The Daily Dive

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Big Testimony From Michael Cohen Today Feb 27, 2019

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Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former lawyer and fixer is in the middle of his three day tour of congressional testimony. Today is his public hearing and some big allegations are expected to fly. Yesterday he apologized for lying to Congress, but today he is expected to claim the president engaged in criminal conduct while in office. Daniel Lippman, reporter for Politico, joins us to discuss Cohen’s testimony and his credibility.

Next, despite some weaker earnings, Domino’s is winning the pizza wars. As the pizza field grows more crowded, Domino’s leads the field with great deals and delivery locations outside of the home. My producer Miranda joins us for more on the pizza wars and the top pizza chains.

Finally, Walmart will be eliminating the People Greeter position at about 1,000 stores around the country and workers with disabilities say they are feeling targeted. The position is being replaced with “customer hosts” that have expanded responsibilities. They must be able to lift 25 pounds, clean up spills, collect carts, and more. Adding this would exclude a range of workers with disabilities and some elderly people also. We’ll cover the blowback and Walmart’s response.

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From Super Bowl to Alleged Solicitation Feb 26, 2019

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Prosecutors on Monday released documents detailing New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s actions at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida. He has been charged with two, first degree misdemeanor counts of soliciting prostitution. Investigators say Kraft was there twice in a 24 hour period, and they have video. My producer Miranda joins us for the details and how the NFL is reacting.

Next, DNA testing kits started off as a novelty for amateur genealogists and has gone mainstream. Some predictions say that within the next two years, more than 100 million people may be part of a commercial genetic database. What many don’t realize is that these companies are sharing your data with law enforcement, drug makers, and even app developers. Kim Hart, managing editor at Axios, joins us for why you should always read the fine print before you test your DNA.

Finally, as the opioid epidemic continues to plague large swaths of the country, the small town of Little Falls, Minnesota has made progress in getting the problem under control. They didn’t do anything revolutionary, just made a real effort, spent real money, and treated the addiction as a disease instead of a crime. Dan Vergano, Buzzfeed News Reporter, joins us for the blueprint they used to curb it drug epidemic.

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The Summit Sequel, CRISPR Babies Update, and Emoji in Court Feb 25, 2019

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Another big week in politics is coming up as the President is making his way to Vietnam for the second summit with Kim Jong Un of North Korea. Still aiming for the goal of complete denuclearization, the president says he is in no rush as long as missile testing has stopped. Ginger Gibson, political reporter for Reuters, joins us for this and the House vote to overturn Trump’s emergency declaration.

Next, new research suggests that a controversial gene editing experiment to make twin girls in China resistant to HIV may have also altered their brains and enhanced their ability to learn and form memories. Lulu and Nana had their genes modified before birth using the CRISPR editing tool and this could possibly be one of the unintended consequences. Antonio Regalado, reporter for the MIT Technology Review, joins us for more on the CRISPR twins.

Finally, emoji are having another moment. As we use them more in our everyday communication, it’s increasingly starting to show up as evidence in court. Between 2004 and 2019 there has been an exponential rise in emoji and emoticon references in US court opinions, the problem is that not everyone can always agree on what the emoji actually mean. Dami Lee, reporter at the Verge, joins us for emoji in court.

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WEEKEND EDITION - French Fry Rankings and How The ATF Fails You Feb 24, 2019

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This is a compilation of the most compelling stories of the week.

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WEEKEND EDITION - Hoax! Hockey Hot Dog! Foldable Phone!!! Feb 23, 2019

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This is a compilation of some of the most compelling stories of the week.

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HOAX! Feb 22, 2019

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It was a hoax! Empire actor, Jussie Smollett, is now being accused of staging a homophobic, racist attack against himself in an attempt to raise his profile because he was angry at the salary he was making. Prosecutors say the actor gave detailed instructions for the fake attack. Aamer Madhani, national correspondent at USA Today, was in court for the bond hearing and fills us in on the details.

Next, an odd story of a failed domestic terror plot. Lt. Christopher Paul Hasson, who was a Coast Guard officer and a self-described white nationalist, was plotting to kill a long list of prominent journalists and Democratic politicians. He had stockpiled weapons and ammunition and even created a hit list. Claudia Koerner, Buzzfeed News reporter joins us for more on this extreme domestic terror plot.

