The Daily Dive

Latest Episodes:

Here Come the Vaccine Mandates! Time to Show Proof or Get Weekly Covid Tests Jul 27, 2021

Show notes

Here come the vaccine mandates! The Dept. of Veterans Affairs has become the first federal agency to require its healthcare workers to be vaccinated. New York City is mandating vaccines for city employees or weekly tests. And California is the first state requiring health care workers and state employees to show proof of vaccination or get tested weekly. Erin Allday, health writer at the SF Chronicle, joins us for the new vaccine requirements.

Next, let’s talk about vaccine breakthrough infections of Covid-19. Some recent numbers from the CDC say that breakthroughs represent about 0.098% of those that are fully vaccinated. Still, they are happening, but those cases are often mild or asymptomatic. Getting vaccinated is not a free pass, but it gives you the best defenses possible to fight the virus. Katherine Wu, staff writer at the Atlantic, joins us for more.

Finally, the summer travel season so far has been a weird one. There are delays and cancellations due to computer glitches and staff shortages, summer storms have had an impact, and some international destinations are requiring Covid tests. There are less flights out there and the demand is as high as ever. Scott McCartney, Middle Seat Columnist at the WSJ, joins us for an update on summer travel.

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Speaker Pelosi Adds Another Republican to Committee Investigating Jan. 6 Riots, Covid Cases Surge in Unvaccinated Jul 26, 2021

Show notes

House speaker Nancy Pelosi has named another Republican to the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. In addition to Rep. Liz Cheney, Pelosi has added Rep. Adam Kinziger, another critic of former President Trump. This comes after Pelosi rejected two other picks from Kevin McCarthy. It seems that it will be incredibly difficult to produce a report that does not seem partisan. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for this, how the surge of coronavirus cases in the unvaccinated will impact the Biden agenda, and the CIA is now looking into Havana Syndrome cases.

Next, the debate about marijuana in sports was reignited recently when Sha'Carri Richardson was denied a spot in the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive, but what does the science say... does it actually help? The short answer is no. There's no scientific evidence that it can make athletes bigger, stronger, or faster. In fact, it can increase heart rates and is especially damaging to the lungs if smoked. However, elite athletes and even regular people say that it can help them recover from tough workouts, reduce pain, improve sleep, and most of all, calm nerves and alleviate anxiety. Anahad O'Connor, health reporter at the NY Times, joins us for more.

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WEEKEND EDITION- Algorithm Transforming DNA Evidence, Working As a Customer Service Agent Can Be Hell Jul 25, 2021

Show notes

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

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WEEKEND EDITION- Pandemic Reality Check, Life Expectancy Drops, Restaurant Employees Quitting Because of Rude Customers Jul 24, 2021

Show notes

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

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Tokyo Olympics Get Under Way With No Spectators and Pandemic Looming Large Jul 23, 2021

Show notes

The Tokyo Olympics are now officially under way and they will definitely be an Olympics like no other. Happening amid the pandemic and rising numbers locally in Japan, these Games will also not have any spectators. The big question now is how that might affect the athletes, having no cheering fans and the bigger concern, not having their families present. Questions have also been raised about athletes not being subject to the usual, rigorous drug testing standards. Erin Doherty, reporter at Axios, joins us for more.

Next, there is a harsh reality for many that work as customer service agents. Many big companies often use contractors that have agents working from home to help you when you have a problem. They are often caught in the middle between abusive callers and corporate mandates to make the customer feel better. One of the unspoken rules is that the agents cannot hang up on an abusive caller no matter how bad it gets. Calling out sick could get you fired, managers track your time, and sometimes you have to absorb start-up costs. Ariana Tobin, reporter at ProPublica, joins us for how bad it is for some customer service agents.

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Life Expectancy for the U.S. Drops in 2020, Hispanic Men Fared the Worst Jul 22, 2021

Show notes

Largely driven by the pandemic, drug overdoses and homicides, U.S. life expectancy fell by 1.5 years in 2020. This is the biggest decline since World War II. The group that fared the worst were Hispanic men who had a drop of 3.7 years. Life expectancy is an important number because it is a measure of a nation’s well-being and prosperity. Betsy McKay, senior writer at the WSJ, joins us for the big drop.

