The Daily Dive

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

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President Biden has come closer to a bipartisan win on his $1 trillion infrastructure plan. 17 Republican senators voted with Democrats to advance the bill that focuses on hard infrastructure like roads, bridges, broadband, and public transit. Biden will still have to manage some Democrats who feel that their priorities have been sacrificed for the sake of bipartisanship. Chris Cadelago, White House correspondent at Politico, joins us for more.

Next, we are still in the middle of summer, but it might be time to start thinking of the holiday shopping season. When it comes to toys, there will be less choices and higher prices. Ocean freight bottlenecks are delaying shipments from China and even getting shipping container space is becoming more expensive, so the costs get absorbed by retailers and consumers. Omar Abdel-Baqui, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for why toy prices are going up.

Finally, despite rising cases of Covid in the unvaccinated, it can be very tough to persuade the vaccine hesitant, it can be even tougher to talking to family and friends. Experts say that the first step is to listen closer. You have to understand their reasons for refusing the shot before trying to convince them. It’s also important to focus on your relationship and de-escalate if things get heated. Derek Hawkins, reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for how to talk to vaccine hesitant friends and family.

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In the sports world there is something called the “yips” where athletes unexplainably lose the fundamental skills of their sport and can impact their decision making. In gymnastics, it’s called the “twisties” and it can be especially dangerous. The brain can disconnect from the body and if you’re vaulting in the air and spinning and land wrong, it can be catastrophic. Liz Clarke, sports writer at The Washington Post, joins us for how Simone Biles, among other things, was experiencing the “twisties.”

Next, dino nuggets are definitely having a moment right now. Parents buy them for their young picky eaters and young adults buy them for nostalgia. Major companies are taking note and are even exploring other shapes to add to the “fun nugget” category. Tyson Foods says that they make up 21% of their total nugget sales. Ellen Byron, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for the dino nugget boom.

Finally, mask and vaccine mandates are coming, Covid cases are rising and so is the anger. There is a growing frustration that the vaccinated are having with the unvaccinated as we see the majority of cases are all happening with those refusing the shot. Roni Rabin, health reporter at the NY Times, joins us for all the anger surrounding vaccines.

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Olympic shocker as Team USA gymnast Simone Biles pulled out of the team finals to focus on her mental health. She left the competition after one rotation on the vault in what was originally described as a medical issue. She returned to cheer on her teammates and later opened up about the stress she was feeling. Team USA went on to win a silver medal with the Russian delegation winning gold. Oriana Gonzalez, reporter at Axios, joins us to talk about Simone Biles and the mental health of elite athletes.

Next, the CDC has issued new guidance saying that everyone should wear masks in certain high transmission indoor areas regardless of vaccination status as well as universal masking for schools. This comes as the Delta variant continues to spread throughout the country. Public health officials are also worried that more variants could be on the way and the system to sequence the genetic mutations of the virus isn’t ready to track them. The U.S. is only sequencing about 10% of all Covid cases and more needs to be done so that another variant doesn’t catch us by surprise. Cynthia Koons, health care reporter at Bloomberg News, joins us for more.

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Here come the vaccine mandates! The Dept. of Veterans Affairs has become the first federal agency to require its healthcare workers to be vaccinated. New York City is mandating vaccines for city employees or weekly tests. And California is the first state requiring health care workers and state employees to show proof of vaccination or get tested weekly. Erin Allday, health writer at the SF Chronicle, joins us for the new vaccine requirements.

Next, let’s talk about vaccine breakthrough infections of Covid-19. Some recent numbers from the CDC say that breakthroughs represent about 0.098% of those that are fully vaccinated. Still, they are happening, but those cases are often mild or asymptomatic. Getting vaccinated is not a free pass, but it gives you the best defenses possible to fight the virus. Katherine Wu, staff writer at the Atlantic, joins us for more.

Finally, the summer travel season so far has been a weird one. There are delays and cancellations due to computer glitches and staff shortages, summer storms have had an impact, and some international destinations are requiring Covid tests. There are less flights out there and the demand is as high as ever. Scott McCartney, Middle Seat Columnist at the WSJ, joins us for an update on summer travel.

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House speaker Nancy Pelosi has named another Republican to the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. In addition to Rep. Liz Cheney, Pelosi has added Rep. Adam Kinziger, another critic of former President Trump. This comes after Pelosi rejected two other picks from Kevin McCarthy. It seems that it will be incredibly difficult to produce a report that does not seem partisan. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for this, how the surge of coronavirus cases in the unvaccinated will impact the Biden agenda, and the CIA is now looking into Havana Syndrome cases.

Next, the debate about marijuana in sports was reignited recently when Sha'Carri Richardson was denied a spot in the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive, but what does the science say... does it actually help? The short answer is no. There's no scientific evidence that it can make athletes bigger, stronger, or faster. In fact, it can increase heart rates and is especially damaging to the lungs if smoked. However, elite athletes and even regular people say that it can help them recover from tough workouts, reduce pain, improve sleep, and most of all, calm nerves and alleviate anxiety. Anahad O'Connor, health 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.

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 Tokyo Olympics are now officially under way and they will definitely be an Olympics like no other. Happening amid the pandemic and rising numbers locally in Japan, these Games will also not have any spectators. The big question now is how that might affect the athletes, having no cheering fans and the bigger concern, not having their families present. Questions have also been raised about athletes not being subject to the usual, rigorous drug testing standards. Erin Doherty, reporter at Axios, joins us for more.

Next, there is a harsh reality for many that work as customer service agents. Many big companies often use contractors that have agents working from home to help you when you have a problem. They are often caught in the middle between abusive callers and corporate mandates to make the customer feel better. One of the unspoken rules is that the agents cannot hang up on an abusive caller no matter how bad it gets. Calling out sick could get you fired, managers track your time, and sometimes you have to absorb start-up costs. Ariana Tobin, reporter at ProPublica, joins us for how bad it is for some customer service agents.

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Largely driven by the pandemic, drug overdoses and homicides, U.S. life expectancy fell by 1.5 years in 2020. This is the biggest decline since World War II. The group that fared the worst were Hispanic men who had a drop of 3.7 years. Life expectancy is an important number because it is a measure of a nation’s well-being and prosperity. Betsy McKay, senior writer at the WSJ, joins us for the big drop.

Next, the restaurant industry has been having a hard time coming back after the pandemic. Each month so far this year, about 5% of restaurant and hospitality workers have quit their jobs largely due to low pay, no benefits, and rude customers. There are currently 1.2 million jobs unfilled in the industry despite rising wages and signing bonuses. Alina Selyukh, business correspondent at NPR joins us for more.

Finally, another story about how desperate some businesses are to get more employees. In this crazy labor market, recruiters are the new telemarketers and job ads are the new spam. Companies are digging up resumes and calling people back that might have applied years ago. And they are increasingly using automated tools to reach as many people as possible. Te-Ping Chen, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for what some businesses are resorting to.

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