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Rethinking Trade with Lori Wallach

By Rethink Trade
The changes needed to support living-wage jobs, to combat the climate crisis, to make medicines accessible for all…

Much of it won’t be possible unless we overhaul our corporate-rigged trade system. Trade Expert Lori Wallach explores ways to make our progressive trade vision a reality.

Episodes 1 – 43 were produced in partnership with Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch.
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China’s Devastating Rare-Earths Squeeze: Rush Doshi on What It Means and What the U.S. Must Do Next

• October 27, 2025

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00:21:54
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China’s Devastating Rare-Earths Squeeze: Rush Doshi on What It Means and What the U.S. Must Do Next
China’s Devastating Rare-Earths Squee...
China’s devastating new move to cut off global access to rare-earth minerals could be cataclysmic — shutting d...
00:21:54
October 27, 2025
China’s Rare Earths Power Play: What the New Export Controls Mean
China’s Rare Earths Power Play: What ...
China just announced new export controls on rare earths — the subset of critical minerals used to make high-po...
00:11:07
October 19, 2025
BREAKING: The end of the de minimis loophole for China’s goods?
BREAKING: The end of the de minimis loo...
In this episode of Rethinking Trade: Did the dangerous de minimis trade loophole finally get closed for goods from...
00:16:21
May 07, 2025
Tariffs Recap: China, the 90-day pause and more.
Tariffs Recap: China, the 90-day pause ...
Lori Wallach breaks down the confusion, the consequences, and what’s coming next on the Trump administration&#39...
00:08:07
April 16, 2025
Trump Rollercoaster on Tariffs
Trump Rollercoaster on Tariffs
Confused about the tariffs that just went into effect?It's hard not to be, given how they are being discussed in ...
00:10:06
March 07, 2025
Tariff Policy, Politics and Messaging
Tariff Policy, Politics and Messaging
This new episode of the Rethinking Trade podcast is a little different. It’s about tariffs, an issue that’s cr...
00:56:03
January 22, 2025
NAFTA’s (Election) Damage Abides…
NAFTA’s (Election) Damage Abides…
This new Rethinking Trade podcast episode is not a break from election anxiety, but can help explain the current...
00:17:26
November 01, 2024
The Trade Trap: How Tariffs and Offshoring Shape Elections
The Trade Trap: How Tariffs and Offshor...
The imitable Zephyr Teachout wrote a fantastic piece that everyone seems to be reading about why tariffs and the...
00:15:43
October 26, 2024
The Truth About Tariffs: Targeted vs. Across-the-Board Tariffs Explained
The Truth About Tariffs: Targeted vs. A...
In this episode of Rethinking Trade, Lori Wallach breaks down the facts about tariffs—how they work, who pays t...
00:18:25
October 12, 2024
EU Exits ISDS, kinda...
EU Exits ISDS, kinda...
Rapacious European corporations were top users of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) tribunals. For decades...
00:22:29
October 11, 2024
100 State Laws Big Tech Threatens with “Digital Trade” Attack
100 State Laws Big Tech Threatens with ...
Did you know that states across the country are taking steps right now to regulate artificial intelligence (AI), p...
00:17:44
October 04, 2024
BREAKING NEWS: Breaking Down Today's Ways and Means Hearing on Digital Trade
BREAKING NEWS: Breaking Down Today's Wa...
It was a busy Friday on Capitol Hill, as the Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on digital trade. If you ha...
00:05:23
September 21, 2024
BREAKING NEWS: White House Takes Action on the De Minimis Loophole
BREAKING NEWS: White House Takes Action...
In this special breaking news episode of the Rethinking Trade podcast, Lori Wallach explains today's White Hou...
00:11:09
September 13, 2024
Unlocking the Right to Repair with Nathan Proctor of PIRG
Unlocking the Right to Repair with Nath...
How many times has your phone, car, or whatever broken and you or your local repair shop can’t get the part or...
00:18:45
July 26, 2024
The OG Trade Crew on NAFTA to Now
The OG Trade Crew on NAFTA to Now
Hello, friends! We’ve got a new podcast episode and it’s a bit different!A veritable OG trade crew got togethe...
00:58:52
June 14, 2024
BREAKING NEWS: Understanding the New Biden Tariffs on EVs
BREAKING NEWS: Understanding the New Bi...
