The Daily Dive

So far, the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murder in the death of George Floyd, has been very emotional. We have been shown lots of video of the incident and heard from compelling witnesses to the scene. Prosecutors are trying to argue excessive use of force and the defense will say that Mr. Floyd’s death was the result of heart disease and drug use. Shawna Chen, reporter at Axios, joins us for what we have seen so far in this trial expected to last about a month.

Next, many large companies are formulating their return-to-work plans as more people are getting vaccinated and it’s shaping up to be a hybrid model, with time split between the office and working from home. Some experts think this could pose extra challenges like giving preferential treatment to workers in the office, among other things. Jena McGregor, writer at The Washington Post, joins us for how the hybrid office is here to stay.

Finally, keep that vaccination card handy, because it could be useful in getting some freebies. Companies are supporting efforts to get more people vaccinated and drum up some new business by offering a free doughnut a day in the case of Krispy Kreme or free joints in the case of one dispensary. Charles Passy, writer at the WSJ, joins us for more.

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Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz is currently under investigation by the Dept. of Justice for an alleged sexual relationship with a 17 year old girl and possibly paying for her to travel across state lines. Gaetz, for his part, denies the allegations and says that this is all part of a $25 million extortion plot by a former DOJ official. Philip Bump, national correspondent at The Washington Post, joins us for what we know about this investigation.

Next, a new study by Pfizer shows that their vaccine is 100% effective against symptomatic Covid-19 in 12 to 15 year olds. There were over 2,200 adolescents involved in the study and all will be followed for two years to track long-term effectiveness and safety. More studies are also being done to test vaccine effectiveness in younger age ranges. Karen Weintraub, health reporter at USA Today, joins us for more.

Finally, DoorDash and other food delivery apps were a life-line for many restaurants that were trying to stay open during pandemic. But in return for doing business with these apps, commission fees were imposed in the 20-30% range of the total order. Some states and cities imposed caps on these commissions, but DoorDash just tacked on other fees directly to consumers. Cyrus Farivar, investigative tech reporter at NBC News, joins us for the fight against delivery commission fees.

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The surge of migrants at the border continues and is expected to possibly last 7 months as projections for September by Customs and Border Protection is anywhere from 22,000-25,000 migrants crossing the border. The administration is trying to get control over the situation, but the message is not reaching migrants and smugglers. Reuters spoke to over a dozen self-identified smugglers to see how and why unaccompanied minors are crossing the border. In many cases, these smuggling operations can cost thousands for migrants, as they are transported by a variety of ways, even by plane. Laura Gottesdiener, Reuters correspondent based in Mexico, joins us for more.

Next, a recent study is shedding light on the neurological difficulties some are having months after a Covid infection. These issues were even present in many that did not have severe cases of coronavirus. The most common issues were brain fog, headaches, tingling, and muscle pain. As is with many Covid problems, scientists think it is related to the inflammation caused in the body when trying to fight off the virus. Pam Belluck, health and science reporter at the NY Times, joins us for these neurological Covid issues that linger.

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A new study conducted by the CDC that followed about 4,000 health care personnel, police, firefighters, and other essential workers found that under real-life conditions, both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are 90% effective after your second dose. Good news that is significant because these were all front-line workers who are more likely to be exposed to the virus. Lena Sun, health reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for more on vaccine effectiveness.

Next, the long awaited report into the origins of Covid-19 has arrived, but unfortunately it still leaves key questions unanswered. The most likely scenario is that the virus jumped from bats, to a still unknown intermediary animal, and then to humans. The findings may still be called into question as the investigators had little power to conduct an impartial investigation without Chinese influence. Drew Hinshaw, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for what we know about the WHO report.

Finally, there is a mysterious disease killing young black bears in California. Bears normally shy away from humans, and one of the symptoms is a new found fearlessness. The disease causes the bears brains to become inflamed and could be related to some new viruses found in bears with these symptoms. Ryan Sabalow, reporter at the Sacramento Bee, joins us for the curious illness affecting bears.

