CVS has announced that the store will no longer carry cigarettes by October 2014. The New York Times published a controversial letter from Dylan Farrow. Was it ethical for the Times to publish a piece like this? Later, "American Hustle" production designer, Judy Becker, joins Larry to discuss creating the grifter's world.
CVS gets healthier with plan to discontinue cigarette sales (Poll)
Drugstore and pharmacy chain CVS announced today that they plan to end sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products by October 1. The discontinuation of tobacco sales is, according to CVS president and CEO Larry Merlo, in line with the chain’s efforts to become a larger part of providing healthcare to customers.
RELATED: CVS Caremark plans to stop tobacco products sales
CVS already offers pharmacy services including flu shots, and may also introduce clinics and pharmacy counseling. Sale of tobacco products, Merlo says, are inconsistent with the chain’s purpose.
According to the Los Angeles Times, CVS is the first national pharmacy to cease tobacco sales -- CVS caremark is the second largest drugstore after Walgreens Co.
How will the discontinuation of tobacco products at such a large retailer affect other chains’ approaches? Will CVS’s efforts lose customers, or will refocusing on providing healthcare prove a successful move for the store? Is it “inconsistent” for chains offering health services to sell products that are damaging to consumer health?
Guest:
Howard Davidowitz, Retail Analyst
Irvine will subpoena contractors in probe of OC Great Park waste and abuse
A dozen years after Orange County voters first approved a plan to turn an old military base into a massive park on par with San Diego’s Balboa or New York’s Central, only a fraction of Irvine’s Great Park has been built—and most of the allotted funds have disappeared.
Last week, Irvine City Council members voted to issue subpoenas to compel people to testify as part of a forensic audit looking at the project’s mismanagement of public dollars.
About $215 million has been spent on the project—and just 230 of its 1,300 acres have been developed. The first audit—presented in January—found that Great Park leadership overpaid contractors, hadn’t fully vetted vendors and had awarded most contracts without competitive bids. The city paid one consultant $12,000 to alter just one word in a groundwater report, according to the audits findings.
But auditors told Irvine’s City Council that many of the park’s primary contractors refused to talk with them, and the city hopes compelling these individuals to participate will provide a fuller picture of where the money went.
Last year, the council ditched its decade-old plan for the land and approved a developer’s proposal to build a golf course and sports complex in exchange for the right to build 4,600 homes there.
What happens next for Irvine’s Orange County Great Park? How much time and money should be spent auditing the project? Is more investigation warranted?
Guest:
Kim Pierceall, Staff writer, OC Register
Larry Agran, City Councilmember and former Mayor of Irvine, CA
Should the public weigh in on the Dylan Farrow letter?
Over the weekend, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof ceded his column space to Dylan Farrow, the adopted daughter of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen, who published an open letter detailing the sexual abuse she allegedly suffered when she was 7 at the hands of Allen.
The molestation allegation first came to light in 1992. Allen was investigated, but prosecutors elected not to charge him. Allen has denied all allegations.
One big difference between 1992 and now is the internet and its power and influence. After the Farrow letter was published, social media quickly took sides. But can we adequately weigh in lacking the knowledge of what happened exactly? Can we, as the reading and engaged public, no longer sit on the sidelines? Is it fair for us to take a side?
NOTE for AirTalk listeners: Please call in to talk about the newspaper’s decision to publish this. We cannot wade in thoughtfully on the guilt or innocence of anyone in the family. We want to know what you think of the choice of the columnist and editors who worked on this story.
Guests:
Kelly McBride, a writer and faculty member at the Poynter Institute. She is one of the country’s leading voices on media ethics
Patrick Pexton, Washington Post ombudsman from March 2011-March 2013 and former deputy editor for National Journal. He tweets at @PextonPB
New report shows Affordable Care Act’s impact on workforce
A new report from the Congressional Budget Office estimates 2.5 million Americans will leave the full time workforce by 2023. This number, revised from an estimate of 800,000, takes into account the availability of healthcare under the Affordable Care Act.
Critics argue that the decrease is a sign that the ACA is harmful -- House Speaker John Boehner spoke out after the CBO statement, saying "The middle class is getting squeezed in this economy, and this CBO report confirms that Obamacare is making it worse."
The White House responded that a healthcare system that allows workers to go part-time to spend more time with family and offers entrepreneurs affordable care while they leave their job to pursue their own business is beneficial.
Will the 2.5 estimated departing full-timers be leaving by choice? How will the ACA continue to impact employment? What does the new CBO report tell us about the future of the U.S. workforce under the Affordable Care Act?
Guests:
Yevgeniy Feyman, Fellow at the Center for Medical Progress at the Manhattan Institute (a think tank focused on free-market principles
Paul Van de Water, Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (a think tank focused on policy impacts on low- and moderate-income families and individuals), where he specializes in Medicare, Social Security, and health coverage issues; Paul spent 18 years at the Congressional Budget Office
Portland community says no to Trader Joe's over fears of displacement
Trader Joe's has pulled out of plans to build a new store in a historically African-American neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. Activists in the area said the high end grocer would be too expense for locals and perpetuate the area's income inequality gap.
The planned development would have been part of a rapid gentrification push. Trader Joe's was offered a significant discount on a two acre parcel of land valued at $2.9 million. The Monrovia, California based company said in a statement "if a neighborhood doesn't want a Trader Joe's, we understand and won't open the store in question."
Statement from Trader Joe's (From PR Alison Mochizuki):
When it comes to choosing Trader Joe’s store locations, we are deliberate and work hard to develop store sites with great potential for success. We think the Vanport Square area in Northeast Portland is a great neighborhood and we had been interested in opening a store there. Given negative reactions from the community—about our arrival, we will not be opening a store in the area. We open a limited number of stores each year, in communities across the country. We run neighborhood stores and our approach is simple: if a neighborhood does not want a Trader Joe’s, we understand, and we won’t open the store in question.
Guest:
Andrew Theen, Reporter, The Oregonian
David Livingston, Supermarket Research Analyst
Oscar-nominated designer on crafting the grifter’s world in 'American Hustle'
David O. Russell’s “American Hustle” has received critical acclaim, garnering a number of Academy Award nominations including Best Picture. The film, a period crime drama set in the 1970s, follows a FBI agent (Bradley Cooper) as he recruits a con-man (Christian Bale) to uncover corrupt politicians.
The film could not have come together without the expertise of production designer Judy Becker, who is nominated for her work on “American Hustle.” Becker built a believable back-drop for the characters while creating an authentic and glamorous interpretation of the1970s.
This is not the first time that Becker and Russell have collaborated on a film. The pair also worked together on “Silver Linings Playbook” and “The Fighter.” Becker has also worked on “Brokeback Mountain” and received the 2013 Art Director’s Guild award for Excellence in Production Design Award for her work on the HBO series “Girls.”
Guest:
Judy Becker, Oscar-nominated production designer of director David O. Russell’s “American Hustle;” Becker’s production design credits also include “Silver Linings Playbook,” “The Fighter,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Garden State” and more.