Reopening America

Police officers are continuing to resist vaccinations even as we see more mandates for public employees and as it becomes the number one killer for officers with gunfire coming in second. Cops are lagging behind the general public they serve and for many of the same reasons we hear in other sectors…not wanting to be forced and skepticism over safety. Policy unions are calling for more exemptions or weekly testing. Zusha Elinson, national reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

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The liquor shortage caused by the pandemic still continues in some states and they are having to resort to rationing liquor supplies to keep up. As with many other industries, problems at every step of the supply chain are affecting liquor stocks. Some producers are having a hard time sourcing glass bottles, the cost of importing liquor is high, and there is a shortage of truck drivers hampering delivery. Joe Hernandez, reporter at NPR, joins us for why some states are still short on liquor.

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Good news for home buyers! The crazy housing market cooled down last month, albeit by some very modest numbers. Still, it’s an improvement for many buyers that have struggled and been outbid. Average number of offers per house have gone down, less inspection and appraisal contingencies are being waived, and we are seeing more price cuts. Nicole Friedman, U.S. housing reporter at the WSJ, joins us for why some prices have eased.

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All of the available vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective against serious illness and hospitalization, but is there one that stands out above the rest? A series of studies have found that the Moderna vaccine may provide the most protection when it comes to antibodies and hospitalization. Part of it may be that the vaccine delivers a larger dose that Pfizer. Apoorva Mandavilli, reporter at the NY Times, joins us for why Moderna has the edge.

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Love in the time of Covid has been a difficult one. For single people, many relationships started quickly and passionately and also ended just as quickly during the pandemic. Finding someone during a time of loneliness made them hold on tighter, but once the vaccines came along, a lot of relationships fell apart since you didn’t have to lay low anymore. Diana Spechler, contributor to the Guardian, joins us for Covid-era romances.

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Starting in November, the U.S. will ease restrictions for international travelers who are vaccinated against Covid-19. The will have to show proof of vaccination and a negative test within three days of departure. There are also new rules for unvaccinated U.S. citizens who will need to have a negative test one day before departure and another test after returning. Leslie Josephs, airline reporter at CNBC, joins us for the latest travel changes.

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New Census data show that when accounting for pandemic relief aid such as direct stimulus payments and enhanced unemployment benefits, the poverty rate fell to 9.1% lifting nearly 8.5 million people out of poverty. The other story that we saw was the population of those without health insurance rose, mostly due to people losing private insurance as they lost jobs. We will most likely now see arguments in favor of more aid like this to continue help lifting people out of poverty. Amy Goldstein, national healthcare policy reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for more.

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Throughout the pandemic we have looked to three numbers to track how bad things were getting… cases counts, hospitalizations, and deaths. Hospitalizations in particular have been a key figure in assessing the severity of the illness, but a new study suggests that almost half of those hospitalized have mild or asymptomatic symptoms. While some patients are admitted for serious illness, some are there unrelated to Covid and later test positive, but are still counted toward overall hospital numbers. David Zweig, contributor to the Atlantic, joins us for closer look into Covid hospitalizations.

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New Census data show that when accounting for pandemic relief aid such as direct stimulus payments and enhanced unemployment benefits, the poverty rate fell to 9.1% lifting nearly 8.5 million people out of poverty. The other story that we saw was the population of those without health insurance rose, mostly due to people losing private insurance as they lost jobs. We will most likely now see arguments in favor of more aid like this to continue help lifting people out of poverty. Amy Goldstein, national healthcare policy reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for more.

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More vaccine mandates are coming to workplaces and offices including one from the Biden administration on companies with more than 100 employees. For now, many places are just operating on the honor system where health information is given voluntarily, but some employees feel nervous because they are not sure if everyone is following the rules. Ray Smith, lifestyle reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how businesses are handling mandates so far.

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