The Daily Dive

 This past year the country mourned together for the loss of Sen. John McCain. The country lost a war hero, a statesman, and a patriot who lived his life in service to his country. McCain, died at the age of 81 after a yearlong battle with brain cancer. Ginger Gibson, political reporter for Reuters, joins us to talk about John McCain’s love of country, his political legacy, and how the Republican party changes now that he has passed. Next, it is a punctuation that might be getting overused in recent times and it is also causing a lot of anxiety. It is the exclamation point. People are using it too much in texts and emails and it making people feel weird. On the other hand, when people don’t use one, it makes you feel like they might be mad at you. Katy Bindley, personal tech reporter for the WSJ, joins us to talk about why the exclamation point is making people freak out. Finally, let’s check in on the video game phenomenon of Fortnite. The game has grown so much it is inspiring lawsuits over dance moves in the game and people are also making money off of the game in ways you wouldn’t expect. 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.

Welcome to the Daily Dive: WEEKEND EDITION. This is a compilation of the most compelling stories of the week

Welcome to the Daily Dive: WEEKEND EDITION. This is a compilation of the most compelling stories of the week

It was mid-June when President Trump announced that he wanted to create a Space Force, and while some may have thought it was just some more rambling by the president… it might be much more necessary that you think. There is a new arms race that is threatening to explode in space and the president wants to create another branch of the military to maintain our dominance in the arena. Garrett Graff contributing editor to Wired joins us to discuss why we need someone looking out for us in space. It has a lot to do with GPS and how China and Russia are major players. Next, a huge fall for a startup that seemed to have huge potential. Earlier this year federal prosecutors charged Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes with 11 counts of criminally defrauding investors, patients, and doctors. Holmes conned many into believing she could change the health care industry by offering faster, cheaper, and painless blood tests. Dan Primack, business editor at Axios joins us for a discussion on how the lessons learned from Theranos changed biotech investing and increased skepticism of new technology.

A big story this past year was that of halted executions because of the drugs that were being used. One such case was Scott Dozier. He was set to be executed with a three drug cocktail using fentanyl that had never been used before, but that wasn’t the issue… Drug maker Alvogen sued to block the use of a sedative they make called midazolam. Chris Kudialis, reporter for the Las Vegas Sun joins us to discuss why a judge sided with a drug company to stop the execution of Scott Dozier. Next, one of the biggest moves in basketball this year involved superstar LeBron James coming to Los Angeles King James agreed to a 4 year deal worth $154 million dollars after taking a personal meeting with Lakers legend Magic Johnson. Dan Beyer, Managing editor at Fox Sports Radio, joins us to discuss the big move, what it means for the Lakers and the NBA. Finally, one of the more bizarre stories of the year centered around a self-help community called Nxivm, which federal prosecutors say was a gateway to a secret sex cult. One of the weirder twists was that former “Smallville” actress Allison Mack was one of the top recruiters who was accused of brainwashing women to join. David Mack, Buzzfeed News reporter joined us to detail what this cult was all about.

One of the biggest stories of the year was the Capture of the Golden State Killer. One of California’s most notorious serial killers. He went by many other names, The East Area Rapist, and the Visalia Ransacker, but Joseph James DeAngelo was captured and charged with various rapes and murders that happened in the 70’s and 80’s. Sam Stanton, reporter for the Sacramento Bee joins us for what he is accused of and how investigators connected the DNA dots to track him down. 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, taking a look back at some of the crazier moments of the year has to include rapper, Kanye West. He faced a ton of backlash after a weird stream of consciousness rant on TMZ where he said 400 years of slavery was a choice. We spoke to DJ A-Oh from hip hop station REAL92.3, for more on Kanye and his crazy outbursts.

For Christmas Day I want to share my favorite story of the year! Because we all got duped! 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 entire 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, a new industry is booming, popping up all over the place and prompting cities to take a step in regulating them. Companies are hoping that their product can solve many of the problems of getting around in densely populated areas. Kia Kokalitcheva, tech reporter for Axios, will tell us about the electric scooter craze and how cities are handling this new e-scooter economy.

Every year, millions of Americans head to Christmas tree lots to pick out that perfect tree. But have you ever stopped and wondered how that tree got there? Of course not! What you may not know is that researchers are working to bring you better trees every year and avoid the dreaded coning. Robbie Gonzalez, senior writer at Wired, joins us for the science of growing the perfect tree. Next, 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, so you can start looking. Finally, a Christmas classic is again facing controversy and being called out for some of the lyrics. Some radio stations in the US and Canada have removed “Baby its cold outside” from their holiday playlists because some say the song is about a man coaxing his date to stay despite her wanting to leave. My producer Miranda joins us to discuss how the public perception has changed about this Christmas standard.