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The next phase of the Biden economic plan will be broken up into two parts. The first will concentrate on infrastructure... rebuilding and repairing roads, bridges, airports and more. The second part which will be unveiled in the coming weeks, will focus on child care and health care reforms. Also on the docket for Congress will be a voting rights bill and expanded background checks for gun purchases. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for what to expect.

Next, as schools shut down for almost a year in many cases during the pandemic, the mental health of students greatly suffered. According to a Reuters survey of school districts, 74% reported multiple indicators of mental health stresses among students and 57% of responding districts said that teachers were also seeking assistance. Michael Pell, data journalist at Reuters, joins us for how the pandemic did more damage to our students than just getting behind on schoolwork.

Finally, many are wondering about what the comeback will look like for former President Trump. After losing his favorite megaphone on Twitter, aides to the former president are saying he could be a couple months away from launching his own social media platform. Whatever the president chooses to do, he will definitely have a receptive audience, but will it be enough to break through in the crowded social media landscape? Gabby Orr, national political reporter at Politico, joins us for more.

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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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President Biden held his first news conference after 65 days in office and took questions on the surge of migrants at the border, foreign policy questions about China and North Korea, and also about the filibuster in the Senate. Biden also set a new vaccine goal of 200 million shots in the first 100 days and said he would be running again in 2024. Julia Manchester, political reporter at The Hill, joins us for a breakdown of how it went.

Next, we are still monitoring the campaign to unionize at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. Mail- in voting is still underway and working conditions at these warehouses are in the spotlight. Meanwhile, employees at other locations are gathering signatures, discussing potential strikes, and consulting with unions about other campaigns. Sebastian Herrera, technology reporter at the WSJ joins us for the increasing pressure that Amazon facing during this union vote.

Finally, AstraZeneca and their vaccine has been on a rollercoaster ride this week as we learned that their shot is 76% effective against symptomatic Covid-19. On Monday it was 79%, then U.S. officials said they were using outdated data, and finally came back with the correction. Karen Weintraub, healthcare reporter at USA Today, joins us for the difficult rollout of this vaccine.

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Another mass shooting on Monday rocked Colorado and the country leaving families mourning the loss of loved ones and many residents asking “why does this keep happening in Colorado?” Easy access to guns plays a part as it did in this case, where the shooter obtained his guns just days before the shooting. Colorado also has a history with mass shootings with tragedies in Aurora, Littleton, and at Columbine High School. The picture of the shooter that is emerging is one of an angry, lonely, and possibly paranoid man. Alicia Victoria Lozano, national reporter at NBC News, joins us for more.

Next, we currently have three great vaccine options out there, but the rollout for one seems to be a little bumpier than the others. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is just not reaching as many arms as the others. Only about half of the doses that have been distributed, have been administered. Some officials believe that states may be holding back some shots to bank enough to reach underserved communities, but some states representatives say they are using all available doses as they come. Erin Banco, healthcare reporter at Politico, joins us for why the J&J vaccine might not be reaching more people.

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We may soon have a report detailing everything the government knows about UFOs. Tucked away in the $2.3 trillion dollar appropriations bill that President Trump signed last year was a provision saying the director of national intelligence and secretary of defense must present a UFO report. Reis Thebault, reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for more on this report which could be out by June.

Next, the migrant crisis on the border continues with very few solutions in place and numbers expected to swell going into April and May. In the Rio Grande Valley, we are hearing of border agents releasing migrants without court dates and in Donna, Texas we’ve seen the first pictures of overcrowding in a temporary overflow facility. Stef Kight, immigration reporter at Axios, joins us for what the scene is like at the southern border.

Finally, from good news to questions and concerns. AstraZeneca released details from its U.S. trials that their vaccine is 79% effective against Covid-19. Then, hours later, federal officials said that they might have used outdated information and was missing a month’s worth of data. AstraZeneca said it would release more data soon, but the damage may have already been done, another misstep in the rollout. Karen Weintraub, health reporter at USA Today, joins us for the latest.

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