The Daily Dive

NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo continues to be in hot water as a third woman has come forward to allege unwanted advances and sexual harassment. Cuomo now faces an investigation by the NY Attorney General and also calls for his resignation from both parties. David Freedlander, contributor to NY Magazine, joins us for how Cuomo is trying to navigate these scandals as his political future is called into question.

Next, the market for a type of new digital asset known as a non-fungible token or NFT has exploded. These NFT’s can be anything from digital art, sports cards, or even pieces of land in a virtual environment and are authenticated by blockchain which proves you own it. Recently, a 10-second video artwork that was originally bought for $67,000, sold for $6.6 million. Elizabeth Howcroft, Reporter at Reuters, joins us for how NFT’s are booming right now.

Finally, researchers are looking to disease resistant patients in the hopes to expose weaknesses in Covid-19. Studies are being done to identify people who were heavily exposed to the virus, but never came down with it and also had no antibodies. Some of the answers lie in gene susceptibility, autoantibodies, and mutations. David Cox, freelance journalist at the BBC, joins us for how scientists are looking for Covid’s weak spots.

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The conversation about raising the federal minimum wage continues in Congress after it will not be allowed to stay in the Covid relief bill. Some members of Congress want an increase to about $10 and want something regional to apply. Many large businesses have already raised wages and while other businesses support the increases, not all are sold on President Biden’s $15 an hour plan. Eric Morath, labor and economics reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Next, after drug lord El Chapo was arrested in 2016, a void was left as to which cartel leader would assume power next. The DEA is now on the hunt for El Mencho, leader of the CJNC cartel which is responsible for huge amounts of meth and fentanyl coming into the U.S. He has eluded federal authorities so far and in many ways is like hunting a ghost. He maintains a low profile compared to the flashy El Chapo. Gabe Gutierrez, correspondent at NBC News, joins us for the hunt for Mexico’s bloodiest drug lord EL Mencho.

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The House has passed President Biden's $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill and will now head to the Senate. While it will most likely pass there, it will be losing a provision that would have raised the federal minimum wage to $15. President Trump was also in the spotlight speaking at CPAC, and NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo is facing an investigation after a second former staffer accused him of sexual harassment. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washinbgton digital editor at NBC News, joins us to break it all down.

Next, pandemic numbers have been trending in the right direction and the vaccine rollout has been ramping up, but when can we all get back to normal? The next few months will look just as they have been, continued mask wearing and social distancing, but the summer could be the closest to normal that we have seen in a long time. Joe Pinkser, staff writer at The Atlantic, previews what the next few seasons might look like on our road to pre-pandemic normalcy.

Finally, some estimates say that we could face a shortage of doctors in the next decade, but right now there are thousands of doctors that can't get a job. Medical schools are producing more graduates, but residency programs haven't kept up with matching doctors. Part of the problem is matching doctors who went to medical school abroad. Emma Goldberg, reporter at the NY Times, joins us for why many young doctors are in debt and unmatched with residency programs.

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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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More vaccines could be approved very soon. One from Johnson & Johnson and another from a company called Novavax. If authorized, this vaccine could be one of the most potent weapons against the pandemic. Early data shows that it could be the first shot to slow down asymptomatic spread and potentially provide longer-lasting protection. The other part of this story is the company itself, Novavax was a small biotech company that had tried to develop an approved vaccine with no success. Gregory Zuckerman, special writer at the WSJ, joins us for how Novavax turned its company around to make and effective Covid vaccine.

Next, ghost kitchens or virtual restaurants have taken over America’s restaurants. The new world is search optimized and data-driven. Often these restaurants have no storefront and no place to dine-in. Instead, they can be found on food delivery apps like Uber Eats and GrubHub. Some experts say that these virtual restaurants will be a $1 trillion industry in the next ten years. At a time when restaurants are struggling due to the pandemic, this expansion can be a lifeline for many. Adam Chandler, contributor to Marker, joins us for the rise of ghost kitchens.

