Week In The News: Obamacare, Jobs, Tobacco-Free Pharmacies, Sochi Olympics

Obamacare and jobs. CVS quits tobacco. Terror and toothpaste warnings for Sochi.  Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.

No Chobani yogurt for U.S. athletes at the Sochi Winter Olympics this week, or ever, we’re now told.  And that’s just the beginning of the Sochi tales.  Stay tuned.  In Washington, it’s been a week of yes and no.  Yes to the big farm bill.  No, says John Boehner, to immigration reform this year.  New jobs numbers out – pretty mediocre.  Obamacare under fire on the jobs future front.  Philip Seymour Hoffman is dead with a needle in his arm.  Jay Leno signs off.  And a stolen Stradivarius is brought home in Milwaukee.  This hour On Point: Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.
-- Tom Ashbrook

Heidi Moore, U.S. finance and economics editor for The Guardian. (@moorehn)

Bob Cusack, managing editor of The Hill. (@BobCusack)

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst.

The Guardian: CVS doesn't need tobacco for its revenues: it has Obamacare — "It turns out that the timing however, is perfect. CVS doesn't need tobacco for its revenues because a bigger source of business is on the horizon: Obamacare. And Obamacare is invested in pressuring smokers to quit by forcing them to pay more for healthcare."

The Wall Street Journal:On Eve of Winter Games, Worries About Sochi Mount --"Athletes and others arriving in Sochi encountered what appears to be a strong security presence. As of late Wednesday no incidents had occurred. But hanging over these Games is a threat from terrorists. On Wednesday it emerged that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has warned airlines sending flights to Russia to look out for explosives hidden inside toothpaste tubes."

 Bloomberg: Twitter’s Loss Exceeds Estimates as User Growth Slows --"There were 241 million monthly active users in the fourth quarter, Twitter said in a statement today, up 30 percent from 185 million a year earlier and slower than 39 percent seen in the prior period. Usage also declined, with 148 billion views of Twitter timelines compared with 159 billion views in the third quarter. Net loss was $511.5 million compared with $8.7 million a year earlier, and was more than double analysts’ projections of $253.5 million."