The Daily Dive

The issue of ghost guns, untraceable guns that can be made with 3D printing machines and skirt the regulation of gun laws made waves earlier this week, when a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order on the release of blueprints that would allow anyone to download specs and 3D print their own ghost gun.  At the center of this is a man named Cody Wilson and his company Defense Distributed which wants to grant people access to these blueprints.  For more on this, we will talk to Andy Greenberg, senior writer at Wired, who has been following Cody’s story for years and even made his very own fully functioning ghost gun. Next, to end on a lighter note, let’s check back in on the video game phenomenon of Fortnite.  Already cashing in on more than a billion dollars this year, the game is inspiring people to make money off of the game in other ways.  Parents are enlisting video game tutors for their children.  They are hiring coaches so their kids don’t fall behind and paying upwards of $20/hr.  Sarah Needleman, tech reporter for the WSJ, joins us for this new trend of Fortnite tutors.

President Trump took to Twitter again to rail against the Robert Mueller investigation and also the trial against his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort. The President was calling on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to end the witch hunt before it stains the country any further. Lauren Meier, reporter for Axios, joins us to talk about Trump’s call to end the Mueller probe and Paul Manafort’s trial. Next, as more people are submitting their genetic data to DNA testing companies, questions about how long companies can keep your data and more importantly what they do with your data keep popping up. Some of the top DNA testing companies have all agreed to new rules on how to best handle your information. Xavier Harding, Tech writer for Mic, joins us for more on how these companies manage your DNA. Finally, it might be time to get a dashcam for your car. Marc Saltzman, tech columnist for USA Today, tells us why the time may be right to have one in your car. It might provide the right evidence in a car accident, it could protect you from a scam, and you might just enjoy the footage if you catch something fun. 

With about three months to go before the midterm elections, Facebook has identified an ongoing political influence campaign on the social media network. Facebook has admitted that it is still early in their investigation so they could not identify who the bad actors were, but it did resemble the activity of Russian interference in 2016. Kyle Cheney, Congressional reporter for Politico joins us for more on how these pages sought to inflame social and political tensions. Next, Sara Fischer, media reporter for Axios joins us to talk about media bias. We know there is left and right bias in politics, but in the mainstream media it can extend beyond that to stories on terrorism, missing minorities, even climate change. A lot of the times decisions in big national newsrooms may be made because of financial pressures or wanting the next big viral story. It might be time to take a closer look at your local news or even podcasts… Finally, an update in the hazing death of Timothy Piazza, the Penn State student who was neglected by his frat brothers and didn’t get medical help until the next morning after falling down 15 feet of stairs. Mike Deak, reporter for the Courier News tells us about Ryan Burke, the “rush chair” who gave Piazza vodka during the hazing ritual and is only getting three months of probation.

Today is all about fast food. The first is how we all got scammed and the second is about that fast food magic number.  Do you remember playing the McDonald’s Monopoly game?  You’d buy a meal and paper Monopoly game pieces either helped you get Park Place and Boardwalk, sometimes they were just instant wins for a free order of fries. Journalist Jeff Maysh joins us to tell us the story of how an ex-cop rigged the McDonald’s Monopoly game and stole millions!  The story includes mobsters, strip club owners, drug traffickers, one tenacious FBI agent and the anonymous tip that brought the whole scheme down. Next, how much are you willing to spend on fast food?  There is a magic number that works for both consumers and fast food companies.  You may have seen all the latest deals popping up… They are all $5. Zlati Meyer, money reporter for USA Today joins us to talk about the sweet spot that keeps you coming back for more. It’s all about getting a great value, but there is also a psychological component.

California is on fire and it is showing no signs up letting up anytime soon. Across the state, fires have ravaged communities by taking homes and taking lives.  One fire in Southern California was started by a suspected arsonist, but in northern California, the Carr Fire is the most concerning.  David Benda, reporter for the Redding Record Searchlight joins us to talk about how that fire started, the manpower being used to fight it, and how the community is dealing with it. Next, President Trump has been touting some good economic numbers.  It’s the strongest growth since 2014, the GDP grew at 4.1% for the second quarter. Consumer spending is up and so are savings.  The president’s tax cuts did play a part in these new economic numbers.  Ginger Gibson, political reporter for Reuters fills us in on what the numbers mean and also new tweets from the president talking about a potential government shutdown. Finally, my producer Miranda joins me for two quick discussions.  Is sleeping with a fan on actually bad for your health? Like most headlines, the risks may be overblown. But the second questions has Americans divided.  Is brushing your teeth in the shower just fine or totally gross?

