The Daily Dive

Right now, about one in eight couples suffers from infertility and investors are taking note, pouring tons of cash into the industry. The U.S fertility market is expected to grow to $15.4 billion by 2023 and there is more to it than just IVF. Startup businesses are also tackling at-home testing, wearables, and egg-freezing. Beth Kowitt, senior editor at Fortune, joins us for the business of babymaking.

Next, the hot new thing that kids as young as 6 are asking their parents for… are Airpods. Parents are wrestling with the how to handle relentless begging from their kids for the wireless earbuds. Are they responsible enough to handle an expensive item like that? There is also the fact that some schools are banning them because it can be used for cheating. Julie Jargon, family and tech columnist at the WSJ joins us for more.

Finally, Michael Bloomberg has hit double digit polling in his bid for the Democratic nomination for president and it is causing concern for some of the other candidates. There are even calls for the DNC to change the rules so he can participate in the debates and spar with the others. Chris Cadelago, national political reporter for Politico, joins us for what millions in advertising can do for your campaign.

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The Senate trial of President Trump continues with Trump’s defense team making their case that the president did nothing wrong with his actions toward Ukraine. But now, there may be enough new pressure on Senate Republicans to allow witnesses after a leak from the upcoming book by former national security adviser John Bolton. In the book, Bolton says that Trump explicitly told him that he wanted to continue freezing the military aid to Ukraine until they came to the table with investigations into his political rivals. Stef Kight, reporter for Axios, joins us for more.

Next, it was a tragic day on Sunday when Kobe Bryant, the former LA Laker and basketball legend died in a helicopter crash with his daughter and 7 others. The investigation into the crash will focus on a lot on the fog and weather, but will also look into the helicopter itself and the pilot, who received clearance to fly in poor weather conditions. Kris Ankarlo, news correspondent for iHeartMedia, joins us for what we know about the investigation and also how the city of Los Angeles has reacted to the loss.

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There is a new type of hearing loss that is hitting people of all ages and scientists are still trying to find out why. It is called hidden hearing loss and is not characterized by the traditional view of loss of hearing that the organ just gets less adept at detecting sound, instead you can still hear fine, but the brain doesn’t process the sounds clearly enough. Corinne Iozzio, executive editor at PopSci, joins us for what to know about hidden hearing loss.

Next, a surge of new plastic could be on its way to the planet. 2020 will be a consequential year for plastic as the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries are pouring billions of dollars into opening new plants with the purpose of making tons of new plastic. For example, Shell will soon be opening a new ethane cracking plant that is expected to produce up to 1.6 million tons of plastic annually. Beth Gardiner, contributor to Yale Environment 360 joins us for more.

Finally, Scott McCartney, Middle Seat columnist for the WSJ, joins us for his annual rankings of the best and worst airlines. Using criteria such as on-time arrivals, flight cancellations and more, the list is a measure of the efficiencies and dependability of the airlines. For the third year in a row, Delta has come out on top. At the bottom of the list this year is American Airlines. Scott helps break it all down.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon is continuing to experiment with new ways to let you pay. The latest plan is to create checkout terminals that would let you pay with the palm of your hand. Customers would link their hands to their credit card information and you can pay without ever having to pull out your phone or wallet. Credit card companies are in discussion with Amazon and have to figure out if they will be collaborators or competitors. Anna Maria Andriotis, reporter for the WSJ, joins us for how big tech is trying to further integrate itself into your financial life.

Next, we take a look behind the scenes at Rotten Tomatoes. The very popular review-aggregation website that many people visit before they consider watching a new show or movie. Many in Hollywood have come to hate it, but Rotten Tomatoes has become such an asset for companies that want you to watch their movies. People respect the Tomoatometer, and if your movie is certified fresh, then chances are people will want to check it out. One-Third of Americans look at Rotten Tomatoes before seeing a movie. Simon Van Zuylen-Wood, contributor to Wired, joins us for how it all works… there’s no algorithm just curators pouring over reviews.

