Platypus Economics with Justin Wolfers

Why an "infinity percent" tariff on Canada may hurt Americans more than Canadians.
The U.S.–Canada trade war just got weirder, and Justin Wolfers walks through what actually changed. After Canada answered Washington's tariffs with a measured, dollar-for-dollar response, the White House escalated again. They proposed an outright import ban on things like Canadian alcohol, dairy, and auto products. His point: banning a product punishes the American buyers who wanted it most and now can't get it at any price.
That’s not the only way Americans are getting hurt. Canadian consumers are boycotting anything U.S. You can see it in the empty hotel rooms in Las Vegas and half-full convention centers. Canadians are "speaking from their heart" about sovereignty and dignity. No handshake between leaders will make that disappear.
Why should you care? Because the price of the clowning around lands in your pocket. This could look like a lost bonus, a thinner paycheck, or your employer's shrinking income. If Canada decides it can't trust its neighbor and diversifies toward Europe and Asia, that shift outlasts any single election.
Chapters:
0:00 Jazz hands and an update
1:00 What's changed since the last video
3:19 Meet the "infinity percent" tariff
4:30 Why a ban punishes American buyers
5:30 Do consumer boycotts actually work?
9:07 The real cost is the clowning around
11:07 How big a hit is this, really?
12:10 Should Canada diversify away from the U.S.?
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Why does the bond market matter more than the stock market for your wallet? Justin Wolfers and Bloomberg Businessweek columnist Stacey Vanek Smith take on August's inflation report, the rising odds the Fed hikes rates, and the one market that quietly sets the price of your car loan, your student loan, and your mortgage.
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Inflation is stuck at 3.4% and prices are outrunning your paycheck. Here's what August really showed.
The August inflation report just landed, and Justin Wolfers walks you through what it means for your wallet. Plus the all-important burrito price index.
Subscribe — it's the one price that isn't rocketing up this month:
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Is the promise real, and who actually pays for it?
At a midterm campaign rally Wednesday night, President Trump promised every adult American citizen a $5,000 check, but only if Republicans win both the House and the Senate. He's calling them "Trump dividends."
Justin Wolfers is here with a reality check, on Diving In.
Subscribe — I'll owe you $5,000, and I promise about as much as the President does:
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Can you still trust the jobs numbers after Commerce dropped its ban on political interference?
In August the Commerce Department quietly crossed out the rules that shielded official statistics from political meddling — meaning reports can now be delayed, buried, reworded, or stripped of their uncertainty. So can you still trust the numbers that shape your paycheck, your mortgage rate, and the price of your groceries?
In this episode of The Professor Is In, Justin Wolfers answers the question a whole audience asked: in light of this, why should we believe the latest jobs numbers?
Most useful of all, Justin hands you a rule of thumb for telling independent statistics from political claims — trust the official statistical agencies, be wary of anything from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and remember that someone who lied to you once will lie to you again.
Chapters:
0:00 An expensive way to make propaganda
0:56 Can we still trust the jobs numbers?
1:56 Which agencies are actually at risk
2:50 Why the jobs data is still protected
3:50 How statistics really get manipulated
6:22 The one report that was a lie
9:11 The tin-pot dictator club
10:02 Why propaganda destroys data's value
13:12 A rule of thumb for reading statistics
15:39 Official agencies vs. 1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Subscribe — it's one number you can trust to go up honestly:
on YouTube 👉 https://www.youtube.com/platypuseconomics
on Substack 👉 https://newsletter.platypuseconomics.com
Follow on Social Media @PlatypusEconomics and @JustinWolfers