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Starbucks offering college education to employees

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Employees prepare beverages in the first

Employees prepare beverages in the first Starbucks coffee shop in Seattle. The company will now offer online courses through Arizona State University for employee's working at least 20 hours. ; Credit: GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images

Starbucks and Arizona State University announced a joint venture today where the coffee chain will provide its 135,000 employees the opportunity to enroll in free online classes without requiring that they stay with the company.

The program is open to all employees who work at least 20 hours per week and who have earned the grade and test scores to gain entry into the online university.

So far the program has been getting high praises but what does it portend for the higher education landscape and corporate culture in this country?  

Guest:  

Rachel Fishman, a policy analyst with the Education Policy Program at the New America Foundation


Iraqi insurgents seize more ground, global response unclear

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; Credit: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images

Militants described as Sunni extremists by some, opportunistic thugs by others, have captured the northern Iraq city of Tal Afar today. Thousands of residents are fleeing the city, which is strategically located on the main highway between the Syrian border and Mosul - already an insurgent stronghold after the group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria captured it last week.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said today that American drone strikes are an option. He also said the Obama administration is willing to work with Iran in considering options to return a semblance of stability to Iraq.

What are the risks of talking with Iran? Would U.S. or international action against the militants help protect the Iraqi government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki? What risks does that entail? What are the pros and cons of using drone strikes?

With files from the Associated Press.

Guest:

Joseph Cirincione, President, Ploughshares Fund - a global security foundation; member of Secretary of State John Kerry's International Security Advisory Board and the Council on Foreign Relations; Author, "Nuclear Nightmares: Securing the World Before It Is Too Late"

Patrick Tucker, Technology Editor, Defense One - a security news site owned by Atlantic Media

Kings Parade check-in

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2014 NHL Stanley Cup Final - Game Five

Trevor Lewis #22 and Drew Doughty #8 of the Los Angeles Kings hoists the Stanley Cup in celebration after defeating the New York Rangers 3-2 in double overtime of Game Five of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final at Staples Center on June 13, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.; Credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Thousands of L.A. Kings’ fans have converged to the streets of downtown Los Angeles to celebrate the teams second Stanley Cup Championship in three years.  The Stanley Cup champs took a difficult path to claim the cup, winning each of the first three playoffs series on the road and in the seventh and deciding games of the series.  On Friday night, the double overtime game five clincher for the King’s was the longest game in the team history.  

Guest:

Brian Watt, KPCC Business Reporter at the parade

 

Where were you during the OJ Simpson car chase?

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Motorists Wave At O.J. Simpson During Police Freeway Pursuit

; Credit: MIKE NELSON/AFP/Getty Images

Tell us your story and share your memories in the comments below so we can read them on air during the segment on Tuesday, June 17!

The 24-hour news cycle, court TV, reality TV — all these television phenomena, you could argue, were born on one summer afternoon in 1994.

O.J. Simpson, an actor and former NFL star, was spotted by police in his white Ford Bronco at approximately 6:45 p.m. on June 17, 1994. The cops had been looking for Simpson, who went missing after being charged with the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her alleged lover, Ronald Goldman.

RELATED: Patt Morrison recalls the OJ Simpson white Bronco chase

What ensued was a low-speed car chase that went on for 60 miles and countless hours that changed the course of broadcast television. CBS, NBC, ABC, and CNN interrupted regular programming to broadcast the chase live. News helicopters were deployed, legal analysts providing an endless stream of commentary were used.

RELATED: The surprising story of 2 TV chopper pilots who followed the OJ chase 20 years ago 

Even major sports events, including Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Rockets and the Knicks, as well as the World Cup opener in Chicago, had to take a backseat to what was a bona-fide live television event. Some 95 million viewers watched the OJ Chase, and pizza chain Domino’s reported record sales that evening.

Where were you 20 years ago? What do you remember about the televised chase? 

 

Does having a daughter change the way men think about women?

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New study suggest that judges with daughters tend to have different rulings than those who do not have female children. ; Credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

A study co-authored by professors from Harvard and the University of Rochester shows that judges with daughters are more likely to side in favor of women’s rights than those with sons.

The “daughter effect” was most pronounced in the comparison of male judges appointed by Republican presidents, and echoes anecdotal evidence from the court and beyond. Standard debate about how judges decide cases focuses on law and ideology, but Professor Maya Sen, who co-wrote the study, says that personal experience matters too.

