The Daily Dive

This is a compilation of some of the most compelling stories of the week.

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Big shakeup at the Pentagon this week as President Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper and three other top Pentagon officials were also replaced. The exit had been expected for months as the relationship between Esper and the White House deteriorated. Esper had his first public break with the president when he wanted to use active duty troops in D.C. to put down violent protests after the death of George Floyd. Meghann Myers, Pentagon bureau chief at the Military Times, had a conversation with the former Defense Secretary and tell us why he said he was no yes man.

Next, the FDA this week gave the emergency use authorization to Eli Lilly for their monoclonal antibody Covid treatment. It is similar to the treatment that President Trump received when he was sick and is aimed at keeping mild cases from turning more serious. The process of getting this treatment developed and approved was difficult in that the company also had to deal with the pandemic at the same time. They had to trim down their staff, work remotely in some cases, and the chief of the lab had to use a robot with an iPad attached to it so he can patrol the lab. Peter Loftus, health care reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how Eli Lilly got it done.

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Cases of coronavirus continue to surge across the country and records are being set. Texas jut became the first state to hit one million cases and the country set a record Tuesday for the amount of hospitalizations. That is a particular concerning point especially in rural areas where they have fewer intensive care beds and sometimes have to transfer patients. Melanie Evans, hospital reporter at the WSJ, joins us for record hospitalizations.

Next, President Trump still refuses to concede the election and it is holding up the Biden transition. Despite no evidence of widespread fraud, 70% of Republicans say they don’t believe the election was free or fair. And now some Republican Party officials and leaders are also joining the call that the elections were stolen. David Siders, national political reporter at Politico, joins us for more.

Finally, when it comes to jobs, women have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. More than 2 million women have dropped out of the labor force as of October and one of the big reasons is that virtual schooling is causing moms to quit. Having to make tough decisions about paying for childcare or working, many women with school age children are staying home. Heather Long, economics correspondent at the Washington Post, joins us for how the pandemic has hit working women.

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How will the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic change now that Joe Biden will come into power? The Biden-Harris campaign has already announced a Covid advisory board, with a plan that includes more of a national strategy. This means more testing, a national mask mandate, and possibility of more lockdowns which no one wants. Biden would also like to see the CDC more involved and repair the relationship with the WHO. Noah Higgins-Dunn, reporter at CNBC, joins us for what the Biden coronavirus plan is all about.

Next, President Trump has refused to concede and has numerous lawsuits hoping to overturn the outcome of the election. Meanwhile, the White House has ordered different agencies not to cooperate with the Biden transition team until the General Services Administration confirms the election. This office needs to sign paperwork that would release funds to the transition team and allow them to begin getting briefings from government offices. Lisa Rein, national reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for how the GSA is holding up the transition.

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Great news on the vaccine front! Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate has been shown to be 90% effective in early findings. The Pfizer vaccine is a two-shot protocol given three weeks apart. They are still waiting on more data, but could possibly apply for emergency use authorization before the end of November. Karen Weintraub, health reporter at USA Today, joins us for what to know about the latest vaccine news.

Next, it was a crazy election week, but probably the most hectic for the nation’s vote counters. While the rest of the country was waiting anxiously to see which candidate would be elected president, these vote counters worked day and night, amid hecklers, protesters and allegations of fraud. Some even endured physical threats and online harassment. Amy Gardner, national political reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for more.

Finally, local governments are raising concern over using rapid response antigen tests on asymptomatic people. Louisiana, one of the first states to receive shipments from the U.S. government, said that these tests aren’t recommended for those that may be asymptomatic because they can return false positives or miss it completely if someone has a small viral load. Emma Court, health reporter at Bloomberg News, joins us for the caution around rapid Covid tests.

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Joe Biden is now President-Elect of the United States with over 75 million people voting for the Biden/Harris ticket. President Trump has refused to concede while his campaign files lawsuits in multiple states alleging fraud and that the election was stolen. As Biden begins the transition to taking over, there is much on his plate... getting a handle on the coronavirus pandemic, the economy, and most importantly, trying to unite a deeply divided country. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for more.

Next, possibly the biggest winner in this election was cannabis and magic mushrooms. Measures to legalize cannabis had major victories in various states. Oregon became the first state to make possession of small amounts of harder drugs like cocaine, heroin and other drugs not punishable by jail time. Oregon and Washington D.C. also approved the therapeutic use of magic mushrooms. Alicia Victoria Lozano, digital reporter at NBC News, joins us for how drugs were a big winner this election.

Finally, as the weather turns colder, restaurants have had to adapt once again to be able to serve customers and keep the coronavirus from spreading. Enter... Bubble dining. Restaurants are setting up clear plastic domes and pods with tables set inside to keep customers safe and warm, but are they safe? Ventilation and cleanliness must still be maintained inside. Allyson Chiu, wellness reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for the new dining pods.

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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.

Beyond the election, the economy may still be caught up in gridlock as it seems likely that Democrats will control the House and Republicans will control the Senate. Republicans have already signaled that if Joe Biden wins the presidency, they will prevent any major spending bill even as the economy continues to suffer through the pandemic. Felix Salmon, chief financial correspondent at Axios, joins us for the upcoming gridlock.

Next, coming in to the election, it seemed that Democrats had a good chance at flipping the Senate. Well, the polls were wrong and it looks like that chance has nearly faded. We are looking at two possible Senate runoff races in Georgia for Democrats to make gains, but it could be difficult. Siobhan Hughes, Capitol Hill reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Finally, doctors are beginning to figure out why some people have long-term symptoms from COVID-19. Called “post-acute Covid” or “chronic Covid” many are continuing to deal with symptoms for weeks or months after they were expected to recover. These symptoms range from severe fatigue and brain fog to digestive problems and erratic heart rates. Sumathi Reddy, WSJ’s “Your Health” columnist, joins us for what could be causing these long-term effects.

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Possibly the biggest loser in this election, the polls. Once again many pollsters and poll analysts got it wrong. Coming into Election Day, it looked like a Biden landslide and a democratic flip of the senate, but that didn’t happen. Going forward these polls will need to be re-evaluated and regain the trust of the people. David Graham, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins us for why a failure of the polls threatens our ability to understand what others think outside of these elections.

Next, President Trump is mounting several legal challenges in different states. The campaign is calling for a recount in Wisconsin, and suing to halt mail-in vote counting in Michigan and Pennsylvania. They are alleging that Trump representatives are not being given enough access to the counting of ballots. Shan Li, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for these voting legal fights.

Finally, an update to an important ballot proposition that we were following out of California. The voters there decided to approve Prop 22 which would allow Uber, Lyft, and other gig economy companies to classify workers as independent contractors instead of employees. Taryn Luna, reporter at the LA Times, joins us for more on the most expensive ballot prop in history.

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