The Daily Dive

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

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A new study looking at the movements of Americans during the pandemic shutdown orders shows that rich Americans stayed put while poor Americans increased their movements, presumably because they were essential workers and could not work from home. Matt Simon, science journalist at Wired, joins us for how your income could be a predictor of how well you can social distance.

Next, Major League Baseball is getting serious with new protocols to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks among players and staff. Anyone found in violation of these new rules could be suspended for the remainder of the season. Face coverings are required at all times and are even discouraged from talking to or facing each other when eating or drinking together. Bob Nightengale, MLB columnist at USA Today Sports, joins us for more.

Finally, as a result of the pandemic, Halloween could be cancelled, or at least look very different than in the past. Many major theme parks have already cancelled their Halloween events and now, big questions remain about trick-or-treating and also how it could impact the costume and candy industries. Hugo Martin, business writer at the LA Times, joins us for how Halloween could be different this year.

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There is a rush to look for more survivors in Beirut as anger continues rise over a massive explosion that looks to be a result of negligence. The huge amounts of ammonium nitrate that exploded were improperly stored in a warehouse for over six years. Half of the city is destroyed and thousands have been left homeless. Missy Ryan, national security reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for what we know.

Next, businesses are adjusting pricing, store designs, and product production as the ‘new normal’ for companies is emerging during the pandemic. Businesses are responding to the changing needs of their customers after learning how consumers behaved during the shutdowns. Micah Maidenberg, reporter for the WSJ, joins us for how businesses are looking to make their comebacks.

Finally, when there was a critical shortage of N95 facemasks, the FDA relaxed the rules to allow the importation of Chinese-made KN95 masks to help supply hospitals with the proper protection. What happened after that however, was it flooded the market with masks that did not meet basic U.S. quality tests. Austen Hufford, manufacturing reporter at the WSJ, joins us for the problems with KN95 masks.

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Americans are not happy with the way things are going in the country. According to Gallup, U.S. satisfaction is at 13%, the lowest it has been in nine years. The national mood has soured greatly because of the effect of the pandemic on the country and the mood drop mostly occurred among Republicans. Jeff Jones, senior editor at Gallup joins us for how Americans are currently feeling.

Next, states continue to largely go it alone with how they respond to the coronavirus outbreak. Without a set of national guidelines they are relying on their local public health officials when deciding whether to re-close portions of their economies. Many are taking a county by county approach as cases and deaths rise and fall. Ted Mann, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Finally, President Trump is continuing his assault on mail-in voting, and it could hurt his reelection bid. There could be a delay in results because of how long it takes to count them, but voting by mail is expected to increase because of health concerns from coronavirus. And the president may need those mail-in votes in key battleground states. Christopher Cadelago, national political reporter at Politico, joins us for Trump’s fight against mail-in voting.

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Microsoft has said that it will move forward with plans to buy the U.S. operations of TikTok after a wild weekend in which President Trump said he might want to ban the social media app in the U.S. No price has been decided yet, but this would be a big move for Microsoft into the social media world and also help with some data and privacy issues that TikTok has had. Georgia Wells, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Next, we are moving at record speed to develop and approve a vaccine for the coronavirus, but after that comes the hard part: distributing the vaccine. The coordination, planning, and communication needed to pull this off will be so complex and it has many worried, considering the poor response to the pandemic by the administration so far. Lena Sun, health reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for what could be the largest vaccination campaign ever undertaken.

Finally, while diagnostic tests for COVID-19 are more widely available now, you have to be careful when paying with insurance and where you are getting them. One woman in Houston paid for her son’s rapid-response drive-thru test with insurance and it should have cost $175, but the freestanding emergency room tried to bill $2,479. Marshall Allen, healthcare reporter at ProPublica, joins us for how out-of-network covid tests could cost you more than you think.

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Lots of political news this month as the modified conventions will take place and Joe Biden will announce who his pick will be for his running mate. Biden has already committed to picking a woman as his vice president, but there has been increased pressure to pick a woman of color. Ginger Gibson, Deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for who is on the shortlist.

Next, the summer of 2020 will be full of booming home sales and unfortunately, evictions. The lowest mortgage rates in history are allowing people to take advantage and buy bigger homes, but on the flipside, renters are facing job losses and evictions. Heather Long, economics correspondent at the WSJ, joins us for what else is driving home sales during the pandemic.

Finally, there is no COVID baby boom that some suspected there might be. In fact, Americans aren’t making babies, and that could be bad for the long term economy. Some estimates say there could be 300-500,000 fewer babies born next year which leads to fewer consumers, workers, and taxpayers. Peter Coy, economics editor at Bloomberg Businessweek, joins us for the American baby bust.

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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.

There is new evidence that COVID-19 can have lingering effects on your heart. A German study is showing that MRIs of people who have recovered from the coronavirus still had visual signs that the virus had an impact months after recovering. Patients showed signs of ongoing inflammation of the heart muscle. Erika Edwards, health and medical reporter at NBC News, joins us for how COVID-19 can linger in your heart.

Next, household transmission is becoming an increasing worry as young people are infecting older family members in shared homes. Many young adults surged into bars and restaurants when things opened back up and are also among essential workers and it is only a matter of time before they come in contact with family members living in multi-generational homes. Lenny Bernstein, health and medicine reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for more.

Finally, a weird science story. Scientists in Hungary accidentally created a new species of fish called a “sturddlefish.” It is a hybrid of the Russian sturgeon and American paddlefish. Approximately 100 sturddlefish remain alive today, but while they will be cared for, there are no plans to breed more. Daisy Hernandez, reporter at Popular Mechanics, joins us for how these new fish came to be.

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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and the Trump administration have reached an agreement for federal officers to leave the front lines of the federal courthouse in Portland in hopes to de-escalate protests that have been going on for two months. State troopers and local police will move in to protect the area. Nick Miroff, DHS reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for the phased withdrawal of federal officers from Portland.

Next, cigarette smoking may have made a comeback during the coronavirus pandemic. Americans are spending less on travel and entertainment and as a result are having more opportunities to light up. We are also seeing that some people are moving away from vaping and returning to traditional cigarettes after restrictions on e-cigarette flavors. Jennifer Maloney, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Finally, a state investigation is underway after video surfaced of a charity concert last Saturday featuring the Chainsmokers that showed a lack of proper social distancing from concert-goers. Part of the investigation will focus on why the event was issued a permit to begin with. Organizers insist that coronavirus guidelines were in place. Dan Adler, writer at Vanity Fair, joins us for how the Hamptons event is under fire.

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