This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.

Summary

Apple News Today: Detailed Summary of "This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone."

Episode Information

• Title: This agency protects consumers from fraud. Musk wants it gone.
• Host: Shemitah Basu, Apple News
• Release Date: February 12, 2025

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1. Migrants Detained at Guantanamo Bay

Overview: Shemitah Basu opens the episode by discussing a controversial move by the Trump administration involving the detention of approximately three dozen migrants at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. This decision has raised significant concerns among human rights lawyers and immigration experts.

Key Points:

• A military aircraft transported around three dozen detained migrants to Guantanamo Bay. The Trump administration labels these individuals as "dangerous criminals" and the "worst of the worst" ([00:36]).
• Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated the administration's intention to expedite the deportation process:

  "My goal is that people are not in these facilities for weeks and months. My goal is that there's a short term stay." ([01:05])

• Immigration Reporter Sylvia Foster Frao from The Washington Post highlights the lack of transparency:

  "They have not been able to make contact with these immigrants and make sure that they have legal access." ([01:32])

• Migrants are being held at Camp Six, a military prison originally designated for suspected terrorists post-September 11th ([02:04]).
• Legal experts argue that holding migrants at Camp Six is illegal since the Venezuelan gang involved, Trende Aragua, is not officially designated as a terrorist group ([02:39]).
• The Department of Defense contends that migrants are technically under Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, though this distinction is disputed ([02:55]).

Notable Quotes:

• Sylvia Foster Frao:

  "Do they have a history of violent crime or was their only crime crossing the border?" ([02:11])

---

2. Trump and Elon Musk's Campaign Against Federal Agencies

Overview: A significant portion of the episode delves into President Trump's and Elon Musk's joint efforts to restructure Washington by targeting federal agencies, with a particular focus on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

a. Executive Order to Cut Federal Jobs

• Shemitah Basu reports that President Trump, alongside Elon Musk, announced a new executive order aimed at "drastically cutting federal jobs" ([04:08]).
• Agency heads are mandated to collaborate with Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to reduce the workforce and restrict hiring to essential positions ([04:14]).

b. Targeting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

• The CFPB, established by the Obama administration in response to the 2008 financial crisis, is under scrutiny as Musk and Trump seek its dissolution ([04:24]).
• Brian Schwartz, Wall Street Journal reporter, explains the CFPB's role:

  "It's been kind of this Wall street cop, and it's been taking on banks big and small for quite some time." ([04:47])

• Recent actions by the CFPB include a notable case where Bank of America was ordered to pay over $100 million for double-dipping fees and other unethical practices ([05:01]).
• Russell Vogt, acting director of the CFPB, ordered a temporary closure of the agency ([05:35]).
• Senator Elizabeth Warren, a key supporter of the CFPB, emphasizes its importance:

  "The CFPB is the cop on the beat and that cop is the one that caught the crooks and so far has made them give back $21 billion." ([07:57])

c. Elon Musk’s Conflict of Interest

• Musk's proposal to eliminate the CFPB is criticized due to his ownership of businesses that could benefit from reduced financial regulations, such as Tesla’s financing arm and his social media platform X ([06:35]).
• Concerns arise about Musk accessing sensitive information from competitors:

  "DOGE officials are gaining access to sensitive information, particularly around investigative details." ([07:13])

Notable Quotes:

• Elizabeth Warren:

  "The CFPB is the cop on the beat and that cop is the one that caught the crooks." ([07:57])

• Brian Schwartz:

  "So the concern from the CFPB side about DOGE gaining access to the CFPB is of course, that the DOGE officials are gaining access to sensitive information." ([07:13])

---

3. Release of American Teacher Mark Fogle from Russia

Overview: The episode covers the release of Mark Fogle, an American teacher imprisoned in Russia since 2021, shedding light on the diplomatic maneuvers surrounding his return.