Welcome to the Daily Dive: WEEKEND EDITION. This is a compilation of the most compelling stories of the week

Welcome to the Daily Dive: WEEKEND EDITION. This is a compilation of the most compelling stories of the week

Immigration and border security continue to make headlines, there is still no consensus on avoiding a possible government shut down because President Trump is not getting all of the funding for his border wall. The administration also set new policies for asylum seeking migrants where they will stay in Mexico while their claims are being processed. Ted Hesson, Immigration Reporter for Politico, joins us for more on that and a GoFundMe that has been set up for the border wall.  Next, we’re all in the midst of heavy shopping for the holidays and many are turning to Amazon but what’s the first thing you do to vet your items? See how many stars it has and read the reviews. But you have to be careful, there are tons of fake reviews being populated by shady Facebook groups. Joanna Stern, Personal Tech Columnist for the Wall Street Journal joins us for how to spot fake Amazon reviews.   Finally, it’s quickly becoming a Christmas tradition for many – it's Elf on the Shelf. The Elf watches your kids and reports back to Santa, so they better be good, and the next day he pops up in a different location. The problem is, many parents are struggling to keep up and are regretting ever starting the game. My Producer Miranda joins us for the tyranny of the Elf on the Shelf.

In a rare bipartisan success and with a little help from Jared Kushner, the Senate passed a criminal justice reform bill called the First Step Act. The bill is limited in scope affecting only federal inmates, but addresses issues like mandatory minimum sentences, increased credit for good behavior, and makes some changes retroactive, which could send up to 4,000 prisoners home when the President signs the bill. Stef Kight, reporter for Axios, joins for all the details. Next, look how far we have come in 4 years. Artificial intelligence image generation is getting scary! Nvidia researchers released a paper and video showing how impressive machine learning has gotten. The computer generated faces look very realistic complete with wrinkles and all. James Vincent, reporter for The Verge, joins us to talk about how it is done and what’s next for this tech. Finally, Facebook just can’t seem to get out of the spotlight. It seems that they have spent the whole year apologizing for data and privacy slip ups. This time, news has surfaced that they gave other big tech companies like Microsoft, Netflix, Spotify, Amazon, and Yahoo unprecedented access to users’ personal data exempting them from most privacy rules because they were business partners. Brianna Sacks, Buzzfeed News reporter, joins us for the latest Facebook privacy slip up.

It was a wild hearing for former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn as Judge Emmet Sullivan delayed the sentencing for lying to the FBI and told him he may not avoid prison time. The judge even told Flynn that he sold his country out. Alayna Treene, political reporter for Axios, joins us for what happens next and all the courtroom drama. Next, it’s time to prepare for the smart home fitness revolution. Connected fitness started out with apps, then fitness trackers, connected cardio equipment, and now the next level is intelligence. Lauren Goode, senior writer at Wired, joins us to discuss what the new home fitness gym will look like…Internet connected home systems that promise feedback loops between you and the fitness gurus running your workouts. Finally, we speak to Megan Leonhardt, senior money reporter for CNBC Make it, about how much money it costs to be Santa Claus and how much money you can make. There is a lot more than just the red suit that goes into playing the part. There’s Santa school, beard bleaching and more, but being a top tier Santa can really bring in the money.

After eight years and two investigations, Maj. Matthew Golsteyn is being charged with murder in the death of an alleged Taliban bomb-maker during a 2010 deployment. Now, President Trump is saying he will be reviewing the case, calling him a hero. Todd South, reporter for the Military Times, joins us for how the story unfolded leading to these charges which carry the possibility of the death penalty. Next, it’s a growing problem especially now during the holidays… porch pirates. As we are getting more and more things delivered to our houses every day, now you have to worry about more than being there when it arrives, you have to worry about people stealing your packages right from your doorstep. Elizabeth Weise, reporter for USA Today, joins us for what to do about porch pirates. Finally, as malls across the country continue to lose storefronts, what happens to the mall Santa? Sometimes there is no crowd, no line of kids waiting to sit on Santa’s lap. It’s not happening everywhere, but some mall Santa’s are struggling. Jennifer Levitz, reporter for the WSJ, joins us to talk about what’s a Santa to do when it gets really, really slow.

A huge court ruling to wipe out Obamacare has revived the health care debate and will have far reaching effects. While a judge ruled that the Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional, the case may not be fully resolved until 2020, which could make it the defining issue of the next election. Ginger Gibson, political reporter for Reuters, joins us to discuss this ruling and the next Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney. Next, the face of retail is changing. There has been a decline of American malls, and growing divides between the richest and poorest Americans. This is causing an increase in big luxury brands, but also the rise of the dollar store as a main shopping destination for many. Erica Pandey, retail reporter for Axios, joins us to discuss how dollar stores are picking apart the market and will be the big retail survivors. Finally, delivery service Postmates is on a mission to build the delivery robot of the future. Postmates has its own robotics division with the goal of building a robot that can navigate streets and people to bring you that burrito you ordered. Arielle Pardes, senior writer at Wired, joins us to talk about Postmates robot rover called Serve, who looks a lot like Disney’s WALL-E,