The Daily Dive

The medical field is still experiencing a shortage of nurses and as Covid persists, some are leaving staff jobs to become travel nurses and in some cases tripling their salaries. As shortages occur in hospitals, the demand is rising for travel nurses and it can be very lucrative for those that can be flexible enough to move around for weeks and months at a time. Lenny Bernstein, health and medicine reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for how travel nursing is taking off even more.

Next, lingering concerns about the pandemic and inflation is making Americans hoard cash. Over the past two years, Americans have saved close to $1.6 trillion in money they would not otherwise have saved. Covid relief and stimulus payments have helped many in saving the excess money. The trend might even continue as many are wary of dipping into their savings. Julia Carpenter, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for the super savers.

Finally, a new survey is shedding light on how some Latino voters feel about the term Latinx and it could be problematic for those using the term to reach out to the community. Only 2% say they refer to themselves at Latinx and worse yet, about 40% of them say they are bothered or offended by the term. Marc Caputo, national political reporter at Politico, joins us for the big question, how effective is this language when communicating with Latino voters?

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Chris Cuomo's time at CNN is done. He has been fired by the network after more details emerged about the extent in which he helped his brother former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo amidst sexual misconduct allegations. Chris offered up to reach out to sources to see if any more accusers would come forward and also counseled his brother on his media responses. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for Cuomo's ouster, GOP infighting, and former Republican senator, presidential candidate and WWII hero Bob Dole dead at 98.

Next, decentralized finance also known as DeFi is a fast growing market that is worth over $100 billion. With no regulation, it is like the wild west where anyone can mint a new cryptocurrency coin and pull a scam relatively easily. Enter the RugSeekers, a group of crypto vigilantes hunting the markets for scams. After being burned by a rug pull scam and not wanting others to fall for the same schemes, Robert Browning and his team examine source code, crypto wallets and price charts for red flags that could indicate fraud. Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou, reporter at Bloomberg News, 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.

The White House has detailed its new strategy to fight coronavirus and keep Omicron at bay. One of the big changes is to tighten up the testing timelines for international travelers coming to the U.S. People will now have to test within a day of departure regardless of vaccination status and continues to wear masks on planes through mid-March. Sabrina Siddiqui, White House reporter at the WSJ, join us for what else is in the plan, testing reimbursements and booster shots.

Next, new Census data shows that more Americans are living alone as milestones keep slipping to later in life. 28% of all U.S. households are people living alone. The trend of delaying big life events also continues. The median age of men getting married is now 30.4 years old and women at 28.6 years old. Birth rates also continue to drop from an already record low last year. Reid Wilson, correspondent at The Hill, joins us for more.

Finally, better check to see if you are still paying for antivirus software protection. Many experts say you probably don’t need to anymore. Computer security has evolved, most personal computing happens over the internet, and hackers are more interested in taking over your accounts for email, social media, or financial websites. Kevin Collier, cybersecurity reporter at NBC News, joins us for what to know.

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The cost of getting some professional degrees are leaving students with high debt and without the high salaries to match. Programs for veterinarians, dentists, chiropractic medicine, physical therapy, and even optometry are producing graduates with high debt and very modest beginning salaries. Beyond the debt, it is also hurting those very occupations in some areas as graduates avoid lower paying rural areas which causes shortages. Andrea Fuller, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for a look at how the cost of professional degrees are still hurting students.

Next, as we enter the holidays there are more chances than ever to reconnect with old friends and it can be a very powerful thing. Research has shown that psychological stress often causes nostalgia and reconnecting can give us a sense of stability. A good exercise could be to make a list of old friends you miss and then reach out… it could increase your positive mood, self-esteem or self-confidence. Elizabeth Bernstein, author of the “Bonds” column at the WSJ, joins us for more.

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The Supreme Court begins hearing arguments today in the Mississippi abortion case that bans abortions after 15 weeks. There is a lot of scrutiny on what will happen with this decision as it could overrule Roe v. Wade. There could also be a scenario where they overrule that decision while still not abolishing the constitutional right to an abortion. Ian Millhiser, senior correspondent at VOX, joins us for what to know.

Next, there is still much we don’t know about Omicron, the new Covid variant spreading through the world. We don’t know if it is more transmissible or most importantly, if it causes more severe illness, preliminary observations show that it could cause milder infections. If so, that could be good as we get on our way to the virus being endemic. Andrew Joseph, reporter at STAT News, joins us for the bottom line, it will take weeks and more data before we know.

Finally, the midterms haven’t hit yet and no formal announcement has been made, but speculation is already swirling on who could be former President Trump’s pick for VP if he should run again. There are three lanes he could pick from, a woman, a person of color, or even a consigliere type. Marc Caputo, national political reporter at Politico, joins us for the two most important factors, loyalty and embracing his views on the 2020 election.

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Big shakeup for Twitter’s leadership as CEO Jack Dorsey stepped down on Monday with the company’s technology chief, Parag Agrawal assuming the top post. Dorsey had been serving as the CEO of both Twitter and digital payments company Square and said he decided to leave, because the company is ready to move on from its founders. Salvador Rodriguez, technology reporter at CNBC, joins us for what to know about the leadership change.

Next, some hospitals have been preparing to lose staff over vaccine mandates. Up to 30% of hospital workers aren’t vaccinated and could face termination. In some areas, a reduction of staff could cause disruptions to services. We are also learning that a federal district court in Missouri just issued an injunction temporarily blocking the mandate in 10 states. Julie Wernau, health and medicine reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Finally, love them or hate them the holiday office party is back. This year employees could be in store for a few iterations. The virtual parties are back, but with lessons learned. They won’t run as long and could include a box of food or crafts. The in-person party also makes its return, but much in much smaller groups. Rani Molla, senior data reporter for Recode at Vox, joins us for what to expect.

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The new Covid variant Omicron is beginning to spread across the world. No confirmed cases here in the U.S. just yet, but it has already caused the government to ban travel from 8 African countries. This new variant is concerning because it has a large number of mutations, which could make it more transmissible, but no data on whether it is more deadly. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for this, Republicans seizing on inflation, and the Mississippi abortion case will be heard by the Supreme Court this week.

Next, the great California exodus continues, but not in the way you think. Many people are moving, but not necessarily out of state. Instead they are moving inland to the east. The Inland Empire tied Phoenix for 2020's biggest gain in households as people are looking for bigger properties and cheaper home prices. This is also causing some of those currently living in that area to also move out east more. With this influx of new households also comes more economic opportunities and more diverse neighborhoods. Christine Mai-Duc, state politics and housing reporter at the WSJ, 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.