Finally, Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Fold. It’s the latest smartphone offering that boasts an Infinity Flex Display that allows the phone to have a tablet-sized screen that can be folded to fit in your pocket. It can run three apps at once and costs $2,000. Rob Verger, assistant tech editor at Popular Science, joins us to discuss whether this foldable phone will be the next thing you buy.

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Your Phone and TV Are Spying On You Feb 21, 2019

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As smartphones have become integral parts of many people’s lives, you should always be aware of what is going on with your privacy and personal data. And as we ramp up to another round of elections in two years, there is a new frontier in campaign tech and data brokers are collecting your information for political campaigns to buy up. Evan Halper, reporter for the LA Times joins us for how political campaigns are tracking us through our phones and TVs.

Next, as social media amplifies the missteps by brands and big companies, it is forcing them to figure out a rapid response plan: acknowledge, apologize, and investigate… and then hope people forget and it all goes away. Sara Germano, reporter for the WSJ, joins us to talk about crisis management for brands and how long your window of opportunity may be… only 30 minutes in some cases.

Finally, here comes the Space Force! The president has signed a directive to start the process for creating the Space Force within the Air Force. This is the first step in taking a rally slogan to a real national security entity aimed at protecting our interests in space from threats like China and Russia. Andrew Freedman, science editor at Axios, joins us to break it down.

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The Problem With Guns and the Three Day Rule Feb 20, 2019

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We were waiting for it… and now it happened. California along with 15 other states have filed a lawsuit against President Trump’s emergency declaration over border wall funds. The lawsuit argues that the president used the pretext of a manufactured crisis to declare a national crisis. The lawsuit will make its way through the 9th Circuit which has ruled against him on various other legal challenges. Jeremy White, reporter for Politico, joins us to set up this legal fight.

Next, after last week’s shooting in Aurora Illinois, one of the first questions that pops up is, did the suspect own the gun legally? In that case, he passed the background check and got his gun, but he never should have passed that background check. He had a prior felony conviction in another state. This is a problem that arises in cases all across the country, people getting guns when they shouldn’t. There is a law on the books that a gun sale can proceed after three days, even if the background check isn’t completed. Zusha Elinson, reporter for the WSJ, joins us to talk about how many banned buyers get guns and what the ATF has to do to get them back.

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Hate Crime or Hoax? The Curious Case of Jussie Smollett Feb 19, 2019

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Was it a hate crime or hoax? The twists and turns keep coming in the case of actor Jussie Smollett. While at first it seemed that he might be the victim of a racial, homophobic, and political attack, investigators are now looking into whether the Empire actor had a hand in planning it. The two people who reportedly carried out the attack are selling him out, saying he paid them to do it. My producer Miranda joins us for more.

Next, good detective work, DNA, and a genealogy site are once again credited with helping to solve another cold case. Jerry Westrom was charged with a 1993 murder after police obtained his DNA through a napkin he used after eating a hot dog and discarded. The DNA was matched through a genealogy site and police were able to track him down. Ryan Mac, reporter for Buzzfeed News joins us for how this cold case was solved.

Finally, a lot of people are waiting for former vice president Joe Biden to decide if he will enter the 2020 race for president. While he has often been seen as a front runner in the democratic field, new polls show he might not be that far ahead of the rest of the field. Elena Schneider, campaign reporter for Politico, joins us for this and what all the other democratic hopefuls are looking for, a big viral moment.

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The Definitive List of French Fry Power Rankings Feb 18, 2019

Show notes

And so it happened, while we did avert another government shutdown, President Trump declared a national emergency at the border to get funds for his border wall. Now all the questions surrounding this, are how long it will take to process this after legal challenges, and what projects will have to be halted so the money can be reallocated. Ginger Gibson, political reporter for Reuters, joins us for more on this never ending fight over border security.

Next, you wouldn’t think this would be such a divisive topic, but the LA Times ruffled some feathers with its official fast food French fry power rankings. We spoke to Lucas Kwan Peterson, the LA Times food columnist about his methodology, the intense backlash he received for his rankings, and why he positions burger favorite In-N-Out dead last when it comes to French Fries.

Finally, Americans are abandoning public transit, but don’t necessarily blame ride-sharing companies. While they have experienced a rise in popularity, it hasn’t caused a broad shift across the country, but cars are still the problem. Over 50% of former transit riders have full time access to a car, which means they don’t need that bus or train. Aarian Marshall, writer at Wired, joins us for the increased shift away from public transportation.

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