While we are still in the middle of the pandemic, we are starting to see the long-term effects of lost schooling and shutting down travel and business. The GAO is estimating that over the next decade we will see almost $8 trillion in lost economic growth. We are seeing those losses in education, jobs, tourism, and restaurants. Fadel Allasan, reporter for Axios, joins us for more on the pandemic’s lost years.

Next, businesses that have been able to reduce the friction in their business models are those that have succeeded throughout the pandemic and will continue to grow as we come out of it. Think of Amazon and how they saved us so much time during the pandemic. No need to go shopping, order it online and it will be delivered, saving time and helping you reduce risks to your health. Same for the workplace, working from home has reduced the friction of commuting. Christiane Lemieux, contributor to Wired and co-author of the new book Frictionless, joins us for how the future of commerce belongs to frictionless businesses that give you your time back.

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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.

The country is experiencing a coronavirus surge and it is everywhere. This past week the U.S. hit its highest single day of new coronavirus cases since April. Texas Gov. Greg Abbot also announced that due to a rise in cases, the state will pause any further phases to reopen. Furthermore, the increase in cases are skewing younger. Sam Baker, healthcare editor at Axios, joins us for the rise in cases.

Next, vote-by-mail has been getting a lot of scrutiny lately as President Trump and Attorney General Barr have both said it will lead to a huge amount of fraud. Both said that foreign countries could print up tens of thousands of counterfeit ballots despite experts saying that is not true. And despite partisan fears, research says that no party gains an advantage. Darrell West, director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution, joins us for more about mail in voting.

Finally, everything that makes a dive bar great, makes them especially vulnerable to COVID-19. Dark interiors and busy atmospheres might lend itself to a good time, but it makes it hard to social distance and keep the air clean. The big questions is… are patrons ready to go back? Nick Mancall-Bitel, reporter at Eater, joins us for more.

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The FBI has concluded its investigation into a noose that was found in the garage stall of NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace at the Talladega Superspeedway and found that he was not the target of a hate crime and that it was a garage rope pull that was there since October 2019. Cindy Boren, sports reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for more on the FBI’s investigation.

Next, Florida’s party and tourism fueled economy is contributing to a rise in coronavirus cases and it has all the makings of possibly being the next large epicenter. The demographics are also changing, more people in their 20s and 30s are contracting the virus and things could also get complicated when President Trump takes the convention there in August. Francisco Alvarado, contributor to the Daily Beast, joins us for the rising numbers in Florida.

Finally, it’s not just you… you are hearing a ton of fireworks going off at night. While we are getting closer to the 4th of July and we usually hear an increase of fireworks leading up to the big day, there has been an increase in reports in New York, Los Angeles, Baltimore, and the Bay Area of people complaining about the loud bangs for weeks. Jaweed Kaleem, national correspondent at the LA Times, joins us why we are hearing fireworks more frequently across the U.S.

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One of the unfortunate effects of shutting down the economy for months to limit the spread of coronavirus, was that there was no revenue going back into local governments. As a result, budgets have been upended and now, over 700 cash strapped cities have to stop plans to repair roads, water systems, and other investments. Tony Romm, business reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for more.

Next, White House officials are discussing a plan to launch and in-depth review of the CDC and its missteps in handling the coronavirus pandemic, including an early failure to deploy working test kits. Part of the examination would also look into the state-by-state death toll to tally those that died of coronavirus rather than other causes. Adam Cancryn, healthcare reporter at Politico, joins us for why there might be more scrutiny on the CDC.

Finally, what is it like going to a restaurant now? As the country continues to reopen and people are trying to get back to normal, there is a new way of dining out. Employees are required to wears masks and have their temperatures taken and there’s almost nothing on the table, except for hand sanitizer. Sarah Needleman, reporter for the WSJ, joins us for changes to restaurant dining.

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Both NASCAR and federal authorities are investigating the placement of a noose inside the garage stall of Bubba Wallace at the Talladega Speedway in Alabama. Wallace was just recently successful in getting NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag at all its tracks and facilities and the only black driver at NASCAR. Jerry Brewer, sports columnist at The Washington Post, joins us for more on what happened and how NASCAR is responding.

Next, Arizona is reopening, coronavirus cases are rising, and masks continue to cause a divide. After pressure from public health officials, Gov. Doug Ducey is allowing local authorities to mandate the use of masks, a call they previously could not make and many have chosen to do so. But now there is a debate whether Arizonans will comply with the orders. Alicia Caldwell, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for the continued fight over wearing facemasks.

Finally, President Trump had his first rally in Tulsa on Saturday and nothing went according to plan. Turnout was low after he touted over a million people signing up, and while he did attack Joe Biden, it was overshadowed by calling coronavirus the “Kung Flu” and saying he wanted to slow down coronavirus testing. Alex Isenstadt, reporter at Politico, joins us for more on Trump’s rally.

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Going through the coronavirus pandemic has been a learning process for both people and governments in how the virus infects someone, but there is finally a growing consensus on how you catch COVID-19. Getting sick from touching surfaces or quick encounters is less of a worry than close-up, person to person interactions for extended periods of time. It's crucial to understand how the virus is transmitted because it informs governments on the proper ways to reopen economies. We should still be worried about things like concerts and bars, we need to improve ventilation in buildings, and we need to continue to wear those facemasks. Betsy McKay, senior writer at the WSJ, joins us for more on how you catch COVID-19.

Next, there have been over 50,000 coronavirus deaths in U.S. nursing homes. In New York, one of the hardest hit areas in the country, things got very complicated when Gov. Andrew Cuomo in March issued an order stating that if a hospital determined a patient who needed nursing home care was medically stable, the home had to accept them even if they had been treated for COVID-19. The reasoning behind the order was that it would open up crucial beds when they thought hospitals would be overwhelmed by coronavirus patients. Joaquin Sapien, reporter at ProPublica, joins us for how this decision might have contributed to the spread of COVID-19 in New York nursing homes.

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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.