The Daily Dive

Tragedy in Highland Park, Illinois as yet another mass shooting took the lives of seven people and injured more than 30 others.  Officials say that 21-year-old Bobby Crimo opened fire on people gathered for a 4th of July parade perched from the roof of a building, more than 70 rounds were fired with a rifle that was purchased legally.  Police say he planned the attack for weeks and dressed as a woman to disguise himself so he could blend in with the crowd to escape.  Ben Collins, senior reporter at NBC News, joins us for what to know and the trail of violent imagery he posted online.

Next, the Federal Reserve is trying to bring inflation down with interest rate increases despite the risk of a possible recession.  However, the thing that the Fed is worried about more, is a psychological shift in consumers that could sustain high inflation.  If consumers suspect prices will remain high in the future, it changes the way they behave today.  The toughest calls for the Fed still lie ahead once the economy contracts and unemployment rises.  Nick Timiraos, chief economics correspondent at the WSJ and author of Trillion Dollar Triage, joins us for how inflation psychology is stocking more anxiety.

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Where have all the coupons gone? As record high inflation is still hitting us, many are looking for deals anywhere they can, but paper coupons and even digital ones are harder to come by.  Circulation is down and redemption rates have also plummeted as people just don’t have the time to sort them all and smartphones have made other shopping incentives possible.  Lydia DePillis, economy reporter at the NY Times, joins us for what to know.

Next, according to a recent survey from Gallup, the world is unhappier and more stressed out than ever.  The second year of the pandemic seemed to be worse in many ways as people had more negative experiences and less positive ones.  They felt less rested and experienced less enjoyment.  Mohamed Younis, editor in chief at Gallup, joins us for the new highs reached in Gallup’s Negative Experience Index.

Finally, the airline industry was waiting for business travelers to come back to get them back up to pre-pandemic levels.  Well, some of that has returned, but flight cancellations and delays are causing some professionals to opt for the road trip instead.  To avoid delays and missing appointments, they are willing to drive up to 7 hours to get where they need to be.  Allison Pohle, travel reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

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Democrats have been torn over how aggressively they should respond to the end of Roe v. Wade.  President Biden wants to tie it to the midterm election and mobilize voters, but others in the Democratic party want Biden to be more aggressive and test the boundaries of executive power, to show their constituents how hard they are fighting.  Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for this and how President Biden is also pitching himself to Dems as he gears up to run for president again.

Next, some concerning news when it comes to our all-volunteer military.  Every branch of the U.S. military is struggling to make its 2022 recruiting goals.  A few things are at play when it comes to this.  First, a record low percentage of young Americans are even eligible to serve due to obesity, drug use or criminal records.  Second, a very small percentage of those eligible are willing to join.  Generational shifts are also happening as there are fewer young people with parents who had served in the military.  Courtney Kube, national security correspondent at NBC News, joins us for how they are responding by offering incentives and targeting parents in recruiting efforts.

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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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Netflix has a lot on the line with its latest installment of Stranger Things.  New data shows that Netflix subscribers are more likely to leave the service in the first month than subscribers of any other streaming competitors.  Big Media was sleeping on them for a long time, but now offer their own services and have taken their shows and movies with them.  Peter Kafka, senior correspondent at Recode, joins us for how they are responding… cheaper, ad supported version and splitting seasons into two parts.

Next, booster shots coming in the fall will be tailored to the latest wave of the pandemic and target Omicron and its subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.  This would hopefully provide more short-term immunity protections as new variants have been better able evade current vaccines.  Pfizer would most likely be the first ready with these new boosters.  Carolyn Johnson, science reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for more.

Finally, we are hearing a lot more about hiring freezes and layoffs as high inflation and fears of a recession persist.  The latest we have seen over the past few weeks are some companies rescinding jobs offers.  It’s not happening on a large scale yet, but what should you do if it happens to you.  Jennifer Liu, work reporter at CNBC Make It, joins us with some tips on how to get yourself back out there.