Other studies have come up with similar results in different fields -- one found that members of Congress with daughters are more likely to cast liberal votes, another found that British parents with daughters were more likely to vote for liberal parties. Intuition has long said the same thing -- that life experiences influence decision making.

Could having a daughter change the way an employer views colleagues, influence hiring practices, or change someone’s political perspective? Have you encountered a man whose daughter changed the way he treated women, or have you had your own point of view shifted?

Guest:

Beth Livingston, Assistant Professor, Human Resource Studies at the International and Labor Relations School, Cornell University

Jeremy Adam Smith,  producer and editor at the Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley, author of The Daddy Shift, a collection of essays about stay at home fathers and their family dynamics 

California bill would let under-21 winemakers and brewmasters have just a taste

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Florida Lawmakers Pass Bill That Bans State Breweries From Selling 64 Ounce Growlers

MIAMI, FL - APRIL 25: Brewmaster Nik Mebane adds hops to the boiling liquid as he produces beer at Wynwood Brewing Company on April 25, 2014 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images); Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The big business of booze in California means some students get started early, fermenting that is. As it stands now, students between the ages of 18-21 can study college courses on wine making and beer brewing, but are forbidden from trying their alcohol.

Now a newly proposed law might tweak that, thanks to UC Davis Professor Andrew Waterhouse. He asked the UC system to lobby Sacramento to make a rare exception to the drinking age. It would allow students to taste, but not consume, alcoholic beverages. Why is it crucial for students to be able to sip and spit?

Guest:

Andrew Waterhouse, Professor of Enology, University of California, Davis; Proponent of AB 1989

The curious, provocative mind behind Marlon Brando's smile

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It is possible Marlon Brando was a star for too long and became famous for being famous - simplified as a movie star, a sex symbol, a lone wolf. Author Susan Mizruchi pores over Brando's letters, audiotapes, his writings and research to reveal a self-educated intellectual.. “I can report,” she writes, “that Brando’s hunger for knowledge was as insatiable as his more legendary appetites for women and food.”

While his iconic performances were on-screen in A Streetcar Named Desire, The Wild One, On the Waterfront, The Godfather, Last Tango in Paris and Apocalypse Now, his most legendary was one in which he could not even be seen. At the 1973 Academy Awards, Brando declined to accept his Best Actor Oscar in protest of Hollywood's treatment of Native Americans. He sent a Native American Actress in his place. Mizruchi recounts the other social causes that informed his activism and his work.

An admitted life-long fan, Mizruchi focuses on his mind - rather than his string of marriages and tabloid details about his 11 children. How do you categorize Brando in the history of Hollywood actors? What do you think of his political activism?

Guest:

Susan Mizruchi, Author, “Brando’s Smile: His Life, Thought and Work” (W.W. Norton; June 23, 2014)

Are physician-owned distributorships (PODs) ethical?

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The ACA could change the culture and decisions of doctors in hospitals experimenting with cost controls.

; Credit: John Bazemore/AP

Having “hardware” in the human body is nothing new -- people who have had orthopedic surgeries have long been setting off metal detectors -- but many doctors take issue with implanted devices sold by PODs, or physician-owned distributorships. PODs are groups of doctors, usually surgeons, who purchase implanted devices like screws, prostheses, or spinal hardware from a distributorship that they own. The physicians profit from the sale of medical implants, raising ethical questions about whether it’s okay to bring in a profit from their own referrals.

RELATED:  Selling the Spine - full investigative piece by Karen Foshay

POD opponents argue that physicians profiting from device sales are getting a kickback, often overcharging hospitals and patients. POD owners claim to save hospitals money, and some say they operate transparently.

RELATED: Audiovision Profitable Procedures

Are PODs ethical? Is it fair for a physician to profit on the hardware implanted during surgery? Might that incentivize more invasive procedures?

Guests:  

 

Dr. Scott Lederhaus, board member at the Association for Medical Ethics, and surgeon at the Inland Neurosurgery Institute

Dr. John Steinmann, director of Spine Trauma at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Assistant Clinical Professor at Western University

 


Mayor Garcetti lets the F-word fly and a city starts talking

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Los Angeles Kings Victory Parade And Rally (CROPPED)

Los Angeles Kings Mayor Eric Garcetti raises a beer and swears during the Los Angeles Kings Victory Parade And Rally on June 16, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. ; Credit: Harry How/Getty Images

Mayor Eric Garcetti caused quite the uproar on Monday when he dropped an F-bomb at the LA Kings Stanley Cup Championship celebration.

