U.S. were soaring.
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Fentanyl deaths are plunging, but it's just the first step
That was NPR's Brian Mann in Philadelphia. This episode was produced by Taylor Haney, Brianna Scott, and Connor Donovan, with audio engineering by Arthur Laurent. It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Andrea DeLeon. Our executive producer is Sammy Yannigan. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Elsa Chang.
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Fentanyl deaths are plunging, but it's just the first step
Among the kids they have cared for are a brother and sister, Ransom, who's six, and Mazzy, who's nine and not the least bit shy.
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Trump is betting the economy on his tariff theory
President Trump has billed Wednesday as a pivotal moment in his administration. We have Liberation Day, as you know, on April 2nd. This is the day we will find out what is included in his latest package of tariffs, which he has called the big one.
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Trump is betting the economy on his tariff theory
It's Consider This from NPR. To hear President Trump tell it, tariffs are perhaps the political equivalent of duct tape. You can use them to fix almost anything. For example, they're a negotiating tool. He used the threat of tariffs to pressure Canada and Mexico to implement border policies that he liked.
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Trump is betting the economy on his tariff theory
Tariffs are also a revenue source to Trump that might help offset his proposed $4.5 trillion in tax cuts. And in Trump's view, tariffs can be a shield to protect American manufacturing jobs from overseas competition. The thing is, tariffs can't actually be all of those things at once.
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Trump is betting the economy on his tariff theory
And so with Wednesday's planned announcement of even more tariffs, we wanted to try to answer a seemingly simple question. What is President Trump's goal with tariffs? For that, I'm joined by Rana Foroohar. She's a columnist for the Financial Times and joins us now. Welcome. Oh, thank you for having me.
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Trump is betting the economy on his tariff theory
The White House says the tariffs will take effect immediately. These would be on top of the tariffs that President Trump has already announced, which, if you have lost track by now, include a 25 percent tariff on imported cars and across the board, 20 percent tariff on products coming from China and up to 25 percent tariffs on some goods from Canada and Mexico.
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Trump is betting the economy on his tariff theory
So a lot of people who've been critical of Trump's tariffs have pointed out these different stated purposes seem at odds with each other. Like to raise revenue, you have to apply the tariffs long term, right? So then they're no longer a bargaining chip.
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Trump is betting the economy on his tariff theory
Let's talk about that because Trump often talks about his belief that the U.S. has been ripped off by other countries through their terrorists. Is that true?
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Trump is betting the economy on his tariff theory
Well, Trump describes trade deficits as subsidies that we are paying to other countries. Would you characterize it that way, subsidies?
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Trump is betting the economy on his tariff theory
Well, economists who studied Trump's tariffs during his first term in office found that the cost of tariffs was almost entirely absorbed by American consumers through higher prices. So is there a way, can Trump balance trade deficits without raising prices for American consumers?
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Trump is betting the economy on his tariff theory
Trump loves these tariffs, but many economists do not. Like Mark Zandi, who told NPR on Tuesday that the U.S. is in a trade war.
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Trump is betting the economy on his tariff theory
Trump did tell NBC over the weekend that he, quote, couldn't care less if automakers raise their prices. So if cost to consumers aren't his metric for success, then what do you think is his metric for success here?
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Trump is betting the economy on his tariff theory
Well, let's go back to Trump's psychology. He has acknowledged that Americans' frustration with inflation helped him get elected. The stock markets are already reacting negatively to tariffs. So if we start seeing public opinion perhaps turn strongly against tariffs down the road, do you think that could be enough for President Trump to change course?
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Trump is betting the economy on his tariff theory
Rana Faroohar is a columnist for the Financial Times and the author of Homecoming, The Path to Prosperity in a Post-Global World. Thank you so much for joining us today.
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Trump is betting the economy on his tariff theory
This episode was produced by Matthew Cloutier and Brianna Scott. It was edited by Connor Donovan and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Elsa Chang.
