The Daily Dive

Stopping short of a complete ban on flavored e-cigarettes, the Food and Drug Administration proposed a range of new rules to help limit the exposure of e-cigs to young people. The FDA will allow stores to still sell the products, but they must be in closed off areas inaccessible to minors. They also proposed banning menthol in cigarettes and flavored cigars. Bob Herman, healthcare reporter for Axios, joins us for details on the FDA’s plans. Next, the Florida recount is under way but is not without its problems and lawsuits. A manual hand recount has been order in the Senate race between Bill Nelson and Rick Scott where about 12,600 votes separate them. Other voters get more time to resolve issues with their signatures and get their ballots counted. Matt Dixon, Florida Bureau Chief for Politico, joins us for more on the midterm elections that never end. Finally, an update on the California wildfires. Containment has increased but so has the death toll and many are still missing. But as firefighters continue to bravely get things under control, we find out that authorities in the town of Paradise only issued limited evacuation alerts leaving many at the mercy of the fast moving fire. My producer Miranda joins me for that and also what is next, tracking down the cause of the fire.

Check out this scenario… Two people call customer service at the same time to complain about the same thing. One person gets connected to a rep in a few seconds, the other has to wait on hold for a long time. What’s up with that? My producer Miranda joins us to talk about your customer lifetime value, a number many companies use to determine how much you’re worth for the long term and how nice they’ll treat you. Next, there is a chemical derived from a cactus-like plant in Morocco that is so hot, it destroys nerve fibers, but in a good way. The substance known as RTX has emerged as a promising new painkiller. It destroys certain nerve fibers that signal pain, and could be a new tool to help free us from the grasp of opioids. Matt Simon, Science journalist at Wired, joins us for the potential new painkiller. Finally, scientists have discovered a “Super Earth,” a planet that is much bigger and colder than ours, orbiting around a nearby star. How big? Three times the mass of Earth. How Cold? Over 230 degrees below zero. Doyle Rice, Science reporter at USA Today joins us for what to know about this “Super Earth.”

Amazon has finally announced the big winners in its search for homes for its second and third headquarters. Long Island City in NY and Crystal City in the Northern Virginia area of DC. Each site will split $5 billion in investment from Amazon and each have more than 25,000 employees.  The consolation prize goes to Nashville, Tennessee, where Amazon will open a new operations center with more than 5,000 jobs. My producer Miranda joins us for all the details and tax incentives. Next, Democrats have flipped a Senate seat, this time in Arizona, where Rep. Kyrsten Sinema defeated Rep. Martha McSally. This victory guarantees that Democrats will hold at least 47 seats. Zach Montelarro, campaign reporter for Politico, joins us to discuss the strategy that won Sinema the seat, and what the win means for the Democrats who have not had a win there since 1976. Finally, some shakeups coming to the White House where Deputy National Security Advisor Mira Ricardel has been fired, and rumors of Chief of Staff John Kelly and DHS secretary Kirstjen Nielson on the chopping block next. One person we know is out… is CNN’s Jim Acosta who had his press pass taken away by the Secret Service.  CNN in now suing to get him back in. Haley Britzky, reporter for Axios joins us for the continued fight between the White House and CNN.

Opening statements in the trial of notorious Sinaloa drug cartel kingpin, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman start today. A 17 count indictment, which spans nearly three decades of alleged criminal activity, accuses him of building a multi-billion dollar international narcotics empire through murder and violence. Nicole Hong, reporter for the WSJ, joins us to preview the logistical nightmare in transporting El Chapo to court… closing down the Brooklyn Bridge, armored car transport flanked by police, and snipers on rooftops. Next, some updates on the fires burning throughout California. There are new reports of more deaths more people still missing. But as much as this is a story of family evacuations, firefighters, and loss, this is also a big weather story. Dry conditions and winds continue to worry firefighters, but this is also the new normal. Andrew Freedman, science editor at Axios, joins us to talk about climate change, population growth, and other trends making fire season run year round in California and extreme fire behavior more common. Finally, comic book legend Stan Lee has passed away, he was 95. The genius that created superheroes like Spiderman, X-Men, Iron Man, Captain America and more captured the hearts and minds of people all over the world who saw themselves in the flawed, but heroic characters he created. Tawala Sharp, co-host of the Nerd-O-Rama podcast, joins us to remember Stan Lee and talk about how his work impacted comics and popular culture.

Three devastating wildfires are raging all over California causing over a quarter of a million people who were in harm’s way to evacuate. At least 25 deaths have been reported and over a hundred in northern California are still missing. My producer Miranda joins me to recap what has happened so far and what is coming next. A town called Paradise has been almost completely destroyed, and winds are picking up in Southern California that could cause more problems for firefighters. Next, Ginger Gibson, political reporter for Reuters joins us for our weekly look at the political world. President Trump was in France over the weekend where his “America First” nationalism was repudiated by Emmanuel Macron, saying nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism. We will also look at what is going on in Florida as recounts are being done for the Governor and Senate races. Finally, Uber has a secret restaurant empire that you may never have known about. Uber Eats, the food delivery service is working with over 1,600 virtual restaurants around the world which only exists on their platform. You can’t go eat at these restaurants, but you can order delivery from them. Kate Krader, food editor at Bloomberg News, joins us for a look at how Uber data is fueling the spread of new restaurants and food delivery.