Reaction to the incident has revealed a veritable rorschach test, with many in the crowd cheering on the seemingly free-wheelin’ mayor, while others called pre-calculated political foul and others still, including the unsuspecting FOX Sports Network, were just plain offended that the mayor of the second largest city in the country would let loose an expletive on live daytime television at a family event.

What does the city’s reaction say about the way Angelenos perceive Mayor Garcetti? The word can have a range of uses as parts of speech and as obscene versus simply colorful; should usage standards acknowledge that? Or is this just a case of politicians appealing to the lowest common denominator in an effort to appear to be one-of-the-people? And is the way you perceive the use of the word an even greater generational issue?

Guest:

Robin Abcarian, LA Times columnist who has written a piece on the Mayor’s F-bomb for today’s paper

LAPD Chief Beck: Police drones, innumerable pot shops and his 5-year plan

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LAPD Revenge Killings

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck speaks during news conference at LAPD headquarters, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014, in downtown Los Angeles. Beck joins us to talk about drones and their use to enforce various laws around the city. ; Credit: Reed Saxon/AP

LAPD has two new drones equipped with cameras and night-vision. The small, remote-controlled Draganflyer X6 aircraft were a gift from the Seattle Police Department last month (after Seattle residents protested their use).

RELATED: LAPD Chief Beck sidelines detective accused of racial, vulgar remarks

We'll ask LAPD Chief Charlie Beck how the drones will be used in Los Angeles. Moreover, how will they not be used to avoid a "big brother" dragnet? One possible chore for the drones could be to get a handle once and for all on how many medical marijuana dispensaries are operating in LA. City officials believe as many as 800 might be operating illegally.

What is the role of the police department in terms of enforcement? We'll also ask about Mayor Eric Garcetti's request that Chief Beck present a five-year plan for the future of the force.

Interview Highlights:

 

Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the OJ Simpson chase. How has that episode changed LAPD pursuit policies?

"Our policies have changed since then, but it really isn't because of the OJ Bronco pursuit. I think that the real question is what has changed about the LAPD since then. Really, the LAPD and all of the local agencies have changed the way we collect evidence, the way we document how we collect evidence. Those are the biggest changes that came out of the OJ trial. Working much better with the District Attorney, or whatever the prosecuting agency is, to make sure that we have the best witnesses on the stand and that they don't have things in their past that may discredit them."

Sort of a top to bottom year-ago revision saying, 'whoa, let's make sure this doesn't happen again?'

"Absolutely, and this is, unfortunately all those lessons played out in grand theater, as you're well aware."

What were you doing that night?

"I was a lieutenant and I think I was assigned to the Police Commission at the time, or watching part of it."

With the question on LAPD drones. One of the Kings fans knocked a drone out of the sky, but that wasn't your drone...

"No, that was not our drone. As everybody knows, or I think everybody knows, there is a massive industry in these unmanned aerial vehicles, these small helicopters that can carry a GoPro or whatever kind of camera. So there are many, many, many of them out there, hundreds and hundreds, and it is a rare exception where there would be a law enforcement drone. So the LAPD has a couple, we have never flown them, or used them.

"We're developing policies, we want to hear from the public. It's, as I've said many times, public trust to me is more important than any kind of police equipment, so I want to make sure the public has faith in us before we are to use these. If we use them, it would be in a tactical situation and not any kind of general surveillance. By tactical situation I mean a SWAT standoff, barricaded suspect, that kind of thing where it's much safer to put one of these vehicles overhead than a helicopter.

"I think many of your listeners may have seen the end of pursuit last week where a gentleman was standing up on a roof with an assault weapon at the end of the pursuit. Obviously, all of the helicopters have got to pull out, because an assault weapon has tremendous range and so we lose some visibility, we lose some intelligence gathering in a situation like that. Maybe, just maybe, a drone might be the answer to that."

Does it cause problems for you when there are so many private, unregulated drones out there?

"There's the safety issue, they have to piloted remotely...people use them over crowds. They're a fairly heavy piece of equipment falling from an altitude, they're dangerous in that way."

Is there terrorist potential?

