Diane Rehm: On My Mind

Mar 27 2025 10 ep. 36 mins 39.9k

Diane Rehm: On My Mind Podcast artwork

Diane Rehm’s weekly podcast features newsmakers, writers, artists and thinkers on the issues she cares about most: what’s going on in Washington, ideas that inform, and the latest on living well as we live longer.

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How Trump is using fear as a political tool

Mar 27 2025 37 mins

The pressure campaigns of the Trump administration are beginning to bear fruit. Last week saw two major institutions acquiesce to the president’s demands after actions taken by the White House threatened to undermine their budgets, workforce and, in some cases, ability to perform core business. The first was Paul Weiss, a major law firm that some accuse of trading pro bono wo

The latest on Alzheimer's research -- and why it might be at risk

Mar 20 2025 40 mins

Nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, this number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million. For years, research into the disease remained underfunded -- and patients who received a diagnosis had few options when it came to treatment. But in recent years, that has begun to change. “There are exciting developments in the research field at e

How the powerful are trying to undermine press freedoms in the US

Mar 13 2025 39 mins

Donald Trump’s love-hate relationship with the news media was on full display throughout his first term. He screamed “fake news” at negative coverage and labeled journalists the “enemy of the people.” But lately, he has taken his campaign beyond the court of public opinion, filing lawsuits against ABC, CBS, The Des Moines Register, and the Pulitzer Board. David Enrich is

A Trump critic on his worst fears -- and a way forward

Mar 06 2025 41 mins

In the weeks preceding President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, the administration was busy – taking an axe to federal agencies, imposing tariffs on neighboring countries, and reversing course on U.S. support for Ukraine. But we heard little about these issues from the president in this speech. What the president did do was tick off a list of ac

The fate of the CFPB and why we should care

Feb 27 2025 36 mins

On February 7, billionaire Elon Musk posted a message on his social media platform X: “CFPB RIP,” along with a tombstone emoji. In the days that followed, the workings of the government’s financial industry watchdog created in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis essentially ground to a halt. More than a hundred and fifty employees were let go, with more layoffs expe

Understanding the threat of bird flu

Feb 20 2025 39 mins

First it hit poultry farms, forcing farmers to cull millions of hens. Egg prices jumped, and some grocery stores began to ration the number of cartons per customer. Next infections spread to dairy cows, stoking fears of a wider outbreak. Now, avian influenza has been detected in domesticated cats, and humans, with about seventy confirmed cases in in the U.S. Lena Sun is a sta

The ripple effects of Trump's plan to 'own' Gaza

Feb 13 2025 36 mins

Earlier this month Donald Trump stood next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and announced that the United States would take over Gaza. The Palestinians who live there, he explained, would be sent to Jordan and Egypt. He went on to describe a vision of the war-torn land being transformed into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Since then, Trump has stood by his comm

Musk, Trump and the growing legal backlash

Feb 06 2025 24 mins

Elon Musk and his team at DOGE have moved at a remarkable pace over the last two weeks, bringing slash and burn tactics to the federal government. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has signed more than fifty executive orders, the most in a president’s first hundred days in more than forty years. With Republicans holding power in both chambers of congress, there are seemingly few checks

"Donald Trump is daring opponents: 'Come and get me!'"

Jan 30 2025 31 mins

It has been ten days since Donald Trump was inaugurated for his second term as president. Since then, he has signed a flurry of executive orders, pardoned every January 6th defendant, pushed through controversial cabinet picks, and made moves to completely reshape the federal workforce. And by most accounts, the Democratic response has been ... tepid. “Donald Trump is charting

Bishop Mariann Budde on her plea to Donald Trump

Jan 23 2025 34 mins

Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde delivered a sermon at the National Cathedral on Tuesday in honor of Donald Trump’s inauguration. She ended with a direct address to the president. “Let me make one final plea, ” she said. “In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.” She went on to mention gay, lesbian and transg