The Daily Dive

Last year there were approximately 59 billion robocalls made, and about 44% of those were placed by scammers. Technology is transforming fraud and making it easier for would be scammers to set up robocall operations. You don’t even need to set up a huge call center anymore, anyone can set up an internet based autodialing system. Experts say you could make a million calls for $100 to $200 and you just have to play the law of averages to snag someone. John Wasik, author of “Winning in the Robotic Workplace,” joins us for how robocalls are coming to get us all.

Next, we are talking about our emotions. There is a scientific theory that says that we have infinite emotions, so long as we can name them. Going beyond the basics of joy, anger, sadness, fear, love, hate, and desire… we often feel like we could be experiencing a new emotion, when it could be a layering of emotions on top of each other. Take for example FOMO, fear of missing out, it could be a layering of envy on top of fear with a little sadness. Genevieve Smith, features director at NY Mag, joins us to introduce some 78 new emotions that now have names.

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In what seems like an annual tradition, Disneyland raises its prices, meaning some day ticket prices cost over $200. While some park-goers have voiced their displeasure, others recognize that it's just part of going to Disneyland. My producer Victor Wright joins me to discuss the price hike and some new attractions at the parks.

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Roger Stone is causing a stir again. Prosecutors had recommended he serve 7-9 years in prison after being found guilty of obstruction and witness tampering, but President Trump tweeted his displeasure about this and then the DOJ submitted a new sentencing recommendation saying nine years was too much. Trump praised Attorney General Bill Barr for intervening in the matter and all four prosecutors withdrew from the case. Ursula Perano, reporter for Axios, joins us for the latest dust up.

Next, Bernie Sanders emerged victorious in the New Hampshire primary. There are now two front-runners in the case, Bernie on the progressive side and Pete Buttigieg on the moderate side. The landscape of the Democratic race could be changing with a rising Amy Klobuchar and declining Joe Biden. Maya King, 2020 Fellow at Politico, joins us for what happened in New Hampshire.

Finally, as populations continue to age, those people caring for both children and parents are facing growing pressures. Called the “Sandwich Generation,” many are in pivotal points in their lives and careers and are torn between work and caregiving responsibilities. Clare Ansberry, reporter for the WSJ, joins us to talk about those stuck in the middle.

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We have been talking a lot about the spread of the coronavirus and also about all of people held in quarantine on air bases and cruise ships for fear that they might come down with it. 

One such couple from Santa Clarita, CA has had their Diamond Princess cruise extended by 14 days, but not by choice. A passenger on their ship contracted coronavirus, leading to a quarantine aboard the ship, now docked in Japan.

Carl Goldman surprised his wife, Jeri Seratti-Goldman, with a 16-day cruise aboard the ship as a birthday gift, but now they’re stuck in their cabin at port in Yokohama, Japan until Feb. 19.

The Goldmans are owners of the radio station KHTS in Santa Clarita and have been have detailing parts of their quarantined experience on the station’s website, hometownstation.com

We got a chance to hear from Carl Goldman about his experience being trapped on the ship.

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Back in September 2017, we learned from credit reporting company Equifax that they had been hacked and the personal information of about 147 million people had been compromised. On Monday, the Justice Department charged four Chinese military members as the culprits. Exploiting a software vulnerability that Equifax failed to patch, the hackers were able to spend weeks in the system stealing sensitive data. Matt Zapotosky, national security reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for how it was done.

Next, Ransomware has taken a significant leap forward in its sophistication and accessibility. Right now anyone can get on to the dark web and buy their way into “RaaS” or ransomware as a service. It provides the buyer with an online interface to easily execute and manage this type of cybercrime. It is a simple, low-risk way to target someone… infect their computer, encrypt their files, get paid ransom money, and send the victim a way to decrypt those files. Drake Bennett, reporter on the Projects and Investigations team at Bloomberg News, joins us for what happened when he sabotaged his editor with ransomware.

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The film 'Parasite' was the big winner at the Academy Awards over the weekend making history for being the first South Korean film to win in four big categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best International Feature, and Best Original Screenplay. It was a victory for director Bong Joon Ho and his whole team. My producer Victor Wright joins me to discuss the film and the historic win.

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Coronavirus continues to spread and hit new milestones. The virus has now killed more people than SARS with the death toll over 900 and over 40,000 infected in mainland China. Also in the mix is the Diamond Princess cruise ship that has been quarantined in Japan, they just confirmed 65 more cases with at least 20 of them being Americans a total of at least 135 cases. Morgan Hines, reporter at USA Today, joins us for how the cruise ship is handing the coronavirus.

Next, as the Democratic candidates head to New Hampshire for the primary we will talk a little about the direction that the party is headed. The nomination is far from decided and the party has two ways to go, a more moderate pick or more progressive. Bernie Sanders, more than any other 2020 candidate, has shaped a lot of the policy agenda for Democrats with things like “Medicare for All” and has campaign rallies full of enthusiastic supporters very similar to President Trump. Michael Kruse, senior staff writer at Politico, joins us to ask the question, is the Democratic Party Bernie Sanders’ party now?

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Imagine how many times you are on your way anywhere and you pull out your traffic app only to see the dreaded red line signaling a traffic jam. You trust the app and rely on it so much that you find another way, but what if it was all a lie. A Berlin-based artist wanted to demonstrate the pervasive, real-life influence that modern tech has on our lives and he did it all with a little red wagon and 99 phones. In a video he called “Google Maps Hacks” he tricked the app and caused a fake traffic jam. The result was the dreaded red line Google Maps and no cars on the streets he was walking. For more on this we spoke to Kate Cox, reporter at Ars Technica, for how this artist tricked Google Maps.

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The next contest in the Democratic nominating process is Tuesday as New Hampshire has its primary. The attacks are staring to heat up between sanders and Buttigieg with Joe Biden also joining the fray as he seeks to remain in the running after the Iowa caucus. Trevor Hunnicutt, political reporter for Reuters, joins us for this and impeachment aftermath, President Trump outs officials who testified against him.

Next, east Africa is facing a locust swarm of biblical proportions. It is the worst it has been in decades and could get 500 times worse by June! The swarms threaten farms and crops and could cause a food shortage in the area. Matt Simon, science reporter at Wired, joins us for the scary science behind these huge swarms… Locusts change colors, eat toxic plants, and even grow extra muscles as then band together to wreak havoc.

Finally, scientists at Northwestern University are working in collaboration with the U.S. Army to improve military uniforms to protect soldiers against chemical weapons. They are creating fabrics that could absorb and quickly neutralize deadly nerve agents. Sophia Chen, contributor at Wired, joins us for how it all works.

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This is a compilation of the best stories of the week.

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