Next, the restaurant industry has been having a hard time coming back after the pandemic. Each month so far this year, about 5% of restaurant and hospitality workers have quit their jobs largely due to low pay, no benefits, and rude customers. There are currently 1.2 million jobs unfilled in the industry despite rising wages and signing bonuses. Alina Selyukh, business correspondent at NPR joins us for more.

Finally, another story about how desperate some businesses are to get more employees. In this crazy labor market, recruiters are the new telemarketers and job ads are the new spam. Companies are digging up resumes and calling people back that might have applied years ago. And they are increasingly using automated tools to reach as many people as possible. Te-Ping Chen, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for what some businesses are resorting to.

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Mandates Could Be On Their Way After FDA Grants Full Approval for Current Vaccines Jul 21, 2021

Show notes

With the concerning Delta variant of Covid-19 and surging cases of infection, many public health officials think that tactics may need to change to increase vaccination rates. Vaccine mandates have been talked about, but the government and many businesses have not gone that way… yet. Many health experts think that could change once the FDA grants full approval to the current vaccines. Shannon Pettypiece, senior White House reporter at NBC News Digital, joins us for why mandates could be on their way.

Next, we have seen a rise in alcohol use disorder, but too often medical professionals are failing to treat it. There are some medications that can help treat alcoholism, but doctors often fail to prescribe them. There are also other tools that can simply help people reduce the amount of alcohol intake. Many doctors are not specifically trained to treat addiction and usually refer people to mental health experts or send patients to rehab. Anahad O’Connor, health reporter at the NY Times, joins us for how many alcoholics do not get treatment.

Finally, in the age of the pandemic workplace and hybrid working models, everything has become a meeting. We are now in the age of the never-ending check-in. Meetings have gotten shorter, but more frequent and it could be leading to meeting burnout. Going back to the office could lead to efficient, in-person check-ins, but a hybrid model could be a mess for that. Rachel Feintzeig, work and life columnist at the WSJ, joins us for more.

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Pandemic Reality Check... Things Are Trending In the Wrong Way Again Jul 20, 2021

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Pandemic reality check… we are getting further away from the end than we should be. To be clear, it is nowhere near as bad as it was at the height of the pandemic, but once again numbers are trending in the wrong way. Infections are going up, hospitalizations and deaths are going up, and in some places like L.A. County, mask restrictions are being re-imposed. Joel Achenbach, science reporter at the Washington post, joins us for more.

Next, Jeff Bezos and his company Blue Origin are set to take off to the edge of space. While this is a similar mission to the one that Richard Branson and Virgin Galactic carried out, the four passengers of Blue Origin will be taking off in a rocket straight up into the air and fall back down in a capsule after floating in microgravity. Morgan Brennan, co-anchor of CNBC’s Squawk on the Street, joins us for the next entry into space tourism.

Finally, 18-year-old Kara Eaker is the first U.S. athlete to test positive for Covid-19 after arriving in Tokyo for the Olympic Games. She is an alternate for Team USA Gymnastics and has been taken to a hotel to quarantine until she tests negative. While vaccination rates are low in Japan, about 85% of the delegations are expected to be vaccinated. Tina Reed, healthcare editor and author of VITALS at Axios, joins us for this early test to Olympic Covid protocols.

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Judge Rules DACA Illegal, Puts Pressure on Dems to Find Permanent Solution Jul 19, 2021

Show notes

More pressure for a permanent solution has been put on President Biden and Democrats as a judge just ruled that the DACA program is illegal. Those currently in the program can stay in the U.S. and renew their status, but there will be no new applicants until the appeals process is complete. This is coming at a time when a record number of migrants are still crossing the border. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for the latest on immigration, more news and falsehoods coming out of the Arizona audit, and Sen. Chuck Schumer pushes for a vote on infrastructure this week.

Next, forensic investigators have been using DNA in legal cases for a long time and as the technology has gotten better, they are using genetic material from smaller and more challenging samples. Enter software called TrueAllele, which can help narrow down genetic profiles even if DNA samples are muddied or too tiny. TrueAllele has been providing key evidence in thousands of violent crime cases, but the only problem is that no one knows exactly how it works. The process has been kept hidden as a trade secret until now. Justin Jouvenal, justice reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for a case in Virginia that could get a first look into how this software is transforming DNA evidence.

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WEEKEND EDITION- Chuck Schumer Proposes New Marijuana Bill, Inside $10 Million Xbox Gift Card Scam Jul 18, 2021

Show notes

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

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.