The People's Cabinet

Jon Finer — President Biden’s former Deputy National Security Advisor — joins The People’s Cabinet for an unfiltered conversation about what the Biden administration got right, what could have gone differently, and how President Trump may be putting U.S. security at risk. From Russia’s war in Ukraine to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Finer shares lessons learned — and urgent warnings for the future.

Together, they cover:

•The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan — and what was at stake

•How the world responded to October 7 — and where we go from here

•How Trump’s approach to the Russia-Ukraine war differs — and why it matters

•How the U.S. should be thinking about outpacing China

•The foreign policy implications of Trump’s plans with El Salvador

•Why turning our backs on allies makes America weaker — and less safe

This is an honest and forthright conversation on foreign policy — and a wake-up call for what’s at stake.

Shalanda Young — former Director of the Office of Management and Budget — oversaw a $7 trillion federal budget that touched nearly every part of American life. In this episode, she joins The People’s Cabinet to break down what a federal budget really is, why raising the debt ceiling isn’t the same thing, and how upcoming budget fights could reshape the future of our economy.

We cover:

•Where $7 trillion actually goes — and what’s really driving the deficit

•The difference between passing a budget and raising the debt ceiling

•What’s at stake in the upcoming negotiations — and for whom

•How political standoffs put everything from Social Security to national defense at risk

•Why budget fights are about values, not just numbers

If you’ve ever wondered how Washington really spends your tax dollars — this episode makes it real.

What is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — and why are so many powerful people trying to destroy it? In this episode of The People’s Cabinet, Dan sits down with CFPB Director Rohit Chopra to unpack what the agency actually does, how it protects everyday Americans, and what’s at stake as both Big Tech and political forces try to erode its power. From junk fees to AI-driven manipulation, Chopra lays out the future of consumer protection — and how we fight back.

We cover:

•How Trump is trying to defang the CFPB — and what’s still at risk

•Why tech and finance executives see the CFPB as a threat

•The next wave of consumer harms and how AI makes it worse

•What the CFPB is doing to protect Americans in a rapidly changing economy

• What people can do to fight back today

This is how consumer protection actually works — and how it gets undermined.

Talking about transgender women and girls in sports has become one of the most polarizing debates in American culture — often used to inflame rather than inform. Pablo Torre has spent years navigating these kinds of conversations at the intersection of sports, politics, and identity. In this episode, he joins Dan for a wide-ranging discussion about how we talk to each other — and who gets left out of the conversation.

We cover:

• Why the transgender sports debate is more about politics than policy

• What it’s like to straddle sports and politics as a commentator

• How to talk to people who aren’t already politically activated

• How the left can surpass the right in messaging

If you’re trying to engage in good faith — in a bad faith media environment — this episode will give you language, clarity, and maybe even a little hope.

With more than 3.5 billion views and millions of followers, Brian Tyler Cohen is one of the most influential democratic voices online. But how did he build that kind of reach — and what can Democrats learn from it?

In this episode, we cover:

• How he built his digital platform from scratch

• What Democrats get wrong in their media strategy

• How the left can build a powerful digital movement

• What you can do to break through the noise

If you care about politics and the future of media, this is a must-listen.