Every summer there is a battle over which song becomes the anthem for that season, who will be the song of the summer?  Well we aren’t talking about that today… We are talking about the ingredient of the summer!  And what it is may surprise you!  Kate Krader, food editor at Bloomberg News, joins us to talk about why escargot is the ingredient of the summer and also a simple sauce that is the summer’s best burger hack. Next, Facebook just set a record, but not a very good one.  No other company has ever lost more than $100 Billion dollars in market value in just one day.  Facebook did just that as well as losing about $15 billion in stock wealth for its CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Dan Primack, business editor for Axios joins us to discuss what all the losses are about and why you should care about Facebook and the FAANG stocks. Finally, the self-help group turned sex cult, NXIVM is back in the news.  According to prosecutors, the Seagrams liquor heiress, Clare Bronfman used her family fortune to buy an island, a private plane to get there, and also helped bankroll the group which is accused of coercing women to please their master Keith Raneire and also brand them with his initials.  My producer Miranda joins us for the latest.

The tape has been leaked! Secret recordings between then candidate Trump and his long time fixer Michael Cohen was released to CNN. Many have been waiting for this audio to drop, but what does it actually show? It’s not a smoking gun of any kind, but does point to a scandal suppression operation for Trump. Blake Hounshell, editor in chief of Politico Magazine joins us to discuss what the tape says and what it all means. Next, what does it really take to be an astronaut and handle the extreme environment of space? Panicking while in space can be deadly, so how does one train to stay alive in emergencies? Corey Powell, contributing writer to NBC News joins us to talk about the intense training astronauts go through and what the key things they must learn in order to make it in space. Finally, remember when President Trump met with Kim Jong Un and said that they will be taking steps to denuclearize? Well it looks like they actually might be coming to the table. Satellite images are showing that North Korea has started dismantling a rocket launch site. We still have a long way to go, but they are steps in the right directions. Alexandria Sage, reporter for Reuters, joins us for more.

There was some surprising news that singer Demi Lovato was rushed to the hospital after an apparent overdose.  The singer has struggled with substance abuse for a long time but had recently been sober for six years.  We will tell you about Demi Lovato’s past and revisit an interview with drug and alcohol counselor Todd Zalkins. Next, an update to a wild story from over the weekend where police engaged in a shootout with a suspect who shot his own grandmother multiple times.  The suspect led police on a chase to a Trader Joe’s in Silverlake California where he crashed and then took hostages inside the store.  The tragic part of this story is that the store manager was caught in the crossfire and was shot by police, she later died. My producer Miranda joins us for the details. Finally, The Trump administration is planning to give farmers up to $12 Billion in aid to eases concerns over the ongoing trade disputes with China and some of our allies. Khorri Atkinson, reporter for Axios, joins to talk about the effect that the trade war is having on farmers and how this short term solution will work.

The war of words escalated in an ALL CAPS on Twitter as President Trump warns Iran’s president Rouhani to “NEVER, NEVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN.” As tensions have increased between the two countries after the US dropped out of the Iran nuclear deal, new sanctions are getting ready to be re-imposed on Iran as soon as August 4. Adam Wren, contributing editor to Politico Magazine joins us to discuss where all the tough language is coming from. Next, the Hanford site, a decommissioned nuclear production complex in Washington state is currently undergoing a demolition and cleanup phase. Just last year 42 workers had been contaminated with plutonium and americium. According to reports by the cleanup company itself, “Mistakes were made at several levels that created a situation that is unacceptable for worker safety.” Zahra Hirji, science reporter for Buzzfeed News, joins us to talk about the nuclear cleanup effort and estimates say it will take 50 years and $1 billion to make the site safe.

Something to start your Monday with… The NASA of coffee. Colombia’s coffee is in danger from threats of fungi and pests.  Farmers are looking for ways to battle coffee leaf rust, coffee bud disease, and a pesky beetle.  Andrew Wight, journalist based out of Medellin Colombia joins us to discuss how the NASA of coffee is working on ways to keep your coffee fresh. We have all seen that teen with their face buried in their smartphones.  You can barely hold a conversation with them before they get bored and go back to their devices.  A new study of more than 2500 teens has just found a link between digital media use and the development of ADHD symptoms. Melissa Healy, health and science reporter for the LA Times joins us for the particulars and why we should all be taking a break from our devices. Finally, Ghosting… a term that usually lives in the online dating world has crept its way into the job market. My producer Miranda joins us to talk about this new trend of blowing off interviews or work altogether and how it is driving companies crazy. With a strong job market and more opportunities, people ghosting possible job prospects.

