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Jonathan Frewin

Latest from Jonathan Frewin

  • Aug 18, 2022

    Pharmacy chains ordered to pay big to two Ohio counties

    Pharmacies like CVS have seen varied buying patterns during the pandemic, but providing COVID testing and vaccinations has brought more consumers into the stores.
    Mario Tama/Getty Images

    First, we check in with KPMG’s Diane Swonk about some signs that hiring is strong. A federal judge in Ohio has ordered CVS, Walgreens and Walmart to pay $650 million dollars in damages to two counties that sued over the dispensing of opioid painkillers in their communities. The BBC reports from Tanzania about farmers struggling with a lack of fertilizer due to chaos surrounding food prices and supplies, as well as the war in Ukraine.

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  • Aug 18, 2022

    What an old water park can teach us about money and risk

    The documentary "Class Action Park" tells the story of Action Park, which was a water park that became a staple of New Jersey life in the '80s and '90s and gained a notorious reputation for numerous injuries and even fatalities that occurred there.
    Getty Images

    But first, it appears meme stocks are back. We look into whether or not that actually helps companies. Then, we talk about fun and risk with a lawyer who has built a class around the chronicled perils of a defunct and notorious amusement park.

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  • Aug 18, 2022

    How can we get more grain out of Ukraine?

    How can we get more grain out of Ukraine?
    Oleksandr Gimanov/AFP via Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: Leaders from the United Nations, Turkey and Ukraine are meeting in Lviv to work out how to deal with a backlog of grain exports from Ukraine. Plus, Washington has announced its will begin talks with Taiwan on a new trade and investment deal, turning up the heat on simmering tensions with China. And, a global shortage of fertilizer and the high price of importing it is putting pressure on African farmers in Tanzania.

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  • Aug 17, 2022

    Add the slowdown of new home construction to the list of issues facing the housing market

    Despite supply chain bottlenecks and skilled labor shortages, homebuilders are "very optimistic."
    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images

    First, retail data for July has emerged from the Commerce Department. The downturn in new home construction offers a peek into the state of the housing market. The BBC reports on food prices and the pressure they bring to Peru and Nigeria.

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  • Aug 17, 2022

    A more affordable future could be in store for the hearing aid business

    Many people who need hearing aids don't have them because of the high cost — about $5,000, which insurance often doesn't cover.
    Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    Later this year, it’ll be possible to acquire hearing aids without a prescription. We attempt to read the tea leaves on retail data and consumer behavior. The BBC reports on how Cuba will allow foreign investment in local wholesale and retail trade for the first time since 1959.

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  • Aug 17, 2022

    China rations electricity due to drought and extreme heat

    People ride their electric bicycles along a street in Beijing.
    Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: Residential areas in China’s southwestern Sichuan province have been told to limit the amount of electricity they’re using. Plus, Cuba will allow foreign investment in local wholesale and retail trade for the first time since the 1959 Communist revolution. And, what price pressures mean for families and businesses in Peru and Nigeria.

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  • Aug 16, 2022

    When Western states can’t figure out how to hold their water

    Historic drought has brought water levels down to record lows on the Colorado River, seen here on March 28.
    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    First, we take the economy’s pulse with the help of MetLife’s Drew Matus. States that rely on the Colorado River are struggling with the logistics of conservation as a government deadline has come and gone. China correspondent Jennifer Pak discusses the job environment for the nation’s young people.

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  • Aug 16, 2022

    Government poised to gain bargaining power on Medicare drug prices

    Americans continue to spend on drugs at an increasing rate. 
    Tim Boyle/Getty Images

    The soon-to-be signed Inflation Reduction Act includes a variety of health care provisions, including allowing Medicare to negotiate over prescription drug prices. There appear to be questions on a vaccine plan against COVID variants. We check in with the BBC’s Victoria Craig regarding her chat with the former governor of the Afghan Central Bank.

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  • Aug 16, 2022

    Why did so many Kenyans vote for the President elect?

    William Ruto's victory in Kenya's presidential election has been welcomed internationally despite a major disagreement over the result.
    Simon MAINA / AFP

    From the BBC World Service: William Ruto wants to unite his country after a narrow election victory. More than half the election commission’s members have rejected the outcome and the result could be subject to a legal challenge. Plus, a year on from the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, we hear from the former central bank governor Ajmal Ahmady about the status of $7 billion in central bank assets, which are frozen in the U.S. 

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  • Aug 15, 2022

    World oil prices drop as China’s growth appears to be slowing down

    Oil storage tanks in Carson, California. The use of fossil fuels dropped during the lockdown, and supplies piled up.
    Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

    Gas prices have dropped, but that hasn’t led to the big bump in consumer sentiment some might have expected. We check in on the minutes from the Fed’s July policy meeting. The BBC checks in on Afghanistan one year after the Taliban’s seizing of control. It appears colleges still have a long way to go when it comes to dealing with small businesses owned by people of color.

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Jonathan Frewin