Reopening America

Title: Navigating Interracial Friendships with Some Of My Best Friends Are   Description: Here's a preview of another podcast we're enjoying, Some of My Best Friends Are, from Pushkin Industries. Harvard professor Khalil Gibran Muhammad and journalist Ben Austen are friends, one Black and one white, who grew up together on the South Side of Chicago. On Some of My Best Friends Are, Khalil and Ben, along with their guests, have critical conversations that are at once personal, political, and playful, about the absurdities and intricacies of race in America. In this preview, Khalil and Ben talk with author Saladin Ambar about his new book, Stars and Shadows: The Politics of Interracial Friendship from Jefferson to Obama. Through famous bonds ranging from Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe, to Barack Obama and Joe Biden, they explore the dynamics, benefits, and difficulties of cultivating interracial friendships. Hear the full episode, and more from Some of My Best Friends Are, at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/sbfs2?sid=america.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Each weekday, The Big Take brings you one story—one big, important story. Host Wes Kosova talks to Bloomberg journalists around the world, experts and the people at the center of the news to help you understand what's happening, what it means and why it matters. Money, politics, the economy and business, energy, the environment, technology—we cover it all on The Big Take. Listen to The Big Take on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1308-the-big-take-84969425/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Intelligent automation can help combat the human biases that can lead to discriminatory hiring practices. In this episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Malcolm Gladwell takes on this topic with Jacob Goldstein, host of What's Your Problem?, and guest Angela Hood, founder and CEO of ThisWay Global. They discuss how intelligent automation can accelerate inclusive hiring practices, why machines can mitigate bias but not remove it, and why diverse companies are more competitive. This is a paid advertisement from IBM.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Title: Prepping for the Apocalyse from Story of the Week  Description: Here's a preview of a new podcast we're enjoying, Story of the Week with journalist Joel Stein. On Story of the Week, Joel chooses an article that fascinates him, convinces the writer to tell him about it, and then interrupts a good conversation by talking about himself. Sometimes the story will be the one everyone is talking about, like the New Yorker article on smoking hallucinogenic toads. Other times we'll find a story you might have missed, like the one in the Verge about the rock groupie turned hacker who had huge corporations at her mercy. These are stories you'll tell your friends about. Stories that stick with you long after you forget whatever headline you just doom-scrolled through. Listen to Story of the Week at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/sotw?sid=dive.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new Gallup poll shows that half of US workers say they are quiet quitting, a phenomenon in which employees do the bare minimum at work. The key term here is employee engagement which measures involvement at work and enthusiasm employees have about work. Since 2021, employee engagement has fallen as workers feel unfulfilled with their jobs and are now being asked to return to the office. Ray Smith, reporter on the Careers Team at the Wall Street Journal, joins Oscar Ramirez for more on quiet quitting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Schools are back but they are still dealing with the setbacks and learning loss all due to the pandemic.  Recently we saw Department of Education data showing 9-year-olds are behind in reading and math, the sharpest decline we've seen since 1990.  The learning loss was generally worse in districts that kept classes remote longer.  To combat this, states are spending billions on tutoring, expanded summer school, and more individual attention for students.  Scott Calvert, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more on what schools are doing and how they are tracking progress.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As overall pandemic worries continue to fade, one of the biggest curiosities continues to be log Covid, what causes it and who is the most susceptible?  A new study says that psychological factors such as depression, anxiety, and loneliness, could be better predictors than physical ailments.  To be clear, it is not a causal relationship, but there is an association.  Siwen Wang, research fellow at Harvard and lead author of this study, joins us for what to know.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Telehealth companies got a big push during the pandemic when rules were waived that required people to see an in-person health provider to be prescribed controlled substances.  Now telehealth apps are spending millions to advertise on TikTok saying they can get a person a diagnosis of ADHD and a prescription for Adderall in as little as 30 minutes.  Content creators are also posting about living life with ADHD leading to billions of views and many to think they might also have the condition. Then they are targeted with ads.  Sara Morrison, senior reporter at Recode, joins us for how startups are pushing Adderall on TikTok.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even as pandemic disruptions have faded and most schools have returned to in-person instruction, permanent virtual classes are still being offered to protect vulnerable children.  Districts in Texas, California, and New York are creating full-time remote learning programs for this school year.  The virtual option may only be appropriate for a small percentage of students, but in an effort to fight declining enrollment and disruptions from families moving, virtual schools will remain part of the education system. Ben Chapman, education reporter at the WSJ, joins us for what to know.