It’s Friday so we have a fun slate of stories for you to enjoy and they are all about toys. First up: old toys. Collectible toy values are on the rise. Matthew Kitchen, Gear and Gadgets editor for the WSJ joins us to talk about the rising collectible market and the 20 year rule. That means start looking for your Power Rangers and Harry Potter toys. We will also tell you what the Holy Grail of toys is right now. Next: New Toys. The video game phenomenon Fortnite continues to rake in the cash. It just pulled in over $1 Billion in the first half of 2018. Eli Blumenthal, reporter for USA Today will tell us all about how this “free to play” game makes its money. It’s all about dressing up your character with cool costumes that offer no game play advantage. Finally: Future toys. Flying cars may soon be more of a reality. Larry Page, co-founder of Google just bought up his 3rd flying car company. Other big companies like Uber are also working on big projects to bring you eVTOLs… electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles. Mark Harris, science and tech writer joins us to talk about why these are the electric scooters of aviation.

We have another Russian agent in our midst. For nearly 5 years a 29 year old Russian political science student was a fixture at many important conservative events. Maria Butina is accused of conspiring to set up a back channel of communication between the Kremlin and the Republican party using the NRA as a conduit. Lauren Meier, reporter for Axios, joins us to discuss who Butina is and how she infiltrated influential political circles. Next, with the rise of money transfer apps such as Venmo, once again, you better check those privacy settings. Venmo’s default privacy setting is set to “public,” which means all your transactions are visible to everyone. Xavier Harding, reporter for Mic, joins us to talk about hiding all those payments to your friends for Uber rides and burgers. Finally, you’ve heard it before, watch what you post online. In this case, be careful posting bad reviews of your doctor online, because they might fight back! Jayne O’Donnell, reporter for USA Today joins us to talk about doctors and hospitals suing patients for posting negative reviews and why it’s almost always an uphill battle.

The backlash was strong and the backpedaling was quick.  A day after President Trump seemed to side with Russian president Vladimir Putin over our own intelligence agencies, he clarified his remarks and said that he indeed does accept the conclusion that Russia did meddle in the 2016 election still maintaining that there was no collusion.  Haley Britzky, reporter for Axios joins us to discuss the president’s remarks including his misstatement, he meant to say he doesn’t see any reason why it WOULDN’T be Russia who meddled in the election. Next, Patrick Malone, national security reporter for the Center for Public Integrity joins us for an interesting story about lost radioactive material, plutonium and cesium. Two security experts that were tasked with making sure these materials did not fall into the wrong hands, left it in the back seat of their rental car and it got stolen.  The bad thing is, this is part of a bigger problem, lots of radioactive material has gone missing over the years.

The reviews are in after President Trump’s big meeting with Vladimir Putin and the news is not good. When asked if he believed the assessment of the US intelligence community or Putin over election meddling in 2016, President trump deferred to Putin, gave him a huge pass, and once again attacked Hillary Clinton. Shannon Vavra, reporter for Axios joins us to discuss all the fallout from Trump’s latest denials. On the immigration front, a federal judge has temporarily halted the deportation of parents who have been reunited with their children. The ALCU has sued for the pause because parents need more time to make informed decisions about whether to leave their children behind in the US. Ted Hesson, immigration reporter for Politico, joins us to discuss the ruling and the next big deadline for reunification. Finally, there is an ongoing debate whether home smart locks are just a novelty or the future. Wouldn’t you love to open your front door with your phone or a fingerprint? Joshua Fruhlinger, contributor to the WSJ, joins us for the pros and cons of smart locks.

President Trump is in Helsinki Finland for another big meeting with a world leader, Vladimir Putin. The president said he is going into the meeting with low expectations. Ginger Gibson, Political reporter for Reuters joins us to discuss the meeting and whether the elephant in the room will be addressed… The Justice Department’s indictment of 12 Russian intelligence agents for attempting to influence the 2016 presidential election. Next, as more people are cutting the cord to traditional cable and satellite services for cheaper streaming options, we are seeing increasing in prices in those very same services. Rob Pegoraro, writer for USA Today Tech joins us to talk about all the options we have and what we can do to keep costs down. Finally, the trend among companies to reduce their environmental impact keeps growing. The latest company to make a move is Co-working giant, WeWork which offers a range of office and work spaces for small companies. My producer Miranda joins us to talk about how they are helping the environment, by no longer serving meat at employee events, or reimbursing their employees for meals that include red meat, poultry, and pork.