First hour: Understanding the impact of the Amazon / Whole Foods merger
Second hour: Close friends, political opposites
Amazon is bidding to swallow up Whole Foods, which has already inspired a slew of commentary about how the world is changing. Are we going to order all of our food online? Is this good for customers? Is it bad for the minimum wage? Progressive writer Matt Stoller says that "this merger should frighten all of us." He says that concentrated corporate power can become a political weapon, and consumers -- and workers -- lose. Our guests:
- Matt Stoller, fellow at the Open Markets program of the New America Foundation
- Amit Batabyal, professor of economics at RIT
Can you stand your neighbors? Increasingly, the answer depends on what their politics are. We are moving away from people who disagree with us, and National Review writer David French says we're headed for a "national divorce." French says, "Americans tend to belong to their political tribe not so much because they love its ideas but rather because they despise their opponents." So we've decided to bring in guests who are close friends and political opposites. How do they maintain friendships? What can we learn from that? Our guests:
- Ernie Orlando, 8th grade social studies teacher at Churchville-Chili Schools
- Joe Randise, IT manager
- Tom Proietti, resident media scholar at St. John Fisher College
- Tony Conte, professor of accounting at Monroe Community College
