Advertise on podcast: Rethinking Trade with Lori Wallach

In this episode of Rethinking Trade, Lori speaks with digital governance expert Dr. Kristina Irion and Rethink Trade research director Daniel Rangel about a key issue resurfacing in Brussels: The Trump administration's joint push with Big Tech to use trade rules to limit how democracies regulate data, privacy, and algorithmic oversight. Although recorded earlier this year, the conversation is newly relevant as Commerce Secretary Lutnick and USTR Greer signal openness to tying U.S. tariff decisions to EU digital policy concessions — the same agenda now back on the transatlantic negotiating table.

China’s devastating new move to cut off global access to rare-earth minerals could be cataclysmic — shutting down manufacturing of core sectors across the U.S. economy. In this episode of Rethinking Trade, Lori Wallach speaks with Rush Doshi — former National Security Council Director for China and Taiwan and Director of the China Strategy Initiative at the Council on Foreign Relations — about why the tentative one-year pause reported Sunday does not remove the underlying risk, but confirms how much leverage China has consolidated. Rush explains the urgent actions needed immediately to limit U.S. vulnerabilities, and discusses with Lori how we got into this dire situation — with China’s current rare-earths near-monopoly creating a chokepoint over basic inputs that keep the modern economy running.

China just announced new export controls on rare earths — the subset of critical minerals used to make high-power magnets essential for EVs, defense tech, and nearly every modern electronic device. Lori Wallach breaks down why China’s grip on rare earths processing has become a global choke point 15 years in the making — and what this latest move signals for supply chains, allies, and U.S. leverage going forward. Don't forget to also check out Katie Hettinga's write-up on Substack.

In this episode of Rethinking Trade: Did the dangerous de minimis trade loophole finally get closed for goods from China on May 2? Woohoo – tariff-dodging is now forbidden. But the Trump administration’s wavier of a longstanding customs enforcement rule might make the change harder to enforce.    Lori will explain what it means for the import inspectionsneeded to catch fentanyl-laced fake pills and why we now need the administration to publish importer requirements and close down the loophole for imports from other countries.

Lori Wallach breaks down the confusion, the consequences, and what’s coming next on the Trump administration's actions on China, the 90-day pause, and more.

Confused about the tariffs that just went into effect? It's hard not to be, given how they are being discussed in the media. But before we all conclude the sky is falling, please listen to the latest episode of our Rethinking Trade podcast. (And yes, we’re back from hiatus!) Lori covers just what we need to know about the 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, the additional 20% tariffs onChina, and Trump’s reversal on allowing de minimis shipments from China, Mexico and Canada to evade these very tariffs as well as inspection. And she explains how all of this could impact you... even as things keep changing.

This new episode of the Rethinking Trade podcast is a little different. It’s about tariffs, an issue that’s critical to get smart about now… At a recent live panel with Congressmembers Debbie Dingell (D-Mich) and Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA) and our labor friends, Lori led a discussion about why much of the conventional wisdom on tariffs is wrong.   Like, if you are for enforceable labor standards in trade agreements or climate Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms, you are FOR tariffs.   And tariffs do NOT necessarily increase consumer prices. But price-gouging corporations like to use tariffs as an excuse to raise prices. And, yup, that story you hear over and over on tariff raising washing machine prices is wrong.

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.   So, it was big news when the European Union recently exited one of the world’s largest ISDS agreements -- the Energy Charter Treaty.   In the latest episode of the Rethinking Trade podcast, Lori Wallach is joined by two people who know the inside story: Cecilia Olivet, advisor to the Left Group in the European Parliament, and Fabian Flues, of the German-based organization Powershift. Here’s a hint: When European domestic climate policies got ISDS attacked, the Dutch, German and other ISDS-booster governments had to shell out billions. And climate activists turned up the, um, heat. 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?   But this progress could soon be wiped out thanks to Big Tech’s stealthy "digital trade" agenda.   In the latest episode of our Rethinking Trade podcast, our colleagues ⁠Daniel Rangel ⁠and ⁠Katie Hettinga ⁠explain how more than 100 state-level tech bills could be preempted by international trade rules being pushed by Big Tech lobbyists.   Katie and Daniel spent months researching how these hidden provisions could undo the vital protections being enacted by state lawmakers, and have now put this information at your fingertips. Check out the tracker at www.rethinktrade.org/digitaltrade.

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.