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.

Good news, bad news when it comes to vaccines. Good news is that 92% of Americans who got the Covid vaccine returned for their second shot. The bad news, millions of people have not gone back for their second dose, citing fear of side effects and thinking they are sufficiently protected after one shot. Public health experts applaud that high number but also urge everyone to finish their two-shot regimen. Elizabeth Weise, national correspondent at USA Today, joins us for more.

Next, the FDA is moving forward with a nationwide ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. The ban will not extend to menthol flavored e-cigarettes. Right now more than a third of cigarette purchases in the U.S. are for menthols and are mostly consumed by young people and smokers in communities of color. Marisa Fernandez, health care reporter at Axios, joins us for upcoming ban.

Finally, the CDC updated guidance this week for those that are fully vaccinated saying you no longer need to wear a mask outdoors, except if you are in crowded areas such as concerts or sporting events. There has been ongoing pushback over continued mask wearing with some states rolling back their mandates and others keeping them intact. Lena Sun, health reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for why you can toss that mask when outdoors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The White House has proposed the third massive spending plan of its administration. The latest plan is called the “American Families Plan” and will cost $1.8 trillion. The plan will expand access to education with free universal preschool and two years of tuition free community college among other initiatives and would be paid for by raising taxes on investors and wealthy Americans. The package cannot be passed without Congress and will be a tough sell for many as-is. Jeff Stein, White House economics reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for what’s in the plan.

Next, there is an ongoing erosion of personal ownership. With the rise of digital purchases, subscription and streaming based services, do we even really own music or movies anymore? Beyond that, other products we may buy that have, for example, proprietary software that may need to be serviced by specific parent companies may also hinder what we do with our property. This new dynamic may also change the relationship and attachments we have to what we own. Dan Greene, contributor to Vox, joins us for how some rights of traditional ownership are changing.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The recall election to remove California Gov. Gavin Newsom is on! Proponents of the recall have submitted enough signatures to put the recall on the ballot. No date has been set yet, but the vote may come by November. Now we have to see how many people will jump into the race to replace and how does the state change over the course of the next few months. Taryn Luna, reporter at the LA Times, joins us for how the recall circus back in California.

Next, on Monday we heard that the Supreme Court will be hearing a major Second Amendment case that could impact gun laws for years to come. They will be hearing a case out of New York in the next term that has to do a law restricting the ability to carry concealed handguns in public. Ian Milhiser, senior correspondent at Vox, joins us for what to know about this case and how the conservative majority in the court may impact the decision.

Finally, we know that women and especially mothers of school-aged children have had a tough time when it comes to staying in the workforce. Now, we have some numbers, Nearly 1.5 million mothers are still missing from the workforce compared to last year at the beginning of the pandemic. Two big factors driving those numbers, are access to child care and the demands of the home and virtual schooling for kids. Katie Riley, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many companies are starting to hire again and some have a special requirement before coming on board, a Covid-19 vaccine. Employers are starting to mandate candidates get a shot before they are hired and are also applying the rule to existing employees too. Certain exemptions can be made, but generally, it is legal for employers to mandate such vaccinations. Chip Cutter, workplace reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how employers across all industries are beginning to require Covid vaccines.

Next, two camps are emerging as more than a quarter of Americans are fully vaccinated… those that want to party, travel, and get back to normal, and those that are still nervous about catching the coronavirus. Some are finding it hard to turn off the past year of extra precautions taken not to get sick and are wary about returning to in-person interactions. Elizabeth Chuck, senior writer at NBC News Digital, joins us why some are still nervous about Covid, despite being vaccinated.

Finally, a little more on the state of jobs in the country. Restaurants and bars are continuing to make their comeback, but they are running into another problem, a lack of employees. This is affecting both national chains and independent restaurants, and to help with this, they are turning to hiring bonuses, more pay, and other perks. However, these extra costs can be passed on to the consumer. Heather Haddon, restaurants reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week President Biden will reach his first 100 days in office and polls show that generally, the public approves of the job he is doing so far. 53% approve of his overall performance with the highest marks coming for his handling of the pandemic and the lowest marks for what is happening at the southern border. More people also approve of the administration’s priorities such as Biden’s infrastructure plan. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for this and a preview of Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress.

Next, after a rollercoaster year of remote learning and school closures due to the pandemic, many parents may be feeling powerless as they face the possibility of their children being held back. This particular situation deals with third graders across the country who are not reading at the appropriate grade level. 18 states have laws on the books where students must be held back if they don’t meet the requirements and many students have fallen behind. In Tennessee, some estimates say that nearly 66% of third graders don’t meet English language standards. Carly Sitrin, education reporter at Politico, joins us for more.

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.

After the guilty verdicts in the George Floyd murder case, a lot of attention has been turned to what’s next. District attorneys and law enforcement researchers say that with this decision, more prosecutors are going to be willing to charge police officers in shootings. With increased attention to police misconduct and this high profile conviction, prosecutors may be more aggressive in these cases. Dan Frosch, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for what to expect.

Next, fake doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been spotted in Mexico and Poland as criminals take advantage of the high demand across the world. There is no indication that this is happening in the U.S. so no need to worry, but investigators said that about 80 people in Mexico got fake shots and in Poland, vials that were labeled as vaccine contained anti-wrinkle treatment. No one has been harmed. Jared Hopkins, pharma reporter at the WSJ, joins us for these counterfeit vaccines.

Finally, President Biden has announced new climate goals in an effort to convince the world that the U.S. is once again a leader when combatting climate change. Biden announced that the country will aim to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels and wants to do it by 2030. Andrew Freedman, climate and energy reporter at Axios, joins us for more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.