The Daily Dive

Two L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputies cling to life in critical condition after being ambushed while in their SUV at a Compton metro stop. To which Sheriff Alex Villanueva called out Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James to pitch in monetarily to the reward for the assailant. KFIAM640 Los Angeles report Steve Gregory will bring us up to date.

Then, the Maine super-spreader wedding has now been linked to more than 170 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 7 deaths. And get this, most diagnosed weren’t even at the wedding and those numbers may not be the final tally either. We’ll get a sense of both the medical community response and larger general civic reaction from NBC breaker news reporter Minyvonne Burke.

And finally, as a companion story, nurses across the country have been dying from COVID-19 due to their profession’s inherent dangers. We’ll discuss the strain this has put on hospitals and the protections put in place to guard hospital staff at all levels with Christina Jewett, senior correspondent for Kaiser Health News.

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A massive 12 million dollar settlement has been reached between the city of Louisville and the family of Breonna Taylor who was killed during a no-knock raid by police back in march. What is eyebrow raising is that the settlement also includes police reforms to be implemented. Tim Craig, national reporter for The Washington Post has the details. 

Then, as the AstraZeneca trials for a COVID-19 vaccine hit a snag, the debate resumes as to whether the guard rails and safety protocols worked as intended or proof that we’re moving too fast in quest to return to normalcy prior to the pandemic. Liz Szabo, senior correspondent at Kaiser Health News will update us on the status of the trials and what any setback may mean.   

And finally, as wildfires continue to rage out west and President Trump met with California officials; the debate intensified as to what role if any, the federal government should play in the fight against climate change. Brady Dennis, Environmental Policy and Public Health Issues Reporter for The Washington Post will bring us the latest.

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Oracle may have won the bidding war over TikTok, or at least that’s what is being reported; although few specifics are being given. That’s important because it remains unclear whether the sale will be enough to avert the ban on operating in the U.S. threatened by President Trump. Axios Technology editor Kyle Daly joins us to provide insight on what happens next.

Then, as fires rage largely out of control in California and Oregon, it’s good news/bad news with the strong winds which both aid in improving air quality and assist in further spreading the flames. Thomas Fuller, San Francisco Bureau Chief for the New York Times will have an update on the fires and the prospect of further federal intervention.

And finally, as the U.S. approaches 200k deaths and millions more hospitalized in the fight against COVID19, the bill is coming due, much to the surprise of many under the belief that COVID-19 treatment would be paid for by the federal government. Robbie Whelan, correspondent for the Wall Street Journal will break down who is responsible for which costs and to what degree.

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President Trump has a faced a lot of bad news recently from a barrage of negative books, but while he often complains about the deep state trying to undermine him, most of the attacks are coming from people who were in his close orbit. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for this, and new polls showing that most voters don’t see Trump or Biden as mentally fit to lead.

Next, the pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of life and it will also be reshaping the holiday shopping season. The sales and promotions will be coming earlier than ever and everyone will be shopping online which could lead to a delay in getting your packages. Jennifer Kingson, managing business editor at Axios, joins us for how it’s all changing and why you should start shopping as early as you can.

Finally, a COVID-19 vaccine supply chain is starting to take shape. Once a vaccine is approved, it will be a huge undertaking to transport the millions of doses to their destinations. Everything from temperature controlled containers to securing flights for doses to be delivered will all have to be figured out. Ed Silverman, Pharmalot columnist and senior writer at STAT News, 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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There has been a lot of fallout from the new Bob Woodward book on President Trump. Trump has gone into damage control over quotes and audio clips where he said that he intentionally downplayed the coronavirus so he would not cause panic. The president continues to claim he has done a good job and is trying to shift blame to Woodward. Orion Rummler, reporter at Axios joins us for more.

Next, remember all those seeds that were being sent to Americans from China? The USDA came out and said not to plant them and instead contact your local agricultural departments. Well we are finding out that hundreds of people did plant those seeds and some people even ate them! Jason Koebler, editor in chief of Motherboard at Vice, joins us joins us for what he found out about all those unsolicited seeds.

Finally, during the pandemic, online gaming traffic rose about 30% and with that, attempts to hack into players’ accounts and steal their digital goods also rose. It’s a game of volume for the hackers, but all together they can make millions in selling your stolen goods. Julie Jargon, family and tech columnist at the WSJ, joins us for how to protect yourself from online gaming fraud.

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We had a setback this week in vaccine development as AstraZeneca and Oxford University put a hold on stage three clinical trials of their experimental COVID-19 vaccine. One participant in the U.K. came down with an unexplained illness forcing the trial to shut down while an investigation is done. Rebecca Robbins, reporter at STAT News, joins us for what this pause means.

Next, the west coast is on fire this week with major fires in Washington, Oregon, and California. CA Gov. Gavin Newsom has said that so far, at least 2.3 million acres have burned, 20 times what burned in all of last year. But as fire season keeps starting earlier and lasting longer every year, what can be done to prevent these megafires? Some experts say we need more controlled burns throughout the year to get rid of some of the fire fuel. Elizabeth Weil, reporter at ProPublica, joins us for more.

Finally, as universities begin to see outbreaks of coronavirus on their campuses, some are sending students home to quarantine, and that is causing another concern that they could be spreading it back home. Some public health experts are suggesting that it might be better to have them quarantine on-campus or nearby to avoid more community spread. Melissa Korn, higher education reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how colleges are handling outbreaks.

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The CEOs of nine drug companies that are developing coronavirus vaccines have all signed on to a pledge to not seek regulatory approval until the shots have been shown to work in late stage clinical trials. This is an attempt to calm fears that a vaccine may be approved too soon for political reasons. Many Americans are skeptical about taking a vaccine if it seems like the development and authorizations are rushed. Christopher Rowland, business of healthcare reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for more.

Next, there are eight critical battleground states where the 2020 election will be won or lost. Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin represent 127 electoral votes and a potential roadmap for victory for the candidates. President Trump must turn out rural voters and Joe Biden needs a huge turnout in big cities, and in many states suburban women hold the balance of power. Michael Kruse, senior staff writer at Politico, joins us for the eight states to watch in the election. 

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While the economy has suffered greatly because of the coronavirus and millions are claiming unemployment benefits, there are still some that are getting hired for new jobs. With that, there are some new rules for landing a job during the pandemic. You still have to work your networks, as many jobs are found through referrals. You also need to be flexible and realistic about location. There are many companies with "work from home" policies right now, but that is constantly changing. You must also be prepared for a completely virtual interview process. Kathryn Dill, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how to get a job in the covid era.

Next, we'll tell you what enabled the CBD craze to take root in America. Right now, CBD can be found in products all over boasting some kind of health benefits from pain management to treating anxiety and inflammation. But in 2011, a rag-tag group of doctors, activists, and writers met on a marijuana farm to think of a way to market it. CBD was featured on Discovery Channel's "Weed Wars" and the subject of A CNN special touting its benefits in treating epilepsy. Sen. Mitch McConnel of all people even had a hand in making hemp and CBD legal. Amanda Chicago Lewis, contributor to the NY Times, joins us for how the CBD craze got started.

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