The Daily Dive

Many are expecting the Metaverse to be the next phase of the internet where our real lives increasingly mesh with our digital lives and companies are taking notice. Investors are already spending millions to buy up virtual real estate and just like in real-life, location matters. While the internet is infinite, virtual plots of land are not, and companies are buying up what they can in online worlds like Decentraland hoping to develop those areas into shopping centers and more. Debra Kamin, contributor to the NY Times, joins us for this new virtual land boom.

Next, there is a secret unit within the Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center called the Counter Network Division. This division has very few rules and used various databases at its disposal to investigate Americans. This division still operates today and would gain access to the personal information of journalists, government officials, congressional members and their staff. Jana Winter, investigative correspondent at Yahoo News, joins us to talk about Operation Whistle Pig and the investigation into journalist Ali Watkins.

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NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has made history by being the first spacecraft to touch the Sun. The probe launched in 2018, but just this past April on its eighth flyby it flew through the Sun’s upper atmosphere also known as the corona. There it was able to sample particles and the magnetic fields. The next flyby will be in January 2022 and scientists expect it to get closer still. Justin Kasper, Deputy Chief Technology Officer of BWX Technologies and professor at the University of Michigan, joins us for how humanity has touched the Sun.

Next, waves of Covid infections continue to cause problems for hospital systems facing staff shortages and that are already full treating people with other ailments. In most cases, those locking up the system are patients who are unvaccinated and it doesn’t stop in just one area. The ripple effects of transferring patients to different locations with space to treat them also puts a strain on hospital workers. Drew Armstrong, senior editor for healthcare at Bloomberg News, joins us for more.

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We are getting more information on the Omicron variant from the first large real-world study in South Africa and see protection from hospitalization fall to 70% and against infection fall to 33%. This study pitted the new variant against two shots of Pfizer, which has been widely used in the area. Denise Roland, healthcare reporter at the WSJ, joins us for what we are seeing from Omicron, more transmissible and so far, milder infections.

Next, many parents and guardians of school shooters unfortunately ignore some of the warning signs that something bad is imminent. We are seeing it with the parents of the shooter at Oxford High School in Michigan who have both been charged with involuntary manslaughter. But in once case in 2018, a grandmother took action and reporter her grandson, averting a disaster. Steven Rich, database editor for investigations at The Washington Post, joins us for more.

Finally, we are learning more about what was happening in President Trump’s inner circle during the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Through text messages provided by former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, we are seeing Trump’s son, Fox News personalities and even lawmakers plead with Meadows to convince Trump to do something to stop those storming the Capitol. Josh Gerstein, senior legal affairs reporter at Politico, joins us for what to know.

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2021 has been the ultimate seller’s market with a number of housing records set this past year. The pandemic sent remote workers into a rush looking for bigger places and mortgage rates were at an all-time low. Median home sales reached a high and the speed at which homes sold also set a record. Daryl Fairweather, Chief Economist at Redfin, joins us for all the housing records set this year.

Next, we are in the era of the celebrity meal and it could be an ongoing trend. We’ve seen partnerships with celebrities and influencers with fast-food restaurants and it has been a big benefit for both parties. Restaurants get plenty of promotion on social media and collect tons of customer data. The celebrities, get undisclosed amounts of money. Anna Kambhampaty, styles reporter at the NY Times, joins us for more.

Finally, some employers have been tracking remote workers with things like keyboard or mouse-tracking software and it is making them feel like they can’t step away from their desk, even for a restroom break. Enter ‘mouse movers,’ small devices that jiggles your mouse to make it look like your active. Samantha Cole, senior staff writer at Vice, joins us for how sales are taking off.

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The Biden administration has directed federal resources and FEMA to affected areas after devastating tornadoes hit six states in the South and Midwest, hitting Kentucky especially hard. As many as 30 tornadoes wreaked havoc over Friday night. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for the response, tensions rising with Russia, and Chris Wallace moves to CNN+.

Next, months of pandemic learning and then switching back to in-person instruction has left many students without the social maturity needed to advance to the next grade. As a result schools are having to deal with a wave of misbehavior with minor incidents but also major things like fights and gun possession. Ben Chapman, national education reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how schools are responding... more counseling, increased patrols and fewer suspensions.

Finally, we have been seeing a lot of action with the 'Great Resignation' as people quit their jobs for better opportunities. But people aren't just leaving, they're broadcasting it to social media and finding a community with others who have done the same. Traditionally career coaches wouldn't recommend speaking ill of former employers online, but all the rules have changed. Emma Goldberg, reporter at the NY Times, joins us for more.

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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.

Since the start of the pandemic, the testing infrastructure in the U.S. has been marred by stumbles. Now, as President Biden is putting more emphasis on rapid tests to help fight Covid, these tests are often out of stock and still too expensive for many. Even as the new rules say insurers would pay for these tests, it could be difficult to get the reimbursements. Lena Sun, health reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for more on rapid Covid tests.

Next, the tiny town of West Hollywood is going all in on cannabis and wants to rebrand as the Emerald Village. The city is planning on approving as many as 40 cannabis permits for dispensaries and high end lounges. The effort also has star power investors with people like Jay-Z, Patricia Arquette, and Woody Harrelson. Hugo Martin, business reporter at the LA Times, joins us for how West Hollywood wants to be a global destination for pot tourism.

Finally, President Biden and Democrats have been having serious messaging problems. The administration has delivered on a very fast economic recovery getting out of the pandemic, with good jobs numbers and rising wages. The big problem holding them back is inflation with many Americans worried about the rising costs of food and everyday goods. Max Burns, contributor to The Hill, joins us for why voters are still pessimistic about the economy.

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According to Gallup’s annual Health and Healthcare survey, among all U.S. adults, confidence in advice from doctors is down. More reported losing trust in their doctors over the past year and Republicans in particular had a 13% drop from a decade ago while Democrats’ trust increased. Jeffrey Jones, senior editor at Gallup joins us for what to know as this data is consistent with changing attitudes of trust in science.

Next, Amazon Web Services had a nine hour outage on Tuesday which led to website and streaming service disruptions, delays in package deliveries, and many smart home devices to stop working. In some cases people had to sweep their own floors or turn on their own lights, and it highlighted just how many internet-connected devices people have in their homes and the reliance on a connection to the cloud. Sarah Needleman, tech reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Finally, before the pandemic, most people probably wouldn’t let a scratchy throat or even a mild cold interfere with plans, now even the sniffles can derail plans. What happens now could be an over-explanation of symptoms to rationalize missing out on something, or even the simple “It might be Covid” to get out of plans. Allie Caren, reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for what to know.

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Samuel Little, the most prolific serial killer in the U.S. died at the end of last year and had confessed to a slew of murders that have yet to be closed. Many of those murders took place in the Los Angeles area leaving detectives chasing ghosts as they try to connect dots and corroborate the killings. There is one final push for any information in these cases as one of the lead investigators is retiring this month and any evidence and confessions are hard to verify because of time and changing cityscapes. James Queally, criminal justice reporter at the LA Times, joins us for more.

Next, we’ll take a look at one woman’s path through rehab as she tries to fight the effects of long Covid. Samantha Lewis got Covid in October 2020 and has been dealing with issues such as brain fog, fatigue, balance issues and more since then. She had to reduce time at work and place reminders in her house of even the simplest tasks such as brushing her teeth to get by. She was finally on the path to recovery after seeing doctors at Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Neuro Covid-19 clinic in Chicago who recommended cognitive rehab. Pam Belluck, health and science writer at the NY Times, joins us for how Samantha is doing a year later.

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