The Daily Dive

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

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Las Vegas has a date to reopen! On June 4, selected casinos will be open for business. Temperatures will be checked and employees will wear masks. Bars and restaurants will be open, but buffets will continue to be closed. On the gambling floor, there will be increased cleaning and less people a table. Bailey Schulz, reporter at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, joins us for the plans to open Vegas.

Next, President Trump has signed an executive order that could open the door for federal regulators to punish Facebook, Google, and Twitter for the way they moderate content online. This order comes after Twitter decided to fact check some posts by the president about mail-in voting. The order could pave the way for a revision of a long standing legal protection known as section 230. Cat Zakrzewski, author of the Technology 202 Newsletter at the Washington Post, joins us for the fight against big tech companies.

Finally, antibody tests and issues with their accuracy have led to more questions for many who felt they were ill before the first reported coronavirus case in January. After looking at their personal histories and antibody test results some think that the coronavirus could have been circulating as early as November of last year. Dan Frosch, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

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South America has now become a new epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. Brazil now has the second most cases of COVID-19 only behind the United States, and President Bolsonaro is still refusing to impose strict measures to curb the spread. Other countries like Peru and Chile are also facing increased numbers. Alex Ward, reporter at Vox and co-host of the Worldly podcast, joins us for how South America’s numbers are going up.

Next, as the country is on the road to reopening many cities are closing the roads to make way for restaurants and people. In order to allow for people to properly social distance, some public roads are being closed to allow restaurants to expand their seating arrangements and provide more space for residents to run, walk, and ride. Mike Laris, transportation reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for how cities are making more room.

Finally, the whole reason behind flattening the curve was so that the healthcare system would not be overwhelmed. But as many hospitals prepared for the worst, in some areas the cases never came. One example is the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center where a whole floor was cleared for COVID-19 cases. Despite the cost, officials don’t regret over preparing. Jim Carlton, reporter for the WSJ, joins us for more.

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The economy is slowly starting to come back and hopefully the worst of the shutdown is over. For the first time since forced shutdowns began in March, spending on hotels, restaurants, and airlines are picking up. While there is some uncertainty going forward with high unemployment and consumer spending, we are hoping that we have hit peak economic loss. Harriet Torry, economics reporter for the WSJ, joins us for more.

Next, hair salons and barbershops can now reopen in California, LA County will still have to wait a little longer though. But while things have been shut down, there has been an underground world of haircuts. Barbers and stylists have made house calls under fear of potential penalties and people have gotten freshened up under fear of potential shaming. Emily Guerin, reporter for KPCC and LAist.com, joins us for how people got their haircuts despite quarantine.

Finally, some people haven’t seen or touched others for 3 months because of COVID-19 and while the country is in the beginning stages of getting back out there, some will continue to isolate. Alan Gomez, reporter for USA Today, joins us for how some in the elderly and medically vulnerable communities and those skeptical of their government’s reopening plans are keeping the quarantine going.

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As the country continues to reopen for business, one of the hardest hit industries will still have a difficult time recovering. Restaurants will see a long slow ramp up back to the way things were. Real-time industry data is showing that while people are starting to get out there, restaurants are only seeing a fraction of the business they used to have, partly due to capacity limits for social distancing. The estimates are still dire as to whether some businesses can remain open after the comeback. Jordan Weissmann, senior economics reporter at Slate, joins us for more.

Next, we’ll tell you about the pirates of the highway. Thieves are stealing big trailers often times without even knowing what is in them hoping for a big score. In one case, two men made off with $30,000 of canned corn. The operations in stealing these trailers range from getting lucky and picking up an unattended trailer to elaborate schemes in paying off low-level workers for tips on cargo and location. Dylan Taylor-Lehman, writer at narratively, joins us for how these highway pirates are making off with precious cargo.

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This week two NASA astronauts are about to take part in one of the biggest spaceflights in a decade. Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will be launching on the inaugural flight of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. While both men have experience in going to space already, there are some differences this time. One key thing, the astronauts have had to learn how to manually fly the ship with just touch screens. Loren Grush, senior science reporter at The Verge, joins us for more on the Crew Dragon launch.

Next, coronavirus has been tearing through jails and prisons across the country. A recent analysis by Reuters has found that there has been an undercounting of COVID-19 cases in the system and that some state prisons are seeing infection rates of up to 65%. While there is a worry that inmates could be getting ill in such close quarters, the other concern is all of the corrections officers and workers that could also be infected and then spread the virus throughout their communities. Research shows that the majority of those infected have been asymptomatic. Linda So, reporter for Reuters, joins us for how coronavirus is spreading in jails and prisons.

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.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have some movement in the college admissions cheating scandal known as Operation Varsity Blues. Two of the most high profile parents involved, Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli, had decided to plead guilty after previously being scheduled to go to trial in October. The plea agreements do include jail time, fines, and community service. Melissa Korn, higher education reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more on what kind of time they could be facing.

Next, the coronavirus pandemic has exposed a lot of flaws in the way business is done in the U.S. Flaws in the supply chain were especially evident all over. But the “Great Toilet Paper Panic of 2020” shows how something so mundane represents a complex supply chain. Because of what is called “just in time” manufacturing and distribution, toilet paper is still only seen in limited quantities and manufacturers are still playing catch up on back orders. Manufacturers have also had to adjust their packaging which is why you might be seeing fewer options. Jen Wieczner, senior writer at Fortune, joins us for the case of the missing toilet paper.

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Some good news for regions that are reopening their economies, a recent study from South Korea is showing that COVID-19 patients that have tested positive after recovering, are not infectious. Theses so called “re-positive” patients weren’t spreading any lingering infection and were shedding only dead virus particles. Emma Court, health reporter at Bloomberg News, joins us for what we are learning about how contagious someone is after recovering from the virus.

Next, as all 50 states are reopening in some form, how ready are gyms to reopen? For a lot of gym owners, there is a frustration in the lack of any strict guidelines. Temperature checks, extra cleaning, and hand sanitizer are a must, but face masks still present an uncertainty with some gyms letting the customers decide on whether to wear them. Hilary Potkewitz, contributor to the WSJ, joins us for how the first gyms are handling the comeback.

Finally, in-person school might be canceled right now, but that hasn’t stopped scandals from being resolved. On Monday, the University of Kentucky fired the entire coaching staff of its storied cheerleading program. A three-month internal investigation said that students were engaging in hazing rituals, public nudity, and drinking alcohol on the coaches’ watch. Tim Sullivan, sports columnist at the Courier-Journal, joins us for more.

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