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Trump is betting the economy on his tariff theory
Zandi says the risk of a recession is uncomfortably high.
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Trump is betting the economy on his tariff theory
The Trump administration has acknowledged that there may be some negative short-term impact. They call it a detox period or a disturbance. But Trump says tariffs will ultimately reshape the economy for the better. Or as he put it in his joint address to Congress.
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Trump is betting the economy on his tariff theory
Trump is betting big on his tariffs plan. He's staking the U.S. economy on it. From NPR, I'm Elsa Chang.
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Over a dozen lawsuits to stop DOGE data access are betting on a 1974 law
Date of birth, home address, social security number. I mean, these are just a few examples of some of the personal information that the U.S. government collects on most of us and stores in databases across federal agencies. Well, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, created by President Trump, has been causing alarm by making massive cuts to federal staff.
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Over a dozen lawsuits to stop DOGE data access are betting on a 1974 law
Jonathan Cammons has worked as a software engineer and cybersecurity professional for more than 30 years. His job was overseeing cybersecurity for the Department of Veterans Affairs' main website, or VA.gov. He was fired from the U.S. Digital Service on February 14th, along with about 40 other people.
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Over a dozen lawsuits to stop DOGE data access are betting on a 1974 law
Kamen says he doesn't know what Elon Musk and his team have access to at the VA, but he is worried about the kind of sensitive data that they could access from what's stored there.
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Over a dozen lawsuits to stop DOGE data access are betting on a 1974 law
Doge's efforts to access these government databases have a lot of people wondering, is there anything that can protect the personal information that we have to hand over to the federal government? Consider this. A little-known law exists to do just that, protect our sensitive data from government overreach.
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Over a dozen lawsuits to stop DOGE data access are betting on a 1974 law
And more than a dozen lawsuits now invoke this 50-year-old law to stop Doge's access to this information. From NPR, I'm Elsa Chang.
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Over a dozen lawsuits to stop DOGE data access are betting on a 1974 law
But it has also been seeking access to the troves of personal information that the government has on Americans. Information that can go way beyond a social security number.
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Over a dozen lawsuits to stop DOGE data access are betting on a 1974 law
It's been a minute. It's Consider This from NPR. Across federal agencies, the government stores a lot of data. And often, the data we entrust to federal agencies is very sensitive and very personal. Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has access to many of the databases storing that personal data. And that's raising alarm.
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Over a dozen lawsuits to stop DOGE data access are betting on a 1974 law
At least a dozen lawsuits are attempting to stop Doge from tapping into all this personal information. And these lawsuits have focused on one particular legal avenue, a 50-year-old law called the Privacy Act of 1974. With us to talk about that law is Danielle Citrin. She's a law professor at the University of Virginia. Welcome. Thank you for having me.
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Over a dozen lawsuits to stop DOGE data access are betting on a 1974 law
So before we talk about these lawsuits, can you just take us back to the mid-1970s? How did the Privacy Act of 1974 even come about? What was it designed originally to do?
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Over a dozen lawsuits to stop DOGE data access are betting on a 1974 law
And I'm sure there are a lot of people out there today who never even knew the Privacy Act of 1974 existed. How relevant has this law been over the last 50 years? Like how much has it been invoked when there are concerns with how the federal government is handling people's private information?
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Over a dozen lawsuits to stop DOGE data access are betting on a 1974 law
Elizabeth Lair directs the Equity and Civic Technology Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology. She spoke with NPR's Laurel Wamsley.
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Over a dozen lawsuits to stop DOGE data access are betting on a 1974 law
Okay, well then let's talk about these dozen or so lawsuits now that concern Access Doge has had to personal data. Who exactly is filing these lawsuits? Like, what's the argument that the plaintiffs are making here?
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Over a dozen lawsuits to stop DOGE data access are betting on a 1974 law
Okay, but what is the argument that the Trump administration is making for why they are allowed, members of Doge are allowed to access this information?