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This week, in a surprise hearing from the Jan. 6 committee, we heard from Cassidy Hutchinson who was an aide to WH Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.   At the hearing she detailed many instances that Trump knew of the possible violence at the Capitol and some examples of extreme anger from the president too.  She told a story about Trump grabbing the steering wheel of his security detail demanding that they take him to the Capitol and also an instance when he threw a plate at the wall after William Barr said there was no fraud in the election.  Julia Manchester, national political reporter at The Hill, joins us for what, if anything legally may come from the hearings.

Next, since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, trigger laws in various states have been put into effect and focus has been turned to providing continued access for women if needed.  What we are seeing is an uptick in demand for abortion pills, which could also set up new legal battles in states with those bans.  Also known as medication abortion, it accounted for 54% of all abortions in 2020 because it is less invasive, less expensive and pills can be received by mail.  Pam Belluck, health and science reporter at the NY Times, joins us for what to know.

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When it comes to providing more security at schools, especially in the wake of recent mass shootings, one of the conversations always includes arming teachers.  In the small town of Utopia, Texas about 45 mins north of Uvalde, they have been arming teachers since 2013 and parents there they feel safer for it.  Volunteers must have a concealed carry permit and must be approved by the school board.  Moriah Balingit, national education reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for what to know.

Next, something you may not have known when you put gas in your car.  If you pay with a debit or credit card, gas stations put a hold on your card up to $175.  Holds used to be $125 but have shot up $50 because of inflation and rising gas prices.  Typically, these holds are released in about two hours, but can take longer in some cases.  Ayse Kelce, personal finance reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how some can be put at risk for overdraft fees because of these increases.

Finally, a new AI image generation tool called Dall-E could be one of those new technologies that change the world.  A mix of the names Salvador Dali and Pixar’s Wall-E, this tool takes text prompts and generates images from them in a variety of art styles with very intuitive results.  It’s almost like using a Google search bar like it was Photoshop.  Casey Newton, contributing editor at The Verge, joins us for how this could spur a creative revolution.

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Now that the Supreme Court has struck down Roe v. Wade, questions are swirling about what could be next.  Concerns have been expressed about a nationwide ban on abortion, but while it could be possible, the road to get there is difficult.  More Republican gains would have to be made in controlling Congress and the presidency which is why Democrats are using the decision to call on voters to support them.  Nicole Narea, politics reporter at Vox, joins us for more.

Next, could Q be back? After more than 18 months of silence, the leader of the QAnon conspiracy theory has returned online with three posts asking people if they want to “play the game again?” and “Are you ready to serve your country again?”  Stuart Thompson, reporter at the NY Times covering disinformation, joins us for what to know about the latest Q drops and what his return could mean for many who subscribed to his conspiracy theories.

Finally, burnout and the struggle to maintain a better work/life balance is showing up at the highest levels in the workplace.  According to a recent survey, 70% of C-suite executives say they may seriously want to resign for a job that supports their well-being better.  The survey is also shining a light on the disconnect between how execs view their efforts with employees on mental health and well-being and what workers are really saying.  Jennifer Kingson, chief correspondent at Axios, joins us for how even your boss wants to quit.

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Protests overtook the country once again as the Supreme Court ruled to strike down Roe v. Wade.  Pro-abortion advocates were enraged and anti-abortion advocates cheered the decision.  Trigger laws set to be enacted if Roe was struck down took effect in some states and quickly limited women’s access in those areas.  The focus now turns political as President Biden called on people to vote in elected officials that would do something about it.  Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for all the fallout and what this decision says about the politicization of the Supreme Court.

Next, we’ll tell you how the “Disney adult” became one of the most hated groups on the internet.  Everyone knows a Disney adult, someone who loves the parks and spends insane amounts of money on vacations, getting the latest merch, or limited-edition pins and Mickey ears.  These Disney superfans have been around for a long time, but the term is relatively new and the anti-Disney adult sentiment really took hold during the pandemic as fans were mourning the closures of the parks and online groups were just having none of that.  EJ Dickson, senior writer at Rolling Stone, joins us for more on the adult Disney fandom.

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