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fall Covid-19 booster campaign will be upon us soon and how well the new Omicron-specific boosters will work may depend on a phenomenon called “original antigenic sin.”  Since people have been infected, vaccinated, and boosted, people's immune systems are on different playing fields and your first exposure may play a bigger part in future immune responses.  Carolyn Johnson, science reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for what to know.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Covid pandemic has changed just about every aspect of Americans' health, and it has mostly been for the worse.  As people missed health screenings, abandoned routines, and went through isolation we saw a range of other chronic diseases worsen.  Overall death rates of heart disease and stroke rose, drug overdose deaths and alcohol abuse rose, and even mental health took a hit.  Brianna Abbot, health reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite fears of a recession and record-high inflation, pent-up demand for travel and fun are leading people to Las Vegas.  After sheltering for most of the pandemic, older consumers are returning to the Strip, international travelers are also back, and work and fan conventions are filling up the calendar.  Katherine Sayre, gambling reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how people are feeling lucky as Vegas is still booming.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are seeing an increase in food insecurity around the country and this time around it is not due to a wave of people losing jobs, rather high inflation has been hitting Americans hard, leading many to seek out help from food banks.  Lora Kelley, business reporter at the NY Times, joins us for how the food banks themselves are struggling to meet demand as they see decreasing donations and increased costs due to paying more for transportation and acquiring food.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi Reopening America Listeners - we have a new show we think you'll love.“Countdown With Keith Olbermann,” the landmark news and commentary program that reordered the world of cable news, returns as a daily podcast. Olbermann's daily news-driven mix will include his trademark “Special Comment” political analysis, the tongue-in-cheek “Worst Persons In The World” segment, and his timeless readings from the works of the immortal James Thurber. The man who turned SportsCenter into a cultural phenomenon will broaden the content to include a daily sports segment, a daily call for help for a suffering dog, and a remarkable series of anecdotes covering a career that stretched from covering the 1980 Olympic Miracle on Ice a month after his 21st birthday, to anchoring the 2009 Presidential Inauguration and the 2009 Super Bowl pre-game show in a span of just twelve days, to rejoining ESPN as a “rookie” baseball play-by-play man at the age of 59. Take a listen to the trailer and, if you want to hear more, find "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" in your listening app of choice and follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the group of people who have not had Covid continues to shrink, many ideas begin to swirl about how they have avoided it for so long.  For some it could be a healthy immune system, masking, or just luck, but could genetics also be at play?  Katherine Wu, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins us for how scientists are looking into whether some are just naturally resistant to the virus.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As interest rates are rising, companies are calling workers back to the office, and home prices expected to fall, Zoomtowns that drew in remote workers during the pandemic are showing that the housing market is cooling fast.  Boise, Idaho in particular is emblematic of this with its housing market currently overvalued by 69%.  Nicole Friedman, U.S. housing reporter at the WSJ, joins us for what to know as more houses are sitting on the market longer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let's talk about all those pandemic impulse buys you may be regretting.  It was a time when everyone had a lot of time on their hands and some extra money, so people bought Peloton bikes, roller skates, bread makers, even new homes or pets, but now that things have returned a little more to normal those things have hit the back burner.  Emily Stewart, senior correspondent at Vox, joins us for pandemic buyer's remorse.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The impact of the pandemic on children has been so uneven that in classrooms across the country we are seeing a wider range of student abilities and it could be harder for those lagging behind to catch up.  A recent study shows that students in grades three to eight showed a larger spread in achievement levels this year compared to 2019.  The gap was 4-8% in reading and 5-10% in math.  Erin Einhorn, national education reporter at NBC News Digital, joins us for what to know.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The exclusive club of people who have not had Covid continues to shrink.  However, some experts say that most people have been infected even if you didn't realize it as some 40% of confirmed cases are asymptomatic.  Immunologists are looking into whether exposure to other pathogens or coronaviruses could trigger immune responses before Covid spreads.  Julie Wernau, health and medicine reporter at the WSJ, joins us for those that think they have remained Covid-free.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Biden has tested positive for Covid-19 despite being vaccinated and double boosted and is experiencing mild symptoms.  The current wave of infections we are seeing are mostly the BA.5 Omicron subvariant and it could be what the Covid normal looks like.  