The Brian Lehrer Show

One week down, 29 to go!

The Brian Lehrer Show is counting down to Election Day with #30Issues in 30 Weeks, a week-by-week exploration of important topics that are shaping your candidates and your vote.

And we kicked it off with something light: is it time to break up the “too big to fail” banks?

Hit the play button above to hear all of our Week 1 conversations, or choose à la carte below.

If you only have 8 minutes to spare...

Listen to the beginning of Monday's show about the history of trying to reign in big banks! Trust us, it'll explain a lot of your questions about the origins of Glass-Steagall and Dodd-Frank. You'll hear archival tape of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Bill Clinton, and a senator named Byron Dorgan who basically predicted the 2008 crash.

Coincidentally-Timed Headline of the Week

Really, we didn't plan that! Our guest that day was the Roosevelt Institute's Mike Konczal, and here's how he explained it: 

Under Dodd-Frank, the largest banks (there are 8 banks over $500 billion in size in the U.S.) are required to create a "living will," which is essentially a plan to deal with bankruptcy without placing a huge amount of stress on the overall economy.

The fundamental question right now is: do regulators believe that the banks have learned and changed enough since 2008 to be able to survive a bankruptcy without causing panic? This latest headline from the Fed shows that regulators still have their doubts, said Konczal.

So what are the candidates proposing?

The Democrats: Bernie Sanders wants to break them up (now!); Hillary Clinton wants to impose a risk fee and regulate them according to Dodd-Frank. How do their two plans stack up?

The Republicans: Trump has said he'll do away with the carried interest tax. And Ted Cruz is the only candidate suggesting we return to a gold standard, which would make it "impossible" for central banks to use monetary policy to help the economy.

The Buzz on Twitter

Contrary to the takes, Sanders's Daily News answers on financial reform and breaking up banks were clear and fine: https://t.co/nSs1VGbBDp

— Mike Konczal (@rortybomb) April 6, 2016

.@BrianLehrer#BernieSanders saying banks will figure out how to break themselves up = Mitt's 'self-deportation' plan. #clueless

— Rory Lancman (@RoryLancman) April 13, 2016

@rortybomb on @BrianLehrer discussing whether (bank) #SizeMatters on @WNYC enlightening conversation worth "trying" to understand

— annie b shapero (@anniedivino) April 13, 2016

@BrianLehrer Financial crises only happen when widely-held assumptions are wrong. No way to make a living will that predicts real collapse.

— WNYC Fanboy (@WNYCFanboy) April 13, 2016

@BrianLehrer Help! My eyes are glazing over

— Mary L. C-Platt (@Emmyllu) April 13, 2016A Conversation With One of the Architects of Dodd-Frank

Barney Frank is many things. He's a former U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts, the co-author of the Dodd-Frank Act, and now a vocal supporter of Hillary Clinton.

And he's just as vocal about his criticisms of Bernie Sanders. 

"I don't understand how you say, 'The solution is to reduce [the size of the banks] but I can't tell you the size!'"

In the interview, Frank defended his law and said that the problem is not only the size of the banks; it's the way these institutions set themselves up to pay off their debts. And Dodd-Frank sets up a way for regulators to keep them in check.

And as for this week's headlines about 5 of the 8 major banks' failures to provide satisfactory living wills: "That's a sign it's working."