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Over a dozen lawsuits to stop DOGE data access are betting on a 1974 law
Even if a judge does rule that federal agencies should not be sharing this sensitive data with Doge, isn't there still the possibility that the Trump administration won't be deterred and will continue to give Doge access anyway? I'm sorry even to be asking this question right now, but who's to say the Trump administration will care what a judge rules?
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Over a dozen lawsuits to stop DOGE data access are betting on a 1974 law
Danielle Citrin is a law professor at the University of Virginia. Thank you very much for speaking with us. Thank you so much. This episode was produced by Catherine Fink. NPR correspondent Laurel Wamsley contributed to the episode. It was edited by Jeanette Woods and Nadia Lansi. Our executive producer is Sammy Yannigan. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Elsa Chang.
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Over a dozen lawsuits to stop DOGE data access are betting on a 1974 law
Jeff, what is this?
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Over a dozen lawsuits to stop DOGE data access are betting on a 1974 law
What I'm seeing here, at least, is that it's very high clarity.
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Over a dozen lawsuits to stop DOGE data access are betting on a 1974 law
It's very rare for people to go inside.
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Over a dozen lawsuits to stop DOGE data access are betting on a 1974 law
And then there's the kind of information that's stored by agencies like Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA.
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Trump takes aim at trade deficits. Are they actually bad?
Whatever you think of President Trump's tariffs, there's one point you have to concede. His interest in them is not just some passing whim. He noted that on Wednesday in the Rose Garden when he was announcing the latest massive round of tariffs.
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Trump takes aim at trade deficits. Are they actually bad?
The markets have plunged since his announcement. Other countries have promised to retaliate. Members of his own party have spoken out against these tariffs. Trump is risking a lot on his beliefs about trade. Consider this. Trump's tariff plan is designed to eliminate U.S. trade deficits. Are trade deficits actually bad? From NPR, I'm Elsa Chang.
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Trump takes aim at trade deficits. Are they actually bad?
Throughline It's Consider This from NPR. What you think of Trump's tariffs depends a lot on whether you agree with his core premise, and that is trade deficits are bad and we should eliminate them. Well, Jason Furman does not agree. He was the top economic advisor to former President Obama, and he's an economist at Harvard University. I talked with him about his views on trade deficits.
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Trump takes aim at trade deficits. Are they actually bad?
Okay, first, what is a trade deficit?
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Trump takes aim at trade deficits. Are they actually bad?
Okay, and then from an economist's point of view then, is it bad for the U.S. to have a trade deficit?
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Trump takes aim at trade deficits. Are they actually bad?
Okay, and if the U.S. is continually paying more for imports than the U.S. receives for exports, explain why the U.S. does not run out of money.
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Trump takes aim at trade deficits. Are they actually bad?
It's true. He's been talking about this for years. Here he is on the Oprah Winfrey Show back in 1988.
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Trump takes aim at trade deficits. Are they actually bad?
OK. And just to bring the tariff piece into all of this, it is true that the U.S. has had lower tariffs on imports than most of the countries that it trades with. And to President Trump, that's just unfair. But has the U.S. gotten anything in exchange for those lower tariff rates?
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Trump takes aim at trade deficits. Are they actually bad?
Okay. Okay. Well, if I may push back just a little bit, I mean, trade deficits are not always great in all aspects, right? Like the U.S. has lost huge numbers of manufacturing jobs. And we're talking about well-paying jobs for people without a lot of education. Trump says the tariffs will help bring back those kinds of jobs.
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Trump takes aim at trade deficits. Are they actually bad?
Why isn't it worth it to give it a try, even if tariffs might mean slightly higher prices and lower profits?
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Trump takes aim at trade deficits. Are they actually bad?
Trump also points out that the tariffs didn't crash the economy during his first term. And in fact, President Biden had left many of Trump's tariffs in place, right? So what would you say is different about Trump's new tariffs?
