The Daily Dive

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.

Throughout the pandemic, mental health has been a big issue with a lot of anxiety and depression going around, but there is a silver lining, the world’s psychological immune system turned out to be more resilient than we thought. Many people were able to weather the psychological challenges of the pandemic and focus on the positive, despite some real challenges. Elizabeth Dunn, psychology professor at the University of British Columbia and Chief Science Officer of Happy Money, joins us for how the pandemic didn’t affect mental health the way you think.

Next, most companies are simply encouraging employees to be vaccinated, but a growing number of them are starting to require it. In the tech world, some big software companies are marking a departure from industry leaders like Facebook and Google. Recent surveys found that the majority of professionals support vaccine mandates and say it would make them feel more comfortable about returning to the office. Aklison Levitsky, reporter at Protocol, joins us for how vaccine requirements are popping up at the workplace.

Finally, all this talk about the effectiveness of mRNA vaccines and the Delta variant taking hold in the U.S. is making some recipients of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine wonder if they need an mRNA booster shot. Some preliminary studies suggest that it is safe to combine the two, but there has been no official guidance to do so and it might be difficult to access a second shot. Ben Guarino, reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for more.

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Facial recognition systems are the next target for hackers trying to commit identity fraud and also claim unemployment benefits. From June 2020 to January 2021, there were more than 80,000 attempts to fool the selfie step when trying to claim unemployment benefits. Analysts also say that the fastest growing type of financial crime is known as synthetic identity fraud, where fraudsters use AI to combine features from different faces to create a new identity. Parmy Olson, technology reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how hackers are trying to fool facial recognition with masks and artificial intelligence.

Next, local residents near Seneca Lake in upstate New York are protesting a Bitcoin mining operation they say is polluting the air and heating the lake. A gas-fired power plant is currently operating there and using the energy it produces to run at least 8,000 computers for the energy-intensive mining of the digital currency. Not everyone is angry at the power plant however as it has created jobs and provided some economic benefit. Still residents are worried that the lake is overheating and that other similar operations could pop up. Gretchen Morgenson, senior financial reporter for the NBC News investigative unit, joins us for how mining for Bitcoin can impact the environment.

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The Russian ransomware gang REvil has struck again, this time taking out thousands of businesses in what is called a supply chain attack. This is a step above what ransomware attacks usually look like that only target one entity. The main target was IT services company Kaseya which is how the hackers were able to infiltrate other computer systems. Lily Hay Newman, senior writer at Wired, joins us for how REvil did it and the $70 million they want to restore service.

Next, the Delta Covid-19 variant continues to cause worry among public health officials especially in places like Wyoming where only 32% of people are fully vaccinated and big events are taking place like a 10-day rodeo set to start later this month. Hospitals are also seeing a rise in younger patients infected with this variant. Julie Wernau, health and science reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how this variant is gaining ground among the unvaccinated.

Finally, our body odor can reveal a lot of details about our health and also plays a role in attraction. Single people could actually even smell different that married people. In one study of smelly t-shirts, single people’s BO smelled stronger than married men’s BO, with the thought being that men in relations ships and that have children have lower testosterone and therefore different body odor. William Park, senior journalist at BBC Future, joins us for how smell plays a role in how much we like each other.

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One of the bright spots that helped restaurants and businesses make it through the pandemic was the ability to extend out onto sidewalks and streets. It helped them continue to do business while indoor activities were restricted and in many areas these changes are being made permanent, but for disabled citizens, these changes can make sidewalks feel like obstacle courses. Calls are now being made for "mini equality impact assessments" which notify business owners of reasonable adjustments that can be made to provide better accessibility. John Surico, contributor to Bloomberg CityLab, joins us for how "open streets" impacted disabled users.

Next, the demand for mental healthcare has overwhelmed supply for most of the pandemic, and in some places like Massachusetts, the need for those services is critical. If traditional hospitals and treatment centers don't have available space for mental health services, some may need to go to the ER in what is known as emergency room boarding for psychiatric patients. These types of stays have risen between 200% and 400% in Massachusetts during the pandemic and ERs are not equipped for this type of treatment. Martha Bebinger, healthcare reporter at WBUR, joins us for what to know and one girl's 17-day stay in an ER.

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Prosecutors have charged the Trump Organization with a 15 year scheme to defraud the government and also charged its CFO, Allen Weisselberg, with grand larceny and tax fraud. These indictments are the first in the long running investigation into Donald Trump’s finances and business dealings. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for these charges, Liz Cheney being named to the committee investigation the Capitol insurrection and the Supreme Court ruling on Arizona voting laws.

Next, be careful when you see your favorite influencers and personalities promoting cryptocurrency. With all the hype around crypto right now, many are promoting “alt-coins” or “meme-coins” and unfortunately they are often tied to what are known as pump and dump schemes. Influencers pump up the altcoins in their networks, the value rises for a very short period of time, major investors dump the coins when it hits their peak, and everyone else is left with these crypto coins worth nothing. Matt Binder, reporter at Mashable, joins us for the shady world of influencers promoting cryptocurrency.

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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.

Leading into the 4th of July weekend it’s important to be safe when dealing with fireworks. You will most likely be seeing some illegal fireworks going off near you, but in South LA, the explosion came for the LAPD. Responding to a tip, cops found 5,000 pounds of illegal fireworks at one home including other “improvised explosive devices.” Those were put into a special chamber to be detonated when an unexpected explosion occurred, injuring 17 people and damaging nearby cars and homes. Steve Gregory, reporter for KFI News in Los Angeles, joins us for what happened with this unexpected blast.

Next, there is a lot of talk about infrastructure lately as the Biden administration tries to get a bill passed and one of the big questions being debated is how to pay for it. But why does it cost so much to build things in America? When it comes to mass transit and roads, we just don’t build enough and are out of practice. Every time a new project comes along it’s like starting from scratch. There is also the complexity of working across multiple jurisdictions and bottlenecks at every step of the process. Jerusalem Demsas, policy reporter at Vox, joins us for why the U.S. gets very little for what it builds.

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