The Daily Dive

As we monitor the health situation with the spread of COVID-19, the coronavirus, we must also keep an eye on the economy. While the outbreak is unlikely to collapse the economy as a whole, it could exacerbate some other issues in the U.S. President Trump has proposed a payroll tax cut and relief for hourly workers, but is it enough to fight off a recession. For more on that and if $8 billion is enough to combat the coronavirus, we will speak to Ursula Perano, reporter at Axios.

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Social distancing is the big buzzword you are hearing about on how to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. But what does it mean and has it worked in the past? Campaign rallies are being cancelled, concerts and music festivals are also being cancelled, schools are closing, and tough decisions are being made wherever large gatherings of people are taking place. Denise Roland, reporter at the Wall Street Journal, joins us for how social distancing could help.

Next, as Joe Biden continues his rise back to front-runner status, the attacks are increasing again from President Trump and his allies. This time they are trying to paint Biden as senile and attack his mental capacity. Biden is offering no shortage of gaffes as ammo for the president and needs to fight back. Trump, a master at branding and repetition has proved successful at this in the past. Alex Isenstadt, reporter for Politico, joins us for more.

Finally, more COVID-19 coverage. New research out of China is shedding some more light on who are the most at risk from the coronavirus. We already know that older people are more at risk of severe symptoms and death, but what about children and the virus? How does the infection fare along men and women? And is it the virus that’s killing people or their existing diseases. Sharon Begley, senior science writer at STAT News, joins us for what the limited research says.

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Everyone was waiting for the Grand Princess cruise ship to dock in Oakland, CA. Now that it’s there, it will be a 2-3 day process for everyone to get off. Those in need of medical attention go first, followed by those infected, then residents of California, and the rest. Crew member will remain in quarantine on the ship and it will go back out to sea. Steve Gregory, reporter at KFI News, just us for more on yet another cruise ship to come down with COVID-19.

Next, the next round of primaries are here for the Democrats. Six states are voting today with Michigan as the big prize. Joe Biden is polling well and beating Sanders there, but that was also the case in 2016 when Hillary Clinton was beating Sanders, only for him to narrowly win the state. Steve Shepard, senior campaigns and elections editor at Politico, joins us for what the polls say about today’s votes.

Finally, back to coronavirus. With new cases on the rise, public transit agencies across the U.S. are ramping up their responses. The big secret weapon… is bleach. In New York alone, there are 4,373 buses and 6,418 train cars, these will be disinfected every 72 hours. The risk is still low over getting it on public transit, but it all depends on how crowded it is and how long you ride. Andrew Hawkins, senior reporter at The Verge, joins us for more.

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As COVID-19 continues to spread in the U.S. and the world, global markets are taking hits and there are also unexpected beneficiaries of the coronavirus economy. Companies that provide cleaning and disinfecting products are seeing gains, and so are companies like Zoom, Teledoc, and Dropbox, that allow you to connect with people from home. Meanwhile travel companies like cruise lines are taking hits. For more on the emerging coronavirus economy we speak to Marisa Fernandez, reporter at Axios.

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33 states now have cases of coronavirus, at least 21 dead and over 500 people infected in the U.S. The next thing to watch out for is the Grand Princess cruise ship that will dock in Oakland on Monday. Everyone on board will be taken to federally operated quarantine locations and tested for the virus. In the meantime more events such as SXSW are being cancelled for fears that COVID-19 can spread in large gatherings. We are also learning a little more about how the virus kills. If it move into the lungs and the lower respiratory tract, the case can become more severe and it can progress from moderate to severe very quickly. My producer Victor Wright joins us for more.

Next, the amount of forensic pathologists who are qualified to perform an autopsy of a body is very low relative to the caseloads that need to be worked. That is why sometimes you hear of extreme cases where bodies are stacked two to a gurney and put in refrigerator trailers to await further examination. It is very important that forensic pathologists can keep up with these caseloads, because often they are on the front lines spotting trends on why people are dying, such as the opioid crisis. Jordan Kisner, contributor to the NY Times, joins us for why America has an autopsy crisis.  

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

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

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Today we will get you caught up on the investigation of the doomsday couple Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell. There are tons of twists and turns with this story, with the main unsolved mystery… where are the two children of Lori Vallow? This story has claims of cults, child-stealing, attempted murder and more. Lori Vallow was hiding out in Hawaii, and is being extradited to Idaho and will be in court today. For more on this story we speak to Tracy Connor, executive editor of the Daily Beast.

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COVID-19 continues to spread and this time we take a look at New York, which has at least 22 cases. Most of the new cases in NY are the result of a community spread and are tied to a lawyer in Manhattan who has underlying respiratory issues. He infected his family, then a neighbor, then friends and it has led to about 1,000 people self-quarantining. In the meantime, NY continues to monitor and test those who are at risk of having contracted the virus. Ben Guarino, reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for more on the COVID-19 spread.

Next, some lighter fare… It’s hard to beat that multisensory experience of eating something nice and crispy… the sight, the taste, the feel, and especially the sound. We will talk about the entire industry dedicated to making foods crispy and crunchy. Think of crispy chips and crunchy chicken sandwiches, we’ll talk about how companies perfect recipes for mass production and beyond that… how they also market crispiness through sound and looks. Alex Beggs, writer at Bon Appetit, joins us for more.

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A look into the near future… robotic exoskeletons might be helping Delta Air Lines workers with the heavy lifting. The Sarcos Guardian XO exoskeleton debuted at CES in January and could be ready for commercial production by the end of the year. It can lift 200 pounds and moves with the wearer. It is a project that has been in the works for 20 years and is ready to become a reality. For more on this story, we speak to Stan Horaczeck, technology editor at Popular Science.

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