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Trump takes aim at trade deficits. Are they actually bad?
You see, these are core beliefs for Donald Trump. Trade deficits are bad. Other countries are taking advantage of the U.S. Tariffs are the way to fix all of this. These beliefs shaped his whole first presidential campaign.
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Trump takes aim at trade deficits. Are they actually bad?
So with tariffs increased at the scale that President Trump wants to increase them, what do you see is going to be the outcome?
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Trump takes aim at trade deficits. Are they actually bad?
And when it comes to companies bringing in products from China, what do you see as the long-term outcome here? I mean, just when markets opened today, Nike's stock was down double digits. Apple had lost more than $250 billion in value. On that front, what do you think is the long-term consequences?
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Trump takes aim at trade deficits. Are they actually bad?
Jason Furman with Harvard University. Thank you very much for joining us today. Thanks for having me. This episode was produced by Connor Donovan. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Elsa Chang.
Consider This from NPR
Trump takes aim at trade deficits. Are they actually bad?
It's very rare for people to go inside.
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Trump takes aim at trade deficits. Are they actually bad?
These same beliefs shaped his first presidential term.
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Trump takes aim at trade deficits. Are they actually bad?
The first Trump administration would ultimately impose tariffs on thousands of products valued at nearly $400 billion. Well, that is nothing compared to Trump 2.0. Tariffs on cars, tariffs on steel, and yesterday what he called the big one, an across-the-board tariff on all imports from virtually every single country, ranging from 10% to as high as 50%.
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South Korea admits to widespread adoption fraud. Here's one story
Deanne Borshay-Lehm started having these flashbacks when she was in college.
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South Korea admits to widespread adoption fraud. Here's one story
A years-long investigation by a Truth and Reconciliation Commission found that the country's adoption agencies were responsible for widespread fraud, malpractice, and even human rights violations. Who were our parents? Where were we born?
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South Korea admits to widespread adoption fraud. Here's one story
Consider this. What does justice look like for the Korean adoptees who are robbed of their own histories? From NPR, I'm Elsa Chang. It's Consider This from NPR. Dianne Borshay-Lehm is a documentarian. She's made films about her own story and about the story of Korea's international adoption program.
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South Korea admits to widespread adoption fraud. Here's one story
At first, she thought that they were dreams, but then she realized maybe these were memories. You see, Lehm is an adoptee. She grew up with an American family in Fremont, California, who adopted her in 1966 when she was eight years old. These flashbacks, she thought, must be snippets from her childhood in South Korea. And they made her want to dig more deeply into her past.
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South Korea admits to widespread adoption fraud. Here's one story
So she's familiar with the malpractice detailed in the new report from the South Korean government's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The commission's work is ongoing, and she has submitted her own case for review. My co-host Juana Summers talked with Leem about what the report means to her and other adoptees.
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South Korea admits to widespread adoption fraud. Here's one story
But first, Juana wanted to know, did Leem ever confront the adoption agency about her falsified paperwork?
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South Korea admits to widespread adoption fraud. Here's one story
I'm wondering what you can tell us based on your own experience and the experience of other Korean adoptees that you have spoken with about how the turbulent beginnings that we've been talking about, how they've affected the lives of these adoptees as well as their families.
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South Korea admits to widespread adoption fraud. Here's one story
The commission has only just begun to look into a few hundred cases. That's out of hundreds of thousands of children who were adopted abroad. And I'm just curious, what is your initial reaction to this official admission from the government?
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South Korea admits to widespread adoption fraud. Here's one story
I know that several countries that received children from South Korea, they've opened their own investigations. The U.S. is not among them. Would you like to see that happen here?
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South Korea admits to widespread adoption fraud. Here's one story
So we have this report now, but I wonder for you personally, what would you want to see? What would you need to feel a sense of justice, to feel that things are being done right by you?
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South Korea admits to widespread adoption fraud. Here's one story
That is filmmaker Deanne Borche-Lehm. Thank you so much. Thank you.
