The Daily Dive

It could be the next generation of the internet. It could be bigger than the impact of the mobile revolution and many companies are gearing up to make it happen. I am talking about the ‘metaverse.’ It is an immersive digital world where you can shop, gather with friends in the form of digital avatars, and experience a world that goes beyond the real one. The technology isn’t completely there yet, but big tech companies like Microsoft and Facebook are working toward that goal. Sarah Needleman, tech reporter at the WSJ, joins us for what to expect from the metaverse and what it will take to get there.

Next, interventions in diet, exercise and mental outlook are some of the best ways to add healthy years to your life. Experts who have studied longevity say that by the end of this century, it’s possible that someone could live longer than the current record of 122 years old. There is a process in which certain stressors can activate genes that slow down cell growth and aging, and a lot of that can be triggered with diet and exercise. Matt Fuchs, contributor to The Washington Post, joins us for how to how to add healthy years.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is always a little worrisome when a former president goes into the hospital, but former President Bill Clinton has responded well to his medications and been discharged after a urological infection went into his bloodstream. He will now go back home to NY to continue treatment. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News joins us for the update on Bill Clinton and what is next for election day. The race for governor in Virginia and school board races across the country are making education a central issue as critical race theory and Covid rules loom large. 

Next, what happens when you order things online and send them back? You may think it makes its way back to the shelf and on its way to another person, but that is rarely true. Oftentimes items make their way to bulk resellers overseas, stripped for parts, or just thrown away. Returns are a big problem for companies that are expected to have generous return policies as a default. These reverse logistics are many times cost prohibitive to deal with. Amanda Mull, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins us for the nasty logistics of returning your online items.

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.

The White House has scrambled to help ease the situation at ports off the coast of California and avert a holiday shopping crisis. President Biden announced this week that the Port of Los Angeles will be open 24/7 and that major companies will also expand their working hours to help offload products. While this may help in the short term, supply chain issues are expected to last into next year. Steven Overly, global trade and economics reporter at Politico, joins us for more.

Next, some good airline news for a change. For all those that love their carryon bags, overhead bin space is getting bigger and there are also more spots. The changes are rolling out on newer planes, but space is increasing by 50% and both passengers and the airlines are finding that it is reducing the friction of loading on the plane. Scott McCartney, Middle Seat columnist at the WSJ, joins us for more space in those overhead bins.

Finally, we recently heard that the ivory-billed woodpecker was deemed extinct and now the American bumblebee could be at risk. Their population has decreased by 89% across the country and has already disappeared from 8 states. Climate change, pesticides, loss of habitat, and competition from honey bees are driving their numbers down. Asha Gilbert, trending reporter at USA Today, joins us for what to know.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Confusion in Texas over vaccine mandates. Gov. Greg Abbot just banned vaccine mandates for all entities in the state including private businesses. This could pose a problem for many companies that contract with the federal government since Biden has mandated that they do get vaccinated. Now, some companies are caught in the middle and could lose federal funding or run afoul of the state law. Mitchell Ferman, economy reporter at the Texas Tribune, joins us for more.

Next, the employment recovery in the country is still a bumpy and uneven one. There are still more jobs than there are unemployed people and the pace of new hires was weak for last month. More women have dropped out of the labor force due to messy back to school rollouts and child care issues and lower-wage workers are waiting for new opportunities instead of going back to old jobs. Eli Rosenberg, labor reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for what we are seeing in unemployment numbers.

Finally, while the majority of migrants coming to the border are very poor and take long perilous trips, some of the more affluent migrants and taking different routes. In some cases middle-class migrants from Brazil and Venezuela are taking flights to Mexico and then making the last leg of the trip by cab or bus. Alicia Caldwell, immigration reporter at the WSJ, joins us for some are flying to the border.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Manufacturing and supply chain issues continue to affect most industries and if you are remodeling your kitchen or buying new appliances you might want to prepare for some delays. Some people have had to wait months and in extreme cases a year to get the appliances they ordered. To get by, some are using loaners from appliance stores or even doing dishes in the bathtub. Austen Hufford, manufacturing reporter at the WSJ, joins us for all the appliance delays.

Next, President Biden’s numbers have not been improving much and it seems to be the very thing he promised to fix, the pandemic, that’s dragging him down. While there have been some really bad headlines with Afghanistan and immigration, the pandemic looms large as people experience fatigue with continued regulations. Christopher Cadelago, White House reporter at Politico, joins us for why Democrats are worried that Biden can’t shake the pandemic.

Finally, Facebook and Instagram have been under a lot of scrutiny after a whistleblower leaked internal documents about what the social media giant knows about how toxic Instagram can be to teen girls. In response, Instagram is working on features to help them take a break and nudge them away from harmful content. Kim Lyons, deputy news editor at The Verge, joins us for more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A plot to sell nuclear submarine secrets to a foreign country has been thwarted by the FBI. A Navy nuclear engineer and his wife were both charged in the attempt. In one instance, Jonathan Toebbe, who had top-secret clearance and conducted a “dead drop” where he placed an SD card with gigs of sensitive data inside a peanut butter sandwich for what he thought was an agent of a foreign country. Devlin Barrett, reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for espionage plot.

Next, pharmaceutical company Merck is seeking emergency use authorization for its Covid-19 pill. If approved, it would be the first oral antiviral for Covid. Other treatments such as remdesivir and monoclonal antibody treatments both require an intravenous infusion. The pill reduces risk of hospitalization by 50%. Riley Griffin, healthcare reporter at Bloomberg News, joins us for more on this pill that directly targets the virus.

Finally, Southwest Airlines was a mess this past weekend as it cancelled over 2,000 flights. The airline blamed air traffic control, bad weather, and staffing shortages for the delays. There was speculation that many employees, including pilots were calling out sick in response to vaccine mandates, but the company said those reports were inaccurate. Leslie Josephs, airline reporter at CNBC, joins us for Southwest’s problems.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The debt limit has been extended and kicked down the road to December. So get ready for more fighting very soon. Mitch McConnell says that Republicans won't vote to extend it again putting all the pressure on Democrats to pass it through reconciliation. Republicans are hoping to use the rising debt as an issue during the midterms. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for the ongoing fight, how the Build Back Better plan will be slimmed down, and thousands of U.S. service members have yet to be fully vaccinated despite upcoming deadlines.

Next, America's supply chain is broken and there is no better example than looking at all of the ships sitting off the coast of California. The pandemic caused a major shift in consumer spending and it triggered a huge influx of imports and it's all bottlenecked due to lack of coordination and worker shortages. Ships are at ports waiting to be unloaded, not enough workers there can offload containers in a timely manner, and a shortage of truck drivers is delaying shipments to the rest of the country. This all results in price hikes for everyone and possible shortages for holiday shopping. David Lynch, global economics correspondent at The Washington Post, joins us for the broken supply chain.

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.