67: You Can Never Break the Chain

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

This week we are talking about global supply chains and how they might be stretched, perhaps to the breaking point, if the Trump tariffs are allowed to take effect. We revisit the moment when many of us were first introduced to the idea of a supply chain, the early days of Covid-19, and look at how the current potential supply chain disaster differs. We also revisit another cherished memory from recent years, the EVER GIVEN incident, and discuss the ways economists love to use the human body as a metaphor for the flow of global commerce.

We open up the episode talking about Trump's menacing promise to reopen Alcatraz, as well as his seeming obsession with movies; and as a prelude to our main topic, we go into his already infamous "2 instead of 30 dolls" comments as the potential for empty shelves come Christmas time already looms.

Here are links to some of our sources for the episode:

Out of Stock: Supply Chain Crisis (on MAX)

Trump staffers panic buying (Rolling Stone)

Trump on potential dolls shortage (NY Times)

Waiting for the Supply Shock (Prospect)

Cumulative Inflation (BBC)

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