In our latest episode of Rethinking Trade, we’re talking about the major trade event of the year -- the 13th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It’s a major global biennial meeting where cabinet-level officials, like U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, get together to set the agenda for the international  trade and commerce body. Rethink Trade Research Director Daniel Rangel was on the scene in Abu Dhabi. In this episode he dissects the outcomes (or lack thereof!) at the conference. Lori and Daniel explore the im ..read more

Tariffs are in the news again! Why does that term generate such vitriol from some quarters and joy from others?!   This week, we explore that question with Scott Paul, the President of the Alliance for American Manufacturing.   Scott and host Lori Wallach discuss how increasingly Democrats and Republicans alike now view tariffs as just another policy tool. For most of U.S. history, this was the American perspective. Tariffs - charges collected at the border on imported goods - were the main source of government revenue when the country was ..read more

Our latest episode of the Rethinking Trade podcast offers an urgent update about the de minimis loophole that we first discussed in 2022. It has gotten much worse. E-commerce sites like Amazon, Shein and Temu use this loophole to skirt U.S. Customs and safety inspections and dodge all taxes and trade-cheating enforcement sanctions. Uyghur forced-labor products slip in and fake and dangerous goods too. The loophole is also increasingly being used by criminals to deliver illegal drugs with tragic consequences wracking families nationwide. Our special guest this week is one of the nation’s leadin ..read more

In our latest episode, we have two very special guests - voices you will know - talking about a corporate trade power tool that definitely should be on the “out with the old” list! We’re talking about Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) and its implications for our economies and democracies. First, a quick refresher:   What is ISDS?  ISDS grants foreign investors special rights and privileges, allowing them to sue governments outside of domestic courts. These suits often result in staggering compensations for corporations, all while undermining public policies.   ISDS has t ..read more

In our latest episode, we have two very special guests - voices you will know - talking about a corporate trade power tool that definitely should be on the “out with the old” list! We’re talking about Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) and its implications for our economies and democracies. First, a quick refresher:   What is ISDS?  ISDS grants foreign investors special rights and privileges, allowing them to sue governments outside of domestic courts. These suits often result in staggering compensations for corporations, all while undermining public policies.   ISDS has t ..read more

Welcome back to the Rethinking Trade podcast. Today we bring you the second half of our conversation with Suresh Venkatasubramanian. Suresh co-authored the Biden administration’s Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, and is a leading national expert on AI oversight. With the imminent Biden Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence setting binding U.S. AI policy, there’s never been a better time to get smart on this technology that impacts our lives.   Today in part two, we dive deeper into the AI landscape and uncover a potential landmine: Big Tech's plans to rig trade agreements with ..read more

Greetings from DC!   OK, hope all you 2001: A Space Odyssey fans got a chuckle and no HAL9000 is not joining this edition of the podcast! We have a much better guest, Suresh Venkatasubramanian who co-authored the Biden administration’s Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights.   We've all seen Artificial Intelligence or "AI" making headlines recently, and it's raising critical questions:   * How will AI impact our daily lives?    * And just how do we regulate it to limit what seems like serious risks? * How do we make sure Big Tech interests do not use “digital trade” a ..read more

Once you've finished listening to our new episode with Larry Cohen, check out this mini-episode as he discusses the UAW strike. ----- We're thrilled to present our latest episode of the Rethinking Trade podcast. Lori is joined by Larry Cohen, former President of the Communication Workers of America, for a guided tour of the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike. Spoiler alert: There’s a lot more about this strike and how it could impact all of us than most of us know.   Larry brings his decades of experience building worker power and broad knowledge of labor history to discuss: ·   ..read more

The U.S. anti-monopoly trial of the century with the Justice Department taking on Google started yesterday a few blocks away in DC. Excellent! But how is it that in Europe Google already has faced $5 billion in fines for the same domineering abuses and already a year ago lost its appeal of that judgment?    The  latest episode of Rethinking Trade answers that mystery. Our guests unpack the specific policies safeguarding Europeans’ privacy, busting Big Tech monopolies, and banning the most risky uses if AI. Yup, all of the policies Big Tech has managed to evade here so far ..read more

If you thought the air travel fiasco could not get worse, consider the scary news that airlines are offshoring the maintenance work needed to keep planes safe. It’s the same greedy cost-cutting behind the outdated computer systems and gutted airline staffing that is causing the epic air travel meltdowns upending millions of peoples’ lives. In the race-to-the-bottom offshore aircraft maintenance facilities in El Salvador, Singapore, China, and Brazil mechanics’ special aircraft certifications, security and background checks, and drug testing is waived. And of course there are no FAA inspectors ..read more