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

Tragedy again strikes the country as another mass killing has occurred. 28 year old Marine veteran Ian David Long entered the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks California during a College Country night and killed 12 people before turning the gun on himself. Long’s motives remain unclear but neighbors say he was known to suffer from PTSD. Kris Ankarlo, reporter for one of our iHeart radio stations in Los Angeles, was on the scene and spoke to us about how the night unfolded. Next, my producer Miranda joins us for more on the background of the shooter. He was in the Marines from 2008 to 2013 and was honorably discharged, although he was not without his problems getting caught shoplifting. Long used a Glock 21 .45 caliber handgun he bought legally but used an extended magazine which is illegal in California. Thousand Oaks, the city where the shooting occurred, was declared the third safest city in the US before this. Finally, we can’t tell this story completely without telling the story of the victims. Twelve people were killed and 22 others were injured. Among the dead was Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus. He is being praised as a hero after being one of the first on the scene and going in to the Borderline Bar and Grill to engage the shooter. He was shot multiple times and died later. We will tell you about him and some of the other victims.

Attorney General Jeff Session has been fired from his post at the Justice Department. One day after the midterm elections, Sessions resigned at the request of the President. His chief of staff, Matthew Whitaker, will be acting Attorney General until a permanent replacement can be found. Ginger Gibson, political reporter for Reuters joins us to discuss what this firing means and how it could impact the Mueller investigation. Next, we continue our conversation with Ginger about all the fallout from the elections. Big picture… how does the dynamic change now that Democrats control the House? Get ready for a lot of investigations. Also, women made huge gains and historic firsts by being elected to office all around the country, Ginger will run down the list. And we will also get into the President Trump’s combative press conference with the media… It was classic Trump and classic Jim Acosta. Finally, money is pouring in to a GoFundMe campaign for a teacher was was caught on video punching a student. Marston Riley, a music teacher, can be seen punching a student after the student threw a basketball at him and used racial slurs. There are many that say the teacher handled it poorly, but there are also those supporting him donating over $145,000. My producer Miranda joins us for all the details on this brawl.

Record turnout of voters for a midterm election as Republicans maintain control of the Senate and Democrats take over in the House of Representatives. Top issues on voter's minds were healthcare, immigration, the economy, and the Trump effect, people voting in opposition and support of the President. Stef Kight, reporter for Axios joins us for how the dynamic changes between the White House and Congress. Next, Operation Faithful Patriot is under way and US troops have arrived at the border to support Border Patrol and DHS. So far they are laying razor wire on fences at bridges and erecting wire fences along the river edge in Texas. Alicia Caldwell, immigration reporter for the WSJ, joins us to talk about what troops are doing at the border and how much estimates say it might cost for the full deployment. Finally, Harvard researchers caused a stir when they said the first interstellar object observed in our solar system called Oumuamua, could possibly be an alien spacecraft. Oumuamua is such a curious object because it is not easily classified as an asteroid or comet, but it also picked up speed once it entered our solar system. Andrew Freedman, science editor at Axios, joins us for more on this and why it is almost certainly not an alien probe.

As people head to the polls to vote on new members for the House and Senate, many are also voting on various statewide ballot initiatives. Two states in particular are being watched closely, Oregon and Washington. There people will decide whether or not to increase taxes on soda and sugary drinks. What most people don’t know is that Coca Cola, Pepsi Co, and other American beverage companies are largely financing the initiatives and they are being pitched as a tax on affordable groceries. Helena Bottemiller Evich, food and agriculture reporter for Politico joins me for the new tactic in fighting soda taxes, sweeping statewide ballot measures. Next, as the migrant caravan continues to make its way to the United States, a new focus is being put on the countries they are coming from. Many migrants are fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries, but what exactly is going on there? There is a new breed of gang taking over there, ones that are preying on their own neighborhoods. Gangs like MS-13 and Barrio 18 are extorting local neighborhoods with protection schemes, gone are the days of the cartel and the kingpin. Robbie Whelan, correspondent for the WSJ, joins us to talk about how gangs have taken over El Salvador so much, that they could be the largest employers they hiring as many as 60,000 people.

The midterm elections are finally here and everyone is casting their ballots tomorrow. After two years with practically no political power, Democrats have a strong chance of winning control of the House and Republicans seem likely to keep control of the Senate. Will the president’s messaging win out, or will it be a blue wave changing the dynamic? Ginger Gibson, political reporter for Reuters, joins us for a midterm preview… what are the issues, how much money is being spent, and races to watch out for. Next, man’s best friend never ceases to amaze and it’s all about that nose. We know that dogs can be trained to sniff out bombs and drugs, but they are also being trained to sniff out diseases. Researchers just presented the latest results of a study where dogs were able to correctly pick out the scent of children infected with Malaria. Megan Molteni, writer at Wired, joins us to talk about Medical detection dogs, trained to pick up the scent of Malaria and other diseases like prostate cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s and more. Finally, Sam’s club is going the way of Amazon Go and opening a store that is ditching cashiers. Dallas will soon be the home of the first Sam’s club store where customers can scan and pay for items with an app, eliminating cashiers and standing in the checkout line. Companies are trying to improve the customer experience and are taking notice of Amazon’s approach. Lauren Thomas, retail reporter for CNBC, joins us for details of the new store and if this is the future of shopping.

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

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

President Trump is keeping immigration in the conversation ahead of the midterm elections and he is focusing on the migrant caravan headed toward the states. Calling it an invasion and a crisis at the southern border, the president is planning on issuing a comprehensive executive order on immigration possibly next week to change how asylum claims are handled. Daniel Lippman, reporter for Politico, joins us for the latest remarks. Next, a great story about how spies are recruited and what they are spying on. The Trump administration is ramping up its efforts to target China over economic espionage and the stealing of intellectual property. Chinese backed firms and other actors have recently been accused of stealing trade secrets from Micron, a maker of memory chips and details for a type of jet engine technology from US-based companies. The theft of intellectual property by China could add up to billions every year. Garrett Graff, contributing editor at Wired, joins us for more on the theft of intellectual property and the way China is recruiting spies in the US.