In this special breaking news episode of Rethinking Trade, Lori Wallach breaks down President Biden's new tari...
00:13:51
May 20, 2024
The 30 Years Trade War: A Conversation with Arthur Stamoulis
The 30 Years Trade War: A Conversation ...
Our latest Rethinking Trade podcast episode is out now, and it's a special one. Lori Wallach sits down with ...
00:19:27
May 17, 2024
BREAKING NEWS: De Minimis Bill Markup in House Ways and Means Committee
BREAKING NEWS: De Minimis Bill Markup i...
In our latest breaking news segment for Rethinking Trade, Lori Wallach discusses the latest developments on Capito...
00:09:46
April 26, 2024
BREAKING NEWS: China's WTO Complaint Against the U.S. on Electric-Vehicle Subsidies
BREAKING NEWS: China's WTO Complaint Ag...
BREAKING NEWS: China's WTO Complaint Against the U.S. on Electric-Vehicle Subsidies. Lori gives background, ...
00:09:04
March 27, 2024
Back from Abu Dhabi: Inside the WTO Biannual Ministerial Meeting
Back from Abu Dhabi: Inside the WTO Bia...
In our latest episode of Rethinking Trade, we’re talking about the major trade event of the year -- the 13th M...
00:26:25
March 22, 2024
Don't Be Terrified of Tariffs (with Scott Paul of AAM)
Don't Be Terrified of Tariffs (with Sco...
Tariffs are in the news again! Why does that term generate such vitriol from some quarters and joy from others?! ...
00:18:39
March 04, 2024
Death by Express Delivery: De Minimis Trade Scandal Grows
Death by Express Delivery: De Minimis T...
Our latest episode of the Rethinking Trade podcast offers an urgent update about the de minimis loophole that we f...
00:19:40
February 02, 2024
Out with the Old: ISDS & Charting a New Future with Senator Warren and Prof. Stiglitz
Out with the Old: ISDS & Charting a New...
In our latest episode, we have two very special guests - voices you will know - talking about a corporate trade po...
00:24:44
December 23, 2023
PART TWO: The AI Bill of Rights and Its Trade Implications -
PART TWO: The AI Bill of Rights and Its...
Welcome back to the Rethinking Trade podcast. Today we bring you the second half of our conversation with Suresh V...
00:25:44
November 10, 2023
PART ONE: Unraveling AI Risks and Benefits (or Get Smart on AI featuring HAL 9000)
PART ONE: Unraveling AI Risks and Benef...
Greetings from DC!   OK, hope all you 2001: A Space Odyssey fans got a chuckle and no HAL9000 is not joining this...
00:21:17
October 20, 2023
MINI-EPISODE: The UAW Strike Story Not on the News with Larry Cohen
MINI-EPISODE: The UAW Strike Story Not ...
Once you've finished listening to our new episode with Larry Cohen, check out this mini-episode as he discusse...
00:02:05
October 13, 2023
The UAW Strike Story Not on the News with Larry Cohen
The UAW Strike Story Not on the News wi...
We're thrilled to present our latest episode of the Rethinking Trade podcast. Lori is joined by Larry Cohen, f...
00:25:21
October 13, 2023
The DMA, DSA, EU, AI and You
The DMA, DSA, EU, AI and You
In the latest episode of Rethinking Trade, our guests unpack the specific policies safeguarding Europeans’ priv...
00:36:21
September 18, 2023
Airlines Offshoring Plane Maintenance?!
Airlines Offshoring Plane Maintenance?!
If you thought the air travel fiasco could not get worse, consider the scary news that airlines are offshoring the...
00:24:17
January 24, 2023
Shocker or Not: End China Trade Status Says Bipartisan Commission
Shocker or Not: End China Trade Status ...
Shock waves were sent through Washington, D.C.’s many trade wonks when the U.S.-China Economic and Security Comm...
00:24:47
December 16, 2022
EVs and Solar: What’s with the Rage About US Joining Fight Against Climate Chaos?
EVs and Solar: What’s with the Rage A...
The U.S. finally is getting its act together on climate with big new tax credits for people who buy electric vehic...
00:27:49
November 10, 2022
Factory Towns Can Save Democracy & Democrats Alike
Factory Towns Can Save Democracy & Demo...
