Menu
Sign In Pricing Add Podcast

Laurel Wamsley

Appearances

Apple News Today

Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake

660.452

I mean, it's hard as a company to know how much Things are going to cost you if these tariffs are going into place and they're going away or it's completely unclear at what level they're going to be. You know, all of that uncertainty can just make things more expensive and drive up costs for U.S. consumers.

Apple News Today

Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake

686.895

Say you're weighing buying a washing machine that's built and manufactured in the United States or one that's built and manufactured in China. If with these tariffs in effect, that should raise the cost of the Chinese washing machine. But, you know, the U.S. manufacturer of the washing machine might also raise their prices, you know, because now they can't.

Apple News Today

Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake

707.6

The other washing machine is more expensive.

Apple News Today

Top Trump officials leaked war plans to a journalist by mistake

723.409

So if there is a big ticket item that you've been eyeing and the price is something you can currently pay but wouldn't want to see a big price hike on, you know, maybe go ahead and get it sooner than later.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 02-05-2025 4PM EST

100.091

His position standing in stark contrast to his prior record in the U.S. Senate as a strong advocate for USAID's mission. He's been quoted saying that foreign aid as part of the country's overall budget accounts for less than 1% of the total amount the U.S. government spends.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 02-05-2025 4PM EST

114.84

The White House says President Trump's not committed to sending troops to the Gaza Strip, but it's facing backlash from Trump's remarks, suggesting Gaza's Palestinian residents relocate to other parts of the Middle East and the U.S. control of the Gaza Strip. During a meeting today with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Netanyahu thanked Trump for his support.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 02-05-2025 4PM EST

14.486

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Protests are being held today in the Washington, D.C. area as the Trump administration prepares to put many federal employees on administrative leave. Today, a large crowd gathered outside the U.S. Capitol to protest billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk's efforts to shut down the United States Agency for International Development. Here's NPR's Luke Garrett.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 02-05-2025 4PM EST

140.774

That's Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. U.S. households stand to see increased costs for goods. This after the administration proceeded with 10 percent tariffs on China and more than double that still looms for Mexico and Canada. NPR's Laurel Wamsley has the latest.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 02-05-2025 4PM EST

185.362

NPR's Laurel Wamsley reporting. U.S. stocks ended the day higher. The Dow closed up more than 300 points. It's NPR News. A former Georgia prosecutor has been acquitted of felony charges that she abused her power to protect the white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery, a black man, in 2020.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 02-05-2025 4PM EST

205.221

Today, a judge threw out the remaining charge that former District Attorney Jackie Johnson violated her oath of office. Senior Judge John Turner granted a defense challenge that the indictment used to charge Johnson had technical errors. The judge told attorneys it was a decision he did not want to make, and he expressed condolences to Arbery's mother, who was also in the courtroom.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 02-05-2025 4PM EST

229.235

The FireAid benefit concert held in Los Angeles last week featured performances from more than 30 artists, including Billie Eilish and Joni Mitchell. Organizers say the concert raised more than $100 million. NPR's Isabella Gomez-Armiento has details.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 02-05-2025 4PM EST

83.71

As acting administrator for USAID, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is defending Trump's directive upending thousands of employees around the globe.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 12-29-2024 8PM EST

210.626

Because so many people aren't selling, we're on track for 2024 to have the fewest existing home sales since 1995. That's almost 30 years ago when the country's population was more than 20 percent smaller than it is now.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 01-17-2025 6PM EST

211.678

There have been reports in recent days of a few wealthy Angelenos hiring private firefighters to protect their homes and businesses. But more common are crews working on behalf of insurance companies. David Torgerson is executive chairman at Wildfire Defense Companies, which works for nearly three dozen insurers.

NPR News Now

NPR News: 01-17-2025 6PM EST

238.28

Saving more structures means insurance companies can reduce losses, and these services now come standard on some homeowner policies in fire-prone states. But not everyone has this kind of coverage, or any coverage, as rates have skyrocketed in recent years. Laurel Wamsley, NPR News.

Up First from NPR

Trump At The Superbowl, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Turmoil, Air Aid To Gaza

321.477

it's quite troubling because the Bureau is the country's consumer finance watchdog, and it's an enforcement agency. I've talked with several CFPB staff and former staff in recent days, and they named a few big concerns. One is that a new stop work order from its new acting director halts the agency's supervision work.

Up First from NPR

Trump At The Superbowl, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Turmoil, Air Aid To Gaza

339.4

They said the agency has hundreds and hundreds of employees who go across the country, who go into companies and make sure they're following important consumer protections. As Julie Margetta Morgan, who was CFPB's associate director of research and monitoring until she left the agency last month, put it, They're shutting down literally the cops on the beat.

Up First from NPR

Trump At The Superbowl, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Turmoil, Air Aid To Gaza

356.897

They make sure your student loan company is actually processing your payments and that mortgage companies follow the rules put in place after the Great Recession. And there's a second big concern, which is that all of this is happening under Elon Musk, who is the CEO of Tesla and has talked about wanting his ex-company to be a whole commerce and payments platform.

Up First from NPR

Trump At The Superbowl, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Turmoil, Air Aid To Gaza

374.61

And now it looks like he has access to all of CFPB's records, including company's proprietary information. That'd be a huge competitive advantage to someone like Musk. And of course, there are worries that that sensitive information will be mishandled.

Up First from NPR

Trump At The Superbowl, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Turmoil, Air Aid To Gaza

393.789

Yeah, it's been a tumultuous few days. On Friday, staff from Elon Musk's government efficiency team were seen at CFPB headquarters, and they've gained access to those key internal systems. Then over the weekend, Trump tapped Russell Vogt as the new acting director.

Up First from NPR

Trump At The Superbowl, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Turmoil, Air Aid To Gaza

407.433

Vogt was an architect of the conservative policy agenda, Project 2025, and he sent an all-staff email ordering a halt to virtually all of their work. Shortly thereafter, Vogt posted on X that he would not be drawing the agency's next round of funding from the Federal Reserve. And then just yesterday, an email was sent to all staff and contractors saying that CFPB's D.C.

Up First from NPR

Trump At The Superbowl, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Turmoil, Air Aid To Gaza

426.785

headquarters would be closed for the week and that they have to work remotely.

Up First from NPR

Trump At The Superbowl, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Turmoil, Air Aid To Gaza

434.585

Totally. It appears to be the same playbook. I mean, both are independent agencies that this current administration appears to be trying to dismantle. Republicans have targeted the Consumer Protection Agency for years, though. They've often accused its regulators of overreach. And then on Friday, Musk tweeted CFPB RIP.

Up First from NPR

Trump At The Superbowl, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Turmoil, Air Aid To Gaza

454.451

Well, staffers are just bracing themselves for whatever comes next. One told me that they went to the D.C. headquarters yesterday just to grab some personal items before the building closed for the week, and they weren't allowed in. And, you know, at USAID, the vast majority of staff were put on administrative leave before a federal judge put a hold on that.

Up First from NPR

Trump At The Superbowl, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Turmoil, Air Aid To Gaza

471.638

And last night, CFPB's union filed a lawsuit against Vote, the agency's new head. In terms of that funding being slashed at CFPB, we actually saw the same thing happen during Trump's first term. But then later on, they went back to taking the money. And the thing is that if this whole thing is being done for government efficiency, CFPB isn't really where you'd start.

Up First from NPR

Trump At The Superbowl, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Turmoil, Air Aid To Gaza

490.951

It has a relatively small budget. And since its launch in 2011, it's delivered more than $20 billion back to Americans.