The Daily Dive

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WEEKEND EDITION- Child Tax Credits Sent Out to Families, #FreeBritney Gets Support From Lawmakers, Los Angeles Institutes Mask Mandates in Midst of Superspreader Explosions Jul 17, 2021

Show notes

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

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Child Tax Credits Have Begun Going Out to Families Across Country Jul 16, 2021

Show notes

Expanded child tax credits have started to hit bank accounts of eligible families and for many, the monthly payments will be sent out automatically, but some families may need to sign up on an IRS portal. The Biden administration says that these expanded tax credits could reduce child poverty by as much as 50% and hopes to get a four-year extension for the program. Lauren Egan, White House reporter at NBC News, joins us for what to know, as anything with taxes is never that simple.

Next, former President Trump is not happy about recent excerpts from a trio of new books about his presidency. There will also be more books to come including a very anticipated release from former counselor Kellyanne Conway. Reports say that Trump sat down for at least 22 book interviews. Meredith McGraw, national political correspondent at Politico, joins us for how Trump is raging over books he did interviews for.

Finally, professional dog trainers are having to deal with an increase in misbehaving pandemic puppies. Because of quarantines and shutdowns many first time dog owners didn’t properly train or socialize their pups which led them to be overly reactive or have separation anxiety. The big worry for these trainers is that if people can’t get dogs under control, they may be surrendered. Bailey Berg, contributor to Vice News, joins us for more.

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Sen. Chuck Schumer Proposes Bill to Decriminalize Marijuana at the Federal Level, but It Faces an Uphill Battle Jul 15, 2021

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has released draft legislation aimed at decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level. Called the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, it would remove weed from the Controlled Substances Act and begin regulating and taxing it. It would still give states the power to set their own laws and would also expunge non-violent cannabis related arrests. Natalie Fertig, federal cannabis policy reporter at Politico, joins us for what to expect in the marijuana debate.

Next, drug overdose deaths have risen sharply in the country by 30% in 2020 with over 93,000 deaths. A large driver of those deaths were the result of the synthetic opioid fentanyl as it has been frequently mixed into other drugs. The pandemic also played a role in this as people who were receiving treatment or wanted it had difficulty accessing it early on. Isolation and other life disruptions also fueled the uptick. Betsy McKay, senior writer at the WSJ, joins us for the rise in overdose deaths.

Finally, public health officials are once again worried about superspreader events as we see lagging vaccination rates and rising Covid cases. With less mask wearing and social distancing, people are going out more and attending larger gatherings. Studies have shown that 10 percent of people infected with Covid could be responsible for 80 percent of the spread. Denise Chow, science reporter at NBC News, joins us for more.

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People Are Going Back to Bars and Restaurants, but Those Employees Have Moved On to Other Sectors With Better Pay and Perks Jul 14, 2021

Show notes

Checking in on the restaurant and hospitality industry, things have not gotten much better yet. Businesses are still struggling to attract employees who in some cases have moved on to other sectors. Pandemic layoffs pushed many hospitality employees to seek jobs with better pay, more perks, and different career opportunities and some are not going back to their old jobs. Heather Haddon, restaurants reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Next, in November of 2019 a woman with a sore throat gave an Italian hospital a skin sample that would later test positive for Covid-19. This would make her one of the world’s first suspected cases, but there’s a problem for researchers looking into its origins and trying to establish a timeline… all her details have been lost and no one knows who she is. Drew Hinshaw, senior reporter at the WSJ, joins us for this mysterious case in Italy.

Finally, why does everything feel more expensive right now? The short answer is because it is! We are paying more for everything from used cars to groceries to lumber and chicken wings. Inflation is up, but economists think this is a temporary situation as post-pandemic production bottlenecks and imbalances continue to work themselves out. Emily Stewart, senior reporter at Vox, joins us for why everything is costing more.

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#FreeBritney Movement Inspires Lawmakers on All Sides of the Political Spectrum to Look Into Conservatorships Jul 13, 2021

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The #FreeBritney movement is getting some supporters on Capitol Hill that couldn’t further from each other ideologically all pushing for reviews and more oversight on guardianships and conservatorships. Lawmakers from Elizabeth Warren to Ted Cruz are interested in shedding light on the system, but the federal government’s role in these programs is limited and is largely left to the states. Still, after Britney Spears’ testimony last month, there have been more calls for reform. Victoria Colliver, CA health care reporter at Politico, joins us for more.

