Today on AirTalk, we discuss the latest on Oklahoma's lawsuit against opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries. We also examine whether giving your teenager a credit card is a good or bad idea; take a look at the proposed La Brea Tar Pit rennovations; and more.
Pain Management After Landmark Opioid Ruling Against Johnson & Johnson
An Oklahoma judge on Monday found Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries helped fuel the state's opioid crisis and ordered the consumer products giant to pay $572 million, more than twice the amount another drug manufacturer agreed to pay in a settlement.
Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman's ruling followed the first state opioid case to make it to trial and could help shape negotiations over roughly 1,500 similar lawsuits filed by state, local and tribal governments consolidated before a federal judge in Ohio.
An attorney for the companies said they plan to appeal the ruling to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
Before Oklahoma's trial began May 28, the state reached settlements with two other defendant groups - a $270 million deal with OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma and an $85 million settlement with Israeli-owned Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Brian Mann, reporter covering opioid litigation for NPR and the Adirondack Bureau chief for North Country Public Radio, which is the NPR member for the Adirondack North Country region of northern New York; he tweets
Rick Chavez, M.D., former clinical professor of Family Medicine at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine who now consults with the Drug Enforcement Agency on opioid related issues
Giving Your Teen A Credit Card -- Risky Move Or Educational Opportunity?
Some financial experts say letting your teenager either borrow your credit card or piggyback off your account can be an important learning opportunity. But it may feel like a risky move.
Teens under the age of 18 can’t get a credit card on their own, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have access to parents’ accounts. A 2019 report from asset management firm T. Rowe Price finds that 17 percent of parents with kids eight to 17 years old gave their children access to credit cards. A survey published by Junior Achievement USA shows that about two-thirds of the teenaged respondents had a credit card and about a quarter had used a parent’s credit card to buy something online. Experts say, with set rules and guidance, giving kids the opportunity can help them understand the differences between spending with a debit card compared to a credit card. It can also help teenagers build credit. But as a co-signer, for example, you’re responsible for the account.
So, should you give your teens access to credit cards? What do you think? Join the live conversation at 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Ann Carrns, personal finance writer with The New York Times, where she writes the weekly column “Your Money Adviser,” and author of the article “Give Your Teenager A Credit Card? Some Financial Experts Say Yes”
A Renovation of Mammoth Proportions: Natural History Museum Unveils Proposed Redesigns For The La Brea Tar Pits
The La Brea Tar Pits is getting revamped for the first time since the museum opened 40 years ago.
As reported by the LA Times, the director of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County unveiled three potential redesigns of the park yesterday, intended to integrate the landscape with the structure.
Two of the plans are more conservative—preserving the previous architecture and adding new pedestrian pathways or a transparent second story. The last plan is a broader overhaul that would expose layers of earth the site is built on.
Also, it would move the fiberglass mammoth out of the tar pit, and into an indoor exhibit.
The museum plans to choose one of the designs by the end of the year.
Do you have memories of the La Brea Tar Pits? What do you think about the proposals? Call us at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Mike Roe, arts & entertainment editor at LAist.com, who wrote a piece on the proposals; he tweets
Emily Lindsey, assistant curator and excavation site director at the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
When Luck Runs Out: The History Of Star Athletes Calling It Quits In Their Prime
On Saturday night, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck sent shockwaves through the sports world when the news broke that he would be retiring in advance of this season, which officially gets underway next Thursday.
Word spread quickly, and it wasn’t long before the entire sports world was scratching its head, wondering why a 29-year-old athlete in the prime of his career and one of the best players in the game at his position would decide to hang up his cleats after just seven years in the NFL. Colts fans, for their part, did not react to the news well when it broke in the fourth quarter of the team’s preseason game against the Chicago Bears, and actually booed Luck off the field following its conclusion.
When Indy drafted Luck first overall in the 2012 NFL Draft, he was supposed to be the future of the franchise. A rare combination of physical specimen, freak athlete, and high-IQ football nerd, Luck seemed like just the thing the Colts needed to fill the massive hole left by the departure of the last QB the Colts took with a first overall pick, a guy by the name of Peyton Manning. The Colts hoped that drafting the young Stanford product would solidify the team’s future at football’s most important position. And for a few years it did. The Colts went on to win 11 games in Luck’s rookie year, more than any other first overall QB pick had ever won his rookie season, and even made the AFC Championship game in 2014.
But then, Luck caught the injury bug and spent the next three seasons bouncing around from the active roster to the injury report. He missed half of 2015 and all of 2017 but returned to play in 2018, leading his team to a wildcard playoff spot and winning the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award. But in his retirement press conference, Luck pointed to a loss of love for the game due to the constant injury-recovery cycle as the driving force behind his decision to retire at age 29.
Luck is far from the first pro athlete to surprise fans with an early retirement. Earlier this year, New England Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement at age 29 after just nine seasons, also
"I want to be clear to my fans ... I was not in a good place. Football was bringing me down."
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) August 27, 2019
–Rob Gronkowski on his decision to retire pic.twitter.com/zEek2QNPjH
to a loss of love for the game due to constant injury as a big reason why. Detroit Lions star running back Barry Sanders retired at age 31 just 1500 yards away from breaking what was then the all-time rushing record held by Walter Payton. Legendary Montreal Canadiens goalie Ken Dryden hung up his pads at age 31 after winning six Stanley Cups so he could write a book and take the bar exam.
Following Luck’s retirement, we look back in history at other professional athletes who have retired in their prime and the reasons why they decided to call it quits earlier than people expected.
Guests:
A Martinez, host of KPCC’s “Take Two”; he tweets
Katie Baker, staff writer for The Ringer, an online publication that is part of the SB Nation network and covers sports and pop culture, and author of the article “Andrew Luck and the Afterburn of Early Retirement”; she tweets
What Values Matter Most To Americans? New Survey Suggests A Dramatic Shift
Younger generations are rating certain American values as less important compared to the last couple decades.
According to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey, younger generations today consider having kids, religion and patriotism as less important. The majority of young people 20 years ago ranked these values as some of the most important. Values differed significantly by age. Nearly 80 percent of people 55 and older said patriotism was very important. Only 42 percent of people ages 18-36 agreed. Fewer than one-third of the younger group considered religion very important.
There are some common threads though, according to the study. Hard work remains at the top of the list of important values today and the majority of respondents rated tolerance for others as an important value. Larry sit down with experts to discuss the shifting trends in what Americans consider important values.
Guests:
Bill McInturff, co-founder and managing partner of Public Opinion Strategies based in Virginia; he’s part of the bipartisan polling team that conducted the survey; he tweets
Morley Winograd, Senior Fellow at the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, he’s the co-author of several books on the Millennial generation