The Daily Dive

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Lawsuit Alleges That Iconic Nirvana Album Cover Is Child Porn Aug 26, 2021

Show notes

One of the most recognizable album covers in music is the subject of a new lawsuit alleging it constituted child pornography. Spencer Elden is suing over Nirvana’s “Nevermind” album cover in which he is pictured as a naked baby 30 years ago. In his lawsuit, Elden said that having him swim toward a dollar on a fishhook makes him look like a sex worker. Chris Willman, features editor at Variety, joins us for how that album cover came to be and the new lawsuit.

Next, Delta Air Lines has upped its game in the vaccine pressure campaign. Stopping short of a mandate, Delta has said that unvaccinated employees will have their health insurance premiums increased by $200 a month. They cited the high cost of treating employees who have been hospitalized which averages out to $50,000 per person. Leslie Josephs, airline reporter at CNBC, joins us for more.

Finally, the intelligence community has provided President Biden with a report on the origins of Covid-19 and it was inconclusive. Furthermore, the WHO team that was also looking into the start of the pandemic warned that time is running out and it could soon be biologically impossible to obtain the data needed to nail down the cause. Betsy McKay, senior writer at the WSJ, joins us for ongoing delays into the search for the pandemic origins.

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President Biden Sticking to August 31 Deadline in Afghanistan, Evacuations and Security Top Concerns Aug 25, 2021

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President Biden has said the U.S. will stick to the August 31 deadline to evacuate from Afghanistan despite calls to stay longer. Biden said there has been over 70,000 evaluations since August 14 and also cited threats from groups like ISIS-K as reasons to not extend the timeline. While the deadline seems firm, Biden said it all depends on the actions of the Taliban. Julia Manchester, national political reporter at The Hill, joins us for the latest on the race to get out before the end of the month.

Next, the recall election of CA Gov. Gavin Newsom is under way with a deadline of September 14 for mail-in ballots. Recent polls have shown that the recall is closer to passing than Democrats would like and a lot of it comes down to voter enthusiasm. Without Trump as a foil are enough Democrats paying attention and energized to vote to defeat the recall? David Siders, national political correspondent at Politico, joins us for more.

Finally, after throat cancer surgery in 2015 left actor Val Kilmer without his natural voice he turned to UK-based software firm Sonantic for help. With audio from old movies and artificial intelligence, they were able to digitally restore his voice. While in this case the technology was used for a benefit, there are some critics that say it could be misused and affect other voice actors. Dalvin Brown, innovations reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for how AI gave Val Kilmer his voice back.

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FDA Gives Full Approval to Pfizer Vaccine, Makes Way for More Mandates Aug 24, 2021

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The FDA has finally granted full approval to the Covid-19 vaccine made by Pfizer to those 16 and older. Children under 11 are still not approved and those ages 12-15 can get the vaccine under emergency use authorization. With this approval, the hope is that some hesitant people might now get their shots, but also that more businesses and local governments might mandate them. Andrew Joseph, reporter at STAT News, joins us for what to know about Pfizer’s full approval.

Next, to help with the evacuations of Americans and Afghans from Afghanistan, the Pentagon has active a little-used program called the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, which compels airlines to provide aircraft to help in emergencies. 18 aircraft will be provided from some major airlines and it is not expected to impact operations here at home. Leslie Josephs, airline reporter at CNBC, joins us for this and also the coming vaccine mandates from airlines.

Finally, over 75% of pregnant people have not been vaccinated and doctors are reporting that they are seeing more young and healthy pregnant women ending up in hospitals on ventilators or delivering babies prematurely because of Covid. There are also some extra precautions needed in treating pregnant patients like making sure their oxygen levels are higher. Shira Stein, reporter at Bloomberg Law, joins us for more.

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Situation in Afghanistan Remains Tense as Main Focus Continues to Be Evacuations of Americans and Afghan Allies Aug 23, 2021

Show notes

The evacuations of Americans and Afghans continues in Kabul as the situation in Afghanistan remains tense. To help with the effort, the Pentagon has enlisted the help of commercial airlines to help transport people from other temporary bases. In the meantime, new polls show that President Biden's approval ratings have dipped below 50% and our allies around the world have also expressed disapproval of what is happening. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for more fallout from Afghanistan and how it might impact Biden's domestic agenda as he receives criticism from both Republicans and Democrats.

Next, people with dissociative identity disorder have taken their lives to YouTube and the community has tons of fans. Formerly known as multiple personality disorder, people with DID are sharing what it is like to live with the condition as well as letting their alternative personalities or "alters" come forward to be seen and answer questions. Experts in the field who treat those with DID have expressed concern about putting their lives on YouTube but those those with DID have found community and support by sharing their stories. Lizzie Feidelson, contributor at NY Magazine, joins us for a look at Wyn, a Youtube content creator with DID.

