Russian military movement is causing increasing tension in Crimea. A FDA proposal could hold generic drug manufacturers liable in health risk law suits. What kinds of legal protections should consumers have when it comes to generic medication? Later, do hiring managers really care where you went to college?
What are Russia’s interests in Ukraine’s Crimea region?
In a visit to Kiev on Tuesday U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry addressed Russia’s intervention in Ukraine, accusing Russia of unnecessary aggression in Crimea. Kerry pledged $1 billion in U.S. aid to the new Ukrainian government and promised sanctions on Russia if the situation in Crimea does not de-escalate.
Russian President Vladimir Putin defended Russia’s right to intervention in Crimea, saying that Russians-speaking citizens there are under siege and calling the recent governmental changes and ousting of Viktor Yanukovyck an “anti-constitutional coup and armed seizure of power.”
Russian troops entered Crimea, an autonomous region that is home to Russia’s largest naval base, last week. The troops are uniformed, but aren’t wearing identifying insignia. Despite the Russian military presence, Putin says that military force is a last resort.
How will Russian and Ukrainian forces in Crimea proceed? Are Russia’s “self-defense teams” in the region justified? What is at stake when it comes to Crimea’s military bases?
Guests:
Nina Tumarkin, Professor of History and Director of Russian Area Studies, Wellesley College; author of “The Living and the Dead: The Rise and Fall of the Cult of World War II in Russia”
Edward-Isaac Dovere, Senior White House Reporter for POLITICO
FDA proposal could hold generic drug makers liable in health risk suits
A new proposal from the FDA may require generic drug makers to update the labeling and health risks on their packaging as new information becomes available. Currently, generic companies rely on brand name versions of their drugs to update consumers on relevant new health information and are not allowed to update their own labels right away.
Because generic companies have had less responsibility to to provide information about health risks associated with their drugs, the Supreme Court ruled in 2011 and 2013 that businesses that make generic pharmaceuticals aren’t legally liable for injuries sustained after using generic medications.
Consumer advocates argue that this leaves consumers who take generic medication without legal recourse. The FDA’s new proposal would level the playing field, but the Generic Pharmaceutical Association is skeptical -- according to a study they sponsored, the proposed requirements would inflate the cost of generic drugs by $4 billion, pricing some generic drug makers out of the market and raising prices.
Should generic drug companies be held to the same standards as brand name groups? What kinds of legal protections should consumers have when it comes to generic medication?
Guests:
Allison Zieve, Director, Public Citizen Litigation Group where she focuses on public health litigation, regulatory law, open government, the First Amendment and more; Public Citizen is a nonprofit advocacy group that focuses on citizen rights and consumer safety; Zieve will testify on this issue before Congressional lawmakers
Ralph G. Neas, President and CEO of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association
Planned testimony from the Generic Pharmaceutical Association and Public Citizen available here.
Do hiring managers care where you went to college?
A new survey from Gallup Education shows that only nine percent of business leaders consider the school an applicant attended to be “very important” when it comes to hiring decisions.
Instead, businesses are placing more emphasis on relevant skills and knowledge in the field.
Business leaders feel similar apathy when it comes to applicants’ college majors. While there are still pronounced trends towards hiring applicants from high-ranking schools in certain fields, a general shift towards more skills-focused and experience-based hiring seems clear in the business community.
The public is still catching up on the trend -- 30% of Americans think that higher-education institutions are very important to their job applications.
When might the college you attended be most considered in a job application? What are the potential benefits and drawbacks of a skills-focused hiring market? What is the best reflection of how well a new employee will fit in in the workplace?
Guests:
Brandon Busteed, Executive Director, Gallup Education
John Boudreau, Ph.D., Professor and Research Director at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business and Center for Effective Organizations; co-author of 'Beyond HR: The New Science of Human Capital'
Should politicians still get a paycheck while facing criminal charges?
Two California politicians have been placed on paid administrative leave while they wait for their next days in court. Ron Calderon, who is facing two dozen charges of bribery, fraud and money laundering charges, announced this week that he will take a leave of absence rather than resigning from the state Senate. Calderon will continue to collect his salary while he's on leave, which is expected to stretch through the end of the legislative session in August.
Last week, Roderick Wright also announced he will be taking a paid leave of absence from the Senate after being convicted by a jury Jan. 29 of eight felony counts for perjury and voter fraud. Prosecutors said Wright falsely claimed to live inside his Inglewood district while really keeping a large home in Baldwin Hills. Wright plans to appeal his convictions at his sentencing hearing on May 16 but will continue to receive a paycheck from the state, despite already being convicted.
The California constitution prevents the state Senate from withholding pay from any senator but taxpayers are upset about being forced to continue to pay the salaries.
Is there any legal recourse for taxpayers to recoup the money from politicians convicted of felonies? What power does the state government have to withhold their paychecks, particularly once a politician has been convicted of a crime? Do constituents have any power to recall the senators?
Guest:
Jessica Levinson, professor at Loyola Law School and vice president of the LA Ethics Commission
Bob Stern, former president of the Center for Governmental Studies
Golden State moneybags well-represented on Forbes billionaires ranking
Bill Gates has reclaimed the top spot as the world’s richest person on Forbes’ annual ranking of the world’s billionaires after four years. Gates beats out Mexican telecom mogul Carlos Slim Helu. Spanish clothing retailer Amancio Ortega (best known for the Zara fashion chain) keeps the #3 spot from 2013. Warren Buffett comes in at #4. Rounding out the top 5 is Oracle honcho Larry Ellison.
The Golden State is well-represented on this year’s billionaires list. In total, 111 Californians have made the Forbes’ rankings this year. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and vice president Jeff Rothschild are both on the list for the first time this year, along with WhatsApp co-founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton.
The full Forbes list can be seen here.
Guest:
Luisa Kroll, Assistant Managing Wealth Editor, Forbes Magazine
Just how relevant and reliable are our leading economic indicators?
We are bombarded every day with numbers that tell us about the health of the U.S. economy. Gross national product, balance of trade, unemployment, inflation, and consumer confidence are just a few of them.
In The Leading Indicators, Zachary Karabell gives us a history of these indicators. They were invented in the mid-twentieth century to address the urgent challenges of the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War. They were rough measures— designed to give clarity in a data-parched world that was made up of centralized, industrial nations—yet we still rely on them today.
Guest:
Zachary Karabell, author of "The Leading Indicators: A Short History of the Numbers That Rule Our World" (Simon & Schuster, 2014) . He is also President of River Twice Research, an independent economic research and consulting company, and River Twice Capital Advisors, a money management firm.