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South Korea admits to widespread adoption fraud. Here's one story
This episode was produced by Michelle Aslam and Connor Donovan. It was edited by Sarah Handel. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Elsa Chang.
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South Korea admits to widespread adoption fraud. Here's one story
In that moment, Lim realized she had been switched with another child. She wasn't an orphan named Cha Jung-hee, like her adoption documents said. She was a girl named Kang Ok-jin, whose mother, she soon learned, was very much still alive.
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South Korea admits to widespread adoption fraud. Here's one story
In the decades after the Korean War, more than 140,000 South Korean children were adopted by families living abroad. Last week, the South Korean government admitted that there are many stories like Dianne Borshay-Leems.
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Republicans say Medicaid is safe. But budget math says otherwise
Congress is acting on one of President Trump's top domestic priorities.
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Republicans say Medicaid is safe. But budget math says otherwise
Which is true. Those words are not in the legislation. But the reality is Republicans likely will not be able to meet their budget target without major cuts to Medicaid. That's just math. It was all laid out in a letter last week sent to lawmakers by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
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Republicans say Medicaid is safe. But budget math says otherwise
That's Edwin Park, a health policy expert at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy. He says finding $880 billion in cuts over a decade simply cannot be done without touching Medicaid.
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Republicans say Medicaid is safe. But budget math says otherwise
But achieving that goal will require trillions of dollars in spending cuts, which will dramatically reshape the federal budget. And one big potential target for those spending cuts is Medicaid. That was Democratic Representative Al Green disrupting President Trump's address to Congress last week. After he was removed from the chamber, he spoke with reporters.
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Republicans say Medicaid is safe. But budget math says otherwise
Consider this. House Republicans have claimed that spending cuts will not impact Medicaid coverage. But experts say that's just impossible. We'll explain the math coming up. From NPR, I'm Elsa Chang. . It's Consider This from NPR. Edwin Park is a health policy expert at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy, and he joined me to explain all of the math on this.
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Republicans say Medicaid is safe. But budget math says otherwise
Now, the budget bill does not specifically mention Medicaid, but that's because the budget just gives instructions to lawmakers on the committee that oversees Medicaid to find $880 billion in cuts over the next decade. The legislation doesn't explain exactly where lawmakers should make those cuts.
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Republicans say Medicaid is safe. But budget math says otherwise
So I started by asking Park very simply, can Congress find $880 billion in federal savings without cutting spending for Medicaid?
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Republicans say Medicaid is safe. But budget math says otherwise
Okay, well, that argument has been floated, but Republicans say that they can cut spending without cutting any benefits in either Medicare or Medicaid because they're going to do this by eliminating waste and fraud. Here's another question. Is there $880 billion worth of waste and fraud in the system?
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Republicans say Medicaid is safe. But budget math says otherwise
Speaker Johnson has talked about how there is about $50 billion worth of fraud in Medicaid each year. Is that an accurate estimate? I'm just curious.
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Republicans say Medicaid is safe. But budget math says otherwise
Okay. Well, one proposal that Republicans have talked about is instituting what's called a work requirement for adults who receive Medicaid, but who do not have disabilities or young children. This is actually a broadly popular idea, like it's an idea that former Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia had talked about in his exit interview with NPR.
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Republicans say Medicaid is safe. But budget math says otherwise
But realistically, how much would that work requirement save the federal government?
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Republicans say Medicaid is safe. But budget math says otherwise
Now, House Republicans have said that cuts to Medicaid are totally off the table. Here's Republican Representative Tim Burchett of Tennessee with NPR's Layla Fadl.
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Republicans say Medicaid is safe. But budget math says otherwise
Okay, there's another proposal to cut Medicaid spending, and that is to reduce or eliminate health care provider taxes, which states use to finance their portion of Medicaid. And to be fair, there is some buy-in on this idea, like the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, which... is a nonpartisan group focused on cutting the national debt. They call those taxes a state financing gimmick.
