Reopening America

When it comes to jobs, women have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. More than 2 million women have dropped out of the labor force as of October and one of the big reasons is that virtual schooling is causing moms to quit. Having to make tough decisions about paying for childcare or working, many women with school age children are staying home. Heather Long, economics correspondent at the Washington Post, joins us for how the pandemic has hit working women.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cases of coronavirus continue to surge across the country and records are being set. Texas jut became the first state to hit one million cases and the country set a record Tuesday for the amount of hospitalizations. That is a particular concerning point especially in rural areas where they have fewer intensive care beds and sometimes have to transfer patients. Melanie Evans, hospital reporter at the WSJ, joins us for record hospitalizations.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How will the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic change now that Joe Biden will come into power? The Biden-Harris campaign has already announced a Covid advisory board, with a plan that includes more of a national strategy. This means more testing, a national mask mandate, and possibility of more lockdowns which no one wants. Biden would also like to see the CDC more involved and repair the relationship with the WHO. Noah Higgins-Dunn, reporter at CNBC, joins us for what the Biden coronavirus plan is all about.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Great news on the vaccine front! Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate has been shown to be 90% effective in early findings. The Pfizer vaccine is a two-shot protocol given three weeks apart. They are still waiting on more data, but could possibly apply for emergency use authorization before the end of November. Karen Weintraub, health reporter at USA Today, joins us for what to know about the latest vaccine news.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the weather turns colder, restaurants have had to adapt once again to be able to serve customers and keep the coronavirus from spreading. Enter... Bubble dining. Restaurants are setting up clear plastic domes and pods with tables set inside to keep customers safe and warm, but are they safe? Ventilation and cleanliness must still be maintained inside. Allyson Chiu, wellness reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for the new dining pods.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doctors are beginning to figure out why some people have long-term symptoms from COVID-19. Called “post-acute Covid” or “chronic Covid” many are continuing to deal with symptoms for weeks or months after they were expected to recover. These symptoms range from severe fatigue and brain fog to digestive problems and erratic heart rates. Sumathi Reddy, WSJ’s “Your Health” columnist, joins us for what could be causing these long-term effects.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Possibly the biggest loser in this election, the polls. Once again many pollsters and poll analysts got it wrong. Coming into Election Day, it looked like a Biden landslide and a democratic flip of the senate, but that didn’t happen. Going forward these polls will need to be re-evaluated and regain the trust of the people. David Graham, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins us for why a failure of the polls threatens our ability to understand what others think outside of these elections.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The election this year is will also mark the end of an era for the media and things will change no matter what. The media has revolved around the president for the last 4 years and the pandemic has advanced the new landscape digitally by years. There will be a wave of retirements in places like the LA Times, Washington Post, and even the NY Times. Battles over free speech and censorship will also continue when it comes to big social media platforms. Ben Smith, media columnist at the NY Times, joins us for how the media will be changing after the election.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the pandemic began and lockdowns were in place, there were tons of stories of pets being adopted and a boon for the pet-care industry. Now, as the pandemic wears on and we see job losses and reduced wages, we are seeing a growing number of people having to surrender their pets to shelters or sanctuaries. Brent Schrotenboer, reporter at USA Today, tells how it’s getting tougher for some to care for their pets.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the numbers that public health experts have not been able to get a handle on, is exactly how many people have recovered from COVID-19. There is no agreed upon standard definition for a coronavirus recovery, so each state counts it a different way and some don't even track the number at all. Sarah Toy, health and science reporter at the WSJ

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.