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.

Texas has been the story of the week… battered by a winter storm that left millions without power. While much of the power has been restored after days in freezing temperatures, there is still a food and water crisis there. It has also exposed huge flaws in the Texas power grid when it comes to extreme weather events. Josh Lederman, correspondent at NBC News, joins us for how huge demand for power and power plants that failed to produce that power led to a power grid failure.

Next, the latest data from Pfizer shows that its vaccine is less effective against the South African variant of coronavirus. While clinical trials have not been done, lab experiments show that there is about a two-thirds drop in the neutralization powers against this variant. Andrew Joseph, reporter at STAT News, joins us for what this means for the current batch of vaccines we have.

Finally, while the main concern with variants right now are those from the U.K. and South Africa, scientists are finding at least seven variants that originated here. More concerning is that they are all evolving in the same way, potentially becoming more contagious. These other strains are not as prevalent yet, but it makes the case for better surveillance on how the virus is changing in the population. Carl Zimmer, columnist at the NY Times, joins us for more.

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We are recovering from the pandemic, but to a different economy. According to a new report, millions of jobs that have been affected by the pandemic are unlikely to come back as increased automation takes hold, more people work from home, and business travel not expected to rebound so quickly. Heather Long, economics correspondent at The Washington Post, joins us for why we need to invest more in retraining workers.

Next, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has seen his profile rise within the Republican Party. His record on vaccinations, unemployment, and pro-business attitude during the pandemic has raised chatter about a potential run in 2024. His clashes with the media have also animated conservatives. Marc Caputo, national political reporter at Politico, joins us how Ron DeSantis is becoming ‘top tier’.

Finally, beware of hidden Covid surcharges. Some companies have been charging extra fees to make up for lost profits, cleaning costs, and PPE. These charges are being seen in places like dentist offices, senior living facilities, and restaurants. It’s hard to tell how widespread this is, but Attorneys General in some states have sent out warnings to consumers. Hannah Denham, business reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for what to watch out for.

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On Thursday, NASA is in for seven minutes of terror. The new Mars rover, Perseverance, will be landing, and everything has to be perfect for the mission to be a success. The entry, descent, and landing requires a heat shield, a parachute, rockets thrusters and a sky crane that will lower the rover on to the Martian surface. After that, the real mission starts as the rover will collect soil samples and also launch an autonomous helicopter. Christian Davenport, space reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for how it will all play out.

Next, the Department of Homeland Security, which was founded in response to 9/11 is beginning a pivot from focusing on foreign threats to a growing concern in the U.S., domestic terrorism. While the FBI usually looks into terrorism and extremists, the latest threat assessments from the DHS have pointed to increased activity by these groups and needs to reorient itself to these current threats. As always there are concerns of civil liberty violations and politicization of the department. Nick Miroff, reporter for The Washington Post, joins us for more.

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The process of getting a coronavirus vaccine appointment can seem like trying to get a PS5 with all available appointments gone before you know it. This can be especially hard if you might be helping out a parent or grandparent navigating the sites. Part of the problem is poorly designed sites and also too many vaccine sites from state, local, and hospitals all having their own web portals. Geoffrey Fowler, tech columnist at The Washington Post, joins us for tips on how to master the vaccine appointment websites.

Next, as cases were soaring last year, the government bought millions of dollars of rapid covid tests and distributed them to states, now we are finding out that millions of those tests have gone unused. One area of concern is that many of these tests are also reaching their six month expiration dates. States have cited accuracy concerns and also other challenges such as training and demand for not using them. Sarah Krouse, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how millions of rapid tests have remained unused.

Finally, the rate of infections in the U.S. is starting to trend in the right direction despite the rise in concern with more transmissible covid variants. While we are seeing these better numbers, experts are divided on why and chalk it up to four possibilities. Good behavior and mask wearing, improved vaccine distribution, changing seasonality, and more cases going undetected because of less testing. Reis Thebault, reporter at the Washington Post, joins us why coronavirus cases are dropping.

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For the second time, former President Trump has been acquitted of impeachment charges against him. Seven Republican senators voted with Democrats to convict Trump, but it was not enough to make the two-thirds majority needed. With this win, President Trump maintains his control of the GOP, but the party is still divided, where does it go from here? Also, what did the Democrats achieve in all of this after twice failing to convict Trump? Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for a breakdown of impeachment part 2.

Next, a story straight out of Hollywood about an acting coach, turned life coach and energy healer, who became a toxic influence to her followers that leveraged personal information against them. Candace Silvers, daughter of comedian Phil Silvers, has been accused by some former students of claiming success for other actors' accomplishments, using students' private stories in class discussions, and promoting unsafe health advice to her followers. Silvers, for her part, chalks it all up to a small group of disgruntled clients. Gary Baum, senior writer at The Hollywood Reporter, joins us for more on the guru of Toluka Lake.

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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.

Democrats have wrapped up their case in Trump’s second impeachment trial using new video of the Capitol riots and his own words against him, but it seems that the former president is still on his way toward acquittal. A majority of GOP senators have already voted saying the trial is unconstitutional and will stick to that in their final votes. Anita Kumar, White House correspondent and associate editor at Politico, joins us how it’s played out so far.

Next, there is only one airline left where you can book a flight with no one in the middle seat, at least until the end of April, and that is on Delta. Despite a pandemic, most people just want the cheapest fare possible and Delta has even lost money with this plan, but they feel like they are building up some goodwill when business travelers come back. Scott McCartney, Middle Seat columnist at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Finally, an Israeli company named Aleph Farms has unveiled the first 3-D printed ribeye steak. This is not plant-based and instead uses a culture of live animal tissue to grow the steak. It is a proof of concept for the company which hopes to bring these lab grown steaks to market in the second half of 2022. Laura Reiley, business of food reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for what to know about this new meat making process.

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