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Republicans say Medicaid is safe. But budget math says otherwise
And they say getting rid of health care provider taxes could actually save more than $600 billion. So tantalizing, is that actually a way to cut spending without cutting benefits?
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Republicans say Medicaid is safe. But budget math says otherwise
Okay. Well, I want to step back just for some perspective here. $880 billion would be something like what? An 11% cut to federal funding for Medicaid, right? So like, however, that cut of $880 billion happens, what would it mean for Medicaid if we see more than a 10th of the federal spending on the program eliminated?
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Republicans say Medicaid is safe. But budget math says otherwise
Edwin Park with Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy. Thank you so much for making this so clear. Thank you for having me. This episode was produced by Mallory Yu, Connor Donovan, and Mark Rivers. It was edited by Sarah Handel and Nadia Lansi. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Elsa Chang.
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Republicans say Medicaid is safe. But budget math says otherwise
And House Speaker Mike Johnson said this last week on NBC's Meet the Press with Kristen Welker.
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Trump says the economy is in 'transition.' What comes after?
On the campaign trail back in 2024, then-candidate Donald Trump made big promises for the economy.
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Trump says the economy is in 'transition.' What comes after?
Consider this. Trump says we can expect a little disturbance in the economy, but he promises his tariff strategy will remake the American economy for the better. Will it? From NPR, I'm Elsa Chang.
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Trump says the economy is in 'transition.' What comes after?
And he had a special message to investors.
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Trump says the economy is in 'transition.' What comes after?
It's Consider This from NPR. A little disturbance. A period of transition. A detox period. These are all phrases that President Trump and his administration have used to describe the economy as the stock market has plunged. in response to an onslaught of tariffs. But President Trump is adamant that his tariffs will ultimately bring revenue, jobs, and factories to the U.S.
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Trump says the economy is in 'transition.' What comes after?
Trump rode that economic message to a decisive victory in November. And on the heels of that victory, there were in fact some positive signs in the stock market. Maybe not a boom, but certainly a big bump. The Dow Jones Industrial, S&P 500, and Nasdaq composites all closed at record highs the day after the election.
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Trump says the economy is in 'transition.' What comes after?
So the question is, is this short-term pain in exchange for long-term gain? Or are these just the early signs of a recession? To help us answer that question, we're joined now by economist Matt Slaughter. He's the dean at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Welcome. Thank you. Pleasure to be here. Pleasure to have you.
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Trump says the economy is in 'transition.' What comes after?
So can you just first try to spell out what is President Trump's explanation, as you understand it, for what is happening in the economy right now? And where does he say the economy is headed?
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Trump says the economy is in 'transition.' What comes after?
Well, I was just going to ask you because President Trump is trying to assure people that any disturbance that's felt right now is only temporary. Is it only temporary? It sounds like you don't think it is temporary.
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Trump says the economy is in 'transition.' What comes after?
Well, one specific goal that Trump has mentioned is that he wants to rebuild U.S. manufacturing. Do you think his tariff plan can ultimately truly accomplish that?
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Trump says the economy is in 'transition.' What comes after?
But is there an argument to be made that these tariffs can still help a little bit? Like the head of the United Auto Workers, Sean Fain, who's been a big critic of Donald Trump, he's actually come out in favor of these tariffs. Like here he is on ABC's This Week.
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Trump says the economy is in 'transition.' What comes after?
Is Fain wrong to think that these higher tariffs will help the U.S. auto workers whom he represents?
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Trump says the economy is in 'transition.' What comes after?
You mentioned tariffs on steel, which brings me to the issue of national security, because the Trump administration— has also said that tariffs are very important for national security. Like Commerce Secretary Howard Letnick said, you can't be at war and not make steel. So I suppose the argument is tariffs designed to protect, say, the U.S. steel industry are important.
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Trump says the economy is in 'transition.' What comes after?
