Rethinking Trade with Lori Wallach

This new Rethinking Trade podcast episode is not a break from election anxiety, but can help explain the current situation…  

Lori talks with Dan Kaufman about his recent New York Times Magazine story, "How NAFTA Broke American Politics." It examines the long-lasting impacts of the trade agreement on U.S. communities and politics nationwide. 

Lori and Dan do a deep dive into Kaufman’s recent October article. Listen now for conversation about the human and political cost of NAFTA, particularly in Wisconsin, and the broader impact on American workers and our politics. 

Dan Kaufman is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and author of the acclaimed book The Fall of Wisconsin about the labor revolution spurred by ring attacks on union rights there. 

The imitable Zephyr Teachout wrote a fantastic piece that everyone seems to be reading about why tariffs and the trade issue play such an outsized role in elections and how Trump has set a tariff trap to try to ensnare the Democrats.
 
In our latest episode of the Rethinking Trade podcast, Lori Wallach sits down with the renowned Fordham law professor. The discussion is especially interesting because Zephyr ran for Congress in a swing district in 2016 and saw her lead — along with Hillary Clinton's — disappear as Trump realized the power of the trade attack.
 
Even if you don’t have time to read the piece (and you should, and we have it on our website) this short, but powerful conversation is fascinating.

In this episode of Rethinking Trade, Lori Wallach breaks down the facts about tariffs—how they work, who pays them, and their impact on consumer prices.

With tariffs back in the news, Lori explains the difference between targeted tariffs and across the board tariffs. Tune in NOW to get the full picture.

Rapacious European corporations were top users of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) tribunals. For decades, they extracted billions from taxpayers worldwide, attacking local laws and suing governments before ISDS tribunals of three corporate attorneys.  

Nothing like being on the receiving end of ISDS – and domestic grassroots campaigns - to change opinions…

Did you know that states across the country are taking steps right now to regulate artificial intelligence (AI), protect kids' online safety, guarantee us the right to repair our phones, cars and other stuff, as well as safeguard data privacy?

It was a busy Friday on Capitol Hill, as the Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on digital trade.

If you haven't heard about "digital trade", the name that Big Tech lobbyists have given to a backdoor to try and tie the hands of Congress and regulators to evade privacy requirements/anti-discrimination online rules and shut down AI oversight, this podcast is for you.

Don't forget to also read our international preemption paper for further background, and stay tuned for our forthcoming podcast on our states tracker, which goes into Big Tech's digital trade agenda at the state level.

In this special breaking news episode of the Rethinking Trade podcast, Lori Wallach explains today's White House actions on the #deminimis loophole.

Remember: please visit our previous episodes on the de minimis loophole to understand just how e-commerce platforms like #Shein and #Temu are exploiting the loophole, and what it means for you.

How many times has your phone, car, or whatever broken and you or your local repair shop can’t get the part or the software update to fix it? You’re told the only options are to pay an obscene amount to a dealer or manufacturer, or prematurely replace the item.
People in states across the country are fighting back by enacting “right to repair” laws. But corporate lobbyists hope to rig trade agreements with rules that forbid access to the information that we need to fix our stuff.
Join Lori Wallach and special guest Nathan Proctor, Senior Director of the Campaign for Right to Repair at PIRG, as they examine the right to repair and how trade deals could undermine it.

Learn how the digitalization of everything gave companies new ways to monopolize who can fix stuff. Nathan explains how we can restore these basic rights Americans have long had.  
Lori reveals how companies are trying to lock in new corporate powers by slipping vague and non-trade-related rules into “trade” deals.

Hello, friends!

We’ve got a new podcast episode and it’s a bit different!
A veritable OG trade crew got together for a kick-ass discussion on "A New Trade Policy to Break Up Corporate Power” at our recent Anti-Monopoly Summit.

How OG? The discussion is led by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) the House Trade Working Groups chair (and House Approps Ranking Member!) and features Thea Lee (Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs, Department of Labor) and Scott Paul (President, Alliance for American Manufacturing) and our own Lori Wallach, Director, AELP's Rethink Trade.

These folks first met battling against NAFTA in 1992! They have unique insights into how decades of neoliberal hyperglobalization concentrated power among a few dominant corporations and undermined workers, small businesses, and our national resilience and security.
But perhaps the best part is that they discuss how trade policy tools—tariffs, conditioning market access on labor and other standards, supply management instruments, and more— can create industrial policy that curbs corporate power and empowers workers and smaller businesses. After hearing the discussion, it will be crystal clear why replacing pro-monopoly trade rules is critical to enhancing economic justice, our economic resilience and security and battle climate chaos.

Listen now!

In this special breaking news episode of Rethinking Trade, Lori Wallach breaks down President Biden's new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and solar panels. Tune in to understand the implications of these tariffs, and the rationale behind them.

Spoiler: these measures are crucial for combating unfair trade practices and ensuring supply chain resilience.