5 Years of Wall Street Reform, By the Numbers:

Five years ago today, President Obama signed the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act into law. (It's commonly called "Dodd-Frank," or simply "Wall Street Reform," and you can read more about what it's doing here.)

Here are a couple numbers that help show exactly what the law has done these past years.

$11 billion

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)—the new cop on the beat created by Wall Street Reform—has provided nearly $11 billion in relief for over 26 million consumers harmed by financial institutions—including a new action announced today.

>$141 billion

In all, $141 billion has been paid by 14 of the biggest banks for mortgage-related violations in the lead-up to the crisis, including $50 billion in gross consumer relief to distressed homeowners through the National Mortgage Servicing Settlement.

>$600 billion

Banks have added more than $600 billion of additional capital, which is money they can lend and which increases resiliency. At the same time, banks have reduced their leverage, making them more stable and less reliant on borrowed money.

Meet the Law That’s Been Quietly Protecting You and Strengthening Our Economy for the Past 5 Years:

“Dodd-Frank” is shorthand for the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, whose chief co-sponsors on Capitol Hill were Senator Chris Dodd and Representative Barney Frank. These reforms — that the President signed into law exactly five years ago today — and others the Administration has put in place since the crisis represent the most sweeping set of financial reforms since the Great Depression.

Why does it matter and why should you care? Let’s take a walk down memory lane.

(And if you just want a quick breakdown of the numbers behind five years of Wall Street reform, take a look here.)

1. Remember the CFPB? Wall Street reform created it.

“CFPB” stands for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: an independent watchdog responsible for writing and enforcing rules to protect you as you borrow and save. And Wall Street reform made it happen.

Here's why that's a big deal:

You’d be surprised at exactly what lenders were able to get away with during the housing bubble — including loading up a mortgage with extra costs to jack up their own compensation in the short term before shuffling that loan over to a third party, making it their problem. With these bad incentives, lenders steered borrowers toward bad products they couldn’t afford (even when they qualified for better, lower-cost options), often burying the terms of made-to-explode mortgages in the fine print.

Dodd-Frank fixed that. Today, lenders have to assess borrowers’ ability to pay a mortgage first. They have to take responsibility for the risks of the loans they make, giving them “skin in the game” to encourage responsible lending. And they will have to present them to the borrowers in clearer, easier-to-understand terms. And the CFPB is keeping all kinds of consumer lenders honest — from credit card companies, to mortgage lenders, to debt collectors, to student loan servicers. Since 2011, the CFPB’s enforcement actions have delivered nearly $11 billion in relief to more than 26 million consumers harmed by illegal practices — including a new action announced today.

(Those practices include deceptive marketing, unfair billing, and discriminatory practices by big banks and other financial institutions — and a whole lot more. Learn more about them here.)

Embassy Openings in Washington and Havana: On a path towards a democratic, prosperous Cuba

Today marks a new beginning in our nation’s relationship with Cuba, furthering a path that will engage and empower the Cuban people. While we may be separated by 90 miles of water, we are brought together through shared relationships and the desire to promote a democratic, prosperous, and stable Cuba. The opening of the embassies in Washington, D.C. and Havana culminate an important step in the normalization of diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba. President Obama’s new approach towards Havana moves beyond decades of unsuccessful efforts to isolate Cuba, and is the continuation of a process designed to allow the Cuban people chart their own future. This will allow us to increase contact with the Cuban government and the Cuban people, helping us to contribute to the democratic development and prosperity of the country. To inaugurate the re-opening of the Cuban embassy in the United States, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez travelled to Washington and became the first Cuban official to visit the capital since 1959.

A New Blue Marble

Ed. note: This is cross-posted on Medium.

No one on this planet had ever seen a whole picture of the Earth until 1972.

We knew we lived on it, and had a vast amount of useful information about its makeup, its processes, and its place in the solar system. At the time, some of the most insightful individuals had begun to understand that we, the people who live on Earth, actually had the ability to influence the processes taking place on our planet.

But it was hard for many people to grasp this concept. It seemed abstract, distant, hard to visualize.

Enter “Blue Marble”:

It was the first full photo of the Earth, taken on December 7, 1972, by the American crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft. The original Blue Marble is thought by many to be the most-reproduced image of all time.

What made the Blue Marble so special? Sure, it might have been the first full photo of the Earth that we took, but we’ve taken a bunch more since then.

President Barack Obama tapes the Weekly Address in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, July 17, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week's address, the President explained the comprehensive, long-term deal announced earlier this week that will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. This agreement cuts off every pathway that Iran could take to develop a nuclear weapon, implements unprecedented monitoring and inspections of Iran’s key nuclear facilities, and ensures that if Iran violates these terms, the strict sanctions previously imposed on the country will snap back into place. This is a good deal that demonstrates that American diplomacy can bring about real and meaningful change that makes our country, and the world, safer and more secure.

The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online at www.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 a.m. ET, July 18, 2015.

Transcript | mp4 | mp3

Weekly Address: A Comprehensive, Long-Term Deal with Iran

The President explains the comprehensive, long-term deal announced earlier this week that will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

West Wing Week: 07/17/15 or, “Barack-amole”

This week, the President secured a historic nuclear deal with Iran, traveled to Oklahoma to highlight the administration's work on criminal justice reform and the ConnectHome Initiative, designated three national monuments, spoke at the White House Conference on Aging and dropped by the Kids' "State Dinner."

The Oldest Living Veteran Meets the President

This afternoon, President Obama invited 110-year-old Emma Didlake — believed to be the country's oldest living veteran — to the Oval Office. "It's a great honor to have her here." the President said.

President Obama meets the nation's oldest vet, Emma Didlake

President Barack Obama greets the nation’s oldest living veteran, Emma Didlake, in the Oval Office, July 17, 2015.

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Emma Didlake was a 38-year-old wife and mother when she decided she wanted to join the military. In 1943, she signed up for the Women’s Auxiliary Corp (WAC) and served as an Army private and driver for almost a year during World War II.

Social Security Disability Insurance: A Lifeline for Millions of American Workers and Their Families

The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program is a vital lifeline for millions of American workers and their families. It is a critical component of our nation’s Social Security system, which provides insurance to workers and their families in retirement and in the event of a serious, long-term disability. Millions of workers have benefited and from SSDI since it was established nearly 60 years ago. And the 11 million Americans who currently benefit from SSDI could face a deep and abrupt 19 percent reduction in benefits if lawmakers fail to act to address a long-projected shortfall in the program’s finances.

Today, the White House is releasing a report that explains how this critical program works, who it helps, and its importance for working families.

Regional Roundup: What America’s Newspapers are Saying About the Iran Deal

This week, the President announced that the United States – with our allies and partners – has reached a comprehensive, long-term deal with Iran that will prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The world’s superpowers as well as the world’s nuclear experts agree that this deal shuts down Iran’s pathways to a nuclear weapon. If it didn’t, the United States wouldn’t have agreed to it – and neither would Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, or China. The deal demonstrates that American diplomacy can bring about real and meaningful change that makes our country, and the world, safer and more secure.

Still, we’ve already heard a great deal of partisan talking points and overheated rhetoric out of Washington about the deal – often without even reading the document, which is posted online for everyone to see.

But across the country, something different is happening – those looking at the details of the deal are expressing support for it.

Here’s what they are saying:

The White House