Deputy Chair, TARP Congressional Oversight Panel
Deputy Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, TARP
PROFILE
Damon Silvers
Guest
FROM Damon Silvers
Which Way, L.A.?
The Bank Bailout Is Over but the Fallout Continues The Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP , officially ended last Sunday. It was rolled out two years ago in the midst of a worldwide financial panic by George Bush’s Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. He said $700 billion to bail out the banks, and Congress gave it to him. Now Senators and Representatives members of both parties, and the Obama Administration are playing an enormous political price.
To the Point
The Bank Bailout Is Over but the Fallout Continues The Troubled Asset Relief Program was rolled out two years ago in the midst of a worldwide financial panic by George Bush's Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. Introduced as a $700 billion bank bailout, it only spent a bit over half that much before officially ending last Sunday, and it might end up costing just $29 billion. Cheap at the price if it staved off a Depression, why is it one of the most unpopular programs in history? TARP saved Wall Street, AIG, General Motors and Chrysler, but failed to keep homeowners out of foreclosure and banks still are not lending. Now Senators and Representatives members of both parties, and the Obama Administration are playing an enormous political price. Do bankers getting bigger bonuses than ever think the government will bail them out next time? What are the prospects of that?
Recommended
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
To the Point
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
To the Point
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.