Sam and Emma host David Dayen, executive editor of the American Prospect, to discuss the recent issue of the magazine, entitled “How We Broke the Supply Chain”, walking through how the policies of the last forty years, from globalization and monopolization to financialization and deregulation, served to create a fragile supply line that maximizes profits while minimizing production. To begin, David, Sam, and Emma look at the actual structure of the supply chain, emphasizing its rejection of inventory and surplus in favor of just-in-time logistics, with China largely acting as the repository both for necessary components and finished goods, thus meaning any crisis in Chinese production results in a disruption of the entire chain, regardless of what kind of crisis it actually is (pandemic, extreme weather, etc). They then look to how monopolies on shipping have created forced bottlenecks, from providing shipping corporations a decade of profits in one year of the pandemic, to minimizing costs to the point that 40% of ocean imports come in through one US port, and giving mass retailers (Amazon, Walmart, etc) first say in shipping, all of which serve to undermine the capacity of the supply chain while boosting the profits of the corporations that run it. They wrap up by looking at the context of this problem within the last few decades, from Obama’s White House disseminating a 2015 report that a complete supply chain breakdown was imminent, to the central domestic changes that would be needed to give the US any sort of backup plan, before briefly touching on the California Single Payer bill falling through the cracks. Sam and Emma also reveal the newest upcoming live show, and walk through updates on replacing Justice Breyer’s SCOTUS seat.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma are joined by Nomiki as they cover Jen Psaki’s response to Bad Faith talking points as if anyone cares, rather than actually taking on the issue the right is dancing around (very Democrat of her), Joe Rogan’s continued pushback on the concept of misinformation, and why the fight for the right to life cannot just be fought by the oppressed. They also touch on the backlash to Amnesty International’s recognition of Israel’s apartheid state, plus, your IMs!

Purchase tickets for the live show in Boston on May 15th HERE:

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