The Daily Dive

Inflation continues to be at a 40-year high with no signs of letting up. In response, shoppers are starting to change their buying habits and cutting back on staples. Consumers are buying things in smaller quantities and also switching to store brands to save money. The big question is whether consumer product giants will adjust prices after betting big that people would stick with them. Sharon Terlep, consumer products reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Next, there is an estimated 7.7 to 23 million people that might have had long Covid. In an effort to find root causes and treatments, patients suffering from these prolonged symptoms are joining with researchers to come up with answers. While that might seem like a given, that is not the usual partnership in place when studying diseases.. Frances Stead Sellers, senior writer at The Washington Post, joins us for how long Covid is changing medical research.

Finally, why are people acting so weird? We are seeing more crime, unruly people and other strange behavior recently and it begs the question, what’s up with that? Experts suggest a range of things have been influencing people with stress as the main culprit. People are also drinking more and are dealing with isolation. Olga Khazan, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins us for what’s going on with all this weird behavior.

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Amid shutdowns during the pandemic, the government stepped in quickly to provide much needed financial support to Americans and business owners, but maybe they moved too quickly. One of the plans to help was the Paycheck Protection Program also known as PPP which we now know has been looted by fraudsters to the tune of billions of dollars. The true amount may not be known, but in this program alone it could be about $80 billion and much of it is unrecoverable. To scam the government people inflated the number of employees they had or even created companies out of whole cloth and there was little verification. Laura Strickler, national investigative reporter at NBC News, joins us for the looting of the PPP.

Next, in an update to a story that was first reported on last fall, teen girls are still going to doctors offices with TikTok-related tics and other disorders as well. While some of these tics might seem like Tourette's, they are actually being diagnosed with functional neurological disorders which can include verbal tics and abnormal body movements. New research is supporting other theories that some of these girls were also susceptible to other disorders. Once they got treatment for the tics, other disorders began to develop, but doctors still think that social media videos play a factor. Julie Jargon, family and tech columnist joins us for more.

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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.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Positive drug tests have hit a two-decade high mostly driven by an increase of positive marijuana tests. A couple of things are at play here. First, attitudes about marijuana are changing as more states move to legalize recreational use. Secondly, due to labor shortages, many businesses loosened drug screening policies to open themselves up to a wider pool of applicants. Will Feuer, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Next, President Biden has unveiled his plan to try and help ease gas prices across the country. We will be releasing one million additional barrels of oil per day from the national Strategic Petroleum Reserve for the next six months. The plan also includes putting pressure on energy companies to ramp up domestic production of oil. Jeff Stein, White House economics reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for the plan to lower gas prices.

Finally, over 5,000 sellers on the Etsy platform are planning a strike starting on April 11 to protest an increase in transaction fees that will be implemented on the same day. Sellers say that the company is making record sales and revenue but continues to saddle them with more fees and an influx of resellers and drop shippers on the site. Mia Sato, reporter at The Verge, joins us for why you might not be able to buy from your favorite sellers very soon.

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Many people who left their jobs during the Great Resignation are having regrets. About 20% of those that left didn’t think it was a good idea after all and many aren’t even planning on staying very long in their new positions. Reasons why they aren’t happy range from the new role being different from what they expected or even missing the culture of their old job. Paul Davidson, economics and jobs reporter at USA Today, joins us for more.

Next, according to the U.N. an estimated 4 million Ukrainians have fled the country mostly to nearby countries, especially Poland, which has taken in about 2.4 million people. Most of them have been women and children because of a law barring men of fighting age from leaving. While the numbers have begun to slow down, the refugee crisis will have long lasting effects. Joanna Sugden, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how the number of those fleeing is larger than they first predicted.

Finally, the battle for your toilet paper is on. Due to the scarcity of traditional toilet paper during the pandemic, many people tried alternatives such as recycled toilet paper and paper made out of bamboo. Now these alternative companies are trying to maintain the momentum they have gained. Daniela Sirtori-Cortina, consumer goods reporter at Bloomberg News, joins us for how they are marketing to you, making sure you know it’s sustainable and most importantly, soft. 

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The FDA has authorized a second Covid booster shot for people 50 and older and those 12 and older that have weakened immune systems. The decision was mostly based on data from Israel that shows it could be lifesaving for those over 60 but has only marginal benefits for younger people. Carolyn Johnson, science reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for the latest and also how the FDA will soon meet to discuss the long-term booster strategy for the rest of the population.

Next, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed the controversial Parental Rights in Education bill, known to opponents as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. One of the key stories that influenced the formation of the bill is a lawsuit by January Littlejohn and her husband against Leon County Schools where they claimed that school officials helped their child transition to a different gender without keeping them informed. The conversation on this will continue as it doesn’t go to trial until next year and for Republicans, they see parental rights as a winning issue for the midterms. Andrew Atterbury, Florida education reporter at Politico, joins us for more.

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Inflation continues to be a problem with a not so easy solution. Part of the problem is not everyone agrees on the absolute causes so the fixes are also not agreed upon. Most can agree that supply chain issues, rising oil prices and shifting consumer demands are all contributors. While the Fed and the White House try to help, they are limited in what they can do. Emily Stewart, senior correspondent at Vox, joins us for the complicated issue.

Next, a new supply chain issue could be on its way soon to one of the busiest ports in the world. New contract negotiations for more than 22,000 union dockworkers will begin soon and if history is any indicator, we are in for some disruptions. These workers have been working around the clock for most of the pandemic and some points of resistance could be more automation at the ports. Peter Goodman, global economics correspondent at the NY Times, joins us for this possible supply chain risk.

Finally, crime concerns in Los Angeles are leading to wealthier homeowners to seek out panic room installs in their homes. Depending on the build-out, the price can range anywhere from $100,000 to a million dollars. These safe rooms can be outfitted with biometric scans for entry and even with high-end amenities. Hadley Meares, contributor to the Hollywood Reporter, joins us for the rising demand for safe rooms.

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President Biden wrapped up his European trip with a message of unity for European allies, reassurances for Poland and a gaffe that some thought was him calling for regime change in Russia. We also saw a new round of poll numbers that don't look good for Biden. Approval rating is low and confidence in handling of Russia and the economy also took hits. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for more.

Next, the return to in-person learning for students this year has yielded some improvement in test scores in reading and math, but still not to pre-pandemic levels. Young students still seem to be struggling, especially those that were learning to read in the last two years. Many teachers were alarmed to see how behind some were academically and emotionally when returning. Sara Randazzo, education reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how test scores are rising.

Finally, last June the Department of Defence released its much hyped UFO report and it landed without much information. Now an activist has published a longer and redacted report that members of Congress were briefed with. While still lacking a lot of clear information we did get an idea of other sections in the report that focused on possible new advanced technologies and most interestingly, the most common shapes of UFOs observed. Jason Koebler, editor in chief at Motherboard, joins us for this latest development.

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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.