Background and breakdown on 100 days of Portland insurrection, going in to the background, history of the current protests breaking down the struggles, successes and infrastructure that has made the uprising in Portland possible. 

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Lots of news out of the CDC recently when it comes to COVID-19. First, the CDC said that the standard 14 day quarantine can be shortened to 10 days or even seven if certain criteria are met. It can be 10 days if you are showing no symptoms at all, and seven if you get a negative test. New guidelines were also released when it comes to testing before and after travel. Joel Achenbach, science reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for the latest guideline adjustments.

Next, a federal vaccine advisory panel has recommended that health-care workers and residents of nursing homes be the first people to receive any vaccine that might soon be approved. About 40 million doses of vaccine should be available by the end of December, and since it is a two-shot protocol, only about 20 million people will be vaccinated until more can be manufactured. Betsy McKay, senior writer at the WSJ, joins us for this, and a new analysis of blood donations that shows coronavirus was infecting people in mid-December of 2019, a few weeks before it was officially identified in China and about a month earlier that the first U.S. case.

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The airline industry has taken a huge hit during the pandemic and some of the declines could be permanent. A new analysis says that business travel could be permanently cut by 36% and that could also affect the way you travel. Regular consumers could see higher ticket prices and reduced routes to your favorite places. Scott McCartney, Middle Seat columnist at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Next, a bipartisan group of senators has proposed a $908 billion stimulus plan that they hope could break the logjam in Congress. The plan provides some relief for small businesses and some benefits for unemployed workers, but does not include direct stimulus payments to Americans. Like with most plans, there is not much hope that this would pass. Jeff Stein, White House economics reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for what’s in the latest stimulus plan.

Finally, we are getting some information on how children have been faring during the pandemic amid shutdowns and remote learning. It seems that kids have been doing well and consistent when it comes to reading, but have been slowing down when it comes to math. Researchers say that parents are more comfortable helping kids with reading than math assignments. Leslie Brody, education reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how math progress has slowed.

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Moderna has now become the second company to request emergency use authorization from the FDA for their vaccine candidate. In their latest findings, the vaccine is over 94% effective against coronavirus and very effective at preventing serious cases of the virus. The next step will be on Dec. 10 when the FDA will discuss approval for Pfizer and then Dec. 17 for Moderna. Karen Weintraub, health reporter at USA Today, joins us for more as we get closer to vaccine approvals.

Next, President-elect Joe Biden continues to formulate his team as he makes his way through the transition. Over the weekend he named an all female communications team and Monday announced his senior economic team where Janet Yellen will be nominated to be the first female Treasury Secretary. Not all of his nominees will be slam dunks to be confirmed, but they all have experience and respect in their respective fields. Kate Davidson, economic policy reporter at the WSJ, joins us for who is on the economic team and the challenges they will face.

Finally, as we see cases of coronavirus rising and new lockdowns and restrictions imposed, restaurants are feeling the brunt of it and defying orders to close down. Feeling like scapegoats, many are worried that these continued restrictions will put them out of business. Lawsuits have also been filed against the restrictions with limited success. Heather Haddon, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how the pandemic continues to squeeze the restaurant industry.

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The two leading vaccine candidates are using technology that has never been approved in a commercial vaccine before. They both use messenger RNA to direct human cells to manufacture the spike protein found on the coronavirus. While this technology has been in development for two decades, the latest vaccines prove the science is sound and could change the way future vaccines are made. Karen Weintraub, health reporter at USA Today, joins us for how these mRNA vaccines work and why they do so well.

Next, Hollywood and the entertainment industry has been grappling with a series of mass layoffs. The pandemic has accelerated a shift in the business needs of major studios and networks. As the focus of the industry turns to streaming and subscription based platforms, companies need different expertise from their executives rather than traditional programming and marketing knowledge. Cynthia Littleton, co-editor in chief at Variety, joins us for how the entertainment industry continues to redefine itself for a streaming future.

Finally, while the pandemic continues to be the most urgent health need in the country, there are many that are still struggling with addiction. There is an addiction treatment method called contingency management that has been shown to work, but so far has been underused. The concept rewards drug users with money and prizes for staying abstinent, and therein lie most of the objections to using this method. Abby Goodnough, national health correspondent at the NY Times, 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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Black Friday is here and it’s all about getting those deals! Most people will be doing their shopping online, so you better get that refresh finger ready. Some of the hot items people are trying to track down are the new PS5 and Xbox consoles, but good luck with that. Marc Saltzman, tech columnist and host of the “Tech It Out” podcast, joins us for this and some apps that could help you get the best deal in town.

Next, looking forward to Christmas and trying to get in some of those traditional experiences, how will your visit to Santa be different during the pandemic? Some retailers are cancelling Santa visits and opting for a virtual meet-up. Others are doing in-person visits where Santa could be protected inside a giant snow globe or barricaded behind an 8-ft picture frame. Abha Bhattarai, national retail reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for how your Santa visit won’t be the same.

Finally, it has been referred to by some as the zombie deer disease. Chronic Wasting Disease affects the brains of deer, elk, and similar animals leaving them listless, drooling, and eventually dead.  But a study is underway now in Yellowstone National Park that is exploring the idea of using wolves as the first line of defense against this disease. Jim Robbins, science writer at the NY Times, joins us for how the predator cleansing effect could help fight this terrible disease.

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Thanksgiving is here and even amid the pandemic many will be gathering with family, please be safe and wear your mask when you can, but let’s talk about food. To start us off today we will give you the official Thanksgiving food power rankings. We will speak to Lucas Kwan Peterson, food columnist at the LA Times for his take on where all your favorite Thanksgiving foods rank. A little preview of what you are in for… Turkey ranks dead last in his list, pumpkin pie doesn’t fare much better, and cranberries might just be the most controversial food item. 

Next, one of the most interesting symptoms of COVID-19 is when people lose their sense of smell and taste. As many as 80% of people experience a temporary loss of smell and while most recover in about two weeks, for some, it can last much longer and even distort some of the smells of very familiar things. French fries might smell like rotting meat, coffee could smell like burning rubber. This condition is known as parosmia. Scientists are studying why this happens and are getting clues to how recovery might work. Robbie Whelan, reporter for the WSJ, joins us for more.  

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President-elect Joe Biden has announced his nominees for his top national security team. Some of the names include Tony Blinken for Secretary of State, Alejandro Mayorkas for DHS Secretary, Avril Haines for Director of National Intelligence, and John Kerry as climate envoy. Carol Morello, diplomatic correspondent at the Washington Post, joins us for more on who they are and how these picks have often pushed for policies that Trump used to fuel his rise.

Next, China has successfully launched its most ambitious mission to the Moon yet. It is a quick ‘grab and go’ mission to bring back some lunar rocks and dirt. If they succeed it will be the first time since 1976 that we will have fresh moon rocks back here on earth. It is a complicated process for the mission and they hope to be back in about 23 days. Loren Grush, senior science writer at The Verge, joins us for more on the Chinese Moon mission.

Finally, retailers are preparing for another surge of shoppers as we are seeing rising coronavirus cases and in some areas, new rounds of lockdowns. All the while, essential workers continue to go in to work and put their health at risk. Hazard pay incentives that we saw at the beginning of the pandemic have not come back and some companies don’t plan on bringing it back. Michael Corkery, business reporter at the NY Times, joins us for more on the lack of coronavirus hazard pay.

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