Every election is THE most important in our lifetimes, except the 2022 midterms and 2024 presidential actually are...
00:26:15
October 27, 2022
Treat IPEF with Sunlight To Avoid Harm
Treat IPEF with Sunlight To Avoid Harm
Your doctor’s not at fault if you don’t know about IPEF. It’s not a new virus. But it could harm billions of...
00:16:20
September 21, 2022
Shady COVID Deal: WTO’s Midnight Scandal
Shady COVID Deal: WTO’s Midnight Scan...
After two years of pandemic and 15 million dead, how did the first big global WTO summit end with WTO intellectual...
00:30:28
July 13, 2022
De Minimis: Amazon’s Big Little Secret
De Minimis: Amazon’s Big Little Secre...
On this episode of Rethinking Trade with Lori Wallach we’ll expose Amazon’s big little secret — a loophole w...
00:22:59
June 01, 2022
Drugs, COVID, the WTO and a Leaked Text
Drugs, COVID, the WTO and a Leaked Text...
In this episode, Lori talks with two trailblazing attorneys: Fatima Hassan at Cape Town’s Health Justice Initiat...
00:22:41
April 29, 2022
WTF? WTO Still Blocking End to the Pandemic
WTF? WTO Still Blocking End to the Pand...
In this episode, Lori talks with a leading public health expert about how we could END the pandemic and how World ...
00:20:47
February 09, 2022
MC12, Part 2: Still No COVID Waiver, But WTO Inks Services Deregulation Deal
MC12, Part 2: Still No COVID Waiver, Bu...
In Part 1 we discussed some of the big issues at stake at the World Trade Organization’s 12th Ministerial c...
00:15:03
December 06, 2021
MC12, Part 1: Will Big Pharma and Big Tech Win at Next Week’s WTO Ministerial?
MC12, Part 1: Will Big Pharma and Big T...
Will the WTO get out of the way of global production of COVID-19 vaccines and meds so we can end this pandemic? Wh...
00:15:28
November 24, 2021
A New U.S. Approach to the WTO?
A New U.S. Approach to the WTO?
U.S. Trade Representative, Katherine Tai’s recent speech about the World Trade Organization was shocking. Why? B...
00:14:08
November 11, 2021
Apple & Google Seek U.S. Trade Attack on Anti-Monopoly Law
Apple & Google Seek U.S. Trade Attack o...
Right now, Apple and Google are lobbying the U.S. government to attack South Korean anti-monopoly policies. They c...
00:13:44
October 18, 2021
President Biden Could End the COVID Pandemic at This Week’s UN Summit - Will He?
President Biden Could End the COVID Pan...
Getting the world vaccinated and ending the pandemic is a political choice: World leaders have the medical, techni...
00:19:53
September 21, 2021
Labor Day Special: An Historic Vote in a Mexican Auto Plant
Labor Day Special: An Historic Vote in ...
On August 19th, workers at the massive General Motors plant in Silao, Mexico participated in an historic vote that...
00:18:21
September 07, 2021
Hyperglobalization, COVID and Failed Supply Chains: Now What?
Hyperglobalization, COVID and Failed Su...
In our very first episode, we looked at how corporate-led globalization has fueled shortages in our medical supply...
00:18:35
August 24, 2021
U.S. Inaction is Enabling COVID-19 Variants to Spread
U.S. Inaction is Enabling COVID-19 Vari...
The world celebrated when President Biden announced the U.S. would support a temporary waiver of World Trade Organ...
00:17:15
August 09, 2021
NAFTA Keystone XL Pipeline $15B ISDS Attack
NAFTA Keystone XL Pipeline $15B ISDS At...
Within hours of taking office, President Biden revoked the permit for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. The ...
00:13:04
July 29, 2021
The USMCA: A Year in Review
The USMCA: A Year in Review
On July 1, 2020, following a lengthy campaign by unions, civil society groups and congressional Democrats to win k...
00:20:23
July 12, 2021
The Fight for Workers’ Rights in North America: Big Developments Under the Revised NAFTA
The Fight for Workers’ Rights in Nort...
This May 27th webinar “The Fight for Workers’ Rights in North America: Major Recent Developments Under the Rev...
