logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2025
8m 52s

Should the government be in the business...

NPR
About this episode

What happens when the federal government owns part of a company?

That’s one of MANY questions about federal policy right now, as the Trump Administration aggressively pushes for stakes — and oversight — of major private companies.


This week, the White House announced it was taking a ten percent stake in the struggling technology giant Intel.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says the administration is considering similar moves with other companies tied to the defense industry, too. 

Trump looks ready to turn the U.S. into a corporate stockholder. Should the government be in the business of … business?

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

This episode was produced by Connor Donevan and Henry Larson. It was edited by John Ketchum. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Up next
Yesterday
The DOJ released the final Epstein files. Where do the survivors go from here?
The Justice Department says their review into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is done, with the release of millions of documents and thousands of images and videos last Friday.Annie Farmer is one of many people who testified in court about Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell. S ... Show More
9m 44s
Feb 1
Faith leaders in Memphis support Afghan refugees, and each other
Stephen Cook, the senior pastor of Second Baptist Church in Memphis, has become friends with Latif Salar, the leader of the Christ Community Afghan Church - and since the Trump administration halted asylum processing for all immigrants from Afghanistan last Fall, the two have bee ... Show More
12m 15s
Jan 30
Gov. Tim Walz is skeptical about Trump’s plan to de-escalate immigration crackdown
Tensions remain high in Minnesota. Despite the Trump administration signaling a willingness to de-escalate tensions in the state earlier this week, Minnesota’s governor is now skeptical.“I know who I'm dealing with. I know that they're not going to keep their word,” Walz told NPR ... Show More
12m 14s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2025
Trump Administration Said to Discuss Taking Stake in Intel
Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.The Trump administration is in talks with Intel Corp. to have the US government potentially take a stake in the beleaguered chipmaker, helping support the company’s effort to expand domestic manufacturing, accor ... Show More
42m 15s
Apr 2025
The problem with running the government like a business
<p></p><br/><p>The idea that the government should be run more like a business isn’t new. But with two businessmen, Donald Trump and Elon Musk, now taking a proverbial chainsaw to the federal bureaucracy all in the name “efficiency,” this theory is being put to the test. While it ... Show More
35m 33s
Jun 2025
The Progressive Regulator Winning Over the Populist Right
<p>Is the key to freedom a life without Amazon? This week, Ross talks to Lina Khan, former Chair of the Federal Trade Commission about how unchecked corporate power has limited choice in our day-to-day lives, and how her fight against Big Tech unites left and right.</p><ul><li>02 ... Show More
1 h
May 2025
The FTC commissioner fired by Trump
In March, Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, two Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission, were fired from their jobs by the Trump administration. They say this was done illegally and are challenging their dismissals. Michela talks with Bedoya about what happene ... Show More
21m 12s
Mar 2025
New Tariffs Take Effect on Canada & Mexico | Senators James Lanford and Elizabeth Warren Discuss Trump's Agenda | Ione Skye Reflects on Fame, Love & Loss
From immigration to DOGE and cutting costs, Americans are divided on how President Trump and his administration are doing so far as the president prepares to address Congress about plans for his second term on Tuesday. The Trump administration has suspended billions of dollars in ... Show More
46m 25s
Feb 2025
Trump Plans to Impose 25% Tariffs on Steel, Aluminum Imports
Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF. Bloomberg News Metals & Mining Reporter Joe Deaux discusses President Trump's plans to impose 25% tariffs on all US imports of steel and aluminum, applying to shipments from all countries, including major suppl ... Show More
43m 49s
Sep 2025
Washington tangos with another government shutdown
The Trump administration’s financial regulator is preparing to change five decades of corporate reporting practice, and the US government is once again on the brink of a shutdown. Plus, Denmark is closing its airspace to drones after a series of incursions, and drive-throughs are ... Show More
12m 17s
Sep 2025
Trump Administration Interpretation Of Civil Rights Act Reshapes Public Schools
President Trump pledged to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, but his administration is also using the department’s Office for Civil Rights to pressure local school districts to adhere to Trump’s political views. We discuss these tactics and how they fit into a broader c ... Show More
25m 8s