The United States was woefully unprepared for the novel coronavirus pandemic due to economic inequality, poor planning, limited state capacity, and an unequal healthcare system that has left millions of Americans vulnerable. That’s the argument of economic analyst Doug Henwood.

He joins us on the program today to discuss the intersection of the pandemic and the economy, including Congress’s $2 trillion stimulus package, corporate wealth and debt since the last recession, crisis in the energy sector, the role of the American military-industrial complex, and more.

Doug Henwood is an economic analyst, contributing editor at The Nation, and host of Behind the News, a weekly radio show covering economics and politics out of KPFA in Berkeley. He is the author of four books, including After the New Economy (New Press, 2005), and former editor of the Left Business Observer newsletter.