The Daily Dive

The human race has reached a milestone.  There are now an estimated eight billion people on the planet.  Overall, less people are living in extreme poverty, and we have generally better access to health care, food, and clean water.  Half of the population still just lives in 7 countries, and it could take us about 15 years to hit the next milestone of nine billion.  Stef Kight, politics reporter at Axios, joins is for what to know as we still face several challenges as the population continues to grow.

Next, there is a mystery in the labor market as older Gen Z workers are missing from the workforce.  We are seeing fewer people ages 20-24 with a job which equals to a shortfall of about half a million workers.  In 2021, wages were rising and there were tons of job openings, it attracted teens, but didn’t stick with others.  We have also seen a rise in the number people in this age range that are neither working or in school.  Bryan Mena, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Finally, a mother was arrested recently after he 10-year-old son got a tattoo.  Last month, the boy walked into the nurse’s office looking for Vaseline, he wanted to rub it on his new tattoo.  While there have been shifting attitudes about tattoos recently, there are many laws on the books where those under 18 cannot get a tattoo, even if they have parental consent.  Sarah Maslin Nir, staff reporter at the NY Times, joins us for what to know.

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The makeup of Congress continues to take shape as the House continues to skew toward Republicans and Democrats retain control of the Senate.  Democrats overperformed in the midterms and they can attribute that to independent voters that broke their way.  Despite the GOP holding the edge on top issues, independent voters were turned off by candidates that were too closely aligned with Trump.  Aaron Zitner, politics reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how independents decided the midterms.

Next, the FAA recently held a public comment period on the size of airline seats.  What they got, was tens of thousands of comments that painted a horrible picture of what passengers experience.  But will those comments lead to bigger and better seats?  Probably not.  The FAA will decide if they want to make minimum seat requirements, but only what’s necessary for safety, not comfort.  James Bikales, reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for what to know.

Finally, in a shift on what you might expect, baby boomers can’t stop looking at their smartphones.  While the concern of too much screen time is mostly directed at kids and teens, some millennials and Gen Xers are complaining that their parents can’t let the phones go, especially when the grandchildren are around.  Heather Kelly, tech reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for how some families have had enough of the phones.

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The Democrats have retained control of the Senate, and the House is still up in the air, although the numbers look to favor Republicans.  Throughout the midterm elections there have been many tight races and margins are just razor thin.  So why is America always divided 50-50?  As the two parties constantly jockey for the majority, neither party really builds any momentum.  Annie Lowrey, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins us for how polarization and a changing electorate is impacting politics.

Next, more colleges are offering admission to students who never even applied to those schools.  There has been an increase in universities that are participating in “direct admissions” programs to streamline the process for students but also align them with geographic and academic interests and boost enrollment  goals too.  The result is tens of thousands of students are getting offers they never thought they would.  Melissa Korn, higher education reporter at the WSJ, joins us for what to know.

Finally, dialing 0 to reach an operator or getting directory assistance from 411 is soon to be a thing of the past.  How many people even use those services now, as smartphones have made them obsolete?  Starting Jan. 1, AT&T is ending the service to landline customers in 21 states.  Wireless users aren’t even offered it.  Jo Constantz, reporter at Bloomberg News, joins us for a brief history of 411.

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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.

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Positive sign as inflation cooled slightly to 7.7% in October.  Experts warn not to get too excited as they would like to see more of trend but hope this could be the peak.  Used car prices have dropped, along with airfare and apparel, but rents continue to stay elevated.  The Fed has signaled it will continue to raise rates until inflation drops more, but in smaller increments.  Rachel Siegel, economics reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for the signs that inflation may be easing.

Next, New York City recently became the biggest job market in the country to require employers to list pay ranges in their job ads.  The hope is that it would give job seekers an edge in pay negotiations, but the rollout has had mixed results as companies are posting salary ranges with differences of hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Theo Francis, business reporter at the WSJ, joins us for what to know about New York City’s pay transparency law.

Finally, the National Park Service put out an advisory asking people to please stop licking the psychedelic toads.  There has not been any indication that people are licking toads to trip out but wanted to send out the warning that it’s potentially dangerous and can cause poisonings.  The toads in question are the Sonoran Desert toads also known as the Colorado River toad.  Adela Suliman, reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for what to know.