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Jeff Bezos - world’s richest man, CEO of Amazon, and owner of the Washington Post was hacked by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman. A digital forensic analysis has determined that large amounts of data were extracted after a corrupted video file was sent to Bezos from the WhatsApp account of the crown prince. Stephanie Kirchgaessner, investigative reporter for The Guardian who broke the story, joins us for how it all happened.

Next, Reuters has an exclusive report about how Apple scrapped a plan to offer end-to-end encryption of iCloud data to its users. The plan was canned after the FBI complained that the move would harm investigations into terrorists and child predators. Instead Apple shifted its focus to protecting passwords and health data. Joseph Menn, investigative technology reporter at Reuters, joins us for more.

Finally, Netflix has released some new viewership numbers for its latest hit “The Witcher.” According to Netflix, 76 million member households chose to watch the show, but those numbers might have been inflated after they changed the metric used to qualify a view. Before, someone had to watch 70% of a show or movie, now, a person only needs to watch two minutes to count as a view. Jeremy Owens, tech editor at MarketWatch, joins us for how Netflix is changing its views on “views.”

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The CDC has reported that the first case of the Chinese coronavirus outbreak has hit the U.S. The man infected is from Washington State and the CDC confirmed he had it with a genetic test. The virus is zoonotic which means it can be transmitted from animals to humans, but it can also be passed between humans. Dan Vergano, science reporter for Buzzfeed News, joins us for what we know about coronavirus.

Next, there is a campaign to redefine something called “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.” It is an entry in the Miriam-Webster dictionary that describes symptoms of numbness, dizziness, and palpitations affecting people who eat Chinese food with MSG. Activists say that this definition and stigma surrounding MSG are unfounded and rooted in racism. Amelia Nierenberg, food reporter for the NY Times, joins us for the campaign to #RedfineCRS.

Finally, west coast transplants are starting to ruin the small-town vibes of places like Boise and Star, Idaho. Many people, often from California, are coming to these small towns for the slower pace of life and cheaper housing costs, but as they come in droves, they are bringing the same problems they were trying to escape. Dan Frosch, reporter for the WSJ, joins us for how managing growth is the big problem facing these small towns.

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The next big immigration move that the Trump administration will be taking is action to tackle birth tourism. “Birth tourists” often come to the U.S. from China, Russia, and Nigeria to have their children so they can have U.S. citizenship. New regulations would alter the requirements for B visas also known as visitor visas. One key thing to watch out for will be any lawsuits that could be filed against the changes. Stef Kight, immigration reporter at Axios, joins us for how the administration plans to limit birth tourism.

Next, the NY Times has made an endorsement for 2020. Actually, they made two endorsements. The Democratic Party as whole has not made a decision of where it wants to go… a more progressive route or moderate. So, breaking with convention, the NYT editorial board has decided to endorse both Sen. Amy Klobuchar as a moderate choice and Sen. Elizabeth Warren as a more progressive choice. Democratic voters must decide which model they want to go with that would have the best chance of beating President Trump and moving the country forward. To help explain this decision, we speak to Mara Gay from the NY Times Editorial Board.

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On Tuesday, the Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump really gets underway and even though we almost certainly know the outcome, the President will be acquitted, it is a historic moment nonetheless. The strategy will be to admit nothing, apologize for nothing, and challenge the whole thing on constitutional grounds. Ginger Gibson, political reporter for Reuters, tells us the main arguments, who is on Trump’s legal team, and how Senators will have to deal with no cellphones and no talking.

Next, the famous flagship store for Tiffany and Company in New York had to move to a new location so the building could be renovated. While the move to a temporary location was short, it took dozens of security guards, hundreds of cameras, and a vow of secrecy from workers to move 114,000 gems without getting robbed. James Barron, reporter for the NY Times, joins us for how Tiffany pulled off this big move and get it all done before time of opening Monday morning. 

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