Key Points:

• Mark Fogle was released as part of an exchange, potentially linked to efforts to end the war in Ukraine ([08:56]).
• Fogle's arrest stemmed from possession of marijuana and cannabis oil, leading to a 14-year prison sentence ([09:29]).
• His release coincides with increased talks between the Trump administration and Russian President Vladimir Putin, signaling possible progress in diplomatic relations ([10:40]).
• Frederick Plaitkin, CNN senior international correspondent, comments on the administration’s strategy:

  "They believe that this is part of their larger effort that they have been talking about on trying to end the war in Ukraine." ([10:52])

Notable Quotes:

• Mark's Mother, Malfean Fogle:

  "He just said I'm in the Moscow airport and... waiting for a plane to take me to Washington, D.C. which was unbelievable." ([10:08])

---

4. Trump’s Foreign Policy Moves

Overview: Shemitah Basu discusses President Trump's recent foreign policy initiatives, particularly his meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah and plans regarding the Gaza Strip.

Key Points:

• In a meeting in Washington, Trump and King Abdullah discussed tensions over the ceasefire deal in Gaza. Trump advocates for the resettlement of displaced Palestinians in nations like Jordan and Egypt, with plans for the US to take over the Gaza Strip ([11:45]).
• King Abdullah expressed a unified Arab stance against Palestinian displacement and labeled talks with Trump as "constructive" ([12:20]).
• Trump's foreign policy efforts include appointing Keith Kellogg, a retired three-star general, as the special envoy to the war, aiming to consult with European leaders on a potential peace plan in Munich ([11:30]).

Notable Quotes:

• King Abdullah:

  "We're going to take it, we're going to hold it, we're going to cherish it, we're going to get it going eventually where a lot of jobs are going to be created for the people in the Middle East." ([12:07])

---

5. Health News: Surge in Flu Cases

Overview: The CDC reports a significant increase in flu cases, marking the highest surge in fifteen years.

Key Points:

• Flu infections have risen by 31%, with nearly 50,000 hospital admissions reported this week ([12:20]).
• USA Today highlights that flu shot rates are at a six-year low, with fewer than half of Americans vaccinated in 2025 ([12:33]).

Notable Quotes:

• Shemitah Basu:

  "Everyone you know is sick or getting over something or coming down with something." ([12:30])

---

6. Hollywood's Gender Parity Milestone

Overview: The podcast celebrates a significant achievement in Hollywood, where the number of movies featuring female protagonists has finally matched those with male leads.

Key Points:

• An annual report tracking movie protagonists reveals that last year saw an equal number of female and male leads in top-grossing films for the first time in recent history ([12:36]).
• Despite this progress, disparities remain for older female actors, with roles for women over 50 being scarce compared to their male counterparts. Notable exceptions include films like "The Substance" featuring Demi Moore ([13:12]).

Notable Quotes:

• Shemitah Basu:

  "At long last, some kind of parody." ([12:50])

---

Conclusion

Shemitah Basu provides a comprehensive overview of pressing national and international issues, from controversial immigration policies and federal agency restructuring to significant diplomatic developments and public health concerns. The episode underscores the dynamic interplay between political agendas, consumer protection, human rights, and societal progress.

For those interested in these stories and more, further details are available in the Apple News app.

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Notable References:

• Apple News Today Podcast Transcript
• Sources Cited:
  • CNN
  • The Washington Post
  • Wall Street Journal
  • USA Today

Transcript

[Host 1]

Good morning. It's Wednesday, February 12th.

[Shemitah Basu]

I'm Shemitah Basu. This is Apple News today.

[Host 1]

On today's show, why President Trump and Elon Musk want to gut an agency that protects consumers. American teacher Mark Fogle's been released from Russia. And Hollywood hits a promising gender parody milestone. But first, just over a week ago.

[Shemitah Basu]

A military aircraft carrying around three dozen detained migrants departed for Guantanamo Bay, the US Naval base in Cuba. Officials with the Trump administration say these migrants are dangerous criminals, describing them as, quote, the worst of the worst.

[Host 1]

But right now, we don't have a way of verifying that. We know very little about who's been.

[Shemitah Basu]

Sent there, how long they'll be kept at Guantanamo, or the crimes they're accused of, of committing.

[Host 1]

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told CNN.

[Shemitah Basu]

Over the weekend that the administration intends to move people slated for deportation quickly in and out.

[Kristi Noem]

My goal is that people are not in these facilities for weeks and months. My goal is that there's a short term stay. They're able to go incarcerate them, take them, follow the process and get them back to their country.