Next, some master’s degree programs at elite school aren’t paying off. At Colombia and other top universities these programs are failing to generate enough income for graduates who are grappling with hundreds of thousands of dollars of federal loans. A recent analysis shows that graduates of the Columbia film program have the highest debt to earnings ratio among graduates of any major university master’s program in the country. Melissa Korn, higher education reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how graduate students are now accruing more debt than undergrads and are asking administrators for more in financial aid.

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Billionaire Space Race and the $10 Million Microsoft Gift Card Cheat Jul 12, 2021

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Richard Branson and his team at Virgin Galactic successfully completed their trip to the edge of space 53 miles above the earth's surface. The aim of the mission was to kick-start a new space-tourism industry and showcase the safety and security of the technology. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News joins us for this new billionaire space race and a look at how President Biden's agenda is faring in Washington, from early successes, to what's up in the air, and what has completely stalled out.

Next, a story about a junior Microsoft engineer who figured out how to generate Xbox gift card codes and sell them for bitcoin in a scheme that netted him over $10 million. This engineer worked in a department that tested the online infrastructure by generating codes and making purchases. The purchases didn't go through as they were only tests, but the gift card codes had real money associated with them. While the scheme was simple and successful, he left a lot of breadcrumbs that investigators used to catch him. Austin Carr, technology reporter at Bloomberg News, joins us for this $10 million gift card cheat.

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WEEKEND EDITION- Facial Recognition Next Target for Hackers, Influencers Pumping Cryptocurrency Jul 11, 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.

WEEKEND EDITION- Pandemic Mental Health, Delta Variant, REvil Attacks Again Jul 10, 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.

Despite Some Real Challenges During the Pandemic, The Population's Mental Health Was Extremely Resilient Jul 09, 2021

Show notes

Throughout the pandemic, mental health has been a big issue with a lot of anxiety and depression going around, but there is a silver lining, the world’s psychological immune system turned out to be more resilient than we thought. Many people were able to weather the psychological challenges of the pandemic and focus on the positive, despite some real challenges. Elizabeth Dunn, psychology professor at the University of British Columbia and Chief Science Officer of Happy Money, joins us for how the pandemic didn’t affect mental health the way you think.

Next, most companies are simply encouraging employees to be vaccinated, but a growing number of them are starting to require it. In the tech world, some big software companies are marking a departure from industry leaders like Facebook and Google. Recent surveys found that the majority of professionals support vaccine mandates and say it would make them feel more comfortable about returning to the office. Aklison Levitsky, reporter at Protocol, joins us for how vaccine requirements are popping up at the workplace.

Finally, all this talk about the effectiveness of mRNA vaccines and the Delta variant taking hold in the U.S. is making some recipients of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine wonder if they need an mRNA booster shot. Some preliminary studies suggest that it is safe to combine the two, but there has been no official guidance to do so and it might be difficult to access a second shot. Ben Guarino, reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for more.

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Facial Recognition Systems Are the Next Target for Hackers Looking to Commit Fraud Jul 08, 2021

Show notes

Facial recognition systems are the next target for hackers trying to commit identity fraud and also claim unemployment benefits. From June 2020 to January 2021, there were more than 80,000 attempts to fool the selfie step when trying to claim unemployment benefits. Analysts also say that the fastest growing type of financial crime is known as synthetic identity fraud, where fraudsters use AI to combine features from different faces to create a new identity. Parmy Olson, technology reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how hackers are trying to fool facial recognition with masks and artificial intelligence.

Next, local residents near Seneca Lake in upstate New York are protesting a Bitcoin mining operation they say is polluting the air and heating the lake. A gas-fired power plant is currently operating there and using the energy it produces to run at least 8,000 computers for the energy-intensive mining of the digital currency. Not everyone is angry at the power plant however as it has created jobs and provided some economic benefit. Still residents are worried that the lake is overheating and that other similar operations could pop up. Gretchen Morgenson, senior financial reporter for the NBC News investigative unit, joins us for how mining for Bitcoin can impact the environment.

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