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Control of Congress still hangs in the balance as Republicans are poised to take over the House, but we will have to wait until December for a runoff election to see who will take Georgia’s Senate seat.  In the meantime, the red wave never really happened, and Democrats fared far better than most thought.  Former President Trump is in a weaker position coming into his big announcement and President Biden is taking any good news he can get.  David Siders, national political correspondent at Politico, joins us for midterm takeaways.

Next, marijuana was also on the ballot in 5 states.  Just ten years ago Washington and Colorado became the first states to legalize marijuana.  Now, Maryland and Missouri have been added to the list for a total of 21 states plus D.C.  As the stigma of cannabis use has worn off in many cases, it has also become big business projected to produce sales of $100 billion by 2030.  Mary Jane Gibson, contributor to Vox, joins us for the mixed night of results for marijuana on the ballot.

Finally, Meta has become the latest in a string of big tech companies to announce layoffs and hiring freezes.  The parent company of Facebook said they will be cutting 13% of its workforce, about 11,000 employees.  Revenue has been down for Meta as they face increased pressure from competitors like TikTok.  Meta will also start prioritizing content from viral creators over posts from friends and family.  Naomi Nix, tech reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for more.

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The top issue for this election season has been the economy and it has put Democrats in a bad position as Republicans have seized on the issue.  Despite high inflation and fears of a recession, there are still other positive economic markers such as low unemployment.  Still, the uncertainty of what’s to come has voters concerned for their futures and polls show they are backing Republicans.  Howard Schneider, economics correspondent at Reuters, joins us for what to know.

Next, despite Covid infections being down and pandemic restrictions mostly all lifted, the virus has proved to be a persistent drag on the workforce.  It’s keeping millions out of work when they get infected and disrupting businesses operations, raising their costs and killing productivity.  Workers themselves are also losing out due to unpaid absences.  Gwynn Guilford, economics reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how Covid is still setting us back.

Finally, marriage can have a lot of benefits to the pocketbooks of couples.  Married couples are four times as wealthy as unmarried couples who live together.  They tend to have a higher net worth and more likely to be homeowners.  Experts think that a big part of it is that married couples pool their financial resources in way that cohabitating couples don’t.  Julia Carpenter, personal finance reporter at the WSJ, joins us why moving in together doesn’t match the benefits of marriage.

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Election Day is here, and the economy and inflation continue to be the top issues for voters.  To that end, according to recent surveys, more full-time workers are feeling the pain and having to get second jobs to supplement their income.  Nearly three-quarters of workers said they need more work to keep up with inflation and it’s not just blue-collar workers, even people in professional jobs are looking for more.  Ray Smith, careers reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how more workers are looking for side hustles.

Next, how much are you paying for water?  Corporate America has convinced more people to buy water, whether it’s bottled, boxed, or in a can.  For most of America, the water coming from the tap is perfectly fine, except for notable exceptions like Flint, Michigan.  What’s happened is that as people have lost more confidence in public infrastructure and clever advertising by packaged water companies is making us buy something that is mostly free.  Emily Stewart, senior correspondent at Vox, joins us for more.

Finally, museums have seen a recent spat of climate-change activists throwing food such as tomato soup and mashed potatoes at famous paintings in order to draw more attention to their causes.  It has prompted museums to issue “zero bag” policies and even hire security consultants to teach their staff new surveillance tactics on how to spot would-be vandals.  Yael Kohen, deputy editor for style news at the WSJ, joins us for how museums are fighting back.

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Title: Navigating Interracial Friendships with Some Of My Best Friends Are

Description: Here's a preview of another podcast we're enjoying, Some of My Best Friends Are, from Pushkin Industries. Harvard professor Khalil Gibran Muhammad and journalist Ben Austen are friends, one Black and one white, who grew up together on the South Side of Chicago. On Some of My Best Friends Are, Khalil and Ben, along with their guests, have critical conversations that are at once personal, political, and playful, about the absurdities and intricacies of race in America.In this preview, Khalil and Ben talk with author Saladin Ambar about his new book, Stars and Shadows: The Politics of Interracial Friendship from Jefferson to Obama. Through famous bonds ranging from Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe, to Barack Obama and Joe Biden, they explore the dynamics, benefits, and difficulties of cultivating interracial friendships. Hear the full episode, and more from Some of My Best Friends Are, at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/sbfs2?sid=dive.

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