The Daily Dive

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

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Everyone is expecting the summer travel season to be that comeback moment for airlines and the hospitality industry, but signs are showing that it may already be happening. TSA airport screenings are up 715% compared to the same time last year. If you’re planning to fly, you might want to get your tickets soon, prices are already creeping back up to pre-pandemic levels. Scott McCartney, middle seat columnist at the WSJ, joins us for how the U.S. travel surge is already here.

Next, vaccine booster shots may be coming as early as September. The CEO’s of Pfizer and Moderna have signaled that the extra shots will be needed because the durability of protection against coronaviruses is generally not lifelong. The picture will become clearer as more data emerges about how long immunity lasts at the current dosage. Caitlin Owens, healthcare reporter at Axios, joins us for how Pfizer and Moderna are preparing boosters in case a third shot is needed.

Finally, get ready for “Hot Vax Summer” as pent-up demand to go out is at an all-time high, but be wary of the hype. Sometimes expectations don’t live up to reality. As some are preparing for a summer of hookups and fun, it can also come with awkward social interactions and even some ghosting. Lisa Bonos, reporter at The Washington Post covering dating and relationships, joins us for more.

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With just over 60 days to go before the Olympics are set to begin in Tokyo, a prominent group of doctors and a majority of those polled in Japan are calling for them to be cancelled once more. New Covid cases have surged and the vaccination rollout remains very slow due to a number of reasons. Less than 2% of the population in Japan is fully vaccinated. Jeff Tracy, sports reporter at Axios, joins us for more.

Next, what is behind sudden drop in Bitcoin? This week Bitcoin fell as much as 30% and other cryptocurrencies also took a hit. We’ve seen some institutional support drop with Tesla no longer accepting Bitcoin and regulatory concerns as China banned financial companies from providing services for crypto trading. Jesse Pound, markets and investing reporter at CNBC, joins us for what to know.

Finally, a growing body of research is showing that dogs can sniff out Covid-19, including people without symptoms. These dogs can be trained relatively quickly and have a pretty good success rate, sometimes doing better than rapid antigen tests. Some companies and countries are now getting ready to deploy these pups to help screen large amounts of people quickly for things like sporting events and more. Ruth Bender, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how dogs can detect the coronavirus.

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Enhanced child cash benefits will be hitting parents’ bank accounts starting July 15. The IRS will send families monthly payments of $250-$300 per child to families depending on their ages and incomes of parents. The Biden administration says this is an important step in stamping out child poverty and are hoping to extend this program to 2025. Jeff Stein, White House economics reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for what to know.

Next, cryptocurrency scams spiked 1,000% in the past year costing about 70,000 people more than $80 million. $2 million of that were sent to Elon Musk impersonators. Many of these scams played out in online chat groups and even on dating apps. Kate Marino, business editor at Axios, joins us for how scammers were cashing in.

Finally, how do you manage your workforce now that more people are returning to the office? Some workers are sad about leaving their remote work setup, others anxious about getting sick, and there are those that are burnt out. It’s important to give employees flexibility, help smooth out social interactions, and foster a focus on workflow. Rachel Feintzeig, work and life columnist at the WSJ, joins us for how to rally the post-pandemic workforce.

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Vaccine hesitancy continues to be an issue in the push to get everyone vaccinated and we have seen some smaller incentives such as free doughnuts and tickets to sporting events among other things, but Ohio has definitely stepped up its game. Gov. Mike DeWine is offering $1 million each to five adults by lottery, if you get your shots. Separately, he is offering full-ride scholarships at a public state university to five vaccinated teenagers. Incentives have been shown to work in some cases, but this plan has gotten a mixed reaction so far. Joel Achenbach, science reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for more.

Next, let’s get into the mind of what persuaded one man to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6. ProPublica was able to obtain a jailhouse letter from Guy Reffitt, who is currently being held for his part in the riots that day. He is not accused of entering the Capitol building or hurting anyone, but is suspected of having a gun and numerous text messages show his planning to put the country on notice that people are not happy... prosecutors characterize him as a serious danger to his family, Congress, and the entire system of justice. Things were so worrisome to his family at one point, that his own son reported him to the FBI. Joaquin Sapien, reporter at ProPublica, joins us for a look into what motivated Guy Reffitt.

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The fighting between Israel and Hamas continues with rockets and airstrikes killing people on both sides. There was even an airstrike on a building that housed international news outlets. Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the attacks will continue as U.S. diplomats have been dispatched to the area to help with de-escalation talks. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washongton digital editor at NBC News joins us for how the Biden administration is reacting to this situation and why the new guidance from the CDC on masks was causing confusion in the White House.

Next, as students spent more than a year at home in remote-learning settings, cheating has become more rampant and easier than ever. At North Carolina State University, more than 200 students were caught cheating. Texas A&M University had a 50% increase in cheating. Educators say a big part of this is the stress and pressure during the pandemic, and a lot of the cheating is done on homework help and homework auction sites where students can post their assignments and people bid on completing them for a price. Tawnell Hobbs, senior special writer at the WSJ, joins us for the latest surge in cheating.

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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 CDC has updated its guidance saying fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks indoors or physically distance regardless of crowd size. Only a few instances remain where you need the mask. The reason for this announcement is that the vaccines have been shown to work in the real world, protect against variants, and vaccinated people are less likely to transmit the virus. Marissa Fernandez, health care reporter at Axios, joins us for the latest from the CDC.

Next, if you’re trying to buy a new car right now, you might not find what you’re looking for. A shortage of computer chips is driving up prices and leaving dealerships with less cars to offer. The chips are used for everything from safety systems to brakes and engines. Some manufacturers are holding unfinished cars until they can get the chips or taking out some tech features from the cars. Nora Naughton, auto industry reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Finally, it’s time to relax if you are fully vaccinated. You can really start to ease the worry about your Covid risk. Many public health experts agree the risk of the virus has greatly diminished for those that have gotten their vaccine. New daily cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are declining and in the instance that you do catch the virus after your shot, the symptoms will likely be much milder. German Lopez, senior correspondent at Vox, joins us for why the vaccine is the best way to start moving beyond the pandemic.

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House Republicans have voted to remove Rep. Liz Cheney from her post as conference chair after backlash over her continued criticism of former President Trump. With this vote, it illustrates that Republicans think the only way to winning majorities in Congress is with Trump as their leader. Julia Manchester, political reporter at The Hill, joins us for all the fallout… Cheney vowed to work toward never letting Trump near the Oval Office again.

Next, the east coast is dealing with the effects of the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, but these types of hacks are affecting others as well. Another ransomware gang just leaked sensitive personnel files from the D.C. Metro Police Department. Information such as social security numbers, psychological assessments and more have been released after a $4 million ransom was not paid. Dan Goodin, security editor at Ars Techinca, joins us for more.

Finally, a new study is pointing to MDMA as a possible new treatment for those suffering from PTSD. In a recent 18-week trial, participants were given three doses of MDMA which was followed up with one-on-one therapy. In almost all cases, this treatment was significantly more effective than those that got placebos. Jeffrey Kluger, editor-at-large for Time Magazine, joins us for the promise of MDMA in treating PTSD.

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