Katherine Wu, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins us for how the endless churn of variants will keep infecting people even if you're vaccinated or had prior infection.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As more companies are resuming normal operations, work conferences are also making a comeback and these professional gatherings are acting as mini vacations for parents who spent the pandemic taking care of their kids while they were out of school.  Alina Dizik, contributor to the WSJ, joins us for how parents are escaping their families by going on work trips.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Omicron subvariant BA.5 is proving that the pandemic is still not over.  It continues to evade immunity, even from previous omicron infections.  The good news is that death rates are down and hospitals aren't overwhelmed like before, but the virus is spreading fast again and the small fraction of people getting seriously ill can add up.  Umair Irfan, senior reporter at Vox, joins us for how virus mutations are keeping Omicron in play.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Americans relationship with college is complicated and according to a new poll many think that it might not be worth the cost and time commitment.  Overall, most people believe that the benefits outweigh the costs long-term, and those with bachelor's degrees usually earn 75% more than they would if they only have a high school diploma.  But the pandemic also plays a big part in this as enrollment has been down 1.3 million students since March 2020.  Chris Quintana, education reporter at USA Today, for how many still value higher education, but feel it's too expensive for many. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Driven by mass migrations of both workers and employers, red states have been winning the post-pandemic economic recovery over blue states.  Not really a move because of political preferences, workers left for financial and lifestyle reasons such as cheaper housing, less Covid restrictions and lower taxes.  Biggest winners are Florida, Texas, and North Carolina while California, New York and Illinois have lost the greatest number of residents.  Josh Mitchell, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how red states have had quicker recoveries. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are now enough doses of vaccine available globally to vaccinate all adults and children, but the demand has dropped so much that governments, vaccination sites, and even the drugmakers themselves are having to dispose of millions of doses.  One of the main problems is that vaccines are packaged in multi-dose vials, and once they're opened, the rest must be discarded if not used in 12 hours.  Peter Loftus, Pharma reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how the supply has now outstripped the demand. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finally, the airline industry was waiting for business travelers to come back to get them back up to pre-pandemic levels.  Well, some of that has returned, but flight cancellations and delays are causing some professionals to opt for the road trip instead.  To avoid delays and missing appointments, they are willing to drive up to 7 hours to get where they need to be.  Allison Pohle, travel reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Booster shots coming in the fall will be tailored to the latest wave of the pandemic and target Omicron and its subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.  This would hopefully provide more short-term immunity protections as new variants have been better able evade current vaccines.  Pfizer would most likely be the first ready with these new boosters.  Carolyn Johnson, science reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Workers in the U.S. have a very strange relationship with working and not taking time off.  After going through the pandemic, Covid may have done away with the sick day.  Because of the pace of work or fears of getting in trouble, many people continued to log in for meetings and answered emails.  Managers also weren't good role models as they took to working while sick too, this is coming despite many companies changing sick day policies to allow people more time to heal.  Emma Goldberg, reporter at the NY Times, joins us for why employees can't seem to take a sick day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is a whole swath of young kids that have never known life without Covid.  Their formative years were spent masking and social distancing and the long-term effects remain unknown.  Studies and observations show that some kids are behind in speech, motor and social development and could need counseling, speech therapy and other support to adjust.  There is optimism in the resilience of young kids to adapt now that things are a little more back to normal and in some of the positive effects like spending more time with family.  Anna North, senior correspondent at Vox, joins us for how the pandemic affected the country's youngest children. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After more than 2 years of the pandemic, we are seeing that Covid is making the flu and other common viruses act in unfamiliar ways.  Behavioral changes like stay-at-home orders, masking and social distancing could be responsible for viral shifts.  For instance, at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, children are being admitted with a range of seven different respiratory viruses, many of which are out of season and seem to be more virulent.  Frances Stead Sellers, senior writer at The Washington Post, joins us for how everything is out of whack. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you weather the pandemic storm and stick with your employer over the last couple of years?  Well, you could be underpaid.  The hot job market and Great Resignation has led to a lot of movement and forced employers to lure new candidates with bigger paychecks and that has led to a divide with current employees.  