"Well, of course. The larger ones, the military sized ones can be used to deliver small packages, which could be a danger, so it is a brave new world. 

You have asked for another 5-year term as chief. What is it that people want to know about you?

"I think they want to know what I intend to do over the next five year, what are my plans for the Los Angeles Police Department. What is my vision? What goals will I set and what kind of police department will I run? What I've told them is  you can look to the past to see my performance, but I look to the future to see my vision. This is not going to continue to be the exact same Los Angeles Police Department, we are in a constant evolution of becoming much more transparent, much more community oriented, and an organization that values the constitution more than we value the penal code."

Is it easy to get complacent in this position? What are you doing about that?

"We very vigorously pursue crime reduction, and we do it through the Compstat process, we do it every day when we deploy police officers. This is the exact opposite of complacency. The way that we have been able to achieve crime reductions over what is now a 12-year period is by constant attention to detail, constantly paying attention to when crime occurs, where it occurs, who is involved and taking steps to mitigate that."

There have been questions of discipline, asking whether you've been to lenient in doling out punishment. In the case of an officer lying to investigators...

"I think if you look at my record in total, you'll see that I've had the unfortunate job to fire more police officers than my predecessor did over the same period of time. I don't think that's any kind of measure about whether you're tough or fair or not, I think it's just a reality. Certainly the fact is not that I'm afraid to discipline police officers, I don't relish it. I would prefer that we train people to behave correctly, but I always look at a number of things when I decide on discipline.

"The first thing I look at is what is the best thing for this city? Then I look at what's the best thing for the police department? Then finally, what's the best thing for the employee? If I can find the right solution to those three questions, then that's the discipline that I implement.

"I am a firm believer in recognizing whether an error is a mistake of the head or a mistake of the heart. Everybody makes mistakes of the head. Our judgment can be either fooled or faulty, but mistakes of the heart, when you do something that's intrinsically wrong, that you know is wrong and decide to do it anyway, then that is much more difficult. Those are the kinds of situations where I use the ultimate punishment available to me, which is to separate them from the police department."

Auto recall economics: the fix is broken

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A man walks past cars parked outside a shopping mall in Alhambra, California, including a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck from General Motors on left on May 16, 2014. The US auto safety regulator Friday imposed a record $35 million fine on General Motors for its failure to promptly recall cars with ignition faults linked to at least 13 deaths. General Motors has issued yet another recall on its 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, this time for a steering issue that could cause a sudden crash.; Credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

A parade of recall announcements from GM and other auto companies have left customers bitter, not just about the faulty car parts, but about the system for fixing affected vehicles.

GM has recalled millions of cars to fix an ignition switch that the company says has caused more than 50 crashes and 13 deaths. General Motors CEO Mary Barra faces her second congressional hearing about the 20 million recalls today.

So far, only 7 percent of the cars have been fixed, in the interim, GM is offering customers temporary replacement cars to drive if they are afraid to operate their vehicle. GM waited a decade to recall the ignition switch, and a company spokesperson said that part of the hold up was that the parts are no longer being manufactured.

Have you ever been involved in an auto recall? Was the wait to get the car fixed a hassle? How should car companies handle recalls and the process of fixing faulty vehicles? How have businesses and consumers been impacted by massive recalls?

Guest:  

Jeff Bennett, automotive reporter, Wall Street Journal

Brave Miss World: From beauty queen to anti-sexual violence activist

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Former Miss World Linor Abargil of Israel looks on during a function to celebrate International Women's Day in New Delhi on March 10, 2014. Just six weeks prior to her participation in the Miss World contest 1998, Abargil was abducted, stabbed, and raped in Milan when she was 18 years old. Despite the excruciating trauma, she went on to win the Miss World contest in 1998.; Credit: SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images

Two teenage sisters were found raped and hung by attackers from a mango tree in India last month – yet another case of violence against women in a country where a rape is committed every 22 minutes.

But this is not happening in India alone. More than three years after the Arab Spring uprising, Egypt has experienced a plague of sexual assaults. And the more than 200 school girls kidnapped by Islamist militant group Boko Haram in Nigeria are still missing.  Colleges and universities across the U.S., meanwhile, have been trying to figure out how best to deal with a proliferation of rape cases on campus.