00:50:37
June 07, 2021
Emergency COVID-19 TRIPS Waiver: With U.S. Now Supporting, What’s Next?
Emergency COVID-19 TRIPS Waiver: With U...
On May 5th, the Biden administration announced its support for an emergency COVID-19 waiver of “TRIPS” intelle...
00:17:01
May 26, 2021
NTE: The Corporate Seek-And-Destroy List that Guides U.S. Trade Policy
NTE: The Corporate Seek-And-Destroy Lis...
The National Trade Estimates report is an annual wish list of other countries’ laws, policies and practices that...
00:13:13
April 12, 2021
Deep Dive: How WTO Rules Protect Big Pharma Profits
Deep Dive: How WTO Rules Protect Big Ph...
Millions of people around the world may not get COVID-19 vaccines until as late as 2024 due to World Trade Organiz...
00:15:48
March 31, 2021
Will Biden Build Back Green, or Import Green?
Will Biden Build Back Green, or Import ...
Our tax dollars should support green jobs with fair wages, not a global race to the bottom that exploits workers a...
00:13:41
March 22, 2021
LIVE: U.S. Must Lift WTO Block on COVID-19 Vaccine Technology (w/Rep. Jan Schakowsky and other guests)
LIVE: U.S. Must Lift WTO Block on COVID...
Audio from a live Public Citizen webinar featuring Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-ILL), South African Counsellor to the WT...
01:00:14
February 23, 2021
What The Biden Administration Can Do To Fix Our Trade Mess, Part 2
What The Biden Administration Can Do To...
The Biden administration inherited a political and trade policy landscape transformed since the end of the Obama p...
00:18:05
February 16, 2021
President Biden Should Reverse Trump's Deadly Obstruction of Global COVID-19 Vaccines
President Biden Should Reverse Trump's ...
Millions of people around the world may not get COVID-19 vaccines until as late as 2024—unless President Biden r...
00:15:54
February 08, 2021
What The Biden Administration Can Do To Fix Our Trade Mess, Part 1
What The Biden Administration Can Do To...
The Biden administration inherited a political and trade policy landscape transformed since the end of the Obama p...
00:20:09
February 02, 2021
Rethinking Trade in 2021: What Are We For?
Rethinking Trade in 2021: What Are We F...
With Georgia’s run-off elections shifting control of the Senate to the Democrats, the party will have a lot more...
00:16:34
January 19, 2021
How U.S. Trade Policies Disproportionately Impacted Black and Latino Workers, w/Special Guest Dolores Huerta
How U.S. Trade Policies Disproportionat...
In this episode, Lori is joined by Dolores Huerta, co-founder with Cesar Chaves of the United farm Workers and ren...
00:32:37
January 11, 2021
U.S. Officials Are Blocking Global COVID-19 Vaccine Access at the WTO
U.S. Officials Are Blocking Global COVI...
World Trade Organization (WTO) rules undermine access to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines. That’s why scores...
00:10:55
December 18, 2020
What Will Biden’s Cabinet Picks Mean for U.S. Trade Policy?
What Will Biden’s Cabinet Picks Mean ...
President-elect Biden’s appointment of the next top U.S. trade official has taken on enormous political and symb...
00:16:01
December 04, 2020
Preview: The Friendly Troll - The US Kenya FTA Part 3, featuring Lori Wallach
Preview: The Friendly Troll - The US Ke...
Lori "sat down" recently with The Friendly Troll host Dr. Melissa Omino and Dr. Isaac Rutenberg from Kenya's Centr...
00:04:10
November 23, 2020
Whatever Happened to Trump’s Big China Deal?
Whatever Happened to Trump’s Big Chin...
Donald Trump makes a big deal out of what he calls his “big deal” with China. But Trump’s “Phase 1” Chin...
00:15:29
October 27, 2020
How We Were Fast Tracked Into Corporate-Rigged Trade Deals
How We Were Fast Tracked Into Corporate...
The most damaging U.S. trade agreements were hatched using the same process: “Fast Track.” Fast Track empowers...
00:15:35
October 14, 2020
Big Oil Wants to Use a Stealthy Trade Deal to Kill African Environmental Protections
Big Oil Wants to Use a Stealthy Trade D...
Chemical, oil and gas companies face plastic bags bans and other policies to fight the plastic waste that is clogg...