Aki Ito, senior correspondent at Business Insider, joins us for how salaries for new hires are on average 7% higher than existing workers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After two years of the pandemic, many are reviving their efforts to connect with more people in their networks and it could be overwhelming.  But how many friends do you actually need?  Research says that the magic number of close friends is about 3-5.  Fostering these relationships take time and energy with research saying it takes 200 hours to become close with someone.  Allie Volpe, senior reporter at Vox, joins us for more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the beginning of the year there was a lot of talk in California about vaccine mandates and requirements for employees and students.  Now, as politics and Covid fatigue have set in, those plans are all doomed.  Low vaccination rates in children and pushback from unions representing police and firefighters have also played big role in doing away with the plans.  Rachel Bluth, correspondent for Kaiser Health News, joins us for how the most popular vaccine legislation has been those to ban them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vaccine experts advising the FDA have endorsed a new Covid vaccine made by Novavax saying that the shot's benefits outweigh any risks associated with it.  The vaccine will still need full approval before coming on the market, but it will be the first one available using a more traditional, protein-based technology.  Liz Essley Whyte, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for what to know about its effectiveness and concerns. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Schools have been struggling to meet the mental health needs of students and new data is showing just how much the pandemic has impacted them.  7 in 10 public schools are seeing a rise in children seeking services and 76% of faculty and staff have expressed concerns about depression and anxiety in students since the start of the pandemic.  Laura Meckler, national education reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for how only about half of schools surveyed say they can effectively provide needed services. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to ride another Covid wave some people are testing positive for the coronavirus for 10 days or longer, leading them to ask questions about how long they might be infectious to others and if they need to continue isolating.  The answers are unclear because antigen tests could be picking up leftover viral debris but you can otherwise be free of symptoms.  Emily Anthes, science reporter at the NY Times, joins us for what to know. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we get through the current wave of Covid infections, it seems that the effort to update vaccines can't keep up with the changes in the virus itself.  While still dealing with the Omicron variant, we are seeing subvariants that appear to be more resistant to antibodies and evade protection from previous infection.  Clinical trials are under way for updated vaccines, but the FDA will decide this summer if we will move forward with them.  Caitlin Owens, healthcare reporter at Axios, joins us for what to know. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Census figures are showing that big cities have been in a decline.  The largest cities lost a greater share of people than small and mid-sized ones.  New York, San Jose, and Chicago saw the greatest numbers of people leaving, while Texas and Arizona had seven of the ten fastest growing cities.  All of these migrations were accelerated by the pandemic and work-from-home capabilities.  Paul Overberg, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for why people are leaving. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rebound Covid… it's an issue that has been popping up for some getting sick, but it is also happening to people that were treated with the antiviral Paxlovid.  Some are getting better and testing negative, only to rebound with symptoms and test positive after the illness has dissipated.  It has caused the CDC to change its guidelines and tell people with rebound symptoms to isolate for another 5 days.  Karen Weintraub, health reporter at USA Today, joins us for what to know. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why is it so hard to get a restaurant reservation right now?  It's great for restaurants trying to make their rebound from the pandemic, but tough for customers as you need to plan a little better or have a bit of luck.  Everyone is trying to get back out and there could be fewer options because of pandemic closures.  Lane Florsheim, style reporter at the NY Times, joins us with some tips for nailing down that reservation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The number of Americans that quit their jobs during the pandemic spiked, and it could be a permanent fixture on the job market.  This has led to more opportunities for employees, but for employers it has been a nightmare.  They are dealing with high turnover and how to keep workers happy… simply offering a WFH model doesn't work anymore.  Aki Ito, senior correspondent at Business Insider, joins us for the ‘Forever Resignation.'   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pent-up inflation could be the next thing to drive up costs even higher.  Consumers have largely been shielded from the full brunt of expenses that producers, distributors, and small businesses have faced.  Especially in the restaurant industry, they have been hesitant to raise prices too much, but as their costs increase something has got to give.  Case in point, a Mississippi restaurant had had to start listing their order of 15 chicken wings as “market price.”  At its highest, an order cost $28, but the true cost was closer to $34.  Amy Yee, reporter at Bloomberg News, joins us for why even higher prices could still be on their way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.