How can we stop this global epidemic? Linor Abargil was 18 when she was abducted and raped in Milan, Italy—just six weeks before she had to represent Israel in the Miss World competition in 1998. Abargil won, and used her new-found influence to fight for justice for other victims of sexual abuse. Her journey is the subject of the documentary, Brave Miss World.

Guest:

Cecilia Peck, filmmaker, Brave Miss World, which is currently streaming on Netflix 

Linor Abargil, Miss World 1998 and the subject of the film 

Looking for terrorism in your own backyard

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Five Dead, Including 2 Police Officers In Las Vegas Shooting

LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 08: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers put police tape up outside a Wal-Mart on June 8, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Two officers were reported shot and killed by two assailants at a pizza restaurant near the Wal-Mart. The two suspects then reportedly went into the Wal-Mart where they killed a third person before killing themselves. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images); Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

When we talk about terrorism, we often think of the kind abroad, that we’re fighting wars with far, far away. But following the murders of three people at a Jewish Center in Kansas in April, a shooting at a Georgia courthouse and the murder of two Las Vegas police officers and a Las Vegas resident earlier this month -- all involving suspects expressing extremist ideology -- the Justice Department is calling back a federal task force that’s laid dormant for more than a decade.

It’s called the Domestic Terrorism Task Force, and it was first formed in response to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing but shortly disbanded after 9/11, when the national focus began to shift toward terrorism overseas. We’ll talk with a terrorism expert about what the group will focus on and where the most urgent domestic threats are growing.

Guest:  

 

Brian Michael Jenkins, senior adviser to the president of the RAND Corporation

 

 


 

US Patent Office cancels Washington Redskins trademark registration

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Washington Redskins v Oakland Raiders

Washington Redskins helmets lay on the ground during their game against the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum on September 29, 2013 in Oakland, California. ; Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board today cancelled six federal trademark registrations owned by the NFL team Washington Redskins, saying that “a substantial composite of Native Americans found the term Redskins to be disparaging.”

The board,  part of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, ruled 2-1 against the team, which has been under unprecedented pressure from critics and lawmakers to change its  name. In May, 50 U.S. senators signed a letter urging the NFL to change the team’s name, but to no avail.

The team, which says it is going to appeal the decision, can retain the use of the name and its federal trademark rights during the appeal process.

“We’ve seen this story before,” Bob Raskopf, a trademark lawyer for the team, said in a statement. “We are confident we will prevail once again, and that the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s divided ruling will be overturned on appeal.”

Watch the AD against the Redskins Name: 

Guests:

Jonathan Topaz, Breaking News Reporter at Politico

Gabriel Feldman, the director of the sports law program at Tulane University

Would you pick up a hitchhiking robot?

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The HitchBOT will be hitchhiking its way through Canada this summer. Courtesy of Twitter.

This summer,  hitchBot will travel across Canada in stranger’s cars. The little robot has its thumb permanently out, asking for a ride.

Armed with a programmed vocabulary and a pair of sturdy rainboots to protect itself against the weather, hitchBot will tell those who pick it up for a ride its story and mission. Humans are increasingly connected to technology -- already there are stories about people who name their Roombas and soldiers who grow attached to bomb-detecting robots.

The question of whether humans can trust robots is an underlying factor as technology becomes “smarter” and more autonomous. But hitchBot’s co-creators, David Harris Smith and Frauke Zeller, turn that question on its head to ask whether robots can trust humans.

Guests:

David Harris Smith, assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at McMaster University

Frauke Zeller, assistant professor in the School of Professional Communication at Ryerson University


Fake antibiotics fuel global epidemic of superbugs

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The rise of fake antibiotics is fueling the spread of resistant superbugs. ; Credit: Micah Taylor/flickr Creative Commons

Antibiotics have become one of the most counterfeited drugs in the world, and according to a new World Health Organization report, the use of these fake drugs are fueling the spread of drug-resistant superbugs, Bloomberg reports.

The problem is being felt most acutely in places like India, where resistance to common antibiotics is forcing doctors there to prescribe stronger drugs with potentially more severe side effects.

Big pharmaceutical companies are aware of the growing problem. Pfizer Inc., for instance, has partnered up with Microsoft Corp on its anti-counterfeiting efforts.

Guests:  

Makiko Kitamura, Bloomberg reporter in London who has been following the story

John Clark, Chief Global Security Officer at Pfizer. He is responsible for the company’s anti-counterfeit efforts

 

The IRS emails: System breakdown or subterfuge?