[Host 1]

But Sylvia Foster Frao, immigration reporter for.

[Shemitah Basu]

The Washington Post, has been talking to some human rights lawyers who say they're troubled by what little they've learned so far.

[Sylvia Foster Frao]

They have not been able to make contact with these immigrants and make sure that they have legal access. And according to them, because they're coming from the US all due process rights go with them now to where they're being taken in Guantanamo. And really, in general, there's so little that any of us know about who these people are, what their immigration status is. Do they have a history of violent crime or was their only crime crossing the border?

[Host 1]

Foster Frau told us where these migrants.

[Shemitah Basu]

Are being housed at Guantanamo also has.

[Sylvia Foster Frao]

Lawyers concerned they're actually being held on the side owned by the Defense Department. That's a military prison.

[Shemitah Basu]

It's called Camp Six. It's where suspected terrorists were sent after the September 11th attack.

[Host 1]

Lawyers and aid groups say the living.

[Shemitah Basu]

Conditions there are inhumane. Some prisoners have called it a tomb above ground. Under US Law, this facility is only authorized to be used for suspected members.

[Host 1]

Of Al Qaeda, the Taliban, or terrorist.

[Shemitah Basu]

Organizations affiliated with those groups. The Trump administration has said the detained.

[Host 1]

Migrants at Guantanamo are part of a.

[Shemitah Basu]

Violent Venezuelan gang called Trende Aragua. But that gang has not been designated a terrorist group by the administration or connected to the terrorist groups affiliated with September 11th.

[Host 1]

So lawyers say migrants at Guantanamo cannot.

[Shemitah Basu]

Be held at Camp 6 legally.

[Host 1]

The defense Department responded to these allegations.

[Shemitah Basu]

By saying they technically consider migrants to be in custody of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, not the Department of Defense, despite where they're currently detained.

[Host 1]

But one lawyer, Foster Frau spoke to.

[Shemitah Basu]

Said that distinction is difficult to make.

[Sylvia Foster Frao]

He said, basically it's pretty impossible to detach the military facility from ICE custody because it was completely built to hold suspected terrorists, that it's been completely modeled and configured to suit a group like that and not immigrants.

[Host 1]

Trump says he wants to send up.

[Shemitah Basu]

To 30,000 migrants to Guantanamo, and he's ordered the construction of new detention space.

[Host 1]

This week, a federal court in New.

[Shemitah Basu]

Mexico blocked his administration from sending three Venezuelan men to the island.

[Host 1]

Other legal challenges are expected as well. Let's turn to President Trump and Elon Musk's efforts to reshape Washington by gutting federal agencies. Yesterday evening, Musk joined the president in the Oval Office as Trump announced a.

[Shemitah Basu]

New executive order aimed at drastically cutting federal jobs.

[Host 1]

The White House said agency heads would.

[Shemitah Basu]

Be ordered to consult with Musk's Department of Government Efficiency and prepare to initiate a large scale reduction in the workforce and limit hiring to essential positions only.

[Host 1]

Meanwhile, one of Musk's recent targets is.

[Shemitah Basu]

The cfpb, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

[Host 1]

An independent agency within the Federal Reserve.

[Shemitah Basu]

That oversees financial products and services used by Americans and aims to protect consumers from predatory or fraudulent behavior.

[Host 1]

It was created by the Obama administration.

[Shemitah Basu]

In response to the 2008 financial crisis.

[Brian Schwartz]

It's been kind of this Wall street cop, and it's been taking on banks big and small for quite some time.

[Host 1]

That's Brian Schwartz, a reporter with the.

[Shemitah Basu]

Wall Street Journal who covers economic policy.

[Host 1]

He told us about one recent occasion.

[Shemitah Basu]

When the CFPB went after a big bank.

[Brian Schwartz]

They ordered bank of America to pay over 100 million to customers for systematically double dipping on fees imposed on customers with insufficient funds in their account. And the bank of America was accused by the CFPB of withholding reward, bonuses explicitly promised to credit card customers and misappropriating sensitive personal information.

[Host 1]

After the CFPB's orders, Bank of America.

[Shemitah Basu]

Said they voluntarily reduced overdraft fees and eliminated insufficient fund fees.

