The Daily Dive

As colleges and universities are heading back to school many are sounding the alarm as coronavirus cases were emerging just days into classes. At the University of Alabama, there were more than 500 cases. And at Ohio State University, over 200 students were suspended for violating virus related rules. Hannah Knowles, reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for how back-to-school is going so far during the pandemic.

Next, good news on the vaccine front. Moderna said that its experimental vaccine induced an immune response in people aged 56 and older. The immune response was comparable to those seen in younger adults. This is significant because there had been a concern that vaccines might not offer the same amount of protection to older adults. Peter Loftus, healthcare reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Finally, we know that COVID-19 hits minorities the hardest, but unfortunately, the data often doesn’t show it. Many states are not collecting the race or ethnicity of coronavirus patients, which could make it harder to know the real impact on low-income communities. Tom Simonite, senior writer at Wired, joins us for how we need more targeted data collection of Covid patients.

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Many of the transmission chains of COVID-19 begin with “superspreading” events. That’s when one person, usually in a crowded indoor space, passes the virus to dozens of others. Some estimates say that 10% of people have been causing 80% of infections. But one big question is who is the superspreader… the person or the event?  Katherine Harmon Courage, contributor to Vox, joins us for how superspreading is fueling the pandemic and how we can stop it.

Next, we have more bad news for the Washington Football Team. A new report says that Larry Michael, the team’s former lead broadcaster and a senior vice president told staffers to make a video of lewd outtakes from a cheerleader bikini shoot specifically for team owner Dan Snyder. Female employees were also directed not to be present in any areas where players were because they could be a distraction. Twenty-five women also came forward to say that they experienced sexual harassment while working for the team. Will Hobson, sports reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for more.

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State of emergency declared in Wisconsin and the National Guard deployed as protests grow over the shooting of Jacob Blake. Video from over the weekend shows an incident with police in which Blake was shot seven times in the back. His family now says he is paralyzed from the waist down. Fabiola Cineas, race reporter at Vox, joins us for what we know about the shooting of Jacob Blake.

Next, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of telemedicine and its role in the health-care system by at least three years, some experts say. This increased use is also driving a slew of possible business deals. Some telehealth companies are getting ready for initial public offerings, while others are exploring sales and acquisitions. Sarah Krouse, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Finally, as the Republicans continue their convention this week, polls are showing that there was no convention bump for Joe Biden. While he still maintains a lead over President Trump, limited polls show that there is no change in his image rating or in his lead over the president. Steven Shepard, senior campaign editor at Politico, joins us for the lack of a convention bump.

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Researchers in Hong Kong have confirmed the first case of COVID-19 reinfection. The man who is 33 years-old, first had the coronavirus in late March and contracted the virus again in August while traveling in Europe. One thing to note, the second time around the man did not have any symptoms. Andrew Joseph, reporter at Stat News, joins us for what to know about the first COVID reinfection.

Next, The FDA has issued an emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma as a coronavirus treatment. Some 70,000 Americans have already received blood plasma as part of their treatment. While the president has said that the treatment is “very safe and effective,” The FDA did not go that far because there have been no controlled clinical trials. Sarah Owermohle, healthcare reporter at Politico, joins us for more.

Finally, as the Republican National Convention gets underway, there will be no new party platform. Instead, the GOP will fully support President Trump’s agenda. The Trump campaign released a 49-point wish list for his second term including developing a vaccine by the end of 2020, creating 10 million jobs in 10 months, and fully funding and hiring more police. Alayna Treene, White House reporter at Axios, joins us for Trump’s second term agenda.

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With the Democratic National Convention behind us, it's time for President Trump and Republicans to make their case to voters for the November election. The Democrats just wrapped up their virtual convention with strong messages from Joe Biden and Former President Obama about the importance of getting out to vote and remove Donald Trump. With few technical glitches and a surprisingly fun roll call vote, the Democrats did have a successful convention. This week President Trump will accept his party's nomination from the south lawn of the White House, but will be present in some form or another for all four days of the convention. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for the dueling conventions.

Next, at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center, canine studies are being done to see if man's best friend can sniff out coronavirus. So far, they are doing a pretty good job of it! Nine dogs are currently enrolled in the study with the hopes that one day they might be able to pick out infected individuals, including those that are asymptomatic, in nursing homes, businesses and airports. Dogs have already been proven to be able to detect explosives and some diseases such as hidden cancers, diabetes, and bacterial and viral infections. Frances Stead Sellers, senior writer at the Washington Post, 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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uber and Lyft will continue operations in California. An appeals court has allowed the ride-hailing companies to continue treating their drivers as independent contractors while an appeal works its way through the court. Uber and Lyft are hoping that a proposition on the November ballot will make them exempt to AB5. Faiz Siddiqui, tech reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for more.

Next, as kids are returning to school in various forms whether it be in person, hybrid, or online learning, many are experiencing a level of anxiety with how different things are during the pandemic. Psychologists suggest that parents need to keep calm and listen to children’s anxieties and enforce good routines of mask wearing and social distancing. Andrea Peterson, health reporter at the WSJ, joins us for tips on how to manage back-to-school anxiety.

Finally, amid accusations of racial insensitivity, sexual misconduct, and a toxic workplace, the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” has overhauled the senior production team and fired three top producers. Ellen herself delivered the news to staff over a video conference call. Matt Donnelly, senior film writer at Variety, joins us for how the Ellen show is trying to clean up its act.

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The Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this week released its final report on Russian interference in the 2016 election and it detailed significant contacts between the Trump campaign and people with ties to Russian intelligence. Former campaign manager Paul Manafort was especially singled out as a “grave counterintelligence threat.” Olivia Beavers, Congressional reporter at The Hill, joins us for more on the Senate report.

Next, public health experts have said that casinos are a high-risk environment for COVID-19 and a new analysis of smartphone data shows just how interconnected the country is with visitors to Las Vegas. During a four day period in July, 26,000 devices were identified on the Las Vegas Strip, and in that same weekend, those same smartphones showed up in every state on the mainland except for Maine. Marshall Allen, healthcare reporter at ProPublica, joins us for how mobile people are despite the pandemic.

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Some good coronavirus news today as scientists are seeing that the body does show signs of lasting immunity to COVID-19, even in those that only had mild symptoms. We still don’t know how long immunity will last, that will have to be looked at in real time, but recent studies show that antibodies, B-cells and T-cells are all doing their jobs. Katherine Wu, science reporter at the NY Times, joins us for what we are learning about coronavirus immunity.

Next, you might have heard about the Boogaloo Bois, a group of Hawaiian shirt wearing anti-government insurgents. They are hoping for a second civil war and often organize in gun toting militias. Vice News followed Mike Dunn, a 19-year old man organizing against gun control and saw how he rose into the Boogaloo movement. The movement evolved from an obscure internet meme to a national security concern in the span of just a few months. Tess Owen, senior reporter at Vice News, joins us for more.

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