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Former IRS official Lois Lerner, during March 5 testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Lerner has repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment during congressional appearances on the scandal.

Former IRS official Lois Lerner, during March 5 testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Lerner has repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment during congressional appearances on the scandal.; Credit: Lauren Victoria Burke/AP

An unknown number of emails on the computer of Lois Lerner, former head of the IRS tax-exempt status department, are lost. Several media outlets say, on Friday, the Internal Revenue Service informed Congressional investigators that two years of Lerner’s emails are unrecoverable.

Lerners emails are considered valuable due to an ongoing investigation about the apparent extra scrutiny tax-exempt applications of Tea Party-affiliated organizations received from the department. Critics cry out foul play, and postulate about the destruction of data.

But, others say, the loss of emails is simply the result of an archaic computer system at the government agency. Is it possible the IRS destroyed data? What is the technological state of the IRS’ computers? What is the precedent for a loss of emails at a government agency? Is record-keeping a government wide problem?

Guest:  

Sean Gallagher, IT Editor at Ars Technica, a publication devoted to technology

 

 

What’s next for the United States in Iraq?

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President Obama Delivers Statement On Situation In Iraq

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about Iraq in the Brady Briefing room of the White House on June 19, 2014 in Washington, DC. Obama spoke about the deteriorating situation as Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants move toward Baghdad after taking control over northern Iraqi cities. ; Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Advances by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) towards Baghdad have prompted questions and pressure on President Obama to assist the Iraqi government.

So far, the president has ruled out combat troops, but is planning to send military advisors to the region. In an announcement this morning, President Obama said that the US will bolster military resources in the area, but has stressed the idea that the Iraqi military is best equipped to handle the situation.

The president focused on protecting national security interests and preventing Iraq from becoming a safe haven for terrorists and extremists. What is the best course of action for the United State in Iraq? How should this be handled politically and militarily?

Guest:  

Aaron David Miller, Vice President for New Initiatives and Distinguished Scholar Middle East Program at the Wilson Center, former adviser to Democratic and Republican Secretaries of State

How does the ouster of Dov Charney impact the American Apparel brand?

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American Apparel CEO Dov Charney

In this handout image provided by American Apparel, CEO of American Apparel Dov Charney poses for a photo on undated in Los Angeles, California. ; Credit: Handout/Getty Images

In Los Angeles, American Apparel ads are ubiquitous, where young women, scantily clad and in often compromising positions, sport the latest trends in fashion.

The founder of the company, and visionary behind the brand, Dov Charney, has been terminated “for cause.” Allan Mayer, the newly elected co-chairman, said his termination had to do with an ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct.

Over the years, there have been accusations of Charney taking advantage of the models photographed in his ads. But, Charney, like him or not, is closely linked to the brand and the success it’s seen over the years. And despite his firing, the company’s stocks jumped by over 19% this morning.

Might the company fare well without its founder? Or will the company suffer without him? What might be next for the Los Angeles based company?

Guests:  

Abe Sauer, writer for Brand Channel, an online branding and marketing publication based headquartered in New York

Scott Silverman, brand consultant and owner of ARticulated Brands, a branding company based in West Los Angeles

 

Tweens get into the direct-sales market

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You can’t find Willagirl, a skincare startup marketed towards young girls, in stores. The company pulled its products from retailers in February and moved its business to a direct-sales model. Direct-sales companies like Avon, Mary Kay and Tupperware have long entered people’s living rooms to sell cosmetics and home supplies, but Willagirl is different.

The average salesperson is only 15 – girls as young as 11 or 12 hawk skincare supplies to their peers, and while some sales take place during classic living room parties, a lot of their work is done through social media and on cell phones. Direct-sell businesses sometimes come under fire for multi-level marketing – creating artificial demand for a product by making sales reps buy at a certain level.

Willagirl’s sales reps don’t purchase the items they’re selling themselves, instead they put in order forms that are fulfilled by the company directly, and earn a 25% commission on their sales and on any recruitment of new sales reps. Is using tweens in a direct-sales business model appropriate? What might these young women learn from this untraditional job? Is Willagirl forging a path for female entrepreneurship, or just cashing in on its young sales reps?

Guests:  

Christy Prunier, Founder & CEO Willagirl Inc.

Stacie Bosley, assistant professor of economics, Hamline University School of Business in St. Paul, MN

 


 

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