The Great Supply Chain Disruption

10/15/21 • 33 min

24 Listeners

Throughout the pandemic, businesses of all sizes have faced delays, product shortages and rising costs linked to disruptions in the global supply chain. Consumers have been confronted with an experience rare in modern times: no stock available, and no idea when it will come in.

Our correspondent, Peter Goodman, went to one of the largest ports in the United States to witness the crisis up close. In this episode, he explains why this economic havoc might not be temporary — and could require a substantial refashioning of the world’s shipping infrastructure.

Guest: Peter Goodman, a global economics correspondent for The New York Times.

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Background reading:

An enduring traffic jam at the Port of Savannah reveals why the chaos in global shipping is likely to persist.
This week, President Biden announced that major ports and companies, including Walmart, UPS and FedEx, would expand their working hours as his administration struggles to relieve growing backlogs in the global supply chains.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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Guest: Peter Goodman, a global economics correspondent for The New York Times.

Love listening to New York Times podcasts? Help us test a new audio product in beta and give us your thoughts to shape what it becomes. Visit nytimes.com/audio to join the beta.

Sign up here to get The Daily in your inbox each morning. And for an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter.

Background reading:

An enduring traffic jam at the Port of Savannah reveals why the chaos in global shipping is likely to persist.
This week, President Biden announced that major ports and companies, including Walmart, UPS and FedEx, would expand their working hours as his administration struggles to relieve growing backlogs in the global supply chains.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Previous Episode

‘No Crime Is Worth That’

This episode contains strong language and descriptions of violence.

A Times investigation has uncovered extraordinary levels of violence and lawlessness inside Rikers, New York City’s main jail complex. In this episode, we hear about one man’s recent experience there and ask why detainees in some buildings now have near-total control over entire units.

Guest: Jan Ransom, an investigative reporter for The Times focusing on criminal justice issues, spoke with Richard Brown, a man detained at Rikers.

Love listening to New York Times podcasts? Help us test a new audio product in beta and give us your thoughts to shape what it becomes. Visit nytimes.com/audio to join the beta.

Sign up here to get The Daily in your inbox each morning. And for an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter.

Background reading:

Here’s more reporting on how a staffing emergency has disrupted basic functions of the jail system, giving detainees at the Rikers Island jail complex free rein inside.
Now, amid the chaos, women and transgender people are expected to be transferred.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Next Episode

The Sunday Read: ‘Laurie Anderson Has a Message for Us Humans’

When the Hirshhorn Museum told Laurie Anderson that it wanted to put on a big, lavish retrospective of her work, she said no.

For one thing, she was busy and has been for roughly 50 years. Over the course of her incessant career, Ms. Anderson has done just about everything a creative person can do. She helped design an Olympics opening ceremony, served as the official artist in residence for NASA, made an opera out of “Moby-Dick” and played a concert for dogs at the Sydney Opera House. And she is still going.

On top of all this, Ms. Anderson had philosophical qualms about a retrospective. She is 74, which seems like a very normal age to stop and look back, and yet she seems determined, at all times, to keep moving forward.

This story was written by Sam Anderson and recorded by Audm . To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.