The Daily Dive

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Start saying goodbye to menthol cigarettes.  The Biden administration has moved to ban the sales of menthols and flavored cigars, although it most likely would not take effect until 2024.  A third of all cigarettes sold in the U.S. are menthols with $20 billion in annual sales and 18.6 million Americans who smoke them.  We have already seen signals that at least one tobacco company plans to sue over the order.  Menthols have been seen as especially dangerous to minorities who smoke them in greater numbers and also harder to quit.  Jennifer Maloney, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Next, social media influencers are being given free or discounted beauty procedures in exchange for posts and some are beginning to regret it.  Surgeons, clinics and med spas cannot advertise through official channels on platforms like TikTok, but they have gravitated toward exchanges with influencers to target larger and younger audiences.  For the influencers themselves, they say it can be addictive starting with fillers and Botox and progressing into other surgical procedures, all in the bid to look perfect because of social media pressures.  Kat Tenbarge, tech and culture reporter at NBC News, joins us for what to know.

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Fentanyl continues to spread rapidly through the U.S. drug supply and the community groups that work closely with those most at risk of overdosing say that Naloxone is needed in greater quantities and closer to users. Naloxone which reverses the effects of opioids comes in a nasal spray and an injectable, but cost has always been a problem. Speed is also of the utmost importance as the drug can quickly prove to be fatal. Julie Wernau, health and medicine reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how the strategy is changing on overdose-reversal drugs.

Next, a sound hack called 'binaural beats' is helping people to get a digital high. Our ears process sounds one before the other to figure out where the sound is coming from and the 'binaural beats' disrupts that with two similar but different sounds with no greater than a 30 Hz difference. People have said that these beats are helping them with focus, sleep, sexual arousal and even getting high. Sofia Quaglia, contributor to the Daily Beast, joins us for how it all works.

Finally, the country is drowning in spam. We are getting more spam in all its forms... texts, emails, social media and robocalls. In March alone, the average American received 42 spam texts. For spammers, it's all about the money and it's working as Americans reported losing $131 million to fraud schemes that were initiated by texts. The difficulty is that even as service providers try to crack down, spammers change their tactics. Sara Fischer, media reporter at Axios, joins us for more.

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Netflix is scrambling to figure out a way to retain subscribers as they ended the first quarter with 200,000 less people paying for their content. Netflix has long sold itself as a commercial free space for TV shows and movies, but is now exploring a lower priced option that is ad-supported. Another area the company hopes to cut back on is rampant account sharing. They estimate that 222 million households pay for the platform and it is being shared with another 100 million more homes. Price sensitive customers are also leaving for competitors with cheaper subscriptions. Joe Flint, media reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Next, let’s talk about death… specifically what happens to your body. Cremation is now more popular than a traditional casket burial with 56% of Americans being cremated. Estimates say that by 2040, 80% of people could go that way. A number of factors are influencing these decisions such as the significantly cheaper cost and increasingly secular population. There have also been an increase in green burials where the body is put into biodegradable containers or even reduced to soil. Karen Heller, national features writer at The Washington Post, joins us for the rise of cremation.

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A software startup named Classroom Technologies has teamed up with Intel to monitor student emotions on Zoom. The system can detect whether students are bored, distracted or confused by looking at facial expressions and how they interact with content. There are a lot of critics of this “emotion AI” technology that say you can’t properly read students in this manner and also concerns over privacy and student surveillance. Real psychologists were brought in to teach the AI however. Kate Kaye, senior reporter at Protocol, joins us for more.

Next, there has been renewed attention on what the country does with its nuclear waste. Currently there are 80 sites in 35 states where spent nuclear fuel is being stored, but the problem is there is no long-term plan for its disposal. The ultimate goal would be to have an underground geological repository where it can be buried, but there have been many obstacles to getting it done. And if you wondered what this waste looks like, it’s not the glowing green ooze that you think. Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow, contributor to The Washington Post, joins us for what to know.

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In less than two weeks, Richard Bernard Moore is set to be executed in South Carolina. The method he chose is firing squad. If this goes through he will be fourth prisoner in the country to die that way since 1976. Because of a law passed last year, it made the electric chair the default method of execution if lethal injection drugs could not be obtained. Moore chose firing squad because he opposes the electric chair, but still said that his two choices were unconstitutional. He is scheduled to be shot in the heart by 3 riflemen on April 29. Andrea Salcedo, reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for more.

Next, California may have reached a turning point when it comes to crime and homelessness. One of the bluest states in the country, CA has voted for policies aimed at reshaping criminal justice, but polls are showing a growing dissatisfaction with the direction that the state is going and has fueled recall efforts of progressive district attorneys in LA and SF. Christal Hayes, national correspondent at USA Today, joins us for how crime data tells a complicated story despite all the headlines and crimes that people have witnessed.

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President Biden has a number of issues that continue to bog down his approval ratings. Starting with the war in Ukraine, Biden recently said that Putin is a war criminal and that he is committing genocide there. Biden projects calm about Covid publicly, but officials are nervous another wave could hit. And approval rating are the lowest they have been, especially with young people. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for what to know.

Next, there is a top-secret world to the lavish and private gigs of music stars. While these have always been around and evolved over the years, music stars can get paid millions to play private parties, weddings and more. The key thing in all of this is secrecy. Attendees to these parties usually sign NDAs to protect all parties from criticism of wealth inequality and how much money is transferred. Experts say this trend will continue as it has moved beyond old rock and nostalgia acts to pop stars. David Browne, senior writer at Rolling Stone, joins us for more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.