In this "Catching Up" segment of the podcast, Alex talks about one of pandemic's largest elephants in the room - how third world and developing countries will react. The growing trend of this pandemic is that the vulnerable and poor have been the most impacted. What will happen when an entire country of impoverished people gets hit?  Right now the pandemic has mainly only impacted the world's wealthiest nations, but even these nations haven't even been able to take care of their own. This virus has already shown the fragility of almost every nation's infrastructure. Alex is worried that if countries with failed governments, malnourishment, a lack of health resources, and internal conflicts are hit by this pandemic, these countries could see complete chaos. It seems that the only way to combat this issue would be with international cooperation and the development of something similar to a "Pandemic Marshall Plan." However, this could be impossible because many wealthy nations are already looking down the barrel of a serious recession. 

In this episode of the Tonic Accord podcast, Drew and Alex discuss the Trump Administration’s two page memo that proposes a one trillion dollar economic stimulus plan. This would surpass President Obama’s recovery stimulus during the 2008 crisis in terms of overall taxpayer money being used. The two discuss the current details of the plan in which the it seems to benefit large businesses over individuals and taxpayer households. They also discuss the Trump Administration’s emphasis on bailing out the struggling airline industries. Both Drew and Alex believe that this may be necessary, but question the careless actions taken by many of these airline companies over the past decade. They discuss how many of these companies have used revenue for stock buybacks and for covering expensive bonuses, while not preparing rainy day funds or worker relief funds. Both feel that Trump’s stimulus package may bring both parties together, but it needs to be flexible and cover both taxpayers and businesses. 

In this "Catching Up" short episode, Drew discusses a side issue related to the Coronavirus - the homeless populations. With more and more countries and U.S. states mandating that citizens remain isolated and self quarantining in their houses, Drew discusses how difficult it can be to quarantine homeless people. These people need mass shelters in order to stay socially isolated through the pandemic, and this may create issues for governments that are already limited on time and resources. 

The stock market has experienced an extremely turbulent March and many experts already believe that the world is falling into another recession. While the Coronavirus scare has impacted world markets and supply chains, there is another reason that the world economy is struggling - an oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. On March 9th, the global price of Brent Crude oil fell from almost $60 a barrel to below $32 a barrel. This large dip in prices all began when Saudi Arabia, Russia, and other OPEC countries met to discuss putting a floor under falling oil prices because of the Coronavirus. Moscow apparently decided to blow up their three year old pact to manage global oil supplies by refusing to sign on to the proposed cuts. This sent the prices spiraling down. Saudi Arabia then responded by slashing oil prices. In this episode, Drew and Alex talk about the reasons behind this confrontation between Russia and Saudi Arabia, and also the global implications. It appears that both countries are playing a game of economic chicken and Drew and Alex believe that the United States shale industry could be the most impacted by this price war. Also, other oil rich countries like Iraq, Nigeria, and Oman may be brutally hit by these price changes. Both Russia and Saudi Arabia appear prepared for a longterm battle, who will come out on top? 

In this episode focused on the coronavirus, Drew and Alex catch up on what has been occurring around the world and in the United States. Since they covered the issue in early February, the virus has spread to many countries especially in Europe, the United States, South Korea, and many more. Hospitals have been overrun, death tolls have been rising, and people have started panic buying. They focus on the political, economic, and logistical impacts COVID-19 could have on the lives of everyone. They also discuss some of the changes (positive and negative) that may come out of this virus. 

In this brief update episode of the Tonic Accord, Alex discusses the escalating issues around the COVID-19 virus that was finally declared a pandemic on Wednesday. He discusses the escalating cases and situation in Madrid, Spain, the suspension of the NBA and La Liga, the dire ethical decisions being made in Italy, and how a quarantine could help to flatten the curve. He argues that it may be hard to convince westerners that a full quarantine or lockdown is necessary, but it could help a nation’s health care system have time to react and better prepare. 

In this episode of the Tonic Accord, Drew and Alex catch everyone up on what is happening in the United States and how it may impact the 2020 elections. They talk about Joe Biden’s dramatic rebound during Super Tuesday. They also touch on the Republican side of the aisle, mentioning the issues that Coronavirus may cause for President Trump’s reelection campaign. It is starting to look like this issue may shed light on the impact of what a poor economy could do to Trump's case for America. 

Afghanistan has been at war for over 40 years, over 2,500 American soldiers have died in the process and the cost to taxpayers is close to one trillion dollars. For Afghans, things are much worse - around 3,500 civilians die every year and their country is the poorest in Asia. It is for this reason, that on February 29th, U.S. officials signed a deal with the Taliban. The deal stated that “up to 5,000” Taliban prisoners would be released before March 10th. This then would pave the way for talks between the Taliban and the current Afghan government about the future of the country. The deal also included the American promise to reduce its troops in Afghanistan from 12,000 to 8,600 and to close five bases by mid-July. Drew and Alex are concerned that this deal will likely only lead to more chaos, violence, and oppression. They discuss how the U.S. brokered a deal with the Taliban without bringing the Afghan government into the talks. They also express their fears about the Taliban’s intentions - while the Taliban may cease attacking Americans, their violent Jihad against the Afghan government may continue. In all, both feel that this issue is too complicated and the Trump administration just seems to want to check off a lengthy campaign promise before the 2020 elections. 

In the context of the rising concerns over the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and its impacts on the economy, travel, and border restrictions - Drew and Alex have a discussion over the importance of borders. They talk about the economic and humanitarian arguments for having more open borders. They also discuss some of the many issues related to having a free flow of people through somewhat open borders. They mainly focus their discussion on the United States and the European Union. They wonder if the coronavirus may cause regions like the E.U. to reconsider their open flow of goods and people throughout their member states. There is a schism going on in the world between globalism and nationalism, it seems like one of the many issues of the future will be balancing openness with national pride. Drew and Alex want to know if there can be common ground found somewhere in the middle. 

Joe Biden won the South Carolina Primary by almost 50% (48%), complicating the 2020 electoral race. Drew and Alex analyze the state of the Democratic Party, what may happen on Super Tuesday, and why the country may be heading towards a “Contested Convention ” which may only favor Trump. They also analyze the record of Bernie Sanders and whether the country is ready for the revolution he is promising.