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FDA scientists have given their stamp of approval and said that Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is safe and effective in fighting Covid-19. This could lead to its emergency-use authorization very soon. The vaccine reduced moderate to severe cases by 66%, does not require cold storage and is most importantly only a single shot. Matthew Herper, senior writer at STAT News, joins us for more on the J&J vaccine which can also help protect against new variants.

Next, the latest Gallup poll shows that adults who identify as LGBTQ has risen about one percentage point since the last update we got in 2017. 5.6% of adults identify this way with 1 in 6 adults in Generation Z considering themselves LGBTQ. The majority of LGBT Americans also say they are bisexual. Jeffrey Jones, senior editor at Gallup, joins us for more.

Finally, a team of scientists with the WHO are exploring the origins of Covid-19 and are focusing on two animal types for possible vectors where the illness jumped to humans. Investigators say that ferret badgers and rabbits, which were sold at the Wuhan market could have played a role in the spread. Drew Hinshaw, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more on the WHO investigation into Covid-19.

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Drug companies Pfizer and Moderna have pledged to boost the doses of vaccines delivered after solving some manufacturing issues they had. While they are stepping up production many ask, why can’t we make these doses any faster? Much of the answer in that lies in the very specialized process and raw materials that go into making them. Isaac Arnsdorf, reporter at ProPublica, joins us for more.

Next, security officials that were in charge during the assault on the Capitol on January 6 were testifying before Congress and offered their account of how things went south. There were concerns of “optics” and a mess of conflicting orders that led to hours long delays in mobilizing the National Guard. Anita Kumar, White House correspondent and associate editor at Politico, joins us for more on the Capitol Hill security failures.

Finally, a case in which an organ transplant patient has died after receiving lungs infected with Covid. Initial tests on the donor and lungs came back negative, but after the transplant, the patient fell ill with fever and showed signs of lung infection. Her condition deteriorated and then tests came back positive, she died 61 days after the transplant. JoNel Aleccia, senior correspondent at Kaiser Health News, joins us for this rare and tragic story.

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Texas continues its recovery from the winter storm that took down their power grid. And while millions of people were left without power, some still had the lights on and are now being hit with bills in the thousands of dollars. One man was hit with a bill at almost $17,000. For those that did not have fixed electricity prices, the cost of their power went up with demand. Ivan Penn, energy correspondent at the NY Times, joins us for why some Texas electric bills skyrocketed.

Next, it seems counterintuitive, but some Covid tests can’t pick up on certain variants in their results, and labs are using those very same tests to help flag if you might have the U.K. variant. If tests come back positive for Covid-19, but fail a specific section of the test, that could be an indicator that someone is infected with the U.K. strain. Brianna Abbott, health reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how some tests are being used to flag different Covid variants.

Finally, you’ve heard of lab-grown meat, now get ready for lab-grown wood that potentially could be grown into any shape. Scientists at MIT have a very early proof of concept that allowed them to grow plant tissue with cells, no seeds, soil, or sunlight needed. Keith Gillogly, contributing writer at Wired, joins us for more on this new tech.

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Texas is still trying to recover from a winter storm that left millions without power for days. The efforts are now focused on getting people food and water while President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster there freeing up more federal funding to help out. At the same time, Sen. Ted Cruz is still trying to smooth over the PR disaster from his trip to Cancun. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us to break it all down.

Next, the pace of vaccinations in the U.S. is starting to pick up, but many distribution sites are still recovering from an initial botched rollout. Many local health departments and hospitals were in the dark about how many doses they were getting and when they would be delivered. Officials overestimated how many doses to set aside for nursing homes, and reporting from states was also uneven. Sarah Krouse, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for vaccine distribution problems. 

Finally, the pandemic has forced one of the fastest and most sweeping shifts in human behavior in modern history. At one point, almost half of the population was spending more than 18 hours a day in their homes with their family. According to the data of how families were spending their time, television won big time. People also devoted more time to working and taking care of their children. Andrew Van Dam, reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for how we all spent our time.

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