Does he have a point there when it comes to national security?
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Trump says the economy is in 'transition.' What comes after?
And we should note, the president did not rule out a possible recession. Do you think a recession is likely?
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Trump says the economy is in 'transition.' What comes after?
Matthew Slaughter is an economist and the dean at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Thank you very much for your time today.
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Trump says the economy is in 'transition.' What comes after?
This episode was produced by Michael Levitt and edited by Connor Donovan and Nadia Lancey. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan. And before we go, a quick thank you to our Consider This Plus listeners who support this show. Your contribution makes it possible for NPR journalists all around the world to do their jobs.
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Trump says the economy is in 'transition.' What comes after?
Supporters also get to hear every episode in even less time with no sponsor messages. Learn more at plus.npr.org. Thank you. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Elsa Chang.
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Trump says the economy is in 'transition.' What comes after?
Fast forward to this week, and that beautiful light seems to have dimmed. The S&P 500 closed in correction territory Thursday, down 10 percent from its recent high. As we record, it has bounced back some, but it still looks like a fourth straight losing week. And Trump has struck a different tone. Here he is on Fox News last weekend.
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A devastating earthquake brings more uncertainty to Myanmar
The country of Myanmar has been in crisis for years. A civil war has been going on since 2021. And then last Friday, a devastating earthquake hit, leaving at least 3,000 people dead. The tragedy only deepened the humanitarian crisis in the country.
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A devastating earthquake brings more uncertainty to Myanmar
Consider this. The earthquake has brought more devastation to Myanmar, raising questions about whether the country's military can stay in power and about the future of its ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. From NPR, I'm Elsa Chang.
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A devastating earthquake brings more uncertainty to Myanmar
It's Consider This from NPR. Let's take a step back and talk a little more about Aung San Suu Kyi. She led pro-democracy protests against military rule, and in 1991, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Suu Kyi spent years under house arrest before her party in 2015 won the country's first democratic elections in decades.
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A devastating earthquake brings more uncertainty to Myanmar
And although the constitution did not formally allow her to take power, she became the country's de facto leader. That is, until she was ousted in 2021. Suu Kyi earned international praise for her pro-democracy activism, but she has also drawn criticism for her response to the plight of the Rohingya, a minority group in Myanmar, and allegations that she stood by as the military committed genocide.
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A devastating earthquake brings more uncertainty to Myanmar
allegations which she has denied. My colleague Mary Louise Kelly spoke with her son, Kim Aris, earlier this week before the military ceasefire was announced.
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A devastating earthquake brings more uncertainty to Myanmar
In the aftermath of the quake, resistance groups and the country's military rulers declared a temporary ceasefire. But there are reports the military continues to launch attacks. Elena Vuolo is the World Health Organization deputy head in Myanmar. She says her team has been focused on getting trauma and surgical kits to hospitals.
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A devastating earthquake brings more uncertainty to Myanmar
That was Kim Aris, the son of imprisoned political leader Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, speaking to my co-host, Mary Louise Kelly. This episode was produced by Mallory Yu and Alejandra Marquez-Hanse. It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Patrick Jaron Watanane. Our executive producer is Sammy Yannigan.
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A devastating earthquake brings more uncertainty to Myanmar
And thanks to our Consider This Plus listeners who support the work of NPR journalists and help keep public radio strong. Supporters also hear every episode without messages from sponsors. Learn more at plus.npr.org. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Elsa Chang.
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A devastating earthquake brings more uncertainty to Myanmar
Even before this earthquake struck, UN officials said that nearly 20 million people were in need in Myanmar. One person watching the situation closely is Kim Aris. His mother is Aung San Suu Kyi, who was the country's de facto leader before the military ousted and imprisoned her after a coup four years ago.
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A devastating earthquake brings more uncertainty to Myanmar
When Aris spoke to us earlier this week, he wasn't even sure where his mother was or whether she was safe.