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WEEKEND EDITION- Booster Shots Coming This Fall, Governors Pushing Antibody Treatments, Millennial High-Earning Years Aug 22, 2021

Show notes

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

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WEEKEND EDITION- Afghanistan Falls to the Taliban and International Covid Scammers Aug 21, 2021

Show notes

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

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Biden Administration Tries to Contain Fallout Over Taliban’s Takeover of Afghanistan as Evacuations Continue Aug 20, 2021

Show notes

The Biden administration is still trying to contain all of the fallout from the Taliban taking over Afghanistan. The most pressing issue right now is the continued evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies, but there are several other storylines in this wide ranging event. The Afghanistan war still remains unpopular with the American people, but why didn’t the administration act on the calls for evacuations from diplomats earlier and is it possible at all to trust the Taliban’s promises? Ret. USMC Lt Col. Jonathon Myers, former intelligence officer and author of American to the Corps: A Marine Corps Intelligence Officer’s Incredible Journey, joins us to break it all down.

Next, governors in Florida, Missouri, and Texas have begun pushing expensive Covid antibody treatments instead of masks and vaccines. States are setting up and staffing infusion centers with the hope of keeping people out of hospitals. Florida’s surgeon general issued a ruling for anyone to be able to take Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment without a doctor prescription. Dan Goldberg, health care reporter at Politico, joins us for the push for Covid cocktails over masks.

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COVID Booster Shots Coming This Fall for Those Fully Vaccinated With Pfizer and Moderna Aug 19, 2021

Show notes

Covid booster shots are coming this fall. The Biden administration has called for boosters to be available for those that are fully vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna eight months after their second shot. With the Delta variant, the coronavirus is still too widespread and too transmissible and the outcome of the pandemic seems pretty certain, the virus is not going away and will be endemic. Sarah Zhang, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins us for how we are going to have to live with coronavirus.

Next, older millennials are beginning to enter their high-earning years, but for many, it doesn’t feel like it. With a higher debt-to-income ratio and delaying home ownership and having a family, these higher-earning years might not provide the financial security they were hoping for. Julia Carpenter, personal finance reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how millennials are still struggling despite making more.

Finally, some hotels are going the way of the airline industry and offering a la carte pricing for certain services and amenities. Early check-in, access to the pool, gym use, or even daily housekeeping could be offered as add-ons in exchange for a lower room rate. Big hotel chains are still wary of such a change, but the fourth largest hotel owner is trying out the new business model. Craig Karmin, real estate bureau chief at the WSJ, joins us for a change up in hotel fees.

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International Scammers Targeted Covid Relief Programs and Stole Billions of Dollars Aug 18, 2021

Show notes

Many Covid relief programs have been subject to fraud by scammers, but a whole slew of international scam artists have taken advantage of the enhanced unemployment benefits offered up to those affected by the pandemic. Russian scammers, Chinese hackers, and Nigerian scammers have used stolen identities easily accessed from data breaches and relaxed verification requirements to make bogus claims for Covid aid. Aging state unemployment systems also contributed to the problem. The scams are so widespread, we don't really know how much money has been stolen, but it is believed to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Kit Ramgopal, reporter with the investigative unit at NBC News, joins us for how they did it.

Next, the pandemic has changed the way we eat and what chefs serve us. Restaurants are still trying to recover from prolonged closures, supply chain issues, and lack of staff. In response to all of that we saw menus slimmed down to optimize to-go orders, which is still the case in many areas, but we also saw complete menu overhauls that limited seafood because of costs and less complicated menus that are easier to execute. Patricia Escárcega, reporting fellow at The Counter, joins us for more.

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Afghanistan Falls to the Taliban, How Did It Happen So Fast? Aug 17, 2021

Show notes

U.S. defense officials expected that Afghanistan’s capital could fall to the Taliban 90 days after troops withdrew from the area, but it took less than ten days. How were they able to take over so quickly? A number of factors contributed including intelligence failures, a lack of will to fight by the Afghan forces, corruption and money. Amanda Macias, national security reporter at CNBC, joins us for how Afghanistan fell so fast.

Next, speaking on the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan’s capital, President Biden acknowledged that tings unfolded quicker than they expected but also said that he stood squarely behind his decision to pull troops out of the area. What are the next steps for U.S. policy toward Afghanistan and did we learn anything from intelligence failures on the ground? Dr. Tom Copeland, author of "Fool me Twice: Intelligence Failure and Mass Casualty Terrorism," joins us for the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

Finally, it’s been a theme we have seen throughout the pandemic, a reassessment of the work-life balance. According to the latest Washington Post poll, a third of workers under 40 considered changing their careers or where they lived during the pandemic. Surprisingly, the majority of workers in this poll also wanted to return to their workplace all or most of the time. Scott Clement, polling director at The Washington Post, joins us for more.

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