President Biden Test Positive for Covid-19 as BA.5 Variant Takes Hold of the Country

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.

Next, 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.

Finally, Costco has two recession-proof items at their stores… the $1.50 hot dog combo and their $4.99 rotisserie chickens.  When it comes to the chicken, Costco has built out its own chicken business contracting with famers to raise their birds, building a feed mill, a hatchery, and slaughter plant.  Kenny Torrella, reporter at Vox, joins us for how the rotisserie chickens are considered a “loss leader” just to get you in the door to buy more stuff.

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