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After 17 Years, the Brood X Cicadas Will Be Coming Out in the Billions Mar 19, 2021

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They’ve been hiding underground for 17 years and very soon the swarm will hit multiple states. The Brood X cicadas will be all over the place beginning in late April or early May. While they might pose an inconvenience as they come out in the billions, they are a crucial part of the ecosystem. Dr. Sebastian Alejandro Echeverri, scientist and contributor to NBC News, joins us for what to expect and why you don’t want to mow your lawn when they come out.

Next, Moderna announced this week that they will begin testing their Covid vaccine on children aged 6 months to 11 years. This is the next piece of the puzzle to widen the mass vaccination campaign beyond adults. If all goes well, health officials believe that junior high and high school students could get their shots in the fall and elementary school students early next year. Peter Loftus, healthcare reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Finally, the pandemic has created a housing boom, but it’s different from the last time. Residential home prices are hitting highs that we haven’t seen since 2006. The big winners are people who already own homes because they can take advantage of lower mortgage rates, but on the other side, competition is stiff because of low supply. Nicole Friedman, reporter at the WSJ, joins us to talk about the crazy housing market.

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This Past Year There Were 3,800 Anti-Asian Hate Incidents Mostly Targeting Women Leading to Fear in the Community Mar 18, 2021

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The fear among Asian-Americans is real. We have been seeing an uptick in Anti-Asian racist incidents and according to one report, there were 3,800 incidents this past year during the pandemic, mostly against women. These can include everything from shunning people, using slurs, or even physical attacks. Experts see two trends emerging, one is incidents of racism related to the pandemic, and the second is violence against elderly Asians. Kimmy Yam, reporter at NBC News and writer for NBC Asian America, joins us for more.

Next, the fight for his political life has officially begun for California Gov. Gavin Newsom. On Wednesday, proponents of a recall effort submitted over 2 million signatures to be verified, only 1.5 million signatures are needed. Newsom has already begun a press tour to defend his handling of the state’s pandemic response, and get ready for more ads flooding the state. Newsom is pinning the recall effort on Trump supporters and opportunists, while the other side wants to keep it all about Newsom’s closures of businesses. David Siders, national political correspondent at Politico, joins us for what to expect next in this recall.

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Which Vaccine Do You Want? The Differences Are Small, but They Do Exist Mar 17, 2021

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Which vaccine are you getting? For now, the experts are clear that the best vaccine to get is the first one that is available to you. But if you had your choice as supply goes up, which would you get? There are concerns about side effects, effectiveness, and immunity and those differences are small, but they do exist. Elizabeth Weise, national correspondent at USA Today, joins us for what to know about the available vaccines.

Next, the White House is planning a wide-reaching campaign at getting those that are skeptical of the vaccines on board. It will be targeting young people, people of color, and conservatives. A recent focus group shows that to target some GOP voters, it will be best to keep politics out of it and provide as much information as possible so they can make informed decisions. Dan Diamond, national health reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for how to win over some vaccine skeptics.

Finally, in a good sign of a recovering economy, the hotel industry is starting to regain some footing after its worst year ever. Americans are getting the itch to travel again and there are some good indicators for the leisure and hospitality industry. They are hiring again, getting advanced bookings, and seeing stock shares rise. Peter Grant, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for what we hope is a hotel rebound.

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The Vatican Makes the Church's Stance Clear, Says It Will Not Bless Same-Sex Unions Mar 16, 2021

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News out of the Vatican made clear the Catholic Church's stance on same-sex marriages. The Church will not bless these unions despite how stable or positive the relationships are. This news comes at a time when more Americans are identifying as LGBTQ and less are identifying as religious. The Vatican also said that God does not and cannot bless sin, but people should still be welcomed with respect and sensitivity. Bill Chappell, reporter at NPR, joins us for more.

Next, two men have been arrested and charged in the assault on police office Brian Sicknick during the Capitol riots on Jan. 6. The two men were charged with assaulting three officers with an unknown chemical spray, which could have been bear spray. Julian Khater and George Tanios were seen on video at the riots spraying police and were caught when tipsters notified the FBI. Peter Hermann, reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for the latest charges related to the Capitol siege.

Finally, there are a lot of questions about vaccine passports and when they might be available in the U.S. These could be paper or digital documents that show you are fully vaccinated or recently tested negative for coronavirus and may allow you to travel internationally more freely, or avoid local quarantines. Dr. John Torres, senior medical contributor to NBC News, joins us for how the U.S. is still far from laying any groundwork to get these vaccine passports implemented.

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FEMA Dispatched to Southern Border to Help With Surge of Migrant Children Mar 16, 2021

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President Biden has a growing border crisis on his hands as we are seeing huge numbers of migrant children coming to the U.S.-Mexico border. The administration has dispatched FEMA to help with transferring these unaccompanied minors from the custody of Border Protection to the care of Health and Human Services. There is also action in the Senate to try and reform the filibuster into a talking filibuster, in the hopes that bills on voting rights and gun control can be passed and NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo continues to face more calls to resign. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC news, joins us to break it all down.

Next, as more states start to open up and vaccine distribution continues to grow, many are looking at who did what right during the pandemic. Two states that are often compared for how different an approach they each took are California and Florida. Gov. Newsom in CA if facing a recall effort for his handling of the pandemic, while Gov. Ron DeSantis is being praised in some conservative circles for his handling. California has a better death rate, but higher unemployment. Florida has more kids in school, but is facing a budget shortfall. Soumya Karlamangla, health reporter at the LA Times, joins us for who handled COVID-19 better.

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WEEKEND EDITION- The Lost Pandemic Year for Teens, Scientists Reprogram Body in Promising New Vaccine Technology Mar 14, 2021

Show notes

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

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WEEKEND EDITION- CDC Guidelines for Fully Vaccinated People, Amazon Unionization Fight in Alabama, Hollywood Deals With Problematic Streaming Content Mar 13, 2021

Show notes

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

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The Lost Pandemic Year for Teens Mar 12, 2021

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For many, this past year of the pandemic has been a lost year. And for our kids and teens, the disruption to school life has had major impacts on both academic life and also took on emotional toll. In Hobbs, New Mexico, the high school there close and sports were canceled, taking away activities that gave many meaning and provided social interaction. Kooper Davis was one such student who despite his best efforts, felt lost without his normal routine and outlets and the stress eventually overcame him. Alec MacGillis, reporter at ProPublica, joins us for what the pandemic has cost some teenagers.

Next, we have been seeing a decline in those identifying as religious for some time now and in the absence of religious belief many have channeled that into political belief. What is America supposed to mean or what does it mean to be un-American? Politics has become the new religion and ideological intensity has risen driving a divide in the country. Shadi Hamid, contributing writer at The Atlantic, joins us for more.

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Amazon Unionization Effort in Alabama Closely Being Watched, Could Spur Other Drives Mar 11, 2021

Show notes

Amazon workers at a warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama are currently voting on whether they want to unionize. The voting period ends on March 29, but already the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union has said that in recent weeks, over 1,000 Amazon employees have called to inquire about organizing drives at their own facilities. Jay Greene, reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for how Amazon is fighting to keep its employees from unionizing.

Next, the tourism industry has taken a huge hit by Covid. Before the pandemic, tourism accounted for one in ten jobs around the world. International travel hit a 74% decline. Worldwide emissions from air travel, dropped about 50% and cruise lines had to stop trips all together with most sailings canceled into May or June. Stephen Hiltner, travel desk editor at the NY Times, joins us for how bad 2020 was for tourism.

Finally, many businesses thrived because of the shifts in spending during lockdowns. Now, looking forward to an economy that will hopefully be getting back to normal soon, these companies are facing questions about if they can keep up. Will people continue to order from DoorDash or go back to restaurants? Will the home improvement sector continue to grow or are people going on vacations? Paul Ziobro, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

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How Hollywood Is Dealing With Problematic Content on Their Streaming Platforms Mar 10, 2021

Show notes

Media companies and streamers are having to deal with what to do about problematic content on their platforms. As they build their libraries of older movies and shows, they are experimenting with disclaimers, warnings, or removing content outright that could be deemed racist, sexist, or homophobic. Rebecca Keegan, senior film editor at The Hollywood Reporter, joins us for how Hollywood is addressing it.

Next, as vaccine distribution continues to ramp up, we are still hearing about people resistant to getting the shot. A recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation says that nearly one-third of Republicans would not get the vaccine. Reasons range anywhere from side effects, being developed too quickly, and distrust of the government. Dan Diamond, reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for the upcoming messaging effort to get more people on board.

Finally, the late stage pandemic has been messing with our brains and no one remembers how to be normal. As more people get their vaccines and states ease restrictions, it’s raising hopes about getting back out there, but we are out of practice and stress and boredom has been a strain on our brains. Ellen Cushing, special projects editor at The Atlantic, joins us for more.

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