00:12:28
September 28, 2020
Offshoring Continues: The Data vs. Trump’s Promises
Offshoring Continues: The Data vs. Trum...
Donald Trump pledged he would swiftly eliminate the huge job-killing U.S. trade deficit, end job outsourcing and r...
00:14:19
September 21, 2020
How Free Trade Divided the Democratic Party
How Free Trade Divided the Democratic P...
Many Americans are confused – does any U.S. political party stand for trade policy that puts working people firs...
00:16:24
September 16, 2020
Online Retail Giants Sneak Attack by Trade Pact
Online Retail Giants Sneak Attack by Tr...
Online retail giants like Amazon have been quietly stuffing trade agreements with terms that handcuff governments ...
00:11:39
August 31, 2020
What’s the Real Story With All the “Buy American” Hype?
Since the 1930’s, “Buy American” rules have required that the U.S. government purchase goods – from cars a...
00:13:57
August 19, 2020
Did You Buy PPE Made by Uyghur Forced Labor in China?
Did You Buy PPE Made by Uyghur Forced L...
China has 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic-minorities locked up in concentration camps in western China...
00:12:39
July 28, 2020
Trade-Related Job Losses Have Continued Under Trump
Trade-Related Job Losses Have Continued...
Despite Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign promises to “bring back jobs,” trade-related job losses have continued ...
00:14:17
July 20, 2020
The New NAFTA: Only Improvements on Paper or Real Change?
The New NAFTA: Only Improvements on Pap...
Last week we discussed the new North American Free Trade Agreement and some of the key improvements we won after y...
00:10:58
July 10, 2020
New NAFTA’s Start Marred by Labor Activist’s Arrest
New NAFTA’s Start Marred by Labor Act...
After a multi-year campaign by unions, civil society groups and congressional Democrats won critical improvements ...
00:16:40
June 30, 2020
ISDS Corporate Attacks Against COVID-19 Emergency Measures
ISDS Corporate Attacks Against COVID-19...
Governments are taking emergency action to fight COVID-19, counter economic disaster and ensure peoples’ basic n...
00:19:18
June 22, 2020
The Hong Kong Protests VS. China's Democracy Crackdown
The Hong Kong Protests VS. China's Demo...
Hong Kong is at a significant crossroads—and its special trade status with the US has become a central point of ...
00:16:52
June 16, 2020
Crisis at the World Trade Organization
Crisis at the World Trade Organization
Today, the World Trade Organization is in a major crisis of its own making, with its over-reaching enforcement reg...
00:19:46
May 27, 2020
The Loophole That Lets Amazon Deliver Uninspected Imports to Your Door
The Loophole That Lets Amazon Deliver U...
Nearly 2 million imported products we buy online every day enter the United States and are delivered to consumers...
00:18:18
May 18, 2020
As U.S. Pressures Mexico to Re-open NAFTA Factories, Workers Protest
As U.S. Pressures Mexico to Re-open NAF...
COVID-19 deaths are still on the rise across Mexico. Despite government orders to close all non-essential firms, s...
00:14:48
May 12, 2020
A Progressive Shock Doctrine on Globalization?
A Progressive Shock Doctrine on Globali...
To try to address human needs during the COVID-19 crisis, many governments have shredded the concepts and laws und...
00:29:16
May 06, 2020
The Looming COVID-19 Medicine Shortage
The Looming COVID-19 Medicine Shortage
The COVID-19 crisis revealed how reliant the United States has become on imported masks, respirators and other&nbs...
00:16:19
April 28, 2020
Governments, Not Corporations, Should Regulate Trade in COVID-Crisis Goods
Governments, Not Corporations, Should R...
Today, instead of corporations unilaterally deciding where and when to sell every product, governments worldwide a...
00:13:33
April 20, 2020
Crisis Capitalism COVID Response: Let’s Do More Rigged Trade Deals, No One’s Watching…
With everyone rightfully focused on fighting COVID-19, corporate lobbyists are hard at work pushing for more of th...
00:13:31
April 13, 2020
COVID-19: Bad Trade Rules Have Weakened Our Response
COVID-19: Bad Trade Rules Have Weakened...
Trade expert Lori Wallach breaks down how corporate-led globalization has fueled shortages in our medical supply-c...
00:17:43
April 03, 2020
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