[Host 1]

But this week, as we mentioned on Monday's show, the entire agency was put.

[Shemitah Basu]

On pause when Russell Vogt, the new head of the Office of Management and Budget and acting director of the cfpb, ordered it to close.

[Brian Schwartz]

For at least the week, the CFPB has been a real target of Republicans. For years, the Republican lawmakers have been questioning the concept of CFPB's funding that there's not enough congressional oversight on how CFPB is funded and that the CFPB sometimes goes too far with their enforcement actions.

[Host 1]

The agency has a budget of $823.

[Shemitah Basu]

Million for the 2025 fiscal year and the money comes from the Federal Reserve. In his first term, Trump proposed slashing the agency's budget and rolling back regulations.

[Host 1]

He he's raised concerns without providing evidence of possible fraud and he's accused the.

[Shemitah Basu]

Agency of weaponizing its power.

[Host 1]

Elon Musk, meanwhile, recently proposed on social.

[Shemitah Basu]

Media to, quote, delete cfpb, calling the.

[Host 1]

Work it does duplicative of other regulatory bodies. However, consumer advocates and ethics experts tell.

[Shemitah Basu]

CNN Musk's involvement in trying to gut the agency is a concerning conflict of interest because he owns several businesses that could benefit from looser financial regulations.

[Host 1]

There's a financing arm of Tesla, for.

[Shemitah Basu]

Example, that provides car loans which are.

[Host 1]

Subject to CFPB oversight.

[Shemitah Basu]

Just last month, Musk's social media platform X announced plans to launch a digital.

[Host 1]

Wallet and peer to peer payment platform.

[Shemitah Basu]

In partnership with Visa.

[Host 1]

And there are concerns about whether Musk.

[Shemitah Basu]

Now has access to information about digital payment systems from his direct competitors.

[Host 1]

The CFPB has investigated the owner of.

[Shemitah Basu]

Cash app to name one.

[Brian Schwartz]

So the concern from the CFPB side about DOGE gaining access to the CFPB is of course, that the DOGE officials are gaining access to sensitive information, particularly around investigative details. And people, particularly Democrats, would argue that they should not be gaining access to those types of things.

[Host 1]

Democrats in Congress say the CFPB's work.

[Shemitah Basu]

Is critical to protect consumers and it can't be shut down without congressional approval.

[Host 1]

Senator Elizabeth Warren, who serves on the.

[Shemitah Basu]

Committee for Banking, Housing and Urban affairs and who helped create the cfpb, joined protesters and some of the bureau's employees who were protesting the stop work order in Washington on Monday.

[Elizabeth Warren]

The CFPB is the cop on the beat and that cop is the one that caught the crooks and so far has made them give back $21 billion.

[Host 1]

Vote for his part, has restored at.

[Shemitah Basu]

Least one key function that the CFPB performs, the weekly publishing of the average prime offer rate. That's a tool used by the mortgage.

[Host 1]

Market, signaling that some of the agency's.

[Shemitah Basu]

Functions are vital to the economy.

[Host 1]

But as one industry analyst notes, Vogt has broad power over the direction of.

[Shemitah Basu]

The agency, including slowing it down or, as this analyst said, putting it to sleep. Now to international news.

[Host 1]

Mark Fogle, the American teacher imprisoned in.

[Shemitah Basu]

Russia since 2021, is back on American soil. A statement from President Trump's national security.

[Host 1]

Adviser, said Fogle's release is part of.

[Shemitah Basu]

An exchange, but didn't immediately give more details.

[Host 1]

The White House also said it was.

[Shemitah Basu]

A show of good faith from Moscow that things are moving in the right direction on efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

[Host 1]

Fogel was traveling from the US Back to Russia, where he worked at the Anglo American School of Moscow when customs.

[Shemitah Basu]

Officers at the airport discovered marijuana and cannabis oil in his suitcase.

[Host 1]

His family said that a doctor recommended.

[Shemitah Basu]

It for back issues. Vogel pleaded guilty to charges of transporting and possessing illegal drugs and was sentenced to a 14 year prison term.

[Host 1]

The case bore some similarities to that.

[Shemitah Basu]

Of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was released from Russian custody in December of 2022.

[Host 1]

Fogle's 95 year old mother, Malfean, worked.

[Shemitah Basu]

Hard to keep his story in the.

[Host 1]

News and even personally brought up his.

[Shemitah Basu]

Case with Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania last year, the event where there was an assassination attempt on Trump's life.

[Host 1]

She told a local ABC affiliate about.

[Shemitah Basu]

Finding out that Mark was finally coming home.

[Malfean Fogle]

He just said I'm in the Moscow airport and of course he usually calls from the prison. And I said, well what are you doing there? He says, I'm waiting for a plane to take me to Washington, D.C. which was unbelievable, unbelievable.

[Host 1]

Advocates for the family had hoped that.

[Shemitah Basu]

Fogle would be included in the prison swap deal that brought home Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and U.S. marine Paul Whelan. They were freed six months ago.

[Host 1]

Fogle's release comes as Trump is expected.

[Shemitah Basu]

To speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin again soon.

[Host 1]

CNN senior international correspondent Frederick Plaitkin spoke to the network about how the Trump.

[Shemitah Basu]

Administration is positioning Fogel's release.

[Frederick Plaitkin]

They believe that this is part of their larger effort that they have been talking about on trying to end the war in Ukraine. Of course we've heard the Russians be very coy about all this, whether or not there have been direct phone conversations between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. But the Russians have said that contacts between the two administrations had been intensifying over the past couple of weeks.

[Host 1]

In recent days, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he would be ready for talks as well. And according to the Washington Post, Keith Kellogg, the retired three star general who's.

[Shemitah Basu]

Been appointed as the special envoy to.

[Host 1]

The war by Trump, is expected to consult with other European leaders about a.

[Shemitah Basu]

Plan this week in Munich.

[Host 1]

Before we let you go, a few.

[Shemitah Basu]

Other stories we're watching.

[Host 1]

President Trump met with Jordan's King Abdullah in Washington yesterday, and the two discussed.

[Shemitah Basu]

The ongoing tensions over the ceasefire deal in Gaza. Trump has repeatedly said he wants nations.

[Host 1]

Including Jordan and Egypt to to resettle.

[Shemitah Basu]

Displaced Palestinians as part of a plan for the US to take over the Gaza Strip, a plan he reiterated on Tuesday.

[King Abdullah]

We're going to take it, we're going to hold it, we're going to cherish it, we're going to get it going eventually where a lot of jobs are going to be created for the people in the Middle East.

[Host 1]

In a post on X later in.

[Shemitah Basu]

The day, King Abdullah said there was a unified Arab position against the displacement of Palestinians and and described talks with Trump as constructive.

[Host 1]

In other news, everyone you know is.

[Shemitah Basu]

Sick or getting over something or coming down with something.

[Host 1]

The CDC says flu cases surged to.

[Shemitah Basu]

A 15 year high this winter.

[Host 1]

Overall flu infections are up 31% and.

[Shemitah Basu]

Almost 50,000 people were admitted to hospitals with the flu this week, according to the cdc.

[Host 1]

USA Today reports flu shot rates are.

[Shemitah Basu]

At a six year low and fewer than half of Americans have been vaccinated in 2025.

[Host 1]

And finally, in the world of movies.

[Shemitah Basu]

At long last, some kind of parody.

[Host 1]

Among last year's top grossing films, there.

[Shemitah Basu]

Were just as many movies featuring women protagonists as there were male protagonists.

[Host 1]

That's according to an annual report that.

[Shemitah Basu]

Tracks this information, which said it's the first time this has happened in recent history.

[Host 1]

The report also said that with the.

[Shemitah Basu]

Exception of certain movies like the Substance featuring Demi Moore, an actor over 50, there are far fewer roles for older female actors than male actors.

[Host 1]

You can find all these stories and.

[Shemitah Basu]

More in the Apple News app.

[Host 1]

And if you're already listening in the News app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Bloomberg Businessweek takes us to the Himalayas.

[Shemitah Basu]

Where a type of mushroom grows that's.

[Host 1]

Revered by practitioners of traditional medicine as a cure all and possibly an aphrodisiac. The catch? It costs $136,000 a pound. If you're listening in the podcast app.

[Shemitah Basu]

Follow Apple News Narrated to find that story.

[Host 1]

And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.