Reopening America

Remember all those vaccine lotteries? It went something like this… get you vaccine and you’re automatically entered to win a million bucks. 19 states in total ran some type of lottery and spent at least $89 million, unfortunately, they didn’t work too well. Research says that the increases were “very small in magnitude and statistically indistinguishable from zero.” Erin Schumaker, science editor at Business Insider, joins us for more.

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Falling in line with what we heard from Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine, Moderna has released interim data showing that their vaccine is also safe and produced the desired immune response in children ages 6-11. The dosage would be half of what it is for adults, but still come in a 2-shot protocol. Peter Loftus, pharmaceutical reporter at the WSJ, joins us for what to expect as the vaccines get closer to being approved for children.

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We could very soon see mass firings across the country as deadlines for vaccine mandates approach. The federal government, certain states, and private companies have faced opposition from employees as some are still resisting their shots for a variety of reasons, but what happens after that? Disruptions to some essential services could occur as rehiring and training may lag. Firefighters, police, and nursing staff are not so easily replaced. Pedro Gonzalez, associate editor at Chronicles Magazine, joins us for more.

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A recent phenomena has been turning up in doctors’ offices where teen girls are exhibiting sudden and severe physical tics. After digging into it, many of the girls had one thing in common, they are were watching Tourette syndrome TikTok videos. Most of these teens had also previously been diagnosed with anxiety or depression, but girls with tics are rare and these teens had a high number of them and in some cases the same tic, such as saying the word ‘beans.’ Julie Jargon, family and tech columnist at the WSJ, joins us for how these tics were developing because of social media.

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The White House has unveiled its plan for getting kids aged 5-11 vaccinated once the Pfizer vaccine is approved for that age range. The vaccines would be distributed at pediatric offices, pharmacies, and schools. The vaccine would be two shots at a lower dosage given three weeks apart. Kids are largely spared the worst effects of the virus so the big hurdle will be getting parents to vaccinate their kids while there is already so much pushback. Sabrina Siddiqui, White House reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

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Mix-n-match Covid booster shots could be on their way soon. The FDA may be allowing Americans to switch to another shot when choosing a booster. Preliminary data shows that it is still safe and gives a huge boost to your protection particularly if you had the J&J shot. The Pfizer vaccine boosted antibody levels by a factor of 35 and Moderna raised it 76-fold. Carl Zimmer, columnist at the NY Times, joins us for more on mix-match boosters.

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It could be the next generation of the internet. It could be bigger than the impact of the mobile revolution and many companies are gearing up to make it happen. I am talking about the ‘metaverse.’ It is an immersive digital world where you can shop, gather with friends in the form of digital avatars, and experience a world that goes beyond the real one. The technology isn’t completely there yet, but big tech companies like Microsoft and Facebook are working toward that goal. Sarah Needleman, tech reporter at the WSJ, joins us for what to expect from the metaverse and what it will take to get there.

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What happens when you order things online and send them back? You may think it makes its way back to the shelf and on its way to another person, but that is rarely true. Oftentimes items make their way to bulk resellers overseas, stripped for parts, or just thrown away. Returns are a big problem for companies that are expected to have generous return policies as a default. These reverse logistics are many times cost prohibitive to deal with. Amanda Mull, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins us for the nasty logistics of returning your online items.

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The White House has scrambled to help ease the situation at ports off the coast of California and avert a holiday shopping crisis. President Biden announced this week that the Port of Los Angeles will be open 24/7 and that major companies will also expand their working hours to help offload products. While this may help in the short term, supply chain issues are expected to last into next year. Steven Overly, global trade and economics reporter at Politico, joins us for more.

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Confusion in Texas over vaccine mandates. Gov. Greg Abbot just banned vaccine mandates for all entities in the state including private businesses. This could pose a problem for many companies that contract with the federal government since Biden has mandated that they do get vaccinated. Now, some companies are caught in the middle and could lose federal funding or run afoul of the state law. Mitchell Ferman